A pretty fairy-tale about a pointless magical duel conducted over an extended period of time at a circus that is both real and surreal.

There is romance, manipulation and illusion as the central characters, unbeknownst to them, fight out some proxy war over theories in learning magic.

It's an enjoyable fantasy but I found it easy to put the book down and forget about it for a while. I wasn't fully immersed in the fable nor invested in the characters.