Scan barcode
cobwebshelves's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"<...>how easily they walk into a trap, a voice whispered softly in her mind. humans are but animals, i suppose. and all animals can be lured with the right bait."
so you've just died and come back to life, got into your dream academy, and during your first week you do wandering in the tunnels under the campus, only to encounter a strange being who promises to bring you gifs out of the kindness of her heart. perhaps with a small payment attached. what could possibly go wrong?
i had a lot of fun with this one! in "my dearest darkest", cottingham has brought solid eeriness to their private school setting, doing a pretty solid job balancing the supernatural and the mundane. finch and selena's POVs are both distinct, painting a clear contrast and helping build up the relationship. both the bisexual and lesbian rep was lovely – having one character who's out and comfortable and another who's just starting to figure things out made for a good contrast, and i also commend cottingham for speaking about how traumatic being outed can be. i'm not a big horror reader, so this had just the right amount of that for me. there were some rather gory moments that made me a little queasy but someone who's more used to the genre probably wouldn't find to be that much.
the only real downside was the pacing and how it affected the character development. certain scenes felt fast-forwarded, making the timeline seem disorienting. i had thought several months had passed at one point, only for the story to drop a halloween mention. this led to conversations and relationship building being skipped over with short paragraphs of "for the next week, finch did this" or "the following two weeks, selena did that". the cult storyline felt lost in the time skips too and i felt like victor was underutilised for the storytelling. i certainly expected him to play a bigger role in the final act.
despite it, i found myself immersed in "my dearest darkest" and kind of wishing i had a story like this when i was 18-19 and hungry for spooky academia.
initially received this book as an arc from netgalley and sourcebooks fire.
so you've just died and come back to life, got into your dream academy, and during your first week you do wandering in the tunnels under the campus, only to encounter a strange being who promises to bring you gifs out of the kindness of her heart. perhaps with a small payment attached. what could possibly go wrong?
i had a lot of fun with this one! in "my dearest darkest", cottingham has brought solid eeriness to their private school setting, doing a pretty solid job balancing the supernatural and the mundane. finch and selena's POVs are both distinct, painting a clear contrast and helping build up the relationship. both the bisexual and lesbian rep was lovely – having one character who's out and comfortable and another who's just starting to figure things out made for a good contrast, and i also commend cottingham for speaking about how traumatic being outed can be. i'm not a big horror reader, so this had just the right amount of that for me. there were some rather gory moments that made me a little queasy but someone who's more used to the genre probably wouldn't find to be that much.
the only real downside was the pacing and how it affected the character development. certain scenes felt fast-forwarded, making the timeline seem disorienting. i had thought several months had passed at one point, only for the story to drop a halloween mention. this led to conversations and relationship building being skipped over with short paragraphs of "for the next week, finch did this" or "the following two weeks, selena did that". the cult storyline felt lost in the time skips too and i felt like victor was underutilised for the storytelling. i certainly expected him to play a bigger role in the final act.
despite it, i found myself immersed in "my dearest darkest" and kind of wishing i had a story like this when i was 18-19 and hungry for spooky academia.
initially received this book as an arc from netgalley and sourcebooks fire.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
brandon_the_beldam2993's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The beats of this book feel very familiar to most supernatural books in the YA genre, but the characters are well rounded and likable enough and the writing is very fast paced to where it never drags.
With a flavor of Stranger things meets Dark Academia, My Dearest Darkest is for anyone looking for a solid read on a lazy afternoon.
With a flavor of Stranger things meets Dark Academia, My Dearest Darkest is for anyone looking for a solid read on a lazy afternoon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, and Car accident
czoltak's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Blood, and Car accident
imandubose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Biphobia
alyssa2012's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Racism, Biphobia, Drug use, Vomit, Outing, and Panic attacks/disorders
kitrook's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I was entranced by this book i can't explain it but the story was such a good mix of an interesting plot and moments aside to build characters and their relationships. better review later
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Outing
amethyst15's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Gore
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, Grief, Outing, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Death of parent
Minor: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
carsonbailey's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was so good!! I read it in one sitting and am obsessed with the vibes. The characters where dynamic and vibrant and the plot was well done. The pacing of the book was great and I just overall loved the style and aesthetic of the book. I highly recommend to people who love horror, dark academia, and a diverse cast of characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Outing
kolanya's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
it’s a pretty good book—i found myself invested in the plot and what was going to happen next. i wasn’t super attached to all of the characters, but i cared about enough that it wasn’t a chore to get through or anything. there are lots of modern-day pop culture references, which are often a hit or miss in general. the writing style could use some polishing and the main character was a little plain, nothing special, but i did enjoy the wlw rep :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Body horror, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Outing
thereadedit's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My heart and head was not prepared for this dynamite of a book. As a debut novel, this was so much more than I expected. This book took me from one end of the spectrum to another. I love the sapphic romance intertwined with the horror scenes. This was such a phenomenal book and I can't even begin to give it enough praise.
I absolutely loved the friendships that were explored and pushed to the test within this book. They may be high schoolers but they have put everything to the test in order to prove their worth to themselves and each other.
Finding love when you barely know how to love yourself is a tremendous feat. Finding someone who can love you, can show you how much you can love you.
I really enjoyed the supporting characters that were all throughout the book and what they brought to the table and friendships involved. Without the support this would have been a totally different book!
I absolutely loved the friendships that were explored and pushed to the test within this book. They may be high schoolers but they have put everything to the test in order to prove their worth to themselves and each other.
Finding love when you barely know how to love yourself is a tremendous feat. Finding someone who can love you, can show you how much you can love you.
I really enjoyed the supporting characters that were all throughout the book and what they brought to the table and friendships involved. Without the support this would have been a totally different book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Death of parent