Book Review: The Night Circus

Summary: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. 
 Within these nocturnal black-and-white striped tents awaits an utterly unique, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stare in wonderment as the tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and become deliciously tipsy from the scents of caramel and cinnamon that waft through the air. 
   Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves. 
 Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way--a contest between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in a "game" to which they have been irrevocably bound by their mercurial masters. Unbeknownst to the players, 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. 
 As the circus travels around the world, the feats of magic gain fantastical new heights with every stop. The game is well under way and the lvies of all those involved--the eccentric circus owner, the elusive contortionist, the mystical fortune-teller, and a pair of red-headed twins born backstage among them--are swept up in a wake of spells and charms. 
 But when Celia discovers that Marco is her adversary, they begin to think of the game not as a competition but as a wonderful collaboration. With no knowledge of how the game must end, they innocently tumble headfirst into love. A deep, passionate, and magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 
 Their masters still pull the strings, however, and this unforeseen occurrence forces them to intervene with dangerous consequences, leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance. 
 Both playful and seductive, The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern's spell-casting debut, is a mesmerizing love story for the ages.

Thoughts: I have to admit, the title, the cover, the description, for once they are all entirely honest. I picked this book up hoping for something different, something mesmerizing. That is exactly what this book is. Slow, dreamy; the reader seems to float through certain parts and dance through others. Magic is mingled with mechanics and dreams are the most real part about it. I was truly spellbound to the very end. One thing I did notice with other readers and that didn't bother me was that there are so many characters that all come in at different times. It can easily get confusing. But over all, this was an amazing read.

Content: This is not a book for children. There are sexual scenes, mostly mentioned as a joke or in passing but one chapter held an actual scene which, while easily skipped, is still a problem. There is a miniscule amount of language, a few profanities and D***  but in the beginning there is one utterance of the F bomb that was both unnecessary and annoying. Thankfully this word did not appear again. Many of the themes are mature and the plot itself would be a little confusing for a younger reader. An enchanting read for an adult but not highly recommended.