This one was an interesting read. I’m not one for fantasy (save for my Lord of the Rings obsession and my fleeting fancy for A Song of Ice and Fire) or mystical and magical things, so I probably wasn’t the right audience for this book. If I had been, maybe I would have liked it more.
Nevertheless, I didn’t hate it or even dislike it. I was mostly, well, confused. The plot didn’t make a ton of sense to me, and I really don’t even know what happened at the end. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m reviewing a book from a mostly positive standpoint that I didn’t even understand, and my answer to you is hush, I don’t know.
The Night Circus was so incredibly atmospheric. I think maybe that’s why I’m giving it 3.5 stars and not fewer. I really felt like I was there in a red scarf, taking in all the black-and-white magic.
Beyond the description of the setting, the book kind of fell flat. The characters were almost as forgettable as Addie LaRue in her shitty book. So forgettable, in fact, that I’ve forgotten all of their names except for Celia’s, and that’s just because of Celia St. James from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
I vacillated for forever when I was trying to decide what books to use my Kindle credits on. I settled on this one and Heart Bones, to my eternal chagrin. Both of those books taught me a valuable lesson, which is this: If you’re reading from a genre you don’t usually read, check out the book from the library or Kindle Unlimited before buying a copy, if you can. I didn’t hate either of those books, but mystical realism and romance are not my genres, so I made a mistake by committing to purchase them before I knew if I would even care for them. And of course, being Kindle copies, I can’t just resell them and buy a better book with the proceeds. Learn from my mistakes!
I guess I don’t really recommend The Night Circus unless it falls into your preferred genre. If you want something that will immerse you in a different, more magical, world, go for it. If you like literary books or any books that aren’t utterly confusing, don’t.
Dates read: September 30-October 3, 2021
Emjay Reads 