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laneys_library's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
So so beautiful! I can’t even describe how this book makes me feel. I have the extreme desire to experience the circus for myself. Usually I don’t prefer slow paced books but I loved every second of this! The authors writing is so gorgeous I feel as if I’m there, at the magical night circus. This book is so mysterious, mystical, and surreal. I beg you to read it if you haven’t already!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Pregnancy
zoeelora's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Infertility, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicide
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Blood
Minor: Suicide
micaelamariem's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a magical story! I will never be able to wrap my head around how talented Erin is and how she can interweave stories and timelines and make the most beautiful story of them all. The writing itself is beautiful but so was the plot. I fell in love with the circus and wished I was there, finding new tents every night, as two magicians played a dangerous game and tested the limits and the rules. There was the perfect amount of sacrifice and loss and love and happiness to make the most bittersweet ending and this will definitely be a book I recommend to friends in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, Blood, and Child abuse
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Sexism, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
literarypenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The Night Circus is about a circus that arrives without warning and just as quickly as it arrives it vanishes without a trace. This book tells the story of that mysterious circus and how it came to be and the people, who are just as mysterious as the circus itself, who brought it to life. This book has been on my shelf for a while now and I have heard nothing but positive things about this book from various booktubers and bloggers. One of the booktubers I watch says The Night Circus is their favorite book of all time. After finishing this book I was left with a feeling of wonder and happiness but also sadness because the book that I really enjoyed was finished and I quickly wanted to pick it up and read it again. Because of what other people have said about this book my expectations going in were very high. I really looked forward to reading this book and I believe this book is now one of my favorite books of all time! I think what makes this book stand out among all the other types of fantasy books of its kind is the writing and the mysterious nature of the book. It really added to the book and made you feel like you were discovering more as you read.
The writing was what really made this book stand out in my opinion. It was mysterious with a small touch of whimsy and magic! It appeals to all of your senses and there were moments when I could smell the food served at the circus or hear the music during one of the performances. That is how amazing the writing is! What else I loved about the writing was the pacing it didn’t feel slow or fast at any point in the story. It was just right which is rare to find a book with the right amount of pacing. Everything felt consistent and the writing helped move the story along. The way that the story was written made you feel like you were a guest at the circus and every chapter felt like you were opening up one of the tents and exploring what was inside.
The Night Circus is about two young magicians who are fated to be competitors in a mysterious competition and because of this competition, they help bring to life a whimsical and lively circus. They must both keep this contest a secret and continue to keep the circus alive and well while ignoring the feelings that begin to bloom between them. The plot was so magical yet at the same time, it was mysterious like the circus itself. You really felt like you were finding out more about the story as you went further along in the book. The competition itself was a great point of conflict in the book and was a great driving force between Celia and Marco to explain why they were doing what they were doing and why they couldn’t be together. What I loved the most about the story was how organically it flowed and how important moments in the book happened naturally. I think what makes the story different from other stories is how it combined the real world with the mysterious world of magic and how it melded them both perfectly. It felt like the magic wasn’t too overpowering and wasn’t too weak either. I think the story’s greatest strength was the magic system and how it was written into this world seamlessly.
Our two main protagonists in the Night Circus were Marco and Celia. Celia was the daughter of a former famous magician and Marco was the adopted son of an aloof man with an unknown past and name. We not only had two great main characters but side characters with great representation. Tsukiko was an Asian possibly gay female character and Chandresh was a gay male character with a mixed heritage. So many other interesting and intriguing side characters as well! The development of these characters was so good and well written some changed for the better others went through a lot of horrible things and events but came through it in the end. I loved each and every character there wasn’t one that was bad! I adored the romance between Celia and Marco! Even though it wasn’t present too much in the beginning it started to develop more towards the end. The few moments we were shown of it were so heartfelt and beautiful that it made me envious of it at times.
The story takes place in the Victorian Era around different places in the world though most of the time it takes place in London or America. I thought the world-building was very good and to have it take place in different parts of the world fit the story very well considering the circus traveled a lot and showed up in different locations without reason. The multiple points of view in the story also worked well and added to the story. Eventually, the points of view came together in the most lovely way possible!
