Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Night Circus

So initially, I thought this book would be about 3⭐ for me. It was very difficult to follow as an audiobook, with it jumping back and forth in time and character focus. It was also painstakingly slow and long-winded. I started it in Sept and let the rental lapse twice over the course of 5 months before I finally finished it.

But I think if I had read this rather than listened, I would've liked it a lot more. And even more confusingly, I keep thinking about this freaking book! I've read several very good books since this one, but whenever I space out throughout the week, this book is what pops into my head. The fanciful descriptions of the circus have burrowed under my skin. And that ending! Unlike any other book I've read. I think I would have been missing out if I hadn't gotten to that ending.

This novel really felt like a meandering dream in the most frustrating yet fascinating way... So I have to bump up my rating. I think maybe the author achieved exactly what they meant to. It was just very difficult to stick with it in audiobook form. And you have to be in the mood for a book this unique. Do you want to feel like you're tripping through a magical circus where time moves incredibly slowly? Then this is the book for you!

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bxnny's review against another edition

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i might come back to this one but the pacing for this is slower than i wanted, and i have other books more promising than this. i still love the premise, setting & characters, book is a solid 4.5 stars right now, i just don’t have the mindset to read this atm.

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folkofthebook's review against another edition

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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.”

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megj23's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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unicornialism's review against another edition

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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

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readerette's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

If you prefer books with plot and believable relationships between characters, this may not be the book for you. I've heard it described many times as "just vibes" which is extremely apt.

There's beautiful imagery for the circus's various tents and performers. However, I found there to be way too much of it, at the expense of a coherent plot and well-developed characters. If most of the first 3/4 of the book were expunged, its plot and character relationships would still make just as much sense--maybe even more so since there wouldn't be as much fluff between plot points and character development moments--and would read as quickly as it should given its relatively simple plot (for a fantasy novel).

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