Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Night Circus

In the world of magicians, it is wise to ingrain the essential rules of performing magic tricks in front of the spectacle that you would like to entertain, in which one of the customs requires you to perform them under the right circumstances while keeping its secrets to yourselves. The consequences, as its tirelessly reminded on stages, could be dire effects on the well-being of the performers or to the audience that attend to their shows.

Taking the phrase "magic tricks" in the most literal manner, Morgenstern transforms the engaging competition between aspiring magicians into a vicious rivalry that languidly drains the soul of the performers, binding them to a never-ending contract of a magical contest that lasts until the timely death of one of the competitors. In constructing the life-long magical battle, she composes a chronological tale that chronicles the respective contestants from their childhood learnings to the moment where they have mastered their respective specialties. Consequently, regardless of the plethora of characters written in the book, the encircled focus transpires The Night Circus to be exclusively Celia and Marco in every aspect of their staggering evolution.

As each chapter takes a turn in highlighting the tremendous achievements acquired by the young performers, it subtly imbues the personal conflict of interest that is as passionate as their desire of victory, which is a burning romance that intensifies the climaxing battle of morality that has been mentally trained to avoid such precaution for years to come. Its seeping romantic angle is likely expected as a delectable element to heighten the pressure of the conflict, however, Morgenstern does not let its love affair constrains the exploration in playing the deadly circus game. Instead, it opens to new possibilities where Celia and Marco could force the competition to play in the way that they desire to execute to reach the ultimate victory that frees them from the impending years of wicked torture.

Conclusively unique, its form of narrative could be perceived as an uncommon construction that might not be the cup of tea of casual readers as its penchant of utilizing the time jump element could be distracting to be followed rather than being acknowledged to be an intriguing story-telling arrangement. To speak from personal references, I find that the time-skip factor as the most crafty feature to draw the readers into the mystical journey of Celia and Marco in The Night Circus, as it brings a fascinating look on their characters that analyzes each of their moves without the feeling of invasiveness but serene enlightenment.

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zoemaleah's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

A creative, whimsical fantasy novel about a forbidden romance and a dangerous game. It had the aura of a fairy tale. The characters weren't unique or multi-dimentional, but that was okay because they served the purpose of the story beautifully. The main plot is romance, but in a way that creates this beautiful, complex story and layers that kept me intrigued. The writing style was descriptive and sensory, and it made me feel like I was there at the circus some times.

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nicole12's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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purplepenning's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. His punishment? And his reward." —Oscar Wilde, The Critical as Artist

Undeniably beautiful writing in a turn of the century fairytale that is groundedly gritty and soaringly ethereal. I don't care for circuses, but it was the exact right venue for this story. This one didn't knock me off my feet quite as much as The Starless Sea, which I read first and with no expectations. Partly, I think, because I wasn't as enamored with Marco as I maybe was supposed to be and I wasn't as satisfied with the ending here, but mostly because:
"The finest of pleasure are always the unexpected ones."

Definitely recommend for fans of The Starless Sea and Alix Harrow's Ten Thousand Doors of January.

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