Scan barcode
hdbblog's review against another edition
3.0
The Magic Circle It's difficult for me to pinpoint exactly how I feel about The Magic Circle, but I can absolutely tell you that this is a very different kind of read. Meshing together history and gaming with the concept of human nature, I was definitely not expecting what I found between these pages. This might sound like your normal mystery or thriller book. I can assure you, however, that it is not.
The Magic Circle starts out very deliberately by explaining to readers, through dialogue mostly, what it means to "game" and how this will affect the characters in the writing to come. It was a little tough for me to push through the first fifty pages or so. Jenny Davidson does a nice job of introducing the main players in this story, but it is almost buried under the amount on information that is offered up at the same time. I didn't really feel that I was able to meet Ruth, Lucy and Anna until much later.
Which brings me to my biggest issue with these women, actually. I understood that they were graduate students. I understood that they were intellectuals. However the dialogue and the way that they interact all seemed so stilted to me. I'm a well read person. I enjoy deep and thought provoking reads. Yet I had no idea that there would be such a dense amount of vocabulary in their conversations. It was almost as if their copious drinking was thrown in just to show they were college students.
Once the book does take off, essentially once Anders enters the scene, it becomes much easier to follow along with Davidson's characters. The mystery aspect is there, mixed in with the concept of showing dark desires we all possess. By the time I was at the end, I was much more invested in the book. I raged when I realized that the book was nearing its end, and I likely wouldn't have all of my questions answered.
The Magic Circle was a bit of a roller coaster ride for this reader. There were parts I pushed through, others I devoured, and at the end I couldn't quite decide how I felt. I honestly still can't. What I can say is that this is a different read, and worth a read if for no other reason than that. Go into this with an open mind and you might just find a new read to love.
The Magic Circle starts out very deliberately by explaining to readers, through dialogue mostly, what it means to "game" and how this will affect the characters in the writing to come. It was a little tough for me to push through the first fifty pages or so. Jenny Davidson does a nice job of introducing the main players in this story, but it is almost buried under the amount on information that is offered up at the same time. I didn't really feel that I was able to meet Ruth, Lucy and Anna until much later.
Which brings me to my biggest issue with these women, actually. I understood that they were graduate students. I understood that they were intellectuals. However the dialogue and the way that they interact all seemed so stilted to me. I'm a well read person. I enjoy deep and thought provoking reads. Yet I had no idea that there would be such a dense amount of vocabulary in their conversations. It was almost as if their copious drinking was thrown in just to show they were college students.
Once the book does take off, essentially once Anders enters the scene, it becomes much easier to follow along with Davidson's characters. The mystery aspect is there, mixed in with the concept of showing dark desires we all possess. By the time I was at the end, I was much more invested in the book. I raged when I realized that the book was nearing its end, and I likely wouldn't have all of my questions answered.
The Magic Circle was a bit of a roller coaster ride for this reader. There were parts I pushed through, others I devoured, and at the end I couldn't quite decide how I felt. I honestly still can't. What I can say is that this is a different read, and worth a read if for no other reason than that. Go into this with an open mind and you might just find a new read to love.
celjla212's review against another edition
1.0
I made it through 80 ish pages of this book and that way more than enough. I consider myself a well read girl, but I considered using a dictionary for some of the vocabulary this author was using. I just felt it was trying too hard. Also, all three main characters are basically the worst, most pretentious an NYC grad student could be. The novel was going nowhere so I am done reading.
marino_sln's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
abigailhaze's review against another edition
2.0
The only thing the author seems to enjoy more than jerking off to her overuse of SAT vocab words is fruit jam.
allyem_reads's review against another edition
DNF at 40%
I tried so hard. I really did. I wanted to like this book because it’s shelved as dark academia which is one of my preferred genres. And the premise sounded right up my alley: three college grads are working to create an interactive game when they get caught up in another that brings Euripides’ tragedies to life. Game theory and Greek history?? Uhm, yes! Sign me up!
But...
The execution was atrocious, if I am being completely honest. The part about game theory were interesting, I’ll give it that, but the whole book was just...info dumpy exposition. Like, there was an entire page on what one of the characters was getting from the store. It was ridiculous. Not to mention, I was nearly half-way through, and we hadn’t gotten ANY of the Greek interaction. I was waiting and waiting for it to come, but it never did!
