The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

 

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) - 📘
Genre - Magical Realism, Historical Fantasy, Holiday Romance
Format - Paperback
Length - 516 pages


*Amazon Blurb*

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

*My Review* 

 

I was super excited to start this book. I loved the cover and had seen lots of 5 star reviews on Instagram. At first it just seemed to go slow. I figured it just needed some time to pick up speed. At almost 1/2 way threw I contemplated making it my second DNF (did not finish), but I don't like to think of myself as a quitter when it comes to reading. I thought if I keep going I've got to be able to figure it out. Finally I did, but the whole book make no sense to me and when I thought it should have ended....it kept going with even more nonsense. 

This is one I will not recommend at all (sorry to those who enjoyed it).

Autonomy by Blake Pitcher

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘
Genre - Science Fiction Anthologies, Magical Realism, Science Fiction
Format - Paperback
Length - 139 pages

*Amazon Blurb*

Self-crashing cars; a rabbit that transcends reality; the inexorable passion of artificial intelligence-- Autonomy is a collection of stories dealing with reality, strangeness, and the space between.
Includes the novella The Young Hyenas.

PLUS…

“SWITCH”
An outing with grandma turns into a nightmarish joyride.

“Robot Butler”
Dymotron’s Robot Butler is the best help a man can buy, but at what cost?

“GOBi & the Jo-Bird”
Google’s “Online Being” runs rampant and… falls in love.

“Autonomous”
A detour in a self-driving car turns deadly.

“Horse Mode”
For Marshall, life is full of choices. But who is actually making them?

“Cold, As I Am”
A loner in a strange city overthinks an innocuous question.

Aeneatha, in the Sky
A woman follows a rabbit out of an alien world.

“Ice Cream for Smitty”
When Smitty is terrorized by two young boys, a tiny thought inspires meaningful action.

“Elisha Rabbit”
A magical rabbit transcends death and reality.

And, Eclectic-noir Flash Fiction:

Big Sky
A Week Along the Coast
Cooley’s Cabin
Ga!.

*My Review* 

I don't usually enjoy short stories all that much because there's either no time to get into them or they end just as you do. These ones seemed to be just the right amount of writing to enjoy and feel complete. The beginning and the end ones were the best. I did have a hard time with the stories in the middle. They didn't make any sense and were hard to read.