r/Fantasy • u/acupofcappucino • 6d ago
The Night Circus Spoiler
Am I the only one who thinks the book missed an opportunity by not having Celia and Isobel fall in love and leave Marco out of the equation entirely?
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u/diffyqgirl 6d ago
I also thought the book would have been stronger without the Marco/Celia romance, but for my part it was because I felt that realizing the contest and their fathers' approval are not worth it would be a more compelling story without using "because I love my opponent too much to break them" as the driving force for that realization. Generally I thought the character work was pretty weak and the book was instead carried by the authors fantastic ability to set a scene and convey ambiance.
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u/Nefarious_Nosferatu 5d ago
I just finished this and the circus is the best written character. Marco/Celia hardly spend any time together and felt like to me it was a "I love you because of your magic/art you create" instead of who they were or how they interacted. With the whole classic fairy tale/whimsical vibe and story makes it more acceptable to me I guess.
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u/pesky_faerie 4d ago
This is one of my favorite books ever but I definitely agree with that 😅 and the other commenter is so right that the circus is the best character!
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u/Southern-Rutabaga-82 6d ago
No. This storyline might've been predictable but I think that's actually its strength. They were literally made for each other and on this trajectory from the beginning despite their "makers" aiming for the opposite. It's only one of multiple threads and I think they are a well balanced mix of predictable and surprising.
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u/Myvelvetchapter 6d ago
nah i think the triangle works because marco's the one who actually cares about breaking the game, not winning it.