Really I should have looked at the ratings on here before I added it to my wishlist. Next time I see a dark academia book, or any book really, I’ll take a closer look at the reviews before making a decision to read it or not. At least I learned my lesson, even if it was the hard way.
I tried so hard. I really did. I wanted to like this book because it’s shelved as dark academia which is one of my preferred genres. And the premise sounded right up my alley: three college grads are working to create an interactive game when they get caught up in another that brings Euripides’ tragedies to life. Game theory and Greek history?? Uhm, yes! Sign me up!
But...
The execution was atrocious, if I am being completely honest. The part about game theory were interesting, I’ll give it that, but the whole book was just...info dumpy exposition. Like, there was an entire page on what one of the characters was getting from the store. It was ridiculous. Not to mention, I was nearly half-way through, and we hadn’t gotten ANY of the Greek interaction. I was waiting and waiting for it to come, but it never did!
Really I should have looked at the ratings on here before I added it to my wishlist. Next time I see a dark academia book, or any book really, I’ll take a closer look at the reviews before making a decision to read it or not. At least I learned my lesson, even if it was the hard way.
kyuropii's review against another edition
1.0
Too unnecessarily verbose. Didn't help that three main characters doesn't feel far from one another. There was no plot, no agency, not a thing to guarantee me some interest.
alicihonest's review against another edition
2.0
A weird book, but not weird in the sinister and foreboding way it was so, so desperately trying to achieve. In fact, while technically sinister things happened, the pacing and total lack of ability to summon up any dramatic tension just failed the concept completely.
I'm a sucker for the concept, it's that old "young adults create a subculture to do scandalous or just fun but strange things in the theme of some antiquity but everything goes deadly wrong and also there's an inappropriate sexual proclivity here somewhere," an attempt in the spirit of A Secret History, The Finishing School, The Lake of Dead Languages, If We Were Villains, sort of The Shadow Year, but it's so bad. The pacing is bad, the characters are ill developed, it's too short to make anything that happens seem important, the characters all have the same voice which is bizarre, that one voice is stilted and formal in an inexplicable way (it would work for 1.5 of them but not all of them), and things are brought up and have inordinate amounts of time spent on them with no payoff or reflection whatsoever.
I would be prepared to be forgiving to this book if it were the author's first work, but it's not. It's earnest, and I can appreciate what she was trying to go for. But at this point, she needs to be better at getting there. It's short, so it's not a waste of much time, but it's a pathetic attempt at a novel.
I'm a sucker for the concept, it's that old "young adults create a subculture to do scandalous or just fun but strange things in the theme of some antiquity but everything goes deadly wrong and also there's an inappropriate sexual proclivity here somewhere," an attempt in the spirit of A Secret History, The Finishing School, The Lake of Dead Languages, If We Were Villains, sort of The Shadow Year, but it's so bad. The pacing is bad, the characters are ill developed, it's too short to make anything that happens seem important, the characters all have the same voice which is bizarre, that one voice is stilted and formal in an inexplicable way (it would work for 1.5 of them but not all of them), and things are brought up and have inordinate amounts of time spent on them with no payoff or reflection whatsoever.
I would be prepared to be forgiving to this book if it were the author's first work, but it's not. It's earnest, and I can appreciate what she was trying to go for. But at this point, she needs to be better at getting there. It's short, so it's not a waste of much time, but it's a pathetic attempt at a novel.
kellikaos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
What even was this book? I still have very little idea what was going on. This was clearly for a certain kind of person and I was not that person. The writing is also super pretentious.
leiaslegacy84's review against another edition
4.0
Some other reviewers are correct in pointing out the flaws of this book and the author's writing style, which is a bit scattershot and overripe with academic language that even academics (I've hung out with plenty) would not use in conversation. However, at only 191 pages it moves fast and was still - for me at least - a highly engaging read that went by in a flash. Since "The Secret History" is one of my favorite books, this one's subject matter naturally appealed to me. Though a little predictable, I found the story thrilling and could not put it down.