Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

60 reviews

jo_d's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely enthralling
The mix of timelines and perspectives was easy to follow, as the characters were distinctly different. The romance wasn't enemies to lovers, but rivals, who respected and turned movers who became better for each other
Poetry in novel form

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail

tiernanhunter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Grief

imaginaryalchemist's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

The Night Circus is pure magic!

Erin Morgenstern is a master of atmosphere, I felt like I was actually at  Le Cirque des Rêves, seeing the fantastical performances for myself. The circus itself felt like a character.

I do wish more time had been spent fleshing out Celia and Marco, but that's a minor nitpick. Ultimately the story was more about the circus and it's inner workings, as well as the hidden competition taking place.

The ending was bittersweet, in my opinion. I'm glad Celia and Marco were together in the end, and that the circus lives on, even if it means they only exist within it. I'm also glad that Bailey reunited with Poppet and Widget.

My favorite characters by far were Poppet and Widget, they felt the most alive to me. I enjoyed the scenes with them and Bailey exploring the circus. There was a lot of chemistry between Poppet and Bailey.

Overall, I was enthralled by this book. I was drawn into the circus and the world around it. I suppose you could say I've become a rêveur.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Suicide

Minor: Animal death and Child abuse

Some of what Celia's father, Hector, does can be seen as abusive. At one point he slices open the tips of her fingers repeatedly to get her to practice healing them.
There is a brief mention of a dove having its neck snapped.
There are mentions of blood and injury. In one scene, Celia stabs her hand with a dagger.

Two characters die pretty horrifically. One is hit by a train, the other takes a dagger to the heart. There are mentions of suicide as well, including someone setting herself on fire

artstitute's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I'm a fan of Erin Morgenstern, so understand that when I say this I don't say it with any malice: her books are reliably 0% character, 0% plot, and 1,000% Vibes. And I love it. 
Are you looking for something character driven, in which the protagonists behave as three-dimensional human beings with fleshed out inner worlds? Skip this. Are you looking for something plot-driven, that ties up every loose string and delivers a fleshed-out hard magic system? Pass. Do you want a story full of love, whimsy, magic, beautiful ekphrasis and vivid phantasmagorical imagery that conjures a world of magic in your mind? Then this is the book for you!
This isn't my first time reading this book, but it is my first time since high school, and I found the ending more satisfying this time around.

I think that while before I saw Marco and Celia's ascension (so to speak) as a cop-out, I now see it as them finally freeing themselves from the cycle of abuse perpetuated by Prospero and Mr. A H—. I did still find Tsukiko's role in their ascension a little disappointing, especially how she approached it. I think the twist that she was a former contender needed more room to breathe than it got.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Death

Minor: Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent

The first solid chunk of this book is just a detailed description of child abuse and neglect.

abookwormspov's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Dementia, Suicide, Grief, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Confinement, Violence, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse

rosenau's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, and Murder

Minor: Body horror

avie_j's review

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

purplepenning's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. His punishment? And his reward." —Oscar Wilde, The Critical as Artist

Undeniably beautiful writing in a turn of the century fairytale that is groundedly gritty and soaringly ethereal. I don't care for circuses, but it was the exact right venue for this story. This one didn't knock me off my feet quite as much as The Starless Sea, which I read first and with no expectations. Partly, I think, because I wasn't as enamored with Marco as I maybe was supposed to be and I wasn't as satisfied with the ending here, but mostly because:
"The finest of pleasure are always the unexpected ones." 

Definitely recommend for fans of The Starless Sea and Alix Harrow's Ten Thousand Doors of January.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Grief, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Violence, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Alcohol and Abandonment

Abuse of magic/violation of personal agency: stealing memories, advancing by magically enhanced charm and looks

aylalynnwhite's review against another edition

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

Minor: Murder and Suicide

lilithreads's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Alcohol

Minor: Emotional abuse and Child abuse