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A review by bryanna_
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i feel like this is one of those books where u either love it or hate it & for me, i didnt completely love it.
the plot was really interesting when i first read the synopsis and even throughout a good 50% of the book it was great - i dont even think i could put it down. but there was this weird shift in the story that i didnt even realize when it occurred & then next thing you know everything is unveiled in the last 30 pages. so the middle is what really threw me off w this book.
i also think i was expecting a lot more romance than what we got from marco & celia. i didnt feel a spark w them at allll so the whole dramatic scene towards the end made absolutely no sense to me. but their characters also became rlly bland to me as well by the end of the story, TOO bland for a book as magical as this.
next point: there was jus something missing from this plot. it's a lot more character driven & i think that made me realize im more of a plot person but also like a balance between the two. but i was expecting so much more from this plot just by the way it started off so strong in the beginning. it's almost like it just progressively died for me (similar to my klara and the sun review). however...
i will say morgenstern is a wonderful writer & is really able to make the reader feel like a part of the story. i loved the different point of views that we got (audience of the circus vs members), that was something i dont see in writing often. & i didnt enjoy how each section started off with a second person point of view narrative which REALLY made me feel like i was there, indulging in the magic w everyone else.
so, morgenstern's writing & the beginning/end of the story is what bumped it up to 3.5 instead of just 3. i did enjoy this & thought it was a fun read, but there were some things i definitely would've added to make this better. i would love to hear other's opinions tho!! (i really wanted to like this one btw)
the plot was really interesting when i first read the synopsis and even throughout a good 50% of the book it was great - i dont even think i could put it down. but there was this weird shift in the story that i didnt even realize when it occurred & then next thing you know everything is unveiled in the last 30 pages. so the middle is what really threw me off w this book.
i also think i was expecting a lot more romance than what we got from marco & celia. i didnt feel a spark w them at allll so the whole dramatic scene towards the end made absolutely no sense to me. but their characters also became rlly bland to me as well by the end of the story, TOO bland for a book as magical as this.
next point: there was jus something missing from this plot. it's a lot more character driven & i think that made me realize im more of a plot person but also like a balance between the two. but i was expecting so much more from this plot just by the way it started off so strong in the beginning. it's almost like it just progressively died for me (similar to my klara and the sun review). however...
i will say morgenstern is a wonderful writer & is really able to make the reader feel like a part of the story. i loved the different point of views that we got (audience of the circus vs members), that was something i dont see in writing often. & i didnt enjoy how each section started off with a second person point of view narrative which REALLY made me feel like i was there, indulging in the magic w everyone else.
so, morgenstern's writing & the beginning/end of the story is what bumped it up to 3.5 instead of just 3. i did enjoy this & thought it was a fun read, but there were some things i definitely would've added to make this better. i would love to hear other's opinions tho!! (i really wanted to like this one btw)