Very rarely do I find a book that I consider wanting to read for a second time. Although I'm not going to jump into it right now, I know that further down the line, I will want to revisit this magical story.

I LOVE this book! It's wonderful, magical, romantic, and has a plot where it isn't always focused on the main characters. Every character in this book is critical. If you take away any of them the book falls apart much like the circus itself.

I find myself thinking about this book even after being done with it. It stays with you. ( )

- This book made, pretty much, no sense
- The descriptions of the circus were pretty good, and felt like magic
- The relationships between people made no sense. Characters who had never met before suddenly know each other or were in love.
- This book would have been SO much better if the chapters were in chronological order!!! They were jumping all over the place.
- So many things were not explained.

In fact, the most accurate and awesome review of this book can be found here (and I'm linking to it because I could never write one even close to this good!): Lucy's Review. Joel's review is also pretty awesome. ( )

A fantastical journey through a Victorian-era circus, but it does take some dedication. The circus world builds around you as you read and come to know the characters - some you love, some you hate. The imagery is beautiful. I want my own wishing tree! ( )

4.5/5 I'm not a fantasy reader, but I guess I am a phantasmagoric reader because I sucked this 500+ pager down in two days. I think I'll have to read it again just to catch everything. Morgenstern certainly worked her magic on me. Yes, there's magic; yes, there's love; yes, there's even a Hunger-Games-like game to the death, but the real star is the circus itself. I wanted to visit it and follow it all over the world. I will for probably a long time. ( )

I wish that I could give this book more stars, but truth is, I can't. Yes, the story is enchanting and magical, but what else can you expect from a story about a circus? I did enjoy this book, but I had to force myself to get through the first half because it's terribly slow and descriptive. If you like descriptive books without much dialogue, this book is for you. If you like a lot of action in a book, this book is NOT for you. I was expecting an actual battle but was disappointed when none ever came about. The "battle" includes the two rivals creating new and exciting tents in the circus. I felt a little cheated.

I never felt emotionally connected with the characters. I never felt that they loved each other. I was told that they love each other and chose to believe it. That is a big difference that I don't really care for. While, I might not have felt connected to the characters but they were very likable, and there wasn't one person that I hated.

What I did love about the book was the circus itself. It captivated me from the very beginning and I just wanted to know more about it. It was mystical and mesmerizing. Each new room that was added was so alluring that I wanted to be there, at Le Cirque des Rêves, to go through each tent myself.

I received this book as an ARC through Goodreads and I'm very pleased that I did. I wish I could have given more stars but the story started off too slow, didn't have any action, and I felt no connection to the characters. Overall, I was pleased with this book and would recommend it to others. I would also love to see Summit go through with plans for a movie. ( )