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tallangryplanet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was a bit wary of reading this book because of its classification in horror, but it ended up being a pretty good read. There were some scary parts and a feeling of tension throughout the book, but it was lighter than I expected.
The story follows Tess, a high school student who works in the school library during the summer, and Eliot, the son of the headmaster, as they accidentally release a demon and scramble to prevent it from completely ruining their lives. They come from very different backgrounds and in the beginning it seems like they'll never get along, but as they're forced to work together they find they're more similar than they thought.
As someone who isn't very familiar with the horror genre, I didn't expect most of the twists in the story, but they still felt coherent and most of them made sense in retrospective. Waiting for the next one was never boring and it kept me almost constantly on edge. I was also completely rooting for the main characters and hoping for them to finally catch a break, although I did feel slightly disappointed when I found out one of the main motivations for the protagonist. Parents arguing about finances didn't seem as much of a big deal for Tess to completely prevent her sister from seeing them . However, I did like how she evolved throughout the story so it wasn't that big of a deal.
I did notice that some parts of the setting and characterization didn't really fit with the ya category, but it made more sense after finding it was originally meant to be an adult book. This is really the only aspect I didn't like, as the characters felt too old to be in high school, because in everything else they were easy enough to relate to (as a musician, Tess's obsession with having to practice was like having a mirror held up to my face).
All in all, it was a very enjoyable read, and I might even pick it up again in the future. Even if you're not a big horror fan, it's light enough that it won't be too scary but still tense enough to avoid being boring.
The story follows Tess, a high school student who works in the school library during the summer, and Eliot, the son of the headmaster, as they accidentally release a demon and scramble to prevent it from completely ruining their lives. They come from very different backgrounds and in the beginning it seems like they'll never get along, but as they're forced to work together they find they're more similar than they thought.
As someone who isn't very familiar with the horror genre, I didn't expect most of the twists in the story, but they still felt coherent and most of them made sense in retrospective. Waiting for the next one was never boring and it kept me almost constantly on edge. I was also completely rooting for the main characters and hoping for them to finally catch a break, although I did feel slightly disappointed when I found out one of the main motivations for the protagonist.
I did notice that some parts of the setting and characterization didn't really fit with the ya category, but it made more sense after finding it was originally meant to be an adult book. This is really the only aspect I didn't like, as the characters felt too old to be in high school, because in everything else they were easy enough to relate to (as a musician, Tess's obsession with having to practice was like having a mirror held up to my face).
All in all, it was a very enjoyable read, and I might even pick it up again in the future. Even if you're not a big horror fan, it's light enough that it won't be too scary but still tense enough to avoid being boring.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
rumplled's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Set in a prep school library over the summer, this book immaculate dark academia vibes. The library is eerie and full of locked-up old books. This was a perfect fall read without being actually scary.
Both of the main characters are interesting, flawed, and dealing with a lot.
It likely would have been better as a NA or adult title, since the horror was capped at a PG-13 level. However, the writing was so vivid that I totally imagined it (especially the Tess sections) like a movie. So maybe this will be a great entry point: babies' first horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Self harm
julia_klimmeck's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Self harm
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
blood, human sacrifice, possession leading to degradation of mental statekelliejean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence
cameronreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Y'all! This reminded me why I love dark academia. It was atmospheric, spooky, and actually scared me at times. I loved the writing and the characters and the plot and twists had me on the edge of my seat. My reactions to this book were completely obscene; cringing in fear, gasping in shock, even holding back tears a couple of times. I loved how it incorporated second person POV, and how scary the devil was made to be. I don't think this book will be for everyone, but it was definitely for me. The perfect Autumn/spooky season read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Moderate: Grief and Vomit
Minor: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
readingbetweenthenotes's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cancer, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence
aimeelynn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Death
sistershelves_fasya's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Atmospheric dark academia with demons, witches, and gore!? Heck yeah, sign me up!
This book gave me the creep and delivered gore that I can still handle. No worries it's not in a slasher genre kind of level, but still makes me squeamish yet I like it! There's a scene that gives me chills (stop right here, spoiler ahead) when the 'supposed to be dead and decayed' friend of the MC follows her home (while FLOATING!) and then banging on her dorm room. If that happened to me, I'd die I tell you!
Even though the first third was slow but I still enjoyed it! Especially because both of the MCs are dealing with family issues and they're slowly connecting to each other. I know you like slow burn enemies to lovers!
It may not scare advanced horror readers, but if you're new to the genre and want to dive into a creepy spooky book, I recommend this one!
Trigger warnings: Self-harm, child abuse, parental illness, cheating parent, blood/gore, possession leading to degradation of mental state
PS: pardon my grammar.....
Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book gave me the creep and delivered gore that I can still handle. No worries it's not in a slasher genre kind of level, but still makes me squeamish yet I like it! There's a scene that gives me chills (stop right here, spoiler ahead) when the 'supposed to be dead and decayed' friend of the MC follows her home (while FLOATING!) and then banging on her dorm room. If that happened to me, I'd die I tell you!
Even though the first third was slow but I still enjoyed it! Especially because both of the MCs are dealing with family issues and they're slowly connecting to each other. I know you like slow burn enemies to lovers!
It may not scare advanced horror readers, but if you're new to the genre and want to dive into a creepy spooky book, I recommend this one!
Trigger warnings: Self-harm, child abuse, parental illness, cheating parent, blood/gore, possession leading to degradation of mental state
PS: pardon my grammar.....
Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Gore, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Self harm
katiemack's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is deliciously scary! I won't give away too much, but the way Bovalino describes how the Devil works actually made me shudder. Unlike some authors, Bovalino doesn't let the YA label stop her from including a healthy amount of gore. I usually read these NetGalley eARCs before bed, and I had to stop doing that with this one because it was too frightening. There were a couple of plot points that made me pause (again, don't want to give too much away), but for the most part the plot speeds along like a train about to collide with the side of a mountain.
If you like dark academia but want it in YA form, this is for you.
This is deliciously scary! I won't give away too much, but the way Bovalino describes how the Devil works actually made me shudder. Unlike some authors, Bovalino doesn't let the YA label stop her from including a healthy amount of gore. I usually read these NetGalley eARCs before bed, and I had to stop doing that with this one because it was too frightening. There were a couple of plot points that made me pause (again, don't want to give too much away), but for the most part the plot speeds along like a train about to collide with the side of a mountain.
If you like dark academia but want it in YA form, this is for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Violence and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse
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