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Post by geminii on Mar 11, 2024 21:13:42 GMT
I've started reading this an so far am enjoying the originality of the storyline - hoping I'm taken on the magical journey that is promised
I am aware that at least one of us has finished the book, so if anyone would like to kick the comments off, then please do ..
Please note : As everyone will be reading the book at different times it is only polite to ensure that all spoilers are noted as such and are changed to a white colour ink. This will then only show the information if you highlight over it with your mouse.
For example you would add the word spoiler, an apostrophe, write what you want to say and then change the text colour by clicking on the colour wheel just next to the font size at the top of the screen ..
Spoiler, 'then whoever glances quickly will not be able to see unless they highlight over it'.
Thank you all x
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Post by adelynechan on Mar 11, 2024 21:52:25 GMT
I finished this one last week, and I found the writing style very good, it drew me in almost right away. I could feel the magic of the circus, and for someone who isn't very good at reading magical realism (I just find these hard to picture, when compared to a fantasy world that is totally distinct from the real one) I thought I got along very well with this one. The concept of the competition between the students was very intriguing, especially as the participants - and consequently the reader - is not given many details as to what said competition entails and therefore have to work things out as the story progresses. Once it was revealed that Marco was the second contestant, the choice of a boy and a girl immediately made me think that there would be an underlying love story, though at this point I thought Marco and Isobel made a cute couple.
I enjoyed meeting the different members of the circus as the story wore on, particularly the twins and Bailey, as well as the beautifully described scenes of the different components. As much as I liked the description though, I did find the story getting weirder and weirder at this stage, and with the jumping timelines I did find it hard to just keep up, never mind try to work out what is going on. In a way this fitted with the mysterious vibe that the book generally gave off, but at the same time I also felt frustrated that more and more things were simply not making any sense. That, and Hector's constant (, plain mean and IMO totally unnecessary) heckling of Celia annoyed me to no end.
The ending rescued the book slightly, as I did like Celia's resolution to the conundrum of being in love with her opponent in the competition. This brought things together in a way, as it was alluded very much earlier on in the book about being trapped and how this is not necessarily a bad thing, but rather dependent on company. I guess I just couldn't put two and two together as this element was magical and I couldn't quite work out the rules of how the trapping worked.
A solid 4*, and one that I'm glad I read although there were parts of it that I found incredibly frustrating.
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Post by sony08 on Mar 12, 2024 15:38:40 GMT
Ok - so I loved it. Probably because it's so different event to other fantasy books I have read and enjoyed. It's magical, tense, romance, mystery and above it all it's beautiful. The descriptive language in this book is second to none and that's why this is 5 stars for me.
The story is slow, keeping the reading going along at a steady pace. For me that kept the mystery of the dual and the bases of the Night Circus ticking over in the rhythm of the magical clock at the entrance to the circus.
Just beautiful - loved it solid 5* for me.
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Post by celia48 on Mar 23, 2024 17:03:32 GMT
I am finding it quite difficult to review this book. At first, I loved it as I do like books with a magical element but it went on for so long that I got quite fed up. Although I liked the resolution between Celia and Marco, I mostly found the ending a bit mystifying and unsatisfying. It could so easily have been half the length and, in my opinion, would have been better for it.
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rosemary3
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Post by rosemary3 on Mar 27, 2024 21:54:14 GMT
I read this in 2016 and gave it 4 stars. I don't remember it at all, which is sad but inevitable with so many books passing through the ageing brain  I wrote at the time that I read it quickly and thought it needed to be read quickly to keep track of the different timelines. |
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Post by geminii on Apr 16, 2024 9:31:00 GMT
I finished this Book a few days ago ..
Totally loved it ! A full 5 Stars from me too ..
Really enjoyed the layers of the different stories within the same setting - I was imagining the Circus in monochrome, and all the different 'rooms' were fascinating and I would have loved to visit them all ..
The relationship between Celia and Marco was truly enchanting and I thought this was nicely balanced without being the main focus - the 'game' set up by their 'fathers' was initially confusing as it took time to get going ..
I loved the idea of the Circus having 'groupies' and I definitely would be getting my red scarf on and joining in the experience ..
I'm not really a fan of fantasy, but this blew me away as it got my imaginative juices flowing - I couldn't put the book down and felt totally immersed in this nocturnal world ..
The ending was so clever, especially if you read the last line and then go back to the first - I was certainly tempted to start all over again .. I think this might be a book that I reread to regain the magical feels ..
Highly recommended x
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Post by natsplatt on Apr 20, 2024 8:53:10 GMT
I finished this last night and absolutely loved it! I think its the kind of book you either read in huge chunks quickly,
Or slowly and savour the language, there’s no between!
I adored the circus and gorgeous descriptions, the characters were fabulous and yes, I would absolutely be a reveur!
Nat
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Post by sarita on Apr 20, 2024 16:06:36 GMT
I’ll be in a minority here but this isn't an author for me. I read Starless Sea a while ago, finished it and understand nothing.
On this one I was really bored after 60%. It felt like reading the same paragraph in each chapter.
Casting error I'd say.
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I wrote at the time that I read it quickly and thought it needed to be read quickly to keep track of the different timelines. 
