June in Review

I haven't been posting a lot this month because I've been really busy with traveling and work! Hopefully next month I'll be able to get more reviews and posts up in general.

Books I Finished in June 

Peter and the Starcatchers - Berry and Ridley

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne Valente
Anna Dressed in Blood- Kendare Blake 

Seraphina - Rachel Hutchens
The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
The Night Circus - Erin Morganstan
       My Review Here
Peter and the Shadow Thieves - Berry and Ridlley 

Books I Started in June

 Black Notice - Patricia Cornwell 

Alanna: The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce (this is a reread that I've been craving!) 

In July I'm going to try to participate in the Booktube Read-A-Thon which you can find out more about HERE! I am also hoping to read a lot when I travel to the beach this month! So I hope to have a lot of books to show you over the next month. 

    

Review: The Night Circus

by: Erin Morgenstern 

Published: September 2010

512 pages   

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.


I am so far behind with reviews. I need to catch up!

The Night Circus was a fantastic read. I always thought this book was YA, but after I read it I saw it was often considered a book for adults. Even so, I think YA readers would enjoy this story. I certainly did! I will warn you though this story is slow paced and I think that could turn some readers off. There are definitely moments where I felt like I was waiting for something to happen and there are not many flashy action sequences. The book is slow paced, but it captivated me. Morgenstern had a great way of describing the circus that made you feel like you knew everything and nothing about it at the same time. The time line jumps around and even the point of view changes throughout the story which took some getting used to. While it does create some confusion, I think it added to the mystery of the book and overall I enjoyed it.

I think one of my favorite things about this story was the slow development of the romance. So many stories introduce two characters so early before you know each character by themselves.In this story I felt like I knew Celia and Marco independently before they even met one another. For much of the novel Celia and Marco are only concerned about the other because of the competition they have been entered into. When romance finally does blossom, I thought their reasons for falling in love were so understandable and believable. Their meetings and actions are incredibly romantic and beautifully described as well. I was swept up by their story and thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the book.

There is so much mystery though out the book as well. There was no point in the book where I was sure what was going to happen or who all the characters were. The circus itself changed constantly though out the novel and I was always interested to see what would be added. There were enough mysteries to keep me guessing and interested through the entire novel. Each character is unique and while I never felt like I knew everything about the characters, I cared about all of them. The circus performers have a wide variety of interesting talents and there are more acts than what you would expect at a normal circus. Marco and Celia's talents are also a great take on magic and something unique and interesting. The circus itself is fascinating and has a personality of its own as well. The ending is fantastic because somehow all these bits and pieces of story about the circus all fit together in the end.

I recommend this for anyone who is willing to be patient and slow down to enjoy this story. While it is slow, I think it is definitely worth the time to read it. It is one of my favorite books of this year so far!

Rating: 5/5

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2013!

Top Ten Tuesdays are created by: The Broke and the Bookish

I've read 37 books so far this year! I've found some great ones, but its hard to order them so these are my favorite ones of this year. They are not in any particular order.

1) The Night Circus by Erin Morganstan - I was actually very surprised to love this book as much as I did. It was enchanting and the writing was absolutely gorgeous. Even though it is slow paced, I thought the author did a great job of making magic seem like something that could really happen.

2) A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness- I adored this book and it was just a fantastic read. I would suggest that anyone read this book because it deals with tough stuff in a great way.

3) Howls Moving Castle - Diana Waynne Jones- I've been dying to read this forever and I loved it! I didn't even realized how involved I was until the very end of the story! It was fabulous!

4) Friends with Boys - Faith Erin Hicks -  I have not read many graphic novels, but this is one of the best ones that I've read. It was a light read and the artwork was clear and interesting.

5) Clockwork Princess- Cassandra Clare - This was a great final book in a fantastic trilogy! I don't want to give anything away. However, I will say that the ending of this series was not what I was expecting and it made me like the series even more!

6) Beka Cooper: Terrier - Tamora Pierce - I love Tamora Pierce and I put off reading this book for too long. I really enjoyed it. It was a new spin on one of my favorite fantasy worlds of all time.

7) Opal - Jennifer L. Armentrout - This book was fantastic and fast paced just like the entire series. Such a cliffhanger though! I cannot wait for the next book.

8) Daughter of Smoke and Bones- Lani Taylor - I will label this book my favorite book of 2013 so far. I loved the writing style and I loved the story. It was so enchanting and unique.

9) Anna Dressed in Blood- Kendare Blake -  This book came to my attention because of several blogger and vloggers. I love Supernatural and this book reminded me of that show! Loved it!

10)Serephina - Rachel Hartman I struggled to get into this story for a while, but once it had me pulled in, I could not put it down.

I loved all these books and cannot wait to see what comes in the second half of 2013.