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Louise (64 KP) rated The Night Circus in Books

Jul 2, 2018

The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry

8.1

(106 Ratings)

Book Rating

From the ratings I had high expectations for this book, the synopsis was so intriguing it was a must read! I love magicians and circus’ (though I have actually never been to one)

The story was told in a third person narrative, it is very descriptive from the tents, the lavish dinners, magic and illusions that are performed. There are two young magicians, they are told that they’re in training for a competition, but not told who their opponents are or even when it begins.

Celia is the daughter of the legendary Prospero the enchanter, at 6 years old her after her mother’s death she is left to her fathers devices and signs her up for competition, She is then practicing constantly to become the best Magician possible.

Marco is the protegé of Mr A.H-, Marco was plucked from an orphanage one day after completing some menial tasks and was sent to live and study magic, he too was also informed that he would be in a competition but the details were very vague.

There are other characters in this book that all relate to the circus and intertwine with Celia and Marco’s story, however I don’t want to give too much away.

The descriptive writing in this book was wonderful I felt that I was at the circus, watching the illusionist,contortionists and acrobats, the tents, the magical clock, I could go on, however I felt this took a lot away from any character development and plot. There is not much of a plot to this book and each chapter goes back and forth, which felt it a bit disjointed

The romance in this book was tiresome, it didn’t feel real, there was no spark, I felt no emotion in the writing and it was a bit instalovey, as soon as they knew they were opponents there was this sudden love for one another.

I did enjoy the book and the writing but I didn’t love it, I think it has been overhyped a little.

Overall I rated this book 3.5 stars out 5

For more of my reviews please check out my blog www.louiselovesbooks.wordpress.com

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2271 KP) rated Restaurant Weeks are Murder in Books

Feb 28, 2019

Cooking with a Killer

Poppy McAllister is thrilled to be helping Tim during the Restaurant Week cooking competition as the third member of his team. While their relationship is complicated, she knows they can work well together. The weeks gets off to a shaky start when there is a problem with the hotel where the judges were going to stay, and Poppy volunteers the not quite open yet bed and breakfast she is working on with her aunt. Then, on the first day of the competition, someone sabotages the ingredients. As things spiral out of control, Tim and Poppy find themselves at the center of it all. Can Poppy figure out what is happening?

Fans of this series will be thrilled with the latest outing for Poppy and the rest of the crew. Yes, everyone is here and causing mayhem and laughs for us like normal. I did sympathize more with the victim of Figueroa’s antics since I allergic to cats as well, but I still found that subplot fun. As usual, Aunt Ginny and her friends steal the show. I do feel the pacing of the mystery could have been better, but this is something I’ve felt with all three books in the series. We definitely did get a good mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. There are seven Paleo friendly recipes at the back of the book to enjoy once you’ve finished the book.

Kudos

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated High Strung (2016) in Movies

Jan 27, 2020

High Strung (2016)

2016 | Drama, Musical, Romance

5.7

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Great dancing and violin playing (1 more)

Decent storyline - I particularly liked Ruby's character arc

Everything seems rushed into the last 30-40 minutes (2 more)

Most of the movie is dancing - it kind of overshadowed the storyline?

Some things don't feel wrapped up or were vague - intentional?

High Strung has a really good concept, but it kind of fell short in the execution.

Ruby's story seemed to be the only one I felt had a full arc - or maybe this is because I enjoyed her story more. Either way, it was 1am when I was watching and the others didn't seem to have a lot of background other than vague details. Ruby just stuck out to me. They weren't wrapped up either, and I'm not sure if it was intentional (especially Johnnie, the male lead - we know he's from England and he plays the violin but I don't recall the why in some details that I feel are important).

Everything also seems rushed into the last 30-40 minutes; much of the beginning features a lot of dancing. While yes, the movie IS focused on dancing and playing the violin as there is a String and Dance competition, it feels... a little too much? Personally I enjoyed it (I can't dance for the life of me and my violin skills sure aren't competition worthy, so it was fascinating), but it kind of overshadowed the story.