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zias's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I would totally give this 5 stars if I were smarter enough to conceive some of the abstract concepts in this book. The first portion of the story was not as exhilarating but once Sasha got into her journey at the Institute, I truly felt like Sasha - the more she learned, the less she knew. This is one I could probably read again and again and always make new connections.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, and Vomit
Moderate: Death
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Dark academia—but make it Eastern European! Welcome to the Institute of Special Technologies…Now enrolling fans of mysterious schools, linguistic magic systems, dark and ambitious speculative fiction, and over-achieving female main characters. This is one of the few English translations of the work of award-winning Ukrainian masters of science fiction, Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, championed in the U.S. by The Magicians author Lev Grossman. If brutal academies and arcane systems of magic speak to you, this is required reading!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Ableism, Vomit, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a hard book to review because I liked almost everything in the book; it's genuinely hard to pinpoint anything specific about it I didn't like. And yet the overwhelming feeling I had while reading was just boredom. Everything - including the weirdness - was just so mundane, which I actually think is a strength of the writing, but it did make for a dull read to me.
The concepts in this book were amazing. It took so long to really get to them, and I understand why, but I loved them. The first 20% was my favorite part because the stakes really felt there for me, and I was enjoying the mystery of what was going on, but then that faded which is where the boredom set in. The last 20% was also incredible; the pace picks up and the stakes were there again, and I was genuinely engaged and excited.
I liked all of the side characters, and I almost wish the book had a wider focus to more encompass them more. The moments when Sasha interacts with Lisa or Yegor or Kostya or even her mother were some of the highlights of the book.When her mom first said she was going to visit the school was when the stakes came back for me.
Sasha herself held very little interest for me. She's just special but the book takes far too long to explain why, so I just kind of didn't care. I needed to know why she was trying harder than her classmates (or see more from her classmates to know that wasn't true, just her perception). Why was she excelling where everyone else wasn't?
And the writing was really amazing. I don't know how it is in the physical book, but in the audio there aren't really pauses between scenes for a lot of the book, which creates a really disjointed feeling that I loved. Scenes never really end or start but flow into each other. And beyond that, it's beautifully written.
So I think it's a fantastic book, but I don't think I'll ever read it again.
The concepts in this book were amazing. It took so long to really get to them, and I understand why, but I loved them. The first 20% was my favorite part because the stakes really felt there for me, and I was enjoying the mystery of what was going on, but then that faded which is where the boredom set in. The last 20% was also incredible; the pace picks up and the stakes were there again, and I was genuinely engaged and excited.
I liked all of the side characters, and I almost wish the book had a wider focus to more encompass them more. The moments when Sasha interacts with Lisa or Yegor or Kostya or even her mother were some of the highlights of the book.
Sasha herself held very little interest for me. She's just special but the book takes far too long to explain why, so I just kind of didn't care. I needed to know why she was trying harder than her classmates (or see more from her classmates to know that wasn't true, just her perception). Why was she excelling where everyone else wasn't?
And the writing was really amazing. I don't know how it is in the physical book, but in the audio there aren't really pauses between scenes for a lot of the book, which creates a really disjointed feeling that I loved. Scenes never really end or start but flow into each other. And beyond that, it's beautifully written.
So I think it's a fantastic book, but I don't think I'll ever read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Body horror
pbeeandj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Magicians but make it Kafka
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Vomit
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Trafficking and Sexual assault
cardboard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Vomit
Minor: Fatphobia
meagm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? N/A
2.0
I don’t understand the hype on this book, it’s so slow and the pay off is anti-climatic. Maybe theres some build up lost in translation? The magic system/school is interesting but confusing to follow and after all those pages I still didn’t care about the main character enough at the “final battle” to be excited.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Blood and Vomit
gothnailcare's review against another edition
There may be a point where I finish this, but I was several pages in without even touching what the book summary described, and the content and narrative style is purposefully drawn-out and anxiety-inducing. For what was described as a YA book, the pacing is incredibly challenging. Will likely return to it, but a difficult audiobook read and maybe even a difficult library read due to length and pacing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking and Gaslighting
Minor: Vomit
inlibrisveritas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Body horror, and Suicide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
mandkips's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Body horror, and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Ableism, and Sexual assault