The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The night circus is a place of magic and intrigue. It appears overnight, as if appearing out of thin air. It stays for an undetermined amount of time, and disappears as quickly as it appeared, no one quite sure where it will appear next. Though, it is not your typical circus; it consists of many tents instead of one. Each of these tents contains its own individual magical atmosphere.

This story focuses on two young magicians/illusionist, Celia and Marco. When they were both young, they were bound into a competition. Celia's father bound her while Marco was selected from an orphanage by his mentor to play his role.  The competition is vague, and only the mentors truly understand how it is played. The venue for this competition is the Night Circus. The magicians materialize fantastic feats of illusion and magic, each creation akin to a move in chess. Though neither of them know the rules, they know they must keep creating, trying to outdo one another. What they don't realize is that they are not the only two affected by this challenge; every member of the circus has become intertwined.

What was originally meant to pit these two against each other has instead brought them together. Each new tent creation bringing them closer, like the words on a love note. They are no longer competing, but completing, each creation a mixture of each of them. This threatens the contest, and neither can foresee how it is meant to end and what it means for the love they have created.

This story was so intriguing that I hated putting it down and I feel that my above description does not do it justice. There are so many things I could say, but I want to keep the mystery that propels the story forward. The concepts of their creations are fantastic, and described within the novel in such detail that you can picture it almost as if you have actually seen a photograph of it in real life.

The thing that drew me most into this book were the creations of the magicians. The imagination behind the tents is fantastic. The level of the illusions/magic make the reader have to doubt the basis that the attendees of the circus were so easily duped into thinking the real was fake and vice versa, but I still admire the creativeness of it all. I warn you, if you are the type of reader who needs everything explained and accounted for, you may not enjoy this. But, if you the reader who is able to see the forest beyond the trees and can create solid pictures with the help of well developed imagery, this novel should be a delight for you as it was for me.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

This book is the second book in the Maze Runner Trilogy. While I loved the first one, I found this one to be a little lackluster. Note, if you have not read The Maze Runner you may not want to continue reading this entry; it does contain some spoilers. Also, you may not understand some of the references I am making to people/places/things.

The book begins with Thomas, the Gladers, and Teresa having successfully escaped from the maze. They think they are all set and ready to enter their real world again, but to their dismay they do not get to. They instead are once again put through another trial, The Scorch Trial.

The Scorch is a vast area of land that used to be near the Equator. After the solar flares (we learn this in book one), this area of land is left desolate and barren. The challenge that Thomas and the Gladers face is having to cross the Scorch, in two weeks, and arrive at the "safe haven". Not only do they have to deal with crossing a desert with a small amount of food and unrealistically smaller supply of water, they have to travel one hundred miles total in two weeks, on foot, and fight off Cranks.  Cranks are humans that have been infected with the Flare. The longer you have been infected, the more psychotic you are. Oh, did I mention that WICKED has conveniently infected all of them as well for additional motivation to succeed in the trial (read: do our little test or die)?

While I was completely intrigued by the first book, this second one didn't really draw me in. At one point I voluntarily put it down to grade papers. That, my friends, is a first. But, after finishing and reflecting, I think I know why it didn't draw me in as well. The first novel was fully of mystery and suspense. We didn't know why they were in the maze, what was happening in the outside world, who Thomas was/is supposed to be, or if they were ever going to get out of the maze. It was interesting to follow the characters and discover with them. For this sequel, we already knew Thomas was telepathic and had worked with WICKED, what the challenge the Gladers had to face was, and we knew to expect many of the things that happened. There was much less suspense and mystery for me. I found it to be very predictable. Also, some parts dragged on for far too long.  I get it, Cranks are crazy, they want to kill people, run Thomas run. Even the bio-mechanical engineered monsters at the end were lame. It took the Gladers two whole years to figure out the Grievers. It took them less than two minutes to figure out these beasties. Finally, what turned me off was what they change in the dynamics and relationships of the characters. They seemed much more detached in this novel, and as a result, so was I.

The book ends on a cliff hanger, as should be expected since we know there is yet another book. I, however, am not as anxious to read this one. I am instead going to read another novel in between, hoping that the time I spend reading another novel will amp my curiosity about the ending of this story. There is also a prequel, to explain why the maze had to be created in the first place. We shall have to see if the third leaves me wanting more information enough to read that one.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

It was suggested to me after my last post that instead of blogging about series as a whole after I have finished it, I should blog about each book individually. So, I start with bringing you the first book in The Maze Runner Trilogy, The Maze Runner.

This book was recommended to me after I finished The Hunger Games because it shares the post-apocalyptic/dystopian theme that I love so very much. I started this book Thursday and found it very difficult to put down.

The plot centers around a place named "The Glade". The Glade is in the center of a maze. Within this maze live a group of boys. No one remembers how they got there or why, but the longest surviving members have been there for about two years. Naturally, their main goal is to get out of there. But, for the past two years they have not been able to find a way out of the maze. It doesn't help that the walls move every night. To top it off, they are forced to stay within the Glade portion of the maze at night because the walls close. But, that is better than the alternative, because if you are caught in the maze at night you become the prey of "Grievers", half flesh, half robotic creature bent on killing you with their multiple appendages and poisonous needles.

Ever month a new boy is delivered the Glade. The story opens with Thomas being delivered. Like the other boys he has no solid memory of the life before. He can remember images, the way things work, but not his family or his last name; his memory has purposefully been wiped. The arrival of Thomas seems normal, like every other newbie that shows up. But, it's not. After Thomas arrives, nothing is the same.

Thomas is important, but he can't remember why. Everything about the maze seems familiar, but he can't figure it out. Then, the next day, another person arrives. Not only is it unprecedented to get two newbies in as many days, but this one is a girl. She arrive bearing a foreboding note: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE. Will they be able to survive? Will they all die? Will they get out of the maze?

This story is completing riveting. How the characters figure out what is happening to them and why is intriguing and will keep you guessing.  I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book in this series, The Scorch Trials.