alexregan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
lucyscott_'s review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sheenah684's review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
To be perfectly honest, I am not sure what I can write that won't give some part of this away. The twists were twisty, the reveals surprising, and all of the characters were unsympathetic. I really enjoyed it!
To be perfectly honest, I am not sure what I can write that won't give some part of this away. The twists were twisty, the reveals surprising, and all of the characters were unsympathetic. I really enjoyed it!
e_lli_e's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
just a bit shit rly. writing was okay but not superb. dark academia was the aim but neither academia nor darkness were especially achieved. characters didn’t feel fully realised. all in all it was trying to be the secret history but only in the most superficial way possible (which it still didn’t manage) however it was not awful so it receives the honour of two whole stars.
fictionalmandy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.5
she_hearts_horror's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nataliekilgo's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An interesting story about obsession and female desire to be loved. I did not really like any of the characters, they were all crazy in some way but I think the thing that I didn’t like was their obsession with tabatha - it was hard for me to picture her as someone worthy of that obsession. I did not expect Ava to be the one moving everything together behind the scenes, so that was a good plot twist.
Overall, it was just ok - the writing was decent but it wasn’t amazing, and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading but not to the point where I will think about it much in the future.
Overall, it was just ok - the writing was decent but it wasn’t amazing, and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading but not to the point where I will think about it much in the future.
moonbell's review
3.0
2.75 rounded up.
Ok! So I agree, this had sooo much potential, the last third of the book is where the real meat of the book is at. I don’t know why or if it’s becoming a trend but this is like the third book that I’ve read where the first half of it or so is disjointed, and, I felt, very long-drawn. I kept reading because I liked the flickers of darkness we were shown in between the dullness of this first part, and the payout of the way the things ended and the characters fates was good! But I would have liked that the author had kept the same energy for the whole book instead of opening strong and then lumping the good stuff in the last bit.
Ok! So I agree, this had sooo much potential, the last third of the book is where the real meat of the book is at. I don’t know why or if it’s becoming a trend but this is like the third book that I’ve read where the first half of it or so is disjointed, and, I felt, very long-drawn. I kept reading because I liked the flickers of darkness we were shown in between the dullness of this first part, and the payout of the way the things ended and the characters fates was good! But I would have liked that the author had kept the same energy for the whole book instead of opening strong and then lumping the good stuff in the last bit.
jesstckr's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0