I wouldn't compare this book to The Night Circus as the blurb does, in large part because its undertone is so much darker, more perverse and twisted — not a bad thing, but fundamentally different. I enjoyed it in its own way, for colorful characters and a mostly playful plot that sometimes delved a little deeper than was comfortable (again, not a terrible thing because it was quite effective). Not a book I'd necessarily want to reread over and over again, but it certainly left an impression.