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A review by erin0999
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
3.0
Probably a 3.5, but not enough to be rounded up to 4.
I have mixed feelings about this book, and they are *muddled* so I apologize in advance for this review.
First off, if there's one thing Erin Morgenstern can do, it's *write*! She has a beautiful way with words, and her descriptions are really awesome, if occasionally overdone. I thought that worked really well in this story where the circus itself has several layers of importance beyond simply setting.
If there's one thing I'm not sure Erin Morgenstern can do, it's write a coherent and engaging plot :/
I would say I wasn't totally into this book until well after 50% through it, and I think a large reason for that is because Morgenstern chooses to keep integral information to the plot hidden from the reader. I usually like that trope and I think it can be done well, but I think this plot went too far and kept the engaging parts of the story hidden for the LONGEST TIME. I read the second half of the book much faster than the first, but I feel like part of it was just me trying to power through it quickly (which is also what I did with The Starless Sea).
The story in The Night Circus, however, is much better than The Starless Sea in my opinion because I understood a lot more (which still didn't feel like very much lmao).
The nonlinear story line was a bit confusing, but I got around to it eventually. If there was one choice I really liked that Morgenstern made, it was the short little interludes where she described the different tents and attractions at The Night Circus. I loved reading those and really looked forward to them! They were so creative and awesome.
I think the biggest disappointment for me was probably the relationship between the two main characters, Celia and Marco. The blurb for this story feels extremely misleading because it makes it seem like there's a lot more action in the story than there actually is. There is no "duel" and not very much romance either. I think the thing that bugged me the most is that I didn't find Marco or Celia as very well rounded out characters, they are talented in their magic and stuff, but I still found them flat. I wouldn't really kn0w how to describe their personalities which was weird because almost every other character felt 3-D and interesting to me. I also felt the tinges of insta-love in this relationship which caught me off guard because both Celia and Marco seem so interested in being strong and mature. I felt like Morgenstern made them "fall in love" and then had to spend the rest of the book convincing me that their relationship was inevitable and something that was years in the making. I was never fully convinced of that in the end.
Most of all, the blurb of this book needs to be changed, I think it is attracting maybe the wrong readers.
But this book was still beautifully written, and I'm glad I gave it a try. Just don't think I'll read it again.
I have mixed feelings about this book, and they are *muddled* so I apologize in advance for this review.
First off, if there's one thing Erin Morgenstern can do, it's *write*! She has a beautiful way with words, and her descriptions are really awesome, if occasionally overdone. I thought that worked really well in this story where the circus itself has several layers of importance beyond simply setting.
If there's one thing I'm not sure Erin Morgenstern can do, it's write a coherent and engaging plot :/
I would say I wasn't totally into this book until well after 50% through it, and I think a large reason for that is because Morgenstern chooses to keep integral information to the plot hidden from the reader. I usually like that trope and I think it can be done well, but I think this plot went too far and kept the engaging parts of the story hidden for the LONGEST TIME. I read the second half of the book much faster than the first, but I feel like part of it was just me trying to power through it quickly (which is also what I did with The Starless Sea).
The story in The Night Circus, however, is much better than The Starless Sea in my opinion because I understood a lot more (which still didn't feel like very much lmao).
The nonlinear story line was a bit confusing, but I got around to it eventually. If there was one choice I really liked that Morgenstern made, it was the short little interludes where she described the different tents and attractions at The Night Circus. I loved reading those and really looked forward to them! They were so creative and awesome.
I think the biggest disappointment for me was probably the relationship between the two main characters, Celia and Marco. The blurb for this story feels extremely misleading because it makes it seem like there's a lot more action in the story than there actually is. There is no "duel" and not very much romance either. I think the thing that bugged me the most is that I didn't find Marco or Celia as very well rounded out characters, they are talented in their magic and stuff, but I still found them flat. I wouldn't really kn0w how to describe their personalities which was weird because almost every other character felt 3-D and interesting to me. I also felt the tinges of insta-love in this relationship which caught me off guard because both Celia and Marco seem so interested in being strong and mature. I felt like Morgenstern made them "fall in love" and then had to spend the rest of the book convincing me that their relationship was inevitable and something that was years in the making. I was never fully convinced of that in the end.
Most of all, the blurb of this book needs to be changed, I think it is attracting maybe the wrong readers.
But this book was still beautifully written, and I'm glad I gave it a try. Just don't think I'll read it again.