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theirgracegrace's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
A loving and alluring pastiche of present, past and future, the Night Circus is a great book for lovers of mystery and magic. The plot centres around le Cirque des rêves, a circus that appears suddenly and is only open at night. The circus is a battleground between two magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been forced into a competition that neither participant quite understands. As the magic of the circus deepens, the two get entangled more and more, and the performers begin to suspect something is afoot...
My most adored parts of the book are the descriptions of the circus venues, from the enigmatic Labyrinth to the Wishing Tree and the Ice Garden. The symbolism of a circus that is adorned in black and white, and it is the visitors who bring colour to it, shows immaculate sense of the book's themes. I was immediately drawn to the character of Bailey and loved how the narrative slowly incorporates him and the rêveurs. A delightful tale with a bittersweet ending that I look forward to reading next time the circus rolls into town!
My most adored parts of the book are the descriptions of the circus venues, from the enigmatic Labyrinth to the Wishing Tree and the Ice Garden. The symbolism of a circus that is adorned in black and white, and it is the visitors who bring colour to it, shows immaculate sense of the book's themes. I was immediately drawn to the character of Bailey and loved how the narrative slowly incorporates him and the rêveurs. A delightful tale with a bittersweet ending that I look forward to reading next time the circus rolls into town!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Body horror, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Death, Pregnancy, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Murder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Vomit, Classism, and Cursing
One of the side characters get hit by a trainkattila's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content
folkofthebook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.5
“The circus arrives without warning.”
if you thought caraval was trippy, give this a whirl 🖤
slow-paced, but vivid and fantastical. i admittedly felt a bit bogged down sometimes with the time jump POV changes and would have liked a little more of the romance, but overall erin morgenstern delivers a vividly crafted tale of magic, time, and mystery. she cuts no corners on her lush scenery and revelry, the imagery so vibrant and detailed you can almost taste the caramel popcorn.
“When all of this is over, no matter which one of us wins, I will not let you go so easily. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Blood
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
quasinaut's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In the beginning, the world of the circus was entrancing, but as the story unfolded, I became less intrigued by a place that lacked color and energy. Don't get me wrong - I would love the chance to explore the circus, especially the tents that defy explanation, but I question how engaging it would be day after day, year after year.
I listened on audio and while I liked the narration, I think this made it trickier to keep track of the different characters and chronology. I suspect I might like it better if we jumped between characters, but each of their stories didn't jump back and forth in time.
I listened on audio and while I liked the narration, I think this made it trickier to keep track of the different characters and chronology. I suspect I might like it better if we jumped between characters, but each of their stories didn't jump back and forth in time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
unicornialism's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA wish i had more to say but that’s how i feel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide
takarakei's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I know a lot of people love this book but it just wasn't for me. Way too much vibes and not enough plot, it really struggled to keep my attention. Honestly it was like 80% descriptions of the Circus, so if you're into that this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Child abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
zophronia's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Child abuse
Minor: Animal death
temi1008's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Suicide
hyithia's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
- illustrative atmosphere
- strong writing style
- interesting plot in that it is mysterious with a unique concept
- somewhat confusing timeline; was hard to keep track of everyone and everything
- main characters were not well developed; by the end of the book I still felt as if I didn't know them, but maybe that was intentional?
- characters were likable, but not lovable
- especially enjoyed the side stories; those characters were more developed
-Marco is not very cool to leave Isabelle in a situationship like that, and Celia is for sure not a girl's girl
- pacing was good
-Basil fumbled bruh
- ending actually made sense and resolved things nicely
- clever foreshadowing
-romance came out of no where, but I am a fan of romance. maybe in the late 1800s people just fell in love without really getting to know each other? regardless, them making each other special love letter tents was really cute
- strong writing style
- interesting plot in that it is mysterious with a unique concept
- somewhat confusing timeline; was hard to keep track of everyone and everything
- main characters were not well developed; by the end of the book I still felt as if I didn't know them, but maybe that was intentional?
- characters were likable, but not lovable
- especially enjoyed the side stories; those characters were more developed
-
- pacing was good
-
- ending actually made sense and resolved things nicely
- clever foreshadowing
-
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Self harm
Minor: Death of parent
jenijenocide's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Its beautifully and magically written. I could see the circus unfold before me and never wanted it to end. Seeing everything through numerous eyes was enlightening yet gave it the mystery it needed to keep it all together for "the game".
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Murder, and Death of parent