One of the themes the book portrays very well is the pressure kids face from their parents when they put too much on them. Celia and Marco’s upbringings are hard and both of them face abuse and neglect from the people that are supposed to love them the most. Because of these upbringings, Celia is more cautious with people and Marco is more closed off towards people. I think this shows just how much our upbringings can affect us in our adult lives. Another theme was being told we could only do one thing our whole lives instead of what we want to do or who we want to be. Celia’s journey in finding herself and who she wanted to be was so fantastic and so was Bailey’s. Bailey goes from a boy raised on a farm to being the kind of man he was supposed to be and not being afraid to do what he wanted instead of what his family wanted for him.
I highly recommend Night Circus and I hope people take away just how magical and spectacular this book really is! I think this book should be read by everybody and it is very much worth your time and enjoyment. The Night Circus is truly a book for all ages and I think now more than ever this book is needed.
The writing was what really made this book stand out in my opinion. It was mysterious with a small touch of whimsy and magic! It appeals to all of your senses and there were moments when I could smell the food served at the circus or hear the music during one of the performances. That is how amazing the writing is! What else I loved about the writing was the pacing it didn’t feel slow or fast at any point in the story. It was just right which is rare to find a book with the right amount of pacing. Everything felt consistent and the writing helped move the story along. The way that the story was written made you feel like you were a guest at the circus and every chapter felt like you were opening up one of the tents and exploring what was inside.
The Night Circus is about two young magicians who are fated to be competitors in a mysterious competition and because of this competition, they help bring to life a whimsical and lively circus. They must both keep this contest a secret and continue to keep the circus alive and well while ignoring the feelings that begin to bloom between them. The plot was so magical yet at the same time, it was mysterious like the circus itself. You really felt like you were finding out more about the story as you went further along in the book. The competition itself was a great point of conflict in the book and was a great driving force between Celia and Marco to explain why they were doing what they were doing and why they couldn’t be together. What I loved the most about the story was how organically it flowed and how important moments in the book happened naturally. I think what makes the story different from other stories is how it combined the real world with the mysterious world of magic and how it melded them both perfectly. It felt like the magic wasn’t too overpowering and wasn’t too weak either. I think the story’s greatest strength was the magic system and how it was written into this world seamlessly.
Our two main protagonists in the Night Circus were Marco and Celia. Celia was the daughter of a former famous magician and Marco was the adopted son of an aloof man with an unknown past and name. We not only had two great main characters but side characters with great representation. Tsukiko was an Asian possibly gay female character and Chandresh was a gay male character with a mixed heritage. So many other interesting and intriguing side characters as well! The development of these characters was so good and well written some changed for the better others went through a lot of horrible things and events but came through it in the end. I loved each and every character there wasn’t one that was bad! I adored the romance between Celia and Marco! Even though it wasn’t present too much in the beginning it started to develop more towards the end. The few moments we were shown of it were so heartfelt and beautiful that it made me envious of it at times.
The story takes place in the Victorian Era around different places in the world though most of the time it takes place in London or America. I thought the world-building was very good and to have it take place in different parts of the world fit the story very well considering the circus traveled a lot and showed up in different locations without reason. The multiple points of view in the story also worked well and added to the story. Eventually, the points of view came together in the most lovely way possible!
One of the themes the book portrays very well is the pressure kids face from their parents when they put too much on them. Celia and Marco’s upbringings are hard and both of them face abuse and neglect from the people that are supposed to love them the most. Because of these upbringings, Celia is more cautious with people and Marco is more closed off towards people. I think this shows just how much our upbringings can affect us in our adult lives. Another theme was being told we could only do one thing our whole lives instead of what we want to do or who we want to be. Celia’s journey in finding herself and who she wanted to be was so fantastic and so was Bailey’s. Bailey goes from a boy raised on a farm to being the kind of man he was supposed to be and not being afraid to do what he wanted instead of what his family wanted for him.
I highly recommend Night Circus and I hope people take away just how magical and spectacular this book really is! I think this book should be read by everybody and it is very much worth your time and enjoyment. The Night Circus is truly a book for all ages and I think now more than ever this book is needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent
k_galloway's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
the_reading_wren's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow! I was a little lost with all the flicking between characters and times at the start, but they all weave together so breathtakingly that it was well worth it. I think rereading this book will be worthwhile to appreciate the beginning more; I’ve just ordered a copy of my own and this is the first time I’ve wanted to buy a copy of a book I’ve borrowed and read from the library! The ending is satisfying (except the treatment of one character, which felt unresolved) whilst leaving some lingering magic in the reader. Perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
blueberry0531's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent
leahbindi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Torture