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xanderb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anx_iety's review against another edition
3.75
I won't lie I wanted to dnf this book at about 50% as I had a hard time actually being interested in any of the characters, but as I continued reading it got just SO much better and I am literally buzzing to continue with the series
_anns_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dkmons's review against another edition
God the writing in this was so pretentious. Couldn’t stand the characters already
blamelucy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Really enjoyed this read. If you like the first few page upon opening it, then the writing style and clever dialogue is consistent throughout so you will likely enjoy the rest of the book. If you like sassy characters, written well, unpredictable plot twists that make sense in hindsight, multiple POVs, flawed characters that aren’t given to you on a plate of like or dislike, this is a good read for you.
The magic mechanism, in my opinion, could do with a little more TLC but the rest of the writing carries it nicely otherwise.
Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
The magic mechanism, in my opinion, could do with a little more TLC but the rest of the writing carries it nicely otherwise.
Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Suicidal thoughts
ameliatank's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rizbee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i’m not sure how i feel about this. it definitely wasn’t what i was expecting. this book had a great concept in my opinion. however, it could have been executed better. so much of the writing and dialogue sounds soooo pretentious (which to some extent i get given the setting of the book but come on). parts of this dragged where nothing happened and the characters weren’t worth investing in. but then the last third of the book takes a turn that’s actually interesting! it’s a good set up for a sequel; i’m just a bit sad that this one fell pretty flat for me. the extra .5 comes from purely the last few chapters which is a bit sad. otherwise i think i’d have been pretty neutral on this.
overall, i’m a bit disappointed with the characters which is sad because i love a character driven novel. i didn’t feel connected to really any of them, and their connections and interactions with each other felt so forced and underwhelming (maybe with the exception of nico and libby).
i’ll probably read the sequel but maybe i’ll take a break to recover from a bit of a letdown.
overall, i’m a bit disappointed with the characters which is sad because i love a character driven novel. i didn’t feel connected to really any of them, and their connections and interactions with each other felt so forced and underwhelming (maybe with the exception of nico and libby).
i’ll probably read the sequel but maybe i’ll take a break to recover from a bit of a letdown.
clairelisebella's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Murder
Minor: Violence
warmdayswillnevercease's review against another edition
2.0
Meh
Edit: No, you know what. Meh is too good for this book. It was insufferably dull with self-indulgent writing and flat characterisation.
Edit: No, you know what. Meh is too good for this book. It was insufferably dull with self-indulgent writing and flat characterisation.
markalkman's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the beginning - the story started pretty strong and interesting, I really thought I was hooked, but then... it started to drag and it got sort of boring. I was expecting... more, to be honest, and I didn't really like any of the characters. The ending was meh, it was intriguing enough to finish it. But this was definitely underwhelming for me, unfortunately.
Update: 5 months later
Every time I see this on my feed, I think back on my own experience reading his. And the more I think about it, the more I dislike it. The writing felt so pretentious, nothing really happened and I sort of hated all of the characters. There was another short story included, but I couldn't find the energy to read that when I first read the book - and now, five months later, I still can't be bothered. I'm glad there are tons of people who absolutely love this. But if this is the epitome of 'dark academia', than I think the genre just isn't for me.
Update: 5 months later
Every time I see this on my feed, I think back on my own experience reading his. And the more I think about it, the more I dislike it. The writing felt so pretentious, nothing really happened and I sort of hated all of the characters. There was another short story included, but I couldn't find the energy to read that when I first read the book - and now, five months later, I still can't be bothered. I'm glad there are tons of people who absolutely love this. But if this is the epitome of 'dark academia', than I think the genre just isn't for me.