A review by sustainably_lucia
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

challenging mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

3.5

I have conflicting feelings about this book. It was not enjoyable for me to read and I was very confused for most of it, but I realized that is how you are meant to feel. It sprawls across many years and many characters. The first part introduces a lot of threads and details that get woven together in the end, but you don’t know what is important to pay attention to until the end. This is frustrating but intentional. You are meant to be left in the dark with the characters. If you’re having a hard time getting into it, you’re not alone. As readers, we are used to being able to see the big picture right away. Don’t expect that here.
While it wasn’t enjoyable for me to read, that doesn’t mean it is a bad book. It gave me a lot to think about which raised my opinion of it. Looking back at it I can see that it is actually well thought out. You just have to get through the beginning to see that every little thing ties into the larger, quite complicated, plot.  If you like elaborate descriptive writing with very little character depth, you will love this book (all vibes, very little plot).
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