I love when I pick up a new book and only a few pages in I can tell it's going to be spellbinding and special. There's nothing more disappointing than reading a popular book only to despise it and wonder how it rose through the charts. There is no wonder why this one has been so popular.

Somehow this novel is intriguing, mysterious, and yet still feels like a magical hug. This is a top 5 of all time read for me.

Celia and Marco are unwittingly bound to a competition by their "caregivers" as children. (Don't know how much actual care I can say either of these men provide to these characters.)

Throughout their upbringing, they are each trained in a different approach to accessing their magical abilities. Then, as an eccentric dinner host begins concocting an idea for a circus during a midnight dinner party, the stage for the competition is set. Soon, Celia and Marco are dueling it out through circus attractions, still not knowing the identity of one another.

Through beautiful vignettes of the overarching plot, broken up and scattered by the setting, the details of the competition and the captivating characters influenced by the competition unfold.

I highly recommend this book.