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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Violence
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated
The prose and the premise are good. But I felt like it relied too heavily on metaphor and I didn’t really like the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Rape
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I definitely really enjoyed this but I think reading it so close to 'Nightbitch' made me feel like it was kind of unoriginal? Or idk i feel like i've seen this exact plot in like 3 books this year. I feel like none of the characters were very complex besides our MC. Kind of all stereotypes. I did absolutely love the main character and her inner thoughts and i loved the witchiness. Super fun to read, for sure and good for Halloween time! Loved the ending especially.
slow-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book left me with complex feelings as to how I wanted to rate it. I enjoyed the book in the beginning, and by the last third I was enjoying it a lot less, however the book was objectively good all the way through.
This is the story of Ada, a spinster schoolteacher, who takes a new teaching post in a remote, Puritanical village in 1901. In those societies, Ada tells us there is only one way to be a good woman, meaning that a woman must be modest, demure, godly, submissive, etc. to be considered 'good.' Ada has followed the dignified path of an unmarried woman in becoming a teacher. The book is written as a collection of journal entries, and as we hear about Ada's day to day, we also learn about her past. She grew up with a terribly strict, abusive father, and her sister, the only person she ever felt truly comfortable with has recently died a horrific death. In addition, she was abused at her last teaching post, which was labelled misconduct on her part, tarnishing her reputation. As we get these insights into the past sprinkled throughout, much of the book is a telling of her days as they pass, describing this new strange town and its inhabitants as well as her students and lessons.
Ada has always been fascinated by nature, and slowly, her natural environment seems to start to turn on her. She feels eerie when she is by the woods and starts to experience unexplainable events and see visions, typically consisting of nature's more gory, primal side. Ada's behavior slowly starts to change as a result, and she begins isolating herself from the few friends she has made. Through her journal entries we learn that even she wonders if she is going mad.
The descent into madness is portrayed really well, and doesn't seem rushed in any way. The only reason my enjoyment in reading this decreased is because of way Ada begins acting once she is on the brink of giving in to the madness. She acts completely at odds with convention in a way that gave me almost second hand embarrassment/made me cringe. She decides to free herself from the confines society has placed on her and takes it in the complete other direction to the point where her conduct is uncomfortable to witness. This is purposeful, of course, but still uncomfortable to read.
I thought it was unique though that she didn't just go mad and lose herself due to all her past traumas. Instead there is a clear crossing of a line to where she becomes the antithesis of what that 'good woman' is. She begins to wish harm on her students, act erratically, be overtly rude, and lose all decency whatsoever. In this way, the book was able to show both the dangers of the rules of society having too tight a grip and also the dangers that come if we completely abandon those rules.
This is the story of Ada, a spinster schoolteacher, who takes a new teaching post in a remote, Puritanical village in 1901. In those societies, Ada tells us there is only one way to be a good woman, meaning that a woman must be modest, demure, godly, submissive, etc. to be considered 'good.' Ada has followed the dignified path of an unmarried woman in becoming a teacher. The book is written as a collection of journal entries, and as we hear about Ada's day to day, we also learn about her past. She grew up with a terribly strict, abusive father, and her sister, the only person she ever felt truly comfortable with has recently died a horrific death. In addition, she was abused at her last teaching post, which was labelled misconduct on her part, tarnishing her reputation. As we get these insights into the past sprinkled throughout, much of the book is a telling of her days as they pass, describing this new strange town and its inhabitants as well as her students and lessons.
Ada has always been fascinated by nature, and slowly, her natural environment seems to start to turn on her. She feels eerie when she is by the woods and starts to experience unexplainable events and see visions, typically consisting of nature's more gory, primal side. Ada's behavior slowly starts to change as a result, and she begins isolating herself from the few friends she has made. Through her journal entries we learn that even she wonders if she is going mad.
The descent into madness is portrayed really well, and doesn't seem rushed in any way. The only reason my enjoyment in reading this decreased is because of way Ada begins acting once she is on the brink of giving in to the madness. She acts completely at odds with convention in a way that gave me almost second hand embarrassment/made me cringe. She decides to free herself from the confines society has placed on her and takes it in the complete other direction to the point where her conduct is uncomfortable to witness. This is purposeful, of course, but still uncomfortable to read.
I thought it was unique though that she didn't just go mad and lose herself due to all her past traumas. Instead there is a clear crossing of a line to where she becomes the antithesis of what that 'good woman' is. She begins to wish harm on her students, act erratically, be overtly rude, and lose all decency whatsoever. In this way, the book was able to show both the dangers of the rules of society having too tight a grip and also the dangers that come if we completely abandon those rules.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes