Scan barcode
bookishsapphicshay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Murder, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Classism and Racism
mads_reads_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Racism
em_of_swags's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
(in a good way)
Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Gun violence
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
looseleafellie's review against another edition
This book has been on my TBR for a while, but a friend of mine read it recently and then forced her copy into my hands the second she was done with it. So of course, I had to see what entranced her so much!
Five words: queer dark academia with murder! The vibes of this book are absolutely impeccable, and while the story unfolds slowly, the creeping tension really makes it work. Schemes rumble beneath the surface, the protagonist isn’t always the most reliable narrator, and the ending is absolutely WILD.
The characters are extremely pretentious in a way that felt, to me, quite tongue-in-cheek, so luckily I was able to enjoy their exploits without getting annoyed. A fun tidbit about this book is that there are no men mentioned anywhere in the story. All the characters are female or non-binary, and none of the plentiful literary references come from male authors.
Basically, don’t go in expecting a fast-paced thriller, but do expect an eerie slow-burn of a narrative that will keep you on your toes. This is definitely the kind of book you should read at night by the fire with a cup of tea and a storm raging outside. Just keep an eye out for any ghosts that might be lurking in your corners …
CWs: Death, violence, manipulation and emotional abuse, child neglect (past/offscreen), mental health issues, substance abuse, suicide references (no actual suicide), references to racist history at a PWI.
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, and Animal death
Minor: Suicide, Child abuse, and Racism
niccolowilliam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Vomit and Animal death
Minor: Racism, Classism, and Animal cruelty
tulilipz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Eating disorder, and Classism
crackedspines_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Grief, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Violence, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Vomit, Addiction, Animal death, and Medical content
Minor: Racism and Drug use
ableism: against someone with psychotic depression medical content: mentions of hospitalization, medicationroryorrie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death
Minor: Racism and Child abuse
lizgriffinwords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content notes: death, murder, manipulation and emotional abuse, underage use of alcohol/drugs, brief discussions of lesbiphobia, transphobia, & racism.
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, and Mental illness
Minor: Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Animal death
itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Felicity and Ellis were both strong characters, but I think the supporting cast could have been better utilised. Case in point
If it's one thing the book has going for it, it's the atomosphere. Lee manages to perfectly capture the feeling of a gothic boarding school isolated from the rest of the world, and the girls that inhabit it.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism, Homophobia, and Sexual content