The Night Circus

The Night Circus, is essentially a story of two real-magic magicians who are pitied against each other against their will to a battle to the death. What makes the story so intriguing is the circus itself and how the lives of these two characters intertwine with other people in the circus.

My main issue with this story is how the chapters are not written in chronological order. From one aspect, this echos the mysterious feel the circus itself holds. But from another, it adds confusion for the reader. Especially when certain chapters take place years after the time of the chapters surrounding it.

For example, we are introduced to a character named Bailey, whose chapter, is placed between other chapters that take place years before he's even born. At first, I was thrown off, wondering who this Bailey was when he didn't connect with any other characters I'd been introduced to at that point. Then, I started to like Bailey, and I wanted to read more of him. And then chapter after chapter passes without mention of him. We finally do catch up with him in the proper time line. But then why take one chapter and set it so far off? Why not have his whole story fit more chronologically so I'm not thrown off when I first meet him and I get to continue to read about him when I grow attached to him? The placement of that first chapter makes no sense to me.

It's possible the author was trying to create a certain feeling of suspense or foreshadow by mixing up the chronological order of the chapters, but sometimes even this fails. There's several references in the book of a blinding light that will mean something bad for the circus. As we're following a character who is trying to figure out what happened, we are jumped into the past in a chapter that reveals some of what happened or at least gives the reader enough information to guess, all the before the character we are following figures it out. Why ruin the suspense like that?

There are certain readers, I think, who respond well to such a mixed way of telling. But I was thrown off so many times (not just by the order of chapters, but how some chapters begin in such a way that you have no idea what is going on in relation to what you just read), that I didn't care much for it. I think I would have liked this story a lot better if the chapters had been in order according to their time line.

The other thing that really annoyed me was the complete lack of relationship development between the two main characters. They have one meeting full of electric charge between the two of them - a terrible romance clique, even if it is real in the case of these two - and then the narrative jumps three years and they are desperately in love with each other. We don't get to see their love develop at all. We're just supposed to accept it. And I felt cheated for not getting to see the love grow between them.

Now, I did listen to this story on audio CD, and I had a friend point out that the mixed chronology is less jarring in print. However, what really bugs me is I just can't justify why the chronology is mixed. I don't see the reason behind it. And I really can't get over how glossed over the love story was. Even if I did like the print version better, the issues I take with how the story was told and the love story in particular would still probably bring the book to three stars. I did enjoy the characters, and I did enjoy the circus. But the love story is such an important part of the plot and with the story's structure being so mismatched ... I don't feel loving the circus and the characters can make up for that. I'm sure for the right reader, this book would be perfectly enchanting.

The Reckoning

I zoomed through this book so quickly it's a little difficult to gather my thoughts about it. New dangers pop up, people die left and right, Chloe finally takes charge of her powers, the organization goes down ... things get crazy.

All in all, this book came to a very satisfying ending. Some things were left unexplained and others obviously left open for further books. And there is a trilogy after this one, but I don't know if I'll read it. What I really want to know is how life is like on the run for Chloe and the others. I want to see them grow together as a ragtag family. I want to see Chloe and the others learn to further control their powers. And I want to further understand the risk the kids face by having heightened powers. I want to see this series grow beyond the formulaic kids-manipulated-by-bad-organization-and-bring-it down plot. And I'm pretty sure a whole new trilogy of new kids basically going through the same things Chloe and the gang went through is going to give me what I'm looking for.

This book was definitely the best of the three, and yet it follows a similar plot to the others, with the kids in distrust of their surroundings and needing to escape the danger around them. And then, once the kids start to get into their power and the organization falls, the story ends. I feel like there's so much more that can be done with this story, to become something all its own, and yet it falls to the formula ... to start a new series that as far as I can tell follows the exact same formula, the only difference between the cast of characters, new powers, and a new setting. The sad thing is Chloe's story ends just when it seems to be starting.

I'd love to see Armstrong continue Chloe's story and take it new places. Until then, I'll leave this series here.

Page

Given the mixed reviews I read about this book, I wasn't sure what I'd think of it. Those who didn't like the book cited the jarring lapses of time as the short book crams in a number of years and the odd plot of Keladry's maid. It was a pleasant surprise to find I liked this book even better than the first.

While the first book mainly focused on Keladry's training and the question of whether she'd be able to keep up with the boys physically and if the training master would allow her stay even if she did prove herself, this book starts to go into deeper issues. There's a lot of corruption in the world, and it starts to come to light through the story of Kel's maid, the summer excursion that nearly kills Kel and her classmates, and hints of war coming in future years. We also get some of Kel's personal issues as she starts to notice boys and they start to notice her. All in all, this book was just way more interesting and engaging. The odd passage of time didn't bother me at all.

I still give this book three stars simply because I'm waiting for something more exciting to happen. This book still mainly circles around Kel's training with hints at how the plot is going to pick up in later books. I'm excited to keep moving forward with the series and see how the struggle started in this book lead into the others.

The Awakening

You'd think with how quickly I'm going through this series, I'd be giving it more than three stars. I have to admit that when I pick the book up, I don't want to put it down. Even so, I don't get that "this is great" thoughts/feelings I get that would warrant a four or five-star review.

Chloe has been captured by the big bad organization. She escapes, meets up with the rest of the gang, and the group of them are on the run, searching for someone to help them while they try to keep each other alive.

Here's what I've realized about this series so far - it's a story about teenagers running from the "big bad organization" that's out to get them. In that, this story is nothing new. It's been written before. And yes, this series has necromancy and werewolves and magic, but it's such a small part of the story. Take those elements away, and this story is nothing special or unique. And while I'm enjoying the series, it doesn't have that spark that makes it jump out at me and claim it as my favorite.

I still recommend pick it up and giving it a try. I enjoy the characters, and I like that the author doesn't skimp over the hard stuff - werewolf transformations, rotting corpses. I'm definitely sticking with this series still the end, and I'll still be quite happy for getting into it. But, as I said, this story has been written before and that keeps it from standing out, at least for me.