Reviews

4.5 stars. Not as perfect as The Night Circus, as I felt that the repetition of the symbols used in the story was a bit overdone. Also, the pace seemed slower... However, still beautifully written with gorgeous imagery and interesting characters.

pennyforyourprose's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense 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

5.0

rory11's review against another edition

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2.0

I was so excited to read this book...I really loved the Night Circus and the premise of this was really interesting. But after reading the book...I honestly can't tell you what happened or what it was about. To me, the first hundred or so pages were really intriguing. Zachary finds a book--in which he is a character--and begins investigating the origins of this mysterious book.

And that's the only bit of the actual plot I can tell you. Honestly, the only reason I finished this at all is because I've been quarantined at home and I have lots of extra time on my hands.

My advice--if you are enjoying the book after the first hundred pages, keep reading. But if you aren't--then put it down. It doesn't get better (or develop a plot).

antotooo's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

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

1.75

alyinsx's review against another edition

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5.0

This is one of those books where I will be sad that I can never read it for the first time again. The worlds Erin Morgenstern creates just make me want to live inside her books forever. I didn’t want it to end and yet a raced to the finish because I needed to know how it all ends. I’m sad it’s over but I loved every minute of it! I’m going to read it again and probably a few more times after that.

britgbrewer's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I wanted to like this more than I did. The beginning was slow but well written, so I kept going. Then, the story/stories picked up and I was enthralled - parts of the book felt like the warmest, most comforting hug. But the end took forever to get to. I am just…not sure how I feel about it. It’s odd to me to enjoy someone’s writing so much but really need them to just get to the point already. This book is worth reading, but I wouldn’t read it again.

keekry's review against another edition

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I didn't manage to finish this book not because I felt it was bad, but mostly because I lost the ability to keep up with the pacing. Morgenstern's style of writing is gorgeous, and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions and world-building in the beginning, and especially the snippets of the stories woven in and out of the book. But at a certain point I think beautiful writing can get a little stale, and I didn't feel any sense of tension, even in scenes that I think were meant to be fairly dramatic. Rather like the starless sea, I think the pacing of this book is continuously just a gentle ebb and flow, with nothing to hold my interest. My eyes starting blurring over prose that I had come to expect. It kind of sucks to write this, because I really do enjoy her writing style, but I think this book was just not for me.

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