5 Stars
Pros: Interesting and unique characters/A deeply intertwined plot and beautiful imagery that puts the reader right inside the circus so they can enjoy it for themselves.
Cons: The love story was a bit contrived and predictable but aren't they all?
Full Review
The Circus appears without warning, comprised of black and white striped tents and a sign that proclaims it is Le Cirque De Reves and it only opens at twilight. That image alone was enough to get me hooked. Since my favorite novel is Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, which is all about a dark carnival, this glimpse of the "Circus of Dreams" caught me from the get go and never let up.
Unlike the carnival in Bradbury's tale which is sinister and unsettling, this circus is full to bursting with imaginative displays of creativity and uniqueness, featuring tents full of acrobats, a fortune teller and an illusionist, who is the novels protagonist, Celia Bowen.
We first meet Celia as a young orphaned gril who is left at a theater where Prospero the Enchancer is headlining. She has a simple note fastened to her jacket and it explains in no uncertain terms that Celia is Propero's daughter. Her mother took her own life and now Celia must stay with him. Prospero's, otherwise known as Hector Bowen, first thoughts on the matter are to simply stare at the note, glance at the girl and mutter a surprised, "Well fuck."
That right there is enough to show the reader what kind of man Hector is. As the novel progresses we learn that he is cruel, unforgiving, judgmental and cold, especially to his daughter. But stuck at a loss, he decides to take her under his wing and begins to teach her his way of magic which in reality, isn't magic at all. There are no cards hidden up sleeves, no secret compartments, no smoke and mirrors. Hectors act is the real deal and when Celia shows a natural affinity for manipulating the world around her, her decides she might be worth his time.
As the years pass and Celia grows and becomes more powerful, we eventually meet a man named Alexander, who comes to see Hector after one of his performances. They have a tense relationship, and after showing Alexander what Celia can do, Hector proposes the idea of a challenge, a competition, where Celia will be pitted against a pupil of Alexander's. He agrees and as a way of marking Celia as one of the "players" Alexander takes a ring and burns it into her finger, leaving a scar and a way for her to always be reminded of the game she now finds herself an unwilling player in.
Alexander must then find a pupil of his own. He goes to a London orphanage and eventually selects an older boy who shows promise. As the novel progresses we see Hector and Alexander's teaching methods are vastly different. Alexander encourages his student, Marco, to read and study while Hector takes a more hands on approach, slicing each finger of Celia's hand open until she has the control to close all of the wounds at once.
As a step in the game, Alexander advises Marco to take a job as an assistant to eccentric and successful businessman Chandresh Christoph Lefevre, who is planning the biggest undertaking yet. A circus, but not your run of the mill, three ring, clowns, magicians and animal acts abound. This circus will be vast, imaginative and it will test the very limits of reality. And it will also act as the perfect arena for Celia and Marco to play out their "challenge" though neither of them are aware as to how interwoven and complex the nature of the circus and even those who perform within it will become. Their very lives will depend on Celia and Marcos abilities to maintain the circus and continually add exhibits that will help it to grow and flourish.
The whole book is so deeply intertwined that one character cannot make a move without it affecting everyone else and that in lies the problem. It all comes to a satisfactory conclusion the novel is a suspenseful, fun, thrilling page turner that gets you from the very beginning and doesn't let go. I loved every second of it and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love for the mysterious, the idea that magic is all around us and the idea that love is what binds us all together and keeps us strong. A fantastic book, I'm so glad I picked it up. This one is a keeper for sure.
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