The Night Circus is one of my all time favourite books because even though it has been a few years since I’ve last read it. I still smell the popcorn in the circus, still in awe at all the different tents, most importantly, I still feel the magic the author infused it’s pages with. There are some who did not enjoy them, then there are others who did. It is a slow paced novel with beautiful writing. Each sentence brought a different feeling with it. Reading it felt like closing your eyes in a room with candle burning and soft piano playing.
If you’re one of the readers who enjoyed The Night Circus or if you simply want some magical recommendations, here are some of the novels I liked that have a similar vibe to The Night Circus.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava lavender by Leslye Walton
To many, I was myth incarnate, the embodiment of a most superb legend, a fairy tale. Some considered me a monster, a mutation. To my great misfortune, I was once mistaken for an angel. To my mother, I was everything. To my father, nothing at all. To my grandmother, I was a daily reminder of loves long lost. But I knew the truth—deep down, I always did.
I was just a girl.
This is a magical realism story about a girl who has wings and her family.
It is a story about love and pain and a beautiful one at that. The writing in this book is simply melodic and you just want to sit down and close your eyes and listen to the tune (of course you would have to open your eyes to read but you get my point). It does not have a huge plot but the characters are well developed with in depth history and emotions that you can feel.
I’ve written a review if you’d like to read more about my thoughts on this novel.
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan
Many ways to fly, but only one way to fall.
This is a fantasy novel about a girl, her bear and a circus on the sea.
In this world, people have been split into two groups, the Damplings – people who live on boats, and Landlockers- people who live on islands. I found the world extremely interesting even though it is not the usual complex fantasy with blood and gory and war I read but the world was well developed. The world did not have a whole lot to it which is good because it allowed the author to really focus on telling her story in the best possible way.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator had such a soothing voice which suited the story well because like The Night circus, it was a slow paced but very rewarding once you’ve finished it.
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
And I never expected that you could have a broken heart and love with it too, so much that it doesn’t seem broken at all
This is a retelling of Peter Pan in Tiger Lily’s point of view.
It focuses on their relationship and the development of Tiger Lily as a character as she discovers the different aspects of life. I read this a while ago but I remember that it was a beautiful story that made my heart ache. The ending was bittersweet and the characters were well developed. Writing this makes me want to revisit the beautiful story.
A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
My sister burns, and she does not burn for you.
This is a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights where a girl survives by telling stories.
I’ve written a review on this which you can read here.
A Thousand Nights is not for everyone, it’s slow and heavy but every sentence seemed to hold something else – something deeper within it. I loved the writing of this book. The slow burn of something bigger as if it’s growing inside you. There is such a strong and powerful message in this book that I was thinking of reading it a second time in case I missed something. This story isn’t about the love between a girl and a guy, it’s about the love the girl has for her family and power in women.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.
This is a fantasy novel about a water horse race that happens every November, a young man who is a returning champion, and the first girl to join the race.
The Scorpio Races focuses on one fantasy element which is the water horses. The plot is simple but the characters were not. This book was well written, so well that the world and all who lived in The Scorpio Races did not feel like it was fiction. I started to believe that there really could be horse races happening every November. That’s when you know a book is good.
Those are just five of my personal recommendation to someone who enjoyed The Night Circus. Bear in mind that those five books are slower than many books in their genre but I wouldn’t consider it a bad thing because it was what made those book memorable and powerful.
If you know of any other books that are pretty similar to the tone of The Night Circus, please do let me know!
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