The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern - Kobo

“I want this story. Your story. The tale of what brought us to this place, in these chairs, with this wine. I don't want a story you create from here” - he taps his temple with his finger - “I want one that is here.” He lets his hand hover over his heart for a moment before sitting back in his chair. (The man in the grey suit).

I decided right away there would be two ways to read The Night Circus: as it is - an exceptionally creative and visual story – and/or as a portrayed journey with hidden messages. Everything is like this (loaded with symbolism), and in this case it seemed intended.

The plot of The Night Circus is unique and I loved it right from the opening: The circus arrives without warning.

Opens at Nightfall

Closes at Dawn.

A mysterious black and white circus – Le Cirque des Reves - travels around the world, materializing out of nowhere.  Two magicians/illusionists – Celia and Marco – are destined to compete. Only one can win. Celia has been trained rather harshly, in a physical manner, making her very strong (or else she would've been physically harmed), and Marco has been educated well since a young age and is prepared to win. Their battle turns into a romance – one that holds the entire circus together. As things start to crumble, and as the circus experiences interference, Celia and Marco must come up with a plan to keep it going - without only one of them coming out a winner.

There's a lot more to The Night Circus than I initially processed, I sensed. This made it exciting. I didn't spend time analyzing to figure out what all the numbers, symbols, and chapter names, mean (even though I found these details interesting) - I just wanted to enjoy the experience and see what I got out of it, intuitively.

By chapter: Tete-a-Tete: London, August 1896, I decided, to me, this novel is about polarities, and reflection, or better still, balance, as well as the possibilities and creation that come out of this. It made me feel, or reminded me, that anything can be materialized at will - once the belief in it is mastered and skill, strengthened (although, in it it is said that the key is endurance: “Such pain is not lived with. It is only endured...”). What we want to be will be materialized or created (choose your own illusion). Of course others have their own ideas about this, respectfully, and so it is a bit of a game, it seems – a circus.

I hope one day a movie will do it justice. I would love to see it!  Below are a few inspirational illustrations I found on the internet that are similar to how I pictured the characters.

Update: Books I've Been Reading

I haven't really been reading The Disappearing Spoon for three months. I started it and then had to fit in a few novels, leaving only a few chapters left. Although I have enjoyed it, It's a book that can be read in spurts, and so that's what I've been doing.  

The Violinist's Thumb is also on my to-do list - I'm just waiting for it to come out in soft cover so that I can own a copy. 

And finally, I've also not been reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for a year. I was waiting for the right time (timing is everything), which is very soon. 

I plan to finish that last two novels in the Graveyard Queen series in the upcoming months, but first, A Discovery of Witches (a birthday gift from my cousin), and hopefully!, if I enjoy the first, the follow up to it, Shadow of the Night.

Wake - Amanda Hocking - Kobo

I got so excited when I discovered Wake. The cover is so beautiful, and I couldn't resist reading it. It was magical in many ways, just like the cover.  And, going with my theme lately, horrific and suspenseful, also.

Like many lead characters in teen fiction today, Gemma is seemingly ordinary, and then one day things change. She is an avid swimmer, has recently fallen in love with Alex, a long-time friend, and has a supportive family and her share of misfortune. During one of her night swims, Gemma is persuaded by a group of beautiful, unusual and seemingly dangerous girls to join them in a cove. They give her a drink and, after losing her sense of her reality, she wakes as a different being. She's changed, that's for sure and, after realizing this, hunts the girls down to find out what they gave her.

The suspense is great, and the desire to find out about these girls, what they want with Gemma, what they gave her, and what she's become, drives the reader forward. On the side, Gemma is falling in love and dealing with a family who are desperately trying to figure out what's going on with her and this gives the novel a human quality.

I love the characters and the relationships they have with each other. Gemma and Alex have a sweet and budding romance, and her sister, Harper, is falling, despite her wishes, for a caring and carefree guy who lives on a boat. Gemma, her sister, and their father, have the type of family that makes you realize home is where the heart is.

I was disappointed, however, when I realized Wake is part of a series. This means I will have to wait to find out what happens.  I guess I was hoping for a little closure.

The next books is Lullaby, available November 27, 2012.

The Diviners – Libba Bray - Kobo

The Diviners opens with a group of teenagers in Manhattan in the 20s playing a game to summon spirits. They summon N-A-U-G-H-T-Y-J-O-H-N (who has work to do). So, of course, I had to continue. 

A very intriguing story with intriguing topics, such as New York’s history, including its underground business lords. All of this is rather vague and does not connect with the rest of the story, entirely, but keeps the reader guessing to grasp the intended meaning and symbolism. 

There are many characters and, at times, I lost a few of them. However, the main characters were unique and solid, especially the lead, Evie. Evie is psychic and has intense abilities, but she is also shallow, mouthy, determined, and very curious. She’s sent to live with her uncle (who owns an occult museum) in New York after being sent away from her hometown because of ‘bad behaviour’. She is curious to find out all she can – good and bad – about city life and its inhabitants and this leads her to the scene of Naughty John’s grotesque work. 

The Diviners definitely has a different feel to it. It’s horror, and seems a little risqué with some of its subject matter, which is not that obvious or subtle. This strangeness makes the novel and writing what it is, I suppose, and it creates a certain mood - one that’s not completely comforting to the reader. At one point, I felt it had an Alfred Hitchcock feel to it, but then this dispersed into something else. 

I did enjoy it and was happy to discover it is part of a series - although, I can’t find any information about the next book.  For more about the book and to view the trailer, visit:  www.thedivinersseries.com