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shadymist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Moderate: Bullying and Child death
Minor: Child abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
pageswithamber's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
georgie_rose_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
• the setting was beautiful, High Realms (the school) was so vivid in my mind - I loved the vibes of the first 20%
• audio narration was good - it was read by Ellie’s friend Ell Potter and they have an interesting chat/interview at the end
• lgbt rep
• the ‘four’ characters themselves were fleshed out imo - although some of the other characters were confusing
• as this is a debut I’m excited to read more Ellie Keel in the future!
things I didn’t:
• it was quite long and lacked direction at times
• it seemed like the author grabbed a thesaurus and threw in big words in for the sake of it where they didn’t make sense and to make it sound ‘academic’ and pretentious
• romantic relationships were so random / out of nowhere and not well explored
• an ‘event’ (no spoilers) happens about 20% in that is the focus of the rest of the plot. this was not the direction I expected the book to go in and I enjoyed it much less
• it was too much? it’s so sad and lowkey traumatising from then onwards!!
I’m here for the dark academia vibes, but the plot was a little too harrowing once the setting is taken away.
⚠️⚠️⚠️
please check the trigger warnings - it’s pretty intense
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me an audiobook ARC
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
booknerdcoco's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a very dark and explicit thriller. Was it good? Yes. Was it great? I don't think so.
Whilst the plot itself is decent, the text can be confusing in parts. I understand that the author was trying to keep things mysterious. But honestly, I just felt that it didn't land in places.
The story follows the life of four scholarship students as they embark on a scholarship in a rural boarding school
There appears to be no leadership, and the bullying is rife. Due to the vulnerable nature of the students and the negligence of the staff, thigns soon take a turn for the worst. And somebody is accused of a crime, which then leads to even darker revelations.
I felt like the story could have been shortened in places.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but only to the right reader. This story isn't for the faint of heart, and as previously mentioned, it could be triggering for some due to the content.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Pregnancy