It's been more than a month since we were assigned to read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I'm still slowly getting through it in between other weekly readings. It's just such an interesting book, because the premise of it just hooks you right in: A competition between two magicians where they adopt pupils, teach them the ways of magic, and let them go through the actual competition, which still hasn't been revealed what exactly it is at the point I'm at.
On the surface, it's an urban fantasy set in the early 20th century. But the story reads like a thriller, because it feels like the stakes are really high in the competition and it's very fast paced. It also feels very fresh in terms of new ideas. The story is set in Victorian London, in a world where magicians secretly live and circuses are highly loved. Mixing the magic of circuses and the literal magic of magicians creates a unique sense of wonder that couldn't be reached with just one of the two types, I think.
In terms of commentary, a reaction I had to the book very early on was of surprise that two adult men had taken young kids for their own purpose. There were subtle details in the story that debated whether what they did was child slavery or if it was just a pupil/master relationship. Celia for example constantly wants freedom, and her master never really completely gives it to her because of how she's bound to the competition. Another point is when the magicians are performing on stage and it's questioned by Celia or Marco how come nobody is noticing when the magic is used. And it's revealed that humans don't notice, because they don't understand what's happening. I think this could be connected to reality in terms of human ignorance.
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