The circus arrives without warning. Open only at night, entirely black and white, and full of beautiful, one of a kind performers. What guests - and some of the performers - don't know is that the circus is a forum for a battle between two contestants chosen as children, yet even they don't quite know the rules or parameters of play. Celia and Marco circle each other, adding tents and controlling bits of the circus. The two opponents fall deeply in love, and must find a way to end the game without causing each other's death.

Wow, this book! I can see why some people don't like it - it moves very slowly, and in fact, there's not really very much of a plot at all. But if you're willing to read a book that is mostly atmosphere, this is the one. Get it now.

Everything in this book is so beautiful. I loved the descriptions of the circus and the insides of the tents Celia and Marco created. I loved the midnight dinners and tarot readings and impossible clocks. It was all so lush and glorious.

And to top it all off, a love story for the ages. I was rooting so hard for them and was prepared to weep at the end of the novel. I maybe still got a bit misty, but mostly only because I cannot actually visit the circus for myself.