The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

                                      The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern- 387 pages

The Night Circus is a fantasy/romance/historical fiction novel that follows the story of a turn-of the-century world traveling circus and the people involved with it. Two young magicians, Celia and Marco, spent their childhoods training for a contest in which their magical skills would be pitted against one another. What they do not initially realize is that this "contest" is the Night Circus itself. Starting when they are teens, they spent their years keeping the circus running by altering and adding attractions. Every fantastical aspect is a piece of their game. While this creates an incredible experience for the patrons, it begins to have an overwhelming effect on the other performers. It further complicates matters when Marco and Celia fall in love only to discover that the contest can end only when one of them is left standing. This was a wonderfully written books with a lot of interesting characters and fantastic imagery. I would recommend it to any historical fiction of fantasy fan looking for something new or unique.