This book is a few hundred pages of condensed aesthetic. The best thing about it is its venue, the circus, rather than the plot. The author has a rich imagination. The descriptions of the circus are fascinating, well-imagined, and otherworldly. The setting feels elegant and expensive in all of the senses. If you're in the mood to sit down for an enjoyable evening of exposition, then this is for you.

I'm somewhat less enthusiastic about the plot. It's not bad, but a touch standard, and it doesn't land as well as the rest of the book. I'm also less than thrilled about the romantic aspect of the story, but I very rarely enjoy romance in my literature, so take that with a grain of salt.

I would love to read something with this author's flare for setting that is more focused on the excellent world building. For example, I would have enjoyed reading more of the in-world writing and analysis from the reveurs, maybe with some snarky footnotes in the style of [b:City of Saints and Madmen|230852|City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris, #1)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390260432s/230852.jpg|522014].