Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

63 reviews

tays_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent

eliasaurus's review against another edition

emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

I really wanted to like this book. I've been curious about it for years, but descriptions such as "whimsical" or "all vibes and no plot" put me off. I am here to report that those descriptions are completely accurate. It's not style over substance so much as a case where the style is the substance. 

Reading this was a slog from start to finish. The first 2/3 of the book is purely aesthetic, describing the magic (but not well... what actually are the rules of the system?), describing the characters (of which there are rather a lot), and describing the circus in addition to various other settings. Also, I'm aware I'm in the minority here, but I actually didn't care that much for the writing. Pretty, yes, but I felt the dreamlike style the author adopted sacrificed important details. 

Things start to pick up around the final quarter, but it's too little too late. As others have mentioned, the love story between the two main characters felt rushed and shoehorned in. The competition, too, was so vague it seemed almost comical because it could have entailed nearly anything, and it seemed like the author just filled parts in when she needed a constraint to move some other aspect along. I wasn't attached to the main characters at all, and I actively disliked Marco. I really only finished this because I read it for Storygraph's first official readalong. On my own, I wouldn't have bothered.

This book was not for me, and I won't be picking up anything else from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Suicide and Alcohol

latida94's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A great story that brings out the wistful in me so strongly. Very evocative in the settings of the circus and does a really good job of making the whole story feel rather dreamlike. Can't help but love and want the best for the characters (besides maybe 2 of them).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide

vireogirl's review against another edition

challenging inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A magical, mystical world. I suspect it would make more sense on the second read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

thehobbitbarbie's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a testament to the power of language in storytelling. Every moment I was reading, I felt like I was fully there, walking through the circus, experiencing the white and black powdered ground and caramel-scented air. It was enchanting and intoxicating and strangely distant. It was like being fed maraschino cherries dipped in dark chocolate by my secret lover while they whisper old stories, only to close the book, wake up, and realize it was a dream and that nothing was real except the confusion and disappointment and longing that lingered. 
It's almost impossible not to wax a little poetic about it because this is a highly poetic book, which is wild considering it's at least partially, basically about Disney adults. All that to say, it was a five-star read for me, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for what I can only describe as a luscious read.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

adarose's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

kcmg710's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol

aas's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol

lunxchloe's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

If you look up the definition of "no plot, just vibes", this novel is probably what you would find.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the world that was build, the magical always-changing circus where seemingly everything is possible. But that world itself is not enough to keep me invested. To say that the story was slow is an understatement. I would go as far and say that the plot was secondary to the world that Morgenstern build. The ending was exciting, however, it feels like low stakes when the "story" takes place in a world where anything is possible.

2.5/5*

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcohol

sadiaa's review against another edition

4.0

I found myself wanting more from the story. 
I prefer the starless sea to this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol