The Night Circus

This book did not disappoint!!

That was actually quite cute. I was pretty sure I would not like it, based on the first 50 pages, which were incredibly twee: second-person present tense; ancient enchanters and arcane duels and a steampunk circus? But I fell into the evocative writing and the enchantment of a mystical place, and I found it just as atmospheric as intended. Yes, there was no plot and no characters to speak of, but those things weren't strictly necessary to the goal, which seemed to be purely setting description. In a lot of ways, I found it most similar to Palimpest, in that the focus was exploring the depth of a physical place, its rules, its sights and sounds and scents, rather than a traditional narrative.

“The circus arrives without warning.”

the reviews i heard of this book were really divisive, and i remember dropping this about 2 chapters in when i tried it a few months ago, so i went into this expecting to have a hard time finishing it. boy, was i pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed myself as much as i did.

The Night Circus, at its heart, is about a circus in which we see our main characters, Celia and Marco, play out a magical competition that they were both forced into participating since they were children. i can't really say much more than that without spoiling, but the writing was beautiful, the romance was (surprisingly!) good, and the story was satisfying.

i've heard at least two different reviews of this book call the writing “atmospheric”, and at the time i had no idea what it meant. i think i understand a little better now. for at least the first half of the book, you are just kinda swept up by this whimsical, enimatic, ethereal prose that perfectly illustrates not just the titular Night Circus in particular, but also the whole setting of turn-of-the-century England and America. i think when the plot actually picked up speed around the halfway mark of the book, it actually caught me by surprise.

the ending of the story of the book was a little meh to me, but i particularly enjoyed the post-ending aftermath, especially when Widget begins to tell the entire story of the Night Circus to the man in the gray suit, and begins with the book's opening sentence, "The circus arrives without warning."

i have a lot of things to say about the romance in this book, which i shall put under spoiler tags soon, but a quick and dirty spoiler-free summary is: i can absolutely get behind the main couple's beginning, but kinda wish that the romance was kept a little more toned down for the second half of the book. more elaboration with spoilers:

ok, so i loved it when Celia and Marco had their first ever conversation after that party at Lefevre's house. on paper, their backstory was really cliche, the whole thing about opponents becoming lovers, but in the story i thought it was executed really well. it made a lot of sense, that these two people who were forced to be fixated on a nameless, faceless rival for most of their lives in a competition that neither wanted any part of, would find themselves falling head over heels in love with the object of such fixation when they finally meet, and when they also realise that the other person has the same disinterest in winning whatever competition they were forced into participating. i loved it! i didn't find it insta-love at all, because they were "interacting" with each other all along through their magical feats, and i can absolutely see why it would be so easy for them to fall for each other.what i didn't like as much was kinda after that when the story just became a bit too romancey for me. like i don't mind if they were the most romantic couple but i just didn't want to see it so much, it was a rather jarring distraction from that soothing, ethereal illusion that was the rest of the story. so i kinda felt like the second half of the book wasn't as wispy and beautiful as the second half was, because we actually have like this romance drama going on.

all in all though, i really enjoyed this book a lot more than i thought i would've, but i can definitely see why this had so many mixed reviews. i think the book is best enjoyed if you treat the author as an illusionist painting pictures and building whole environments in your head in which a story can play out, rather than just giving you a story plain and dry.

I enjoyed this book, I really did. The prose was eloquent and wonderful, and the overall storyline was something to be sought after. But at the same time, I felt like there was MORE prose than story. More fluff than not. I love words and how they can be strung together to make beautiful sentences, but those sentences have to mean something. So...why 2 stars? Well, I thought it was an enjoyable book, but it lacked substance. If there had been a bit more substance, I would've given it a 3. If the substance had been overflowing while also including the prose, I would've given it a 4 or 5. Sadly, the prose was there - strong as ever - but the story easily lost me and I felt like I could've been way stronger. So it all leveled out to a 2. I think some could enjoy it, but I wanted something a little deeper.

First let me just say, that last line was fantastic. It was really powerful. As for the book itself, I struggled at first with the jumping timeline and the different characters. But once I got into the book enough it was not as difficult to keep everything separate.

Now that I have finished the book, I really wish I could visit the Night Circus, it seems like such a magical place. Bailey was by far my favorite character and I loved figuring out how he fit into the circus and the story.

While the challenge between Celia and Marco was confusing at times, it played out nicely and ended in a way I did not expect.

4.25/5 stars

It only took me 7 years to get this book off my TBR but I did it guys. I read it. And like, why didn't I read this 7 years ago???? I hate myself.

An entirely unexpected and enchanting book. The story follows two magicians who from a young age are bound to a challenge that pits one against the other, and eventually this challenge takes the form of a circus that is only open at night. But surrounding the magicians are a cast of characters who enrich the story. The story jumps around in time chapter by chapter, and I found that aspect confusing, often having to look back at the opening of each chapter to recall how it fit into the timeline. But the writing is engrossing, the characters endearing, and the plot original, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

What a great read! An immersive, dreamlike experience, like the circus it describes. I loved it and can't wait to read more from Erin Morgenstern.

I loved this and can't believe I waited so long to read it, since it's been on my radar for years. The way Erin Morgenstern writes is beautiful, and I really felt transported back in time to the 1800s and that circus.

I loved the love story in this book as well. It wasn't rushed or too romance heavy which I tend to get annoyed by in fantasy novels.

If you like magical stories with lots of world-building descriptions this book will probably be for you.

Probably a 2 1/2. The description of the circus was fun to read but the characters felt flat while the pace of the book plodded and her writing was repetitive in spots

If I could give this book ten stars I would. Check out my review here!

https://youtu.be/hBB1jsm1C5k

It's so hard to rate this book. The world of the circus is so beautifully crafted. The tents are magical. I wish I could go there. Aside from that I wish I didn't waste my time on this book. In fact by the time it was due at the library I was only 60% of the way through. I felt no desire to pick the book up again and finish it. The main characters were so unlikeable and flat. The only characters I could enjoy were those outside of the circus, and the twins.

There is a nice steady pace to the book where you can feel a little bit of the tension building. You feel part of a magic act, but it's a magic act that takes forever to get going. It felt like a scenic drive through the country. You'd read a really great chapter that had you hooked, then you spend the next few chapters just watching the same farmland go by.

I read a bit about the author where she stated that when she gets to writing she binge writes. It shows with this book. It needed some serious editing. There were so many characters and so many points of view that it was extremely difficult to keep track of who was who.

In terms of characters I'd really give this book a 2, but the world of the circus was so beautiful and unique that it deserved a 5. I decided to give it a 3 in the end.

If you're a diehard circus enthusiast then you may love this book. I wouldn't suggest people to skip this book. Again, the circus was beautiful. It's probably one of the greatest worlds I've ever read about. The characters and constantly switching points of view are what killed this for me. If anything, it might be better the second time around, but I wouldn't waste anymore time on this.

review quotes

“Magicians, Victorian circus, cloud maze, sea of fluff? Eye roll?”
“star-cross'd romance? With achingly, dippily sincere lovers?”
“this book has a very good story”
“insipid and laboriously tedious novel”

Beautiful, enchanting, made me want to be artistic. I redesigned my room after reading the book.

Okay...Listen to me..I debated very hard about giving this book 3 stars. Mostly because I get why people are into it. However this book was insanely hyped up. INSANELY. This books screams MAGICAL...And I was waiting to be sucked into the magic.. and instead I got detail after inane detail. That doesn't equal magical or fun or great suck me into this world and never leave story telling.

Celia and Marco are flat and boring as main characters. Both of they're crazy ass fathers had more life in them. And crazy they were. I also would have liked to know why the two men were rivals or what started the competition of finding to proteges to battle to the magical fucking death. Because I feel like that would have been a better story than this one.

Fierce competition? Uh where, bitch? Where? I was expecting a massive stage where two magicians go at it. Quite the opposite.

There are also different timelines so the book is bouncing back and forth. One timeline makes it seem like maybe that character plays a bigger role? Maybe? I don't know...its just more damn details. Not to mention that to books moves slowly. VERY VERY slowly.

Now, hear me out, I'll never say to not read a book. And the scene settings and all the descriptions/details are very pretty. I, however, need more. I get why people fell in love with those. For the same reason I'd wager some think Charlie Hunnam is quite hot and I'm just like meh. I get it..it's just not for me.

WHY DID I WAIT almost 3 freaking years to read it??

glad i finally did

An intriguing read. This is a love story told through the guise of a competition between two hidden magicians. Definite vibes of ‘this is how to lose the time war' with various his and hers chapters as the competition is played out through the environment of a magical circus.

Firstly: the prose here is beautifully done. This is a gorgeously written book and deserves a lot of the attention it has garnered. The story and setting have been done before, but the presentation here is superb. The world built and the characters created are fantastically crafted. The story builds to a very satisfying crescendo as well - the manipulators on the fringes taking things to a very climatic finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Definitely a more literary take on fantasy but it was done in a way that allowed the story to breathe.

The atmosphere this book created was so magical I didn't even care what happened to any of the story. In fact, my favourite part was the chapters with Bailey and Her Tiessen. Which is also why this book broke my fucking heart. The way the author created the visuals in your head is just amazing. 

The way the two challengers are introduced is so cool. The juxtaposition between each other but also their tutors and their teaching style. Every detail was just beautifully done. It really shapes the narrative already just by the characters. 

Really the only thing I had some trouble with was the romance. I don't know exactly why but I didn't care that much for the main couple. Obviously, you know from the very beginning that they are going to fall in love, I mean it's some classic starcrossed lovers shit. But it just didn't do it for me. Perhaps because they were straight. That could have honestly been it, I don't know. All of the side characters were just better to me. 

All though I am noticing after a few days that it really didn't leave a last impression.

A good standalone fantasy story.

I had mixed feelings until about the middle half, and then I fell in love with this book. The ending was so unexpectedly good. I really recommend it. It's a slow unfolding, but the pay off is more than worth it. I also loved how well fleshed out all the minor characters were. And the atmosphere of this book was incredible

I never wanted this book to end. Between this and The Starless Sea, Erin Morgenstern may be my new favorite author.

I want to live in this book.

edit 9'22: 1.5 ??? i saw a reddit post and it just refueled my grudge
edit 5'22: 3 -> 2 ???. the more i think about it the more i hate it

2.5 stars. I'm so disappointed! I wanted to like this book. It was so boring! I have a lot of books on my TBR and I need to DNF books more often than I do. I admit, I thought it would get better...but I was wrong. The romance was so unbelievable. I had to skim through the last 50 pages because I just stopped caring. Not sure if I will pick up “The Starless Sea”. Only time will tell...

I wanted to like this. The setup of the two old magicians getting two proteges to compete to the death, all to prove their particular philosophy of magic had such promise. The descriptions of the circus itself were fantastic. I loved the parts with the three kids, the twins and their friend Bailey.

Unfortunately, I wound up disappointed with the execution of the contest and the story. As much as I appreciated the idea of the circus, having the two young competitors, Marco and Celia passively challenging each other with their creations from afar does not make for great conflict. Their romance feels forced and lacks chemistry.
In the end, despite their love story, Celia and Marco should have been compelled to fight to the death. These were the guidelines set up by the writer, but she doesn't follow through. The contest is settled by a third party who intervenes and Celia and Marco never have to make a real decision to either fight for their own life or to spare the other. They just drift off into a spirit world, happily ever after.

I was hoping for some tension and emotional/psychological stakes from this story. Certainly, the two older magicians, A.H. and Prospero could have faced some real consequences for putting these two young people in this position. There was a such a big build up that amounted to very little.