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livid_by_any_other_name's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
bxnnny's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i don't usually read fantasy nowadays but this is part of my book club with my sister and she chose! i was hesitant about this one as i didn't think i would like it and i wasn't too keen about starting a series, but i found the characters to be interesting enough where i ended up getting hooked. most of the characters are unlikeable tbh, but at the same time, i was intrigued by their stories and character arcs. i found parisa and dalton to be the most interesting. the writing can be a little wordy and pretentious at times. i might end up continuing the series just to see what happens with each character as i found them more interesting than the main plot itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, and Suicide attempt
narcissistic personalities, emotional manipulation.mousmoulo's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
objectively 3.5⭐, subjectively 5⭐ because i'm clawing the walls thinking about these characters. 4.25⭐ feels about right
i wanted something vaguely similar to tvd/ove by chloe gong and i wanted characters being petty and arguing a lot. i got it and i had an incredible time with it >:)
really the only thing that genuinely bothered me was the way the second-to-last chapter was formatted. it would've been such an interesting revelation from anyone else's pov, but the way it was just laid out for the reader felt quite underwhelming. still a good plot twist though, and i'm very intrigued to see where it leads!
side note on the pairings: why nico and libby enemies to lovers????? when gideon and nico have literally the most tender friendship i've read in a while?????? when they clearly love each other too much and would AND CONTINUOUSLY DO everything for each other?????? i'm the first to appreciate a well-written friendship but like. come ON. if they don't end up together i will riot. it's nico and libby's friendship that i actually want to see, enemies to friends is simply superior
i wanted something vaguely similar to tvd/ove by chloe gong and i wanted characters being petty and arguing a lot. i got it and i had an incredible time with it >:)
really the only thing that genuinely bothered me was the way the second-to-last chapter was formatted. it would've been such an interesting revelation from anyone else's pov, but the way it was just laid out for the reader felt quite underwhelming. still a good plot twist though, and i'm very intrigued to see where it leads!
side note on the pairings:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
also: death of siblingitsheyfay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Terminal illness
mydelyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
vic127's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
shalia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I found it difficult to get into the story, its very academic-based magic. I started to really enjoy it once the plot picked-up (about halfway through).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide
Minor: Death and Blood
booksthatburn's review against another edition
I was initially drawn in by the premise, a group of magicians brought to the Library of Alexandria have a year to decide which one of them will be eliminated and which five get to stay for another year. The cast of characters is pretty diverse (though a bit of that initial feeling of diversity was dampened when I realized all of them seemed to have English as their first language, which instantly shrunk the practical candidate pool. Part of the story questions the validity and methods of the entire enterprise, so that leaves some wiggle room for explaining why the candidates aren't actually very diverse (only six total, and two are from the same school in the USA?). Additionally, this could have been the library of Atlantis or Boston and it would have had just as much relevance to the plot. The latest incarnation of the "Library of Alexandria" is physically located in London, in the UK. It became clear pretty quickly that "Alexandria" is just a name, and an indication of thousands of years of whatever this thing is (or at least a claim to that long legacy). There are vague descriptions of the category of study and experiments which the candidates are pursuing, but most of the story is actually a very intense and complicated web of power plays and personal dynamics between the six candidates and the two Alexandrians who oversee them (mostly one of them). There's a pretty intense sex scene about halfway through which I actually didn't mind, but it felt like a sudden shift in tone from the rest of the book.
The characters seemed initially pretty interesting, but there's very little description of how their powers actually work. There are discussions of magical theory which I enjoyed, but they were usually couched in ways where the magic is actually secondary, which made them feel unmoored from the world being built.
It's six (sometimes eight) people in a house, talking to each other and slowly changing how they feel about one another, which is not what I was expecting in a book about "magicians living in the Library of Alexandria".
Ultimately I stopped because it became clearly stated that the whole thing is a slow burn trolley problem, and I don't like trolley problem situations.
The characters seemed initially pretty interesting, but there's very little description of how their powers actually work. There are discussions of magical theory which I enjoyed, but they were usually couched in ways where the magic is actually secondary, which made them feel unmoored from the world being built.
It's six (sometimes eight) people in a house, talking to each other and slowly changing how they feel about one another, which is not what I was expecting in a book about "magicians living in the Library of Alexandria".
Ultimately I stopped because it became clearly stated that the whole thing is a slow burn trolley problem, and I don't like trolley problem situations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death and Fire/Fire injury
lokiwii's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence and Murder
kaylamoran's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
From the moment I heard that a self published book had exploded and was going to be traditionally published, I knew I had to read it. I saw so many good reviews that it became a 5 star prediction for me. I do think my crazy expectations did it no favours, but I loved it nonetheless. A few things about the writing style or pacing irked me at times, but the story and the characters kept me going. Multi POV is one of my absolute favourite fantasy tropes, so I loved that part of it as well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Confinement, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Alcohol