Saturday, November 17, 2012

A review, sorta. Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern


I have no idea if I'm allowed to do this, but I'm going to anyway. I am on page 50 inside a chapter called "Truth or Dare" and I've decided to write a review.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a marvelous little book. According to the book jacket its going to be a love story and a sorta fairy tale. It's more of an adult book than children's book, and filled with great characters. Even I get to be in this story. Portions of it are told in second person, and while sometimes a second person story is just a first person story in disguise, this one hasn't been. I've seen myself inside it, attending Le Cirque des Rêves.

The book has  multiple points of view, so why not include myself, the reader, but also circus attendee, seeker of dazzling stories and performances that are impossibly, delightfully almost real. So far in the book there has been magic, illusions, young lovers, teacups broken and repaired, fake magicians and real magicians and a mysterious game to be played. Celia and Marco, the main duo, have yet to meet, but they will soon, perhaps they'll be at the circus I'm attending.

I don't want to give too much away, so think of this more as a preview than an actual review (and see my disclaimer below). Not that I can spoil much, since I don't know how the story ends. I know someone who likes to read the end, or at least peak at it, to take off some of the pressure of not knowing, and give herself something to look forward to. 

I like to think of a story as a promise from the author to the reader. The Night Circus has promised me a magical performance. What will happen when Celia and Marco met? What are Celia's father and the man in the grey suit up to? How will Bailey sneak into the Night Circus - what will he find there? 

The Night Circus only opens at night, and after waiting outside in the cold I've paid my admission and entered the circus tent. I'm in the audience now, waiting to be entertained. I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Find out more about Erin Morgenstern.

Other reviews you might be interested in: 
Lunar Chronicles: Book 1 Cinder by Marissa Meyer
 The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland by Catherynne Valente
Adventures in Space ca 1851: Mothstorm by Philip Reeve


(Disclaimer: Since I'm only on page 50 this review/preview/recommendation shouldn't be taken too seriously. I couldn't resist telling you about it though. I'm still in the delightful beginning stages, when nothing is certain. You never know, halfway through the book might change irrevocably  The story might go somewhere unexpected. They do that occasionally  They begin so well and turn out to be entirely different by the end. They can be disappointing. Lloyd Alexander's The Iron Ring was like that. The first half so marvelous and wonderfully crafted, then the story changed, infected by realness, consequences and war, and it was no longer the exciting adventure it had been. It was still a good book, a well told story, but no longer the best. I'm always looking for the best, the stories that make my heart sing and my head spin, the excitement so hard to contain I want to go running outside in the middle of the night; those rare five star stories, perfect from beginning to the end that I read chapter by chapter hoping they will never end.)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

A Cinderific Story (or the Lunar Invasion begins!?)

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1)Cinder by Marissa Meyer

You're familiar with the story of Cinderella, and Cinder (book one of the Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer has all the familiar parts. Cinder has a stepmother, and step-sisters. There is even a pumpkin (cleverly disguised). There is a prince, and a royal ball that Cinder is not allowed to attend because she has too many chores. Basically the story is summed up like this: 

"Cinder was not going to be the ball, because she is a cyborg"

Cinder lives in New Beijing, sometime in the future. She was originally human, but because of an accident that killed her parents, some of her body was replaced with cybernetic parts. She's half human - half robot, unlike her companion Iko who is an android - all robot, though Iko does has a quirky personality. 


I always believed Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was the quintessential Cinderella retelling. It is so perfect. It makes so much sense and explains everything. Nothing could compare to Ella Enchanted, or compete. Why read another Cinderella story? And yet . . . Cinder works. Maybe it's not as perfect and classic, but somehow being a sci-fi fairy tale levels the playing field. 

I enjoy science fiction, (although I read space fantasy more often.) I don't usually see these two genres mixed. I'd definitely recommend the book, if only for the novelty. 

Although, I think the fairy tale elements might have limited the story. I realize it's odd for me to complain about this, but it's almost restricted. The characters and the story line had to fit inside the familiar, like forcing a foot into a too small shoe. I was ready to go somewhere else with the story, to see something different. There was potential for it too, with the Lunars showing up and their magical-psychic powers, the incurable disease called Letumosis. There is the the fact that Prince Kai will become Emperor someday, while Cinder is a nobody, a cyborg. How will they ever get together? It's a lot to cram into one book. 

And I have to warn you. This book is also Book 1 (of 4), and while the story sorta wraps up - a lot of mysteries are explained, and secrets are revealed - it doesn't really conclude. The next one Scarlet comes out in February.

I'm a greedy reader, it seems. I read books fast, sometimes within hours like a movie. I want the story to be exciting, a little adventure, and certainly romance, but not too predictable. A well told story. And sequels? To me they are a bonus. They shouldn't be necessary. Unless, of course, its available right now. I guess I hate waiting.

other reviews you might be interested in:
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland by Catherynne Valente
adventures in space ca. 1851: Mothstorm by Philip Reeve