Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

10 reviews

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!

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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 train

and dies, and people try to make it out that she killed herself (but the reader will know it's not true).

staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pregnancy and Death

nadia's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

I really thought this was gonna be my second 5-star read of the year, and my 33rd across all-time. I was obsessed with this book when I started it, reading it for the first ever official StoryGraph readalong.

I was here for the mystery and intrigue...but then it unfolded in a way that I wasn't expecting and couldn't get on board with. And I was disappointed.

On top of that, some explanations for things, or where things were left, felt unsatisfactory given the build-up. I don't need everything laid out to me, not at all, but given the slow build-up and anticipation, I expected a little more here.

However, the vibes were immaculate and I loved the writing, the setting, the atmosphere, and the cast of characters on the whole, but when I try and give this book a 4.5-star rating, it feels too generous given how disappointed I was with what turned out to be a key element of the book.

I wasn't looking forward to giving The Starless Sea a go given the little I'd heard about it, but now I'm excited to check it out, even if it ultimately ends up not being for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent

Minor: Blood and Pregnancy

daisyfont's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

It took me ages to finish this book. 
This was the book I read before going to bed. Erin's description of the (probably gigantic) circus is beautiful, but I didn't feel very much for the characters. I didn't really care about the development of the story, the characters or the ending. 

I also have her other book, The Starless Sea, on my book shelf. But it will remain there for a while, I think.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcoholism and Grief

Minor: Murder and Pregnancy

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

 

Blurb: 

Marco Alisdair and Celia Bowen have been groomed since childhood to compete against each other in a competition of fantastical manipulation and illusion, although they are not told whom they are competing against, why they are competing, or the rules of the game. The venue of the competition is a traveling black-and-white circus that only opens at night, a circus full of magic, wonder, beauty, and enchantment. Marco and Caelia must contend with the complex and dangerous rules of the game while protecting the circus and its people they have come to love.

 

Review:

I first read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern when I was young (perhaps eleven or twelve), and I read it far too quickly. My impression of the story was that it had a beautiful, evocative setting but a weak plot and characters. I am not sure what compelled me to pick it up again, as I rarely re-read books, but I can safely say that my opinion of the book remains the same. 

 

Morgenstern has a gift for creating imaginative and fantastical settings and descriptions so delectable to all five senses that they feel like magic. I loved falling into the Night Circus and exploring it; it felt like entering another dazzling world. I did not even mind how slow-paced the book is because I enjoyed indulging in the sensory cornucopia of the circus. 

 

Characterization and plot remain the book’s weak spots. The characters, while not poorly written, lack depth and complexity in the way that young adult book characters often do. Beyond the initial setup, the plot moves at a glacial pace. The climax and resolution at the end feel rushed and rather fuzzy on the details. In terms of representation, the book’s Asian character is depicted as an exotic, Oriental stereotype, which isn’t great.

 

Overall, however, the book is so good at what it does well that I did not mind its weaknesses.  

 

 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like The Night Circus if . . .

·      You love rich, multi-sensory, imaginative, and fantastical settings and descriptions

·      You like star-crossed lover stories

·      You don’t mind slow-paced stories

 

 

You might not like The Night Circus if . . .

·      You can’t stand lengthy descriptions of setting, characters, etc.

·      You need strong characters and plot to enjoy a book

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death

Minor: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Murder

moonchild_cos's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Suicide

laneys_library's review

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! 

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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

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

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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

uranaishi's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

March 5, 2012
March 26, 2014

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Bullying, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Suicide, Death, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Car accident, Dementia, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Self harm

Minor: Sexual content, Animal death, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexism

li_reading's review

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

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