Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

115 reviews

vas_17's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

myinvinciblesummer's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The world described is gorgeous and well done, but the story that goes along with it falls flat and I kept waiting for something to happen.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol

palmkd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

3rd time reading: This story continues to be a top favorite of mine which fully captures my attention even though I know what is coming next. It's been 2.5 years since I read it last and I missed this whimsical and captivating world. Come get swept away with the magic of the Night Circus and the competition at the center of it all. This story is about belonging and finding your people as much as it is about a life-long argument between two contemporaries at the top of their magical field. I know this isn't one for everyone. It's lyrical, it's descriptive, it goes back and forth between timelines and locations and characters and eventually pulls them all together. These are things that I love dearly and feel they work so well within this story. I hope it brings you a little bit of magic should you decide to visit the Night Circus.

2nd time reading: This is such a captivating story which I've now read two times. 
This time I listened to it via audio and I really enjoyed it just as much as I did, or maybe even more than when I first read it 3 years ago.

Full review on my blog: https://palmkd.wordpress.com/2022/01/14/book-review-the-night-circus-by-erin-morgenstern/

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Emotional abuse

peachieko's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide

0701mango's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

It took a long time for the book to actually start in my opinion and the time differences between chapters also got confusing. I think the story was nice but the premise and world were nicer. The vibes of the book were stronger than the plot itself. Overall an enjoyable read and beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

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

adelll's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Suicide

eam006's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide and Murder

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

Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol

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