The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates …
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart. - Publisher.
A travelling magical circus made by a pair of star-crossed lovers
4 stars
This was quite an enjoyable book. I don't think it was as good as The Starless Sea, but it was still fun and had a charming ambience. I wish I could visit a circus as intriguing and magical as this one. The plot jumps a little in time and focuses on the circus and how it relates to the mysterious challenge of the key characters Celia and Marco. The unique setting helps carry the story all the way through.
I started out liking the book. The descriptions of the agic and the circus seemed promising, and the jumping around in time wasn't that hard to follow. But as the story wore on, it seemed the more words I read, the less got described. There was no in depth descriptions of the magic beyond what we learn in the beginning. And at more than halfway through the story, neither the reader nor the main characters are at all aware of how this game they are playing is supposed to work, all because their abusive parent-figures won't tell them. And even the READER doesn't get to know why. No one is privy to any vital information except two very deeply unlikable characters who quickly become boring in their mysteriousness.
This book is billed as a romance, which is my least favorite genre, I only picked it up because …
DNF at 59%
I started out liking the book. The descriptions of the agic and the circus seemed promising, and the jumping around in time wasn't that hard to follow. But as the story wore on, it seemed the more words I read, the less got described. There was no in depth descriptions of the magic beyond what we learn in the beginning. And at more than halfway through the story, neither the reader nor the main characters are at all aware of how this game they are playing is supposed to work, all because their abusive parent-figures won't tell them. And even the READER doesn't get to know why. No one is privy to any vital information except two very deeply unlikable characters who quickly become boring in their mysteriousness.
This book is billed as a romance, which is my least favorite genre, I only picked it up because no other source I read about it said it was a romance. I was willing to give it a chance though since I'd heard so much good about it. However, the characters that are supposed to be end-game spend about 55% of the book making absolutely no contact at all, ever. One of them does't even know who the other IS.
When Marco first meets Isobel, it's set up like she knows more about illusions and magic and such things, and that she's hiding something. I believe Marco notes that Isobel sounds like a fake name. In that moment, I thought for sure that Isobel was Celia in disguise and THAT would be the moment their ill-fated romance starts. That was not the case, however, and Isobel turns out to be nothing more than an amateur Tarot reader, who really serves very little purpose. Why have Marco enter into a relationship with a random girl when we know already she is not his opponent, and therefore not the one he's supposed to fall in love with? And then he just casts her aside with NO WORD TO HER after he hangs out with Celia for more than a minute one nigh, and decides he's in love with her. Even though they only see each other once every three or so years. Ok.
I wanted to like this book. The descriptions of the circus from the eyes of outsiders was fun, and I loved reading about the twins, but ultimately, this book offers very little. There's no substance to it, and it promises flair without delivering. I decided it was't worth my time to push through it.
