Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Night Circus

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

108 reviews

zoemaleah's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

A creative, whimsical fantasy novel about a forbidden romance and a dangerous game. It had the aura of a fairy tale. The characters weren't unique or multi-dimentional, but that was okay because they served the purpose of the story beautifully. The main plot is romance, but in a way that creates this beautiful, complex story and layers that kept me intrigued. The writing style was descriptive and sensory, and it made me feel like I was there at the circus some times.

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eam006's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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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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gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious slow-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? No

3.75

I don't know how to talk about this book. This book was so misleading when I spoke to people about it. Tt was advertised as an epic magic battle, or a slow burn romance. Whilst both these statements are not wrong I feel they don't tell you what the book is really about.

Whilst there is a "battle" it is more of a showcase against one another, rather than like a performance where they are trying to out do one another. There is also some romance but I couldn't call it a romantic book. Instead this book does a wonderful job of life in the Night Circus and the characters there. There are so many more characters than the two mages we hear about and their stories are all intriguing and wonderfully written.

I think if you are going to read this book, remember that it is really about the circus and the life that everyone lives in it.

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bzliz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

A near perfect telling of love found in the face of a challenge intended to be deadly. My only complaint is the heavy reliance on ambiguous pronoun usage to create mystery. Read the content warnings!

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chichio's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

This book is literally a masterclass in magical realism. Morgenstern was able to write a mystical, non-linear novel that keeps you guessing right from page one but she still ties up every loose thread by the time the final page comes about. I’m obsessed with how well she was able to write such a large cast of characters, all so distinct and vibrant, having all their storylines intertwining to create such an impressive, fulfilling narrative about love in all its forms (romantic, platonic and familial) and the way one’s life can alter anothers, for good or for bad.

The fierce competition that we're promised in the book's synopsis falls to the background during the novel, but I honestly don't mind that it does. The Romeo-and-Juliet-esque storyline was so well executed and the care Morgenstern put into building up the world that surrounds the titular characters resulted in me caring not only for the outcome of Cecila and Marco, but also the outcomes of every single person involved in the circus. Audio-booking this novel was such a great decision; I could see everything in my mind's eye and I felt transported.

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