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han936's review against another edition
dark
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, and Torture
Minor: Murder
_tabby_'s review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
I havent been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it. The ending is the most gripping, surprising and unexpected twist that this book holds (and there are a number of twists). The book itself is worth reading simply just to get the full force and shock of the ending.
The theme of deception is vitally important to both the personalities of the characters and the authors writing style. Not only does Darwent use this method to create interesting and surprisingly dark characters but also to give the reader the impression that we're also being deceived from a narration pov. The biased/ unreliable narrator is a very clever technique that this book was perfect for.
However, I couldn't rate it 5☆ simply because the beginning was slow and lacked traction.
Loved this book and I dont think the final plot twist will ever not be on my mind.
The theme of deception is vitally important to both the personalities of the characters and the authors writing style. Not only does Darwent use this method to create interesting and surprisingly dark characters but also to give the reader the impression that we're also being deceived from a narration pov. The biased/ unreliable narrator is a very clever technique that this book was perfect for.
However, I couldn't rate it 5☆ simply because the beginning was slow and lacked traction.
Loved this book and I dont think the final plot twist will ever not be on my mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism
veelaughtland's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, Torture, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Child abuse
loubraryoftheforest's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.5
A dark and unexpected novel, that made me question everything about what friendship means, and how far you would go to forge and keep those bonds.
Clare has decided to reinvent herself, as many of us do as we start university, to throw away the parts of her that people dislike, and be the person others want her to be, bright, engaging, to fit in. It’s her chance to begin again
She has goals, and ticks them off one by one.
She thinks she has found what she craves in Tabitha, a girl who isn’t afraid to be her true self, who shines a little brighter than most, and gathers a circle of friends around her who seem to trust each other implicitly, who know each others secrets, and look out for each other.
Surprisingly they invite her in, and Clare bathes in this warm glow of attention. They look after each other, almost crave each other, and when they begin to plan an enterprise together, honing each other’s best talents, and satisfying a part of her that she thought had been buried deep, it feels like all she hoped for has come to pass.
But as things take a dark and shocking turn, can Clare keep up the charade of who she pretends to be, or will her true self resurface in ways too horrible to contemplate. Are her friends as wonderful as she hoped, or does something flitter under the surface, threading them together in a beautiful lie.
This was a shocking read, brutal at times, and comes with a lot of triggers. But it was well crafted, with hints of Clare’s past littered throughout, keeping me wanting to know the whole story, even though the first page sets out in horrifying detail what you think you know happened, it’s so much more than that, Clare is so much more than that.
It would make a good book group read as there is a lot to digest and discuss, and I would relish others thoughts on it, especially Clare’s character. Only 3.5 stars for me, but a good read nonetheless.
Clare has decided to reinvent herself, as many of us do as we start university, to throw away the parts of her that people dislike, and be the person others want her to be, bright, engaging, to fit in. It’s her chance to begin again
She has goals, and ticks them off one by one.
She thinks she has found what she craves in Tabitha, a girl who isn’t afraid to be her true self, who shines a little brighter than most, and gathers a circle of friends around her who seem to trust each other implicitly, who know each others secrets, and look out for each other.
Surprisingly they invite her in, and Clare bathes in this warm glow of attention. They look after each other, almost crave each other, and when they begin to plan an enterprise together, honing each other’s best talents, and satisfying a part of her that she thought had been buried deep, it feels like all she hoped for has come to pass.
But as things take a dark and shocking turn, can Clare keep up the charade of who she pretends to be, or will her true self resurface in ways too horrible to contemplate. Are her friends as wonderful as she hoped, or does something flitter under the surface, threading them together in a beautiful lie.
This was a shocking read, brutal at times, and comes with a lot of triggers. But it was well crafted, with hints of Clare’s past littered throughout, keeping me wanting to know the whole story, even though the first page sets out in horrifying detail what you think you know happened, it’s so much more than that, Clare is so much more than that.
It would make a good book group read as there is a lot to digest and discuss, and I would relish others thoughts on it, especially Clare’s character. Only 3.5 stars for me, but a good read nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
ashlislibrary's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Murder, Mental illness, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Torture
zxphyrean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It starts off quite slow-paced but gathers speed as the book goes on. None of the characters are likeable, in fact they're detestable but the kind where you just have to keep reading to find out how it's going to end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Classism, and Toxic relationship
l_and_l's review
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
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
2.75
This book felt very bland overall. Clare does so little besides floating around in the story it seems forced to have her as the narrator. Apart from Tabitha, none of the characters are much developped when they could all have participated in the story in a much more significant way. Samuel and Imogen are basically useless, they are just there and do like one thing throughout the whole story. Overall the settings are great but I don't understand why we got the details of the episode at the very end when we get boring details of Clare's new life after the accident. It could have been such a great novel with a somehow refreshing plot among dark academia but it really only manages to look like a draft and that's what's disappointed me after everyone hyped it up. It's just not what I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Torture
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism
aileron's review against another edition
dark
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Torture, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Suicide
Minor: Animal cruelty and Alcoholism
vanillanightmare's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A well-plotted story set in dark and labyrinthine Edinburgh. With tension from the outset, it is wickedly gruesome and unhinged, with obsession, codependency, and toxic female friendships. The ending felt a little rushed in places and there were a few characters I’d have loved to learn more about but it all came together! An incredible debut.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Vomit, Torture, and Sexual assault
kyrajg's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship