Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Jessica Mooney seems like any other student at her university, talented & driven, and looking set to be this year’s ‘favourite’ in charismatic Professor Crane’s Law and Literature class. But unlike the other students competing for his approval, Jessica isn’t what she seems, her reasons for wanting the title hiding behind a dark secret. Her sister is dead and Crane is to blame so she’s here to bring him to justice but will her search for revenge destroy her first?
This is a complex read with lots of legal and Greek mythology references, the inclusion of which does tend to slow the pace down quite a lot at times. There is however no question to how detailed the prose is, this author definitely knows the way to set the scene and maintain the tension throughout the plot. It covers some dark issues and therefore is a heavy read at times, you are kept reading with the need to know if Jessica succeeds in her revenge mission.
A book that definitely outlines the stance society takes on certain offences and how often the ‘guilty’ use the position and power to make them ‘untouchable’ in the eyes of the law, peers and procedures. A clever approach to hard-hitting themes.
“With grief comes regret. There are words you wish you had spoken, feelings you wish you had expressed, secrets you wish you had known.”
This is a complex read with lots of legal and Greek mythology references, the inclusion of which does tend to slow the pace down quite a lot at times. There is however no question to how detailed the prose is, this author definitely knows the way to set the scene and maintain the tension throughout the plot. It covers some dark issues and therefore is a heavy read at times, you are kept reading with the need to know if Jessica succeeds in her revenge mission.
A book that definitely outlines the stance society takes on certain offences and how often the ‘guilty’ use the position and power to make them ‘untouchable’ in the eyes of the law, peers and procedures. A clever approach to hard-hitting themes.
“With grief comes regret. There are words you wish you had spoken, feelings you wish you had expressed, secrets you wish you had known.”
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
This book had me thinking the whole way. The characters were all flawed, and so it made me consider their actions and motivations a lot more than I typically do. I listened on audio and would highly recommend.
This would have been really good if it was like twice the length? pacing was too fast for a story supposedly about calculation and suspense
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
N/A
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief
Audrey, Jessie’s older sister, was one of Professor Crane’s favorites. But something must have happened between the professor and Audrey because her whole demeanor changed. She dropped out of school, took off to Central America and ended up dying in a bus accident. Jessie suspects that Audrey had an inappropriate relationship and she sets out to avenge her sister. Jessie finds out Audrey had been sleeping with her professor, Jay Crane, and Jay had sexually assaulted her. Believing Crane’s abuse is to blame for her sister’s death, she enrolls in Franklin University, where Crane has tenure, and manages to be selected for his exclusive six-person law seminar. She knows that Crane plays favorites so she sets her sights on becoming his next.
The story addresses some really important themes and topics such as the #metoo movement, the abuse of power between teacher/student relationships, misogyny, and believing victims (esp women), the justice system and how it can fail victims & protect those in power. That being said I don’t think it did a good job of tackling those topics because of the way that Jessie was coming on to the professor and trying to entrap him. Her plan is to have sex with the professor and have someone catch them in the act and then blame him for assaulting her. In the meantime she finds herself becoming charmed by him. This ended up giving me the reverse ick and going against everything I think the author was trying to say. Ultimately it never reached the level of thrills I needed or expected, but I did like the setting and I was able to finish the book in a day.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes