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janagaton's review
4.0
im SO confused but like the same way as i was after reading Bunny, so in a good way, but i couldnt tell you why i liked this other than the fact that it's definitely my type of book with the dark academia/cult vibes
elcademia's review against another edition
4.0
reading this gave me the same feelings as when i read bunny by mona awad
i felt like an uninvited observer. very cultish read.
i felt like an uninvited observer. very cultish read.
dkdahl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
stark1974's review
3.0
I don’t know. It was a book that got inside my head, but that doesn’t mean it was awesome. I definitely didn’t like the end and I feel like the whole secrecy around the school could have been explained better. Also, Theo and Ines. I’m still unclear on who was playing who, but maybe I misread their relationship? Just okay, but I would probably read a follow up book if it explained things better.
tatyanavogt's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but didn't love it. I kinda ended it feeling like.. well, I dont know how I feel about it. And that feeling has never resolved itself, I just dont really care anymore to figure it out. Now part of me wants to give it a 3 star because of this but when I think to how much I enjoyed part of the experience I feel like a low 4 star is more fitting.
This is a dark academia book about a girl, who after trying to escape from her past, finds herself at this prestigious boarding school that requires all of the students to give up on the outside world for 3 years and make Catherine house their 100% until they graduate. I think the concept was interesting, and even some of the 'mundane' way of revealing things about this school was wonderfully unsettling in a nice subtle way. But I think I just needed a little something more.
I did like the twist and didn't mind the ending necessarily but I needed something else to push it to a 5 for me. I still liked it despite me feeling unsure about the book, so that says something.
This is a dark academia book about a girl, who after trying to escape from her past, finds herself at this prestigious boarding school that requires all of the students to give up on the outside world for 3 years and make Catherine house their 100% until they graduate. I think the concept was interesting, and even some of the 'mundane' way of revealing things about this school was wonderfully unsettling in a nice subtle way. But I think I just needed a little something more.
I did like the twist and didn't mind the ending necessarily but I needed something else to push it to a 5 for me. I still liked it despite me feeling unsure about the book, so that says something.
moth_dance's review against another edition
3.0
Compelling, but not exactly everything I wanted it to be.
I wish Elisabeth Thomas went full gothic haunted house. Or maybe she should've leaned into more SF elements? Or just leave out the plasm subplot all together? This feeling might just be my lingering desire for more insane speculative-academia books like [b:Bunny|42815544|Bunny|Mona Awad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544742360l/42815544._SY75_.jpg|58221942].
At one point Ines was feeling a lot like Euphoria's Rue, and that was really fucking exciting! Sadly, she felt washed out and boring towards the final pages...
(tbh the ways in which Catherine is set-up reminded me of my graduate program at NYU's Gallatin, and that was hitting too close for comfort at the moment...)
I wish Elisabeth Thomas went full gothic haunted house. Or maybe she should've leaned into more SF elements? Or just leave out the plasm subplot all together? This feeling might just be my lingering desire for more insane speculative-academia books like [b:Bunny|42815544|Bunny|Mona Awad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544742360l/42815544._SY75_.jpg|58221942].
At one point Ines was feeling a lot like Euphoria's Rue, and that was really fucking exciting! Sadly, she felt washed out and boring towards the final pages...
(tbh the ways in which Catherine is set-up reminded me of my graduate program at NYU's Gallatin, and that was hitting too close for comfort at the moment...)
darkcornerofthelibrary's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75