A review by readwithria
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Night Circus intrigued me with its iconic opening line, and the rest of the story kept me going. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and completely understand why so many people love it.

The Night Circus flips back and forth between two main timelines and progresses through about 30 years of time. Erin Morgenstern is such a smart writer, she structured this novel so well and crafted so many lovely point-of-view characters. The book was very atmospheric, which was definitely its strong suit. I sometimes found myself wishing that I understood how the magic worked a little bit more, but I also felt like that air of mystery was intentional so I didn't mind that too much.

I think the biggest weak point was the relationship between Marco and Celia. I didn't find myself believing their feelings for each other amounted to love. When other people talked about them I could see it, but where they were together I didn't buy the romance. That didn't detract too much from the book, but I think that's what kept it from being a 5 star read for me.

All in all, this was a lovely book that I would definitely reread. 4 stars.
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