Actual Rating: 4.75 
 Genuinely enjoyed everything in this book! As the reader, I was literally included in the story as the author wrote some parts in the perspective of "breaking the fourth wall" which made it very exciting. 
 Okay, so The Night Circus blew me away with all the magic and illusion involved; it's not your typical circus with simple acts. The fact that they only do it at night, makes the story more intense and I had fun reading all about it. Also, it takes place in the late 1800's which is a really cool time period so that's a bonus. 
 At the very beginning I was rather confused as to how this was going to work because I noticed that every chapter would have new different characters and it somehow made a slow start BUT it wasn't boring. It was my mistake because I did not pay attention to the year indicated in every chapter and I should've because the story stretched out to more than 10 years. 
 One thing that's heavily mentioned in the blurb of the book was that it would revolve around Celia and Marco's romance. They are apparently opponents in this "night circus" and the only way one could win is when one of them dies. Truthfully, I was expecting a lot in their storyline but as I read, I noticed that it wasn't that highlighted as much. Don't get me wrong though, I still fell for their romance, knowing me being a pathetic romantic... I enjoyed their love story. Since it was set in the 1800's, I could just imagine what Marco would actually be like by the way he talks because again, it's set in an old time. Celia on the other hand was interesting to read about, I didn't really know how important she was in the story until every detail was explained about their "game". 
 The story also revolved around Bailey, who is a mundane character I guess, I usually don't like it when books talk a lot about different story arcs and switches it from chapter to chapter but surprisingly this one was well written. It didn't really drag me away from the main plot. Bailey wasn't hard to decipher unlike the other characters (Thiessen, Chandresh, Mr. Barris etc) because he was just an outsider that had an interest with the circus, then he met the Murray twins and eventually his connection with the story made sense. Poppet and Widge were really fun to read about, I also liked subtle romance between Poppet and Bailey. It felt so innocent and it was really cute. 
 My favorite moment in this book would have to be the plot twist. TSUKIKO omg that girl was the winner in the last competition and we only know this towards the end, all throughout she was just introduced as a contortionist. I don't know, I feel like everyone was just super mysterious in their own way which made it hard to understand but then again it's a book that revolves around magic and illusion, it shouldn't make any sense lol! 
 The ending kind of threw me off, not in a bad way, it was just... weird. I wanted to know a detailed explanation of how they both survived and I'm pretty sure there was an explanation, I just didn't understand it. With what happened all throughout the story, I was trying to look for connections and it frustrated me that I couldn't. All I know is that Marco and Celia both burned? Then they became half-ghost and they needed someone (this is where Bailey takes his place) to monitor the circus because if not, then Celia would die or fade or whatever because apparently she's the one holding the circus together.... well, that's how I understood it. I don't know if I'm missing anything else but that's just how I gathered everything. 
 So that explains the .75 rating. It wasn't perfect but again it was enjoyable! Maybe if the writing was just a bit more constructed, then the ending would've been great. After reading it, I just felt contented that Marco and Celia are off to god knows where living their life, since they couldn't for almost 30 years. But at the same time I also liked how it was Widge who was telling the story, I didn't expect for that sort of thing to happen, where the character in the book talks to the reader and it wasn't bad at all. 
 Would I recommend this book? Of course. If you're into the whole magical story with very complex characters, this one's for you. 
 See you in my next review :)