Scan barcode
A review by cookiemonsterrr
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
It's an interesting premise, but the characters don't show much of their personalities, and this is a major issue that afflicts my enjoyment of the story. Throughout the book, I felt that the characters felt lifeless. This clashed with the mysterious elements of the story as we don't get the reasons behind the Game until late on in the book, which means that there isn't any real reason to be invested in the story. Additionally, this meant that the development of the rivals to lovers romance failed to interest me because all there was to build on was that they were rivals. They had no chemistry. Like, "the author says that they're falling in love now, so I guess they are, or something. Sure.". I also found that I didn't care when characters died.
The most interesting characters are the side characters, but they don't show up except to move the plot to where it needs to go. Even when they die, they server only to move the plot forward. I wish we got more development for them. I say the most interesting, but they're still bland in my opinion.
There is an alternative perspective (Bailey) that feels like it was hastily added to shoehorn a Deus ex machina solution to a problem. It's an interesting concept but I feel like something is missing. I still like Bailey's story more than the main story, though. I kind of wish we got more Bailey. Because then I think it would solve the issue.
The writing style is one of those ones where you don't really get an insight into a character's mind. But at the same time, the characters don't do anything specific to their personalities either. I mean, most of them could have had their roles swapped and nothing much would be different, because I got such a lukewarm and bland impression of them. Hilariously, this problem also meant that one half of the rivals to lovers couple came off as very assholish because it looked like he was manipulating and straight up cheating on Isobel, and there was NOTHING that indicated that he apparently never thought of her that way.
While the premise of the story was interesting and the mysterious and magical atmosphere is stellar, the lack of personalities for most of the characters majorly crippled my experience.
The most interesting characters are the side characters, but they don't show up except to move the plot to where it needs to go. Even when they die, they server only to move the plot forward. I wish we got more development for them. I say the most interesting, but they're still bland in my opinion.
There is an alternative perspective (Bailey) that feels like it was hastily added to shoehorn a Deus ex machina solution to a problem. It's an interesting concept but I feel like something is missing. I still like Bailey's story more than the main story, though. I kind of wish we got more Bailey. Because then I think it would solve the issue.
The writing style is one of those ones where you don't really get an insight into a character's mind. But at the same time, the characters don't do anything specific to their personalities either. I mean, most of them could have had their roles swapped and nothing much would be different, because I got such a lukewarm and bland impression of them. Hilariously, this problem also meant that one half of the rivals to lovers couple came off as very assholish because it looked like he was manipulating and straight up cheating on Isobel, and there was NOTHING that indicated that he apparently never thought of her that way.
While the premise of the story was interesting and the mysterious and magical atmosphere is stellar, the lack of personalities for most of the characters majorly crippled my experience.