Scan barcode
paintedthree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Abandonment
li_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Death, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Violence
horrorandmagic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Death and Grief
darrellmalory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Addiction
keen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, Stalking, Blood, and Death
Minor: Misogyny and Animal death
georgiapeach's review against another edition
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Suicide
lainiereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
My only "issue" with the book, for lack of better a word, is that I felt very disconnected from the characters. Due to the way it is narrated, I found it very hard to really connect with what any character was feeling or thinking. I usually read very character-based stories, so this kind of storytelling is very different than what I am used to. I still liked some of the characters, but I think that it was hard to truly care about any of them.
While this book was definitely a change of pace for me, I still did enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a slower story with amazing world building.
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Grief
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
2020: 5 stars of course
Annotating my copy for a second time made me notice several reasons for why I love this book.
The fact that Celia and Marco fell in love with each others magic first, their magic being a representative of their minds and creativity is so beautiful. The juxtaposition between flowery sentences and abrupt paragraphs helps create a steady pace for the novel. The fact that the book, like the circus, attempts to hit all the human senses through words. The heavy feeling in the heart when I get to the final sentence. The conversation between widget and Alexander at the end. These are all moments I noticed and loved.
This books makes me feel a thousand different emotions. All from cleverly chosen words, we have a beautiful setting, quite complex characters, love, loss and friendship.
I will say that the first 150 out of 510 pages are quite slow but I think that is part of the book's charm
Reread 2019: doing my yearly annual reread of this beauty in my autumn
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Suicide
juliette_95's review against another edition
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
mollymahli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual content