The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

Another book that came very highly recommended to me, this time from TikTok (don’t judge me.) I haven’t really been into fantasy since my teenage dystopian-fantasy phase, but I was very excited about the concept of this novel. It was another one I found for a bargain at McKay’s (my favorite place to find books, in case you’re new around here.) Support your local bookstore!

The Night Circus is a novel following a beautiful and mysterious black-and-white-themed – you guessed it – circus. There are fantastic feats within, from illusionists to contortionists to big cats. A fire that never goes out. A whimsical clock that oversees the whole thing. But what patrons don’t know is that the illusions and fantasies within are not just that – they’re real. And what even fewer people know is that this entire circus is the front for a competition.

Two young magicians have been pitted against each other from childhood, committed to a competition neither of them knows much about. They have no idea how to win or even who their competitor is. Marco and Celia are just instructed to trust that clarity will come with time. So they wait, and both give their lives to the success of this traveling phenomenon. But when clarity comes, neither is prepared for the end of the competition.

Morgenstern uses very descriptive language to create loads of vivid scenery. Readers could get lost every page, delicately designed to guide the reader’s imagination every step of the way. I do have to admit, however, that I found myself bogged down in the description at times. I felt like there were places where this just really took away from the plot development and dialogue. The story also flowed rather slowly in some parts, which makes interest difficult to maintain over 500 pages.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read, even if the diction did slow things down for me in places. It was full of gorgeous language, which made for a lovely fantasy read. It had been a long time since I picked up a magical read, but it definitely won’t be the last.

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Page Count: 512

Publication Year: 2011

Rating: 6/10

Hiatus (An Apology)

This post is going to be fairly short and to-the-point.

I would like to apologize to my humble following for my lack of recent publishing. Life gets in the way of some of the things we love at times. I seem to have a rekindled love for reading at the moment, though, so I’ll be full steam ahead with books and reviews! Butnough of me apologizing – here’s what’s in store in the near future:

There are several reviews coming your way! In the next few weeks, I’ll be finishing AND reviewing All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. These two vastly different books should make for some fun reviewing!

Another exciting announcement is that my sister will soon be joining me, adding reviews and other bookish thoughts as she sees fit! My sister is my absolute dearest friend, and I can’t wait to share this blog and our book adventures together.

Thank you all so SO much for joining me!

Blind Date: Never Go Home with a Stranger – Nick Clausen

I didn’t receive this book as an ARC or as a freebie in exchange for a review, but it’s a new release that I came across for a whopping $0.00 on the Amazon Kindle store (for a limited time, but grab it while you can because WOW.)

I’m a sucker for a good thriller, and though this one is short in pages, I probably would have read it in one sitting even if it had 500 pages. Lily is set up on a blind date with moderately handsome entrepreneur Jake. After a few drinks and a good bit of shushing to that little voice in her head, Lilly decides to go home with him at the end of the evening.

Jake starts the arrival at home by showing off some of his inventions, including a music controlled gate entry into the home and a panel control with heat and motion sensors in each room. Then he disappears and leaves Lily to make more drinks and await his return. But he doesn’t come back, so Lily decides to go in search of him. It’s a massive house, so this could take awhile.

Insert nail-biting chaos. I couldn’t have stopped reading if I wanted to. Where is Jake? What is Lily thinking? What on earth is going on?! And the big question – will Lily survive what she thought was going to be a romantic nightcap? Clausen paints inescapable images and fear in readers, the kind of writing that makes it impossible to stop reading even for a moment.

He closes with even more crazy and captivating events than when we started. I won’t give away anything, as I want anyone who chooses to grab this freebie to experience ALL the jaw drops I felt. So I’ll just leave it at that. Read this if you love thrillers. 100%.

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Page Count: 35

Publication Year: 2019

Rating: 10/10