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.
My Review: This book absolutely swept me off my feet! I couldn’t believe I waited so long to read it. It tells the story of Celia and Marco who have been trained differently from childhood in magical matters. They are bound to each other and the circus is their “testing” ground. When they learn that the competition is not over until one of them dies so they both decide to die so the other may live. However it turns out that they both are between the living and dead at the end.
The love story told in this book is phenomenal. It makes every other love story pale in comparison. The story is not only about romance but highlights the love of two people bound together by forces outside their control and the love they develop for each other.
The story itself focuses on the characters there is not a lot happening in terms of action but rather how each character develops over time. The author indulges us with a sense of mystery and excitement. The writing is such that we are bombarded with all the senses as read about the early deepening nights of autumn. The rites of a circus the candy that is traditional at this time and the sense of excitement that each tent may bring.
The writing brings all the senses into play with this story. It is like the reader is there while the events are unfolding and you cant help but be overcome by the wonder and urgency of the competition.
This is a great book for fall. As the leaves are turning and the air turns crisp one can better get in the atmosphere of the story.