Kaffe · a free reading list
Books like The Night Circus
Atmospheric, dreamlike stories full of quiet magic.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
The same author's labyrinth of stories, books and secret doors.
+ Ambitious and beautifully imagined, with tales within tales that reward unravelling.
− Nothing logically binds its lovely set pieces, and it demands patience with heavy metafiction. (summed up from Wikipedia (reception))Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A man lives in an endless house of statues and tides. Short, strange and beautiful.
+ Close to perfect: clever, hypnotic and elegantly built, with an unusual archaic voice.
− Readers stay a step ahead of the naive narrator, and roles stay vague for long stretches. (summed up from Wikipedia (reception))Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians bring English magic back during the Napoleonic wars. Rich and witty.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
A woman cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Romantic and melancholy.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
A magical game run by a mysterious showman. Lush and twisty, for YA readers.
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