I liked that book, mostly for the writing style. It just felt...pleasant. I don't really have a better way to say it. I agree with you that the plot was weak and the characters were not well developed. It reads almost like allegory. But I did still enjoy the read. So I find myself confused by the number of people who rate this book as one of their all time faves. But here's the thing, I recently read The Starless Sea (by the same author) and I freakin LOVED it. I recommend it to everyone. But I have noticed that there is an insane number of reviews by people who said they loved The Night Circus and couldn't stand The Starless Sea. So now I want all of you don't care for Night Circus to give Starless Sea a try.