Reading Teen

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is, in a word, Magical. I don't really ever read adult fiction. The only adult novel I've read in the last five years is The Host by Stephenie Meyer, but I heard such great things about this book that it caught my attention. Then, when I heard Jim Dale narrated the audio version, I was sold. I immediately went and downloaded it from Audible.com. I was a little worried at first, because the pacing of this book isn't something I'm used to. It has a slower feel and more detailed writing than many of the "instant gratification" Young Adult books that I love so much (for that very reason). But, soon, I found myself almost captured by this book. I thought about it almost every moment of the day. If I wasn't listening to it, I was counting the minutes until I could get back to it again. I was talking about it with anyone I could find that had read it, or was reading it. I was telling anyone I spoke to that this should be the next book/audiobook on their list. It's just that good.There is so much depth and foreshadowing in The Night Circus. I love when it's obvious that authors are very intelligent, and that they have taken the time, effort, and energy to plan out their story in advance, leaving hints, puzzles, and clues for us to find along the way. There was so much depth to each of the characters as well. I don't think I've ever felt so closely connected to so many different characters in a book before. I loved them all, even when I was hating them. I mean even Celia's father, who sliced open her fingertips, just to make her heal them, found some way to be endearing to me. I hated him, loved him, felt sorry for him, and felt vindicated when he found himself in over his head. How is it possible to feel so many things for a character? I think my favorite characters were the twins, Poppet and Widget (may be spelled wrong, as I listened to the book), born on the night the circus opened, and full of surprises, mysteries, and wisdom beyond their years.The romance in The Night Circus is breathtaking. Celia and Marco have been raised and trained to be competitors on opposite sides of a magical battle of skills. But instead of wanting to win, they find themselves being in awe of the other's skill, wanting to impress each other, and eventually falling in love. Their love grows over many, many years, though they age so slowly (thanks to a bit of magic) that they are still young lovers when they find each other. It was heartbreaking to see them fall in love, and know that in the end, only one of them could win. Especially when the stakes are so high.The Night Circus is a beautifully written, masterfully crafted book, full of mystery, suspense, heartbreak, love, hope and beauty. Erin Morgenstern's imagination comes to life through her words, and makes you feel like you are actually walking through the circus, seeing the magical displays of Celia and Marco yourself. It makes you long for a real circus like this, so that you can be a part of the magic yourself.~AndyeReadingTeen.net