A million people told me to read THE NIGHT CIRCUS. Well, maybe not a million, but a lot. So maybe I had my expectations set too high. I enjoyed this book, just not as much as I'd hoped I would. 
 What did I love? The circus. Everything about it. The bonfire that glowed white, the mysterious clock that oversaw the circus-goers, the caramel and hot cider and chocolate mice. The undeniable sense of magic and mystery that seeped off the page every time Morgernstern walked me into a tent. If those black and white tents popped up in a meadow, without warning, I would enter the Night Circus in a heartbeat. 
 But as much as I loved the circus itself, I was not so in love with its characters. They seemed a little flat to me, blending together. The plot felt slow and long-winded, and the romance (which reads in the description to be the epic, star-crossed type) was, in my-opinion, only lukewarm. 
 I think Morgenstern is incredibly imaginative, and her ability to bring the magic of the circus to life (the tents, the performers, the exhibits) through mere words is amazing. I just wish that magic crossed over into some of the other elements of the story as well. Either way, it is obvious why this novel is getting so much attention. And as I said, I'd walk into it the Night Circus if it were real. I truly, truly wish it were real. 
 Originally reviewed here.