ACK I loved this book. Loved loved LOVED this book. I want to curl up in the pages of this book, wrapping the magic and the world around me like a blanket, cozy in my wondrous realm of magic and illusions and love and mysteries. 
 ::sighs happily:: 
 Oh, right, I'm supposed to be reviewing the book. 
 Two elderly magicians in the late 1800s issue a challenge: each of them will train an apprentice both of whom will face each other in a long term contest of magic prowess, endurance and creativity until there is a victor. This challenge spawns the creation of Le Cirque des Reves, a truly magical black and white circus open only at night. But the plot isn't really what's driving the book. The atmosphere created by the constantly changing circus is the heart and soul and is what drew me into the book. 
 I don't really have much I can adequately say. The writing in this book is so enchanting that I often times felt like the book itself was imbued with the same magic within the circus. The pace is a tad slow, allowing you to revel in the book's sights and sounds and feats of wonder and tricks you into thinking that you have all the time in the world before the book comes to its inevitable conclusion. I listened to this book through audiobook and it took me a good couple weeks to get through it. Not because I was bored, mind you, but because I wanted to savor the experience and linger in the world as long as I could. (The fact that it was narrated by the wonderful Jim Dale didn't hurt either, as I immediately was thrown into a nostalgia filled cloud remembering listening to Harry Potter through the same voice) 
 My suggestion: read the official summary of this book. If the overall concept of magicians transforming a traveling circus at all intrigues you, then I HIGHLY recommend this book. If you're more drawn to the concept of conflict ala The Prestige, you might be a tad disappointed. The focus of this book is not found within the egos of the illusionists, it's within the magic of the circus itself. And I truly loved every minute of it.