Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My favourite types of stories are the ones about magic: The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the Harry Potter Series, and now I have another new favourite, but this particular book doesn't do magic in the same way as the ones mentioned.

The Night Circus portrays magic as being a talent practiced by a rare few, without needing spells and fantasy lands. It suggests that it is ingrained within the world, unnoticed by most people except for the ones in the know. In the novel, it is Prospero the Enchanter and the enigmatic Mr Alexander who are the rare exceptions, and they decide to play a dangerous game using Prospero's daughter Celia, and her opponent Marco, representing Mr Alexander, as the pawns. Their venue is the Night Circus, or Le Cirque du Reves, meaning the circus of dreams, a circus unlike any other built especially for the game, although few know this. Inevitably Celia and Marco fall in love, and since the loser of the game must endure severe consequences, this makes it all the more harder for them to try and win.

This novel is the type where you either love it or hate it, depending on what type of reader you are. If you are someone who is more enchanted by the exquisite imagery created by the detail in the descriptions like me, then you will absolutely love this book. The way all the tents in the circus are described and the focus on the senses is just amazing, and it enables you to imagine exactly what it would be like to step through the iron gates of the circus and see the performances. However, if you are more of a person who prefers their books to be less on the descriptive side and more plot driven, then this is probably not the right book for you. Personally I'm a bit of both, as after I finished reading the book I didn't feel like I'd read a story and I didn't feel like I'd taken anything from it away with me, instead it feels rather more like someone has written down your dreams for you to experience again, which is why even though it has a slow moving plot and there aren't solid explanations for how everything works, I still loved reading this.

Anyway I hope you enjoy if you decide to give this a go!

Yas xx

Book Review- Carrie by Stephen King

As a person who absolutely loves reading, I'm always on the lookout for a new book which I haven't read (especially now that exams are over and I actually have time to read). So while in Waterstones the other day (which, by the way, is the best shop ever) I thought, I haven't read a Stephen King novel before, and since the remake of the movie Carrie based on Stephen King's novel, starring Chloë Grace Moretz is coming out in October, I might as well see what all the fuss is about before the movie comes out, and I'm so glad I did.

Carrie is a creepy horror story about a girl called, (surprise surprise) Carrie, who has been bullied and tortured by not only her classmates but her god-fearing mother all her life. Carrie had always been the odd girl in her school, but they have no idea just how different she is, because unbeknownst to them, Carrie has a gift. She is telekinetic, able to move things with her mind. This talent comes into focus when she is distressed by a particularly horrible bout of torment from the girls in her year, and when one girl feels guilty that she participated in making fun of her, she decides to make it up to her by persuading her boyfriend to ask Carrie to the Prom. He agrees, but this action causes the worst day to arrive at their town... I will say no more. If you don't want the entire story ruined for you I suggest you don't watch the movie trailer for the remake, as it unfortunately doesn't leave much to the imagination. 

Anyway I really recommend reading this book, especially if you've been stuck reading really cheesy teen romances (we've all been there, Twilight anyone?). Its not scary so don't worry if you're not a horror story type, but the end is certainly very unnerving... Enjoy!

Yas xx