By TAYLOR ENGDAHL

COPY CHIEF

For the past 15 years, J. K. Rowling’s world-famous Harry Potter books have served as the go-to works for readers hoping to enter into and explore a world of magic. Unfortunately, the final book of the series was published almost four years ago, and I know many Potter fanatics have been desperately searching for another fantasy novel to fill this void.

My search ended last Christmas when I received a thick, hardcover book called The Night Circus from my godmother. I did not begin reading it right away; to be honest, I was a bit put off by the unusually ornate dust jacket, which was colored a deep, inky black and sprinkled with white stars. In its center was a white, red and black circus tent, cupped by an elegant snow-white hand.

As the excitement of Christmas passed, my siblings’ vacation ended and I found myself at home with little to do. Bored, I dug the 400-page book out of the pile of presents in the corner of my room and began to read: “The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it…It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.”

I was instantly hooked. Two days later, I finished the book. Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel brought me back to the days of Harry Potter, when I used to count the minutes until the next book in the series would be released. When it finally arrived in the mail, I would devour it, sometimes in under 24 hours. Later, I would reread it much more slowly, relishing every detail, avidly wishing I could be a part of that wizarding world. I had not loved a book in the same way until I discovered The Night Circus.

This book is intended for a slightly more mature audience than Rowling’s series, but its refreshing plotline and remarkable eloquence make for an entirely unique experience. Morgenstern is a better writer than Rowling; I was especially captivated by her attention to detail — she describes the circus’s smells, the foods sold by venders and the feeling of excitement in the air with such grace and clarity that the reader really can imagine what it would be like to attend.

The Night Circusoffers its readers a world of magic that is more sophisticated than that of Harry Potter. There are no wizards; instead, the story follows two magicians who have been training since they were children, preparing for a competition of sorts. Celia and Marco must use their talents to create astonishing circus exhibitions, both attempting to outdo the other with every move. Their spells do not include “Wingardium leviosa” or any of the other beloved Harry Potter spells, but Celia and Marco’s magic is much more impressive — for example, one of Marco’s creations is an “ice garden,” where there are “trellises covered in pale roses and a softly bubbling, elaborately carved fountain,” all made of ice. What they do not realize, however, is that the competition is a duel to the death, a binding contract they entered into as children.

The book is billed as a romance, although the relationship in question does not become obvious until well over halfway into the book. The true love story, however, is found with the rêveurs (French for dreamers). The rêveurs are patrons who are infatuated with the circus, and follow it from location to location, transfixed with its power.

Simply put, The Night Circus is a must-read. Morgenstern has transformed me into a rêveur, in a way — I have fallen in love with this masterful book, and I will always carry the experience of reading it with me.