waiting on wednesday (08): the night circus

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event courtesy of Breaking the Spine that showcases much anticipated upcoming releases.

The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Publishing date: 09/13/2011

from goodreads:

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 per­formers 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.


I'll admit, I don't like circuses in the traditional sense, but as soon as I saw this cover and read the synopsis I was hooked. A circus that's only open at night called The Circus of Dreams - it was immediate love. I already want to know more about the colors, the cover,  the characters. And the UK version of the cover, while not quite as gorgeous is still beautiful.  The line about prose is also very intriguing for me as I love an author that can work details with words like a loom. This is a release that I am very much looking forward to.