Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Catherine House

Yet another dark academia that I chose to pick up. This book follows Ines, who is accepted to a prestigious, secretive school, Catherine House, where students go to study completely cut off from the entire world for three years.
I was really into this book for maybe the first half. Everything was super tense and mysterious, and I found it very interesting to learn about this creepy school. But the book just kept going. And going. I legit didn't think the author was going to spend most of the book describing several YEARS of students taking classes, with only a handful of sentences in every other chapter that moved the plot forward, but that's exactly what happened. (Maybe this is just a facet of dark academia as a genre, but I am not a fan).
I especially found this annoying because I actually really liked the plot. I liked the mystery and the discovery. The characters were interesting, and I liked how they developed. The writing style was pretty good, and I think Elisabeth Thomas really nailed the atmosphere. But ultimately that wasn't enough for me to be able to keep my attention on this book. It honestly took me months to finish. And even though I liked it overall, with just the amount of tedium I went through, it became a sometimes interesting but mostly mediocre read.

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spellboundchapters's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

"I don’t think I had fully realized it until right then: I wasn’t the only one at Catherine on the run. None of my classmates spoke of their pasts, but I sensed them - all their misshapen histories - at dinner, as they chewed their carrot salads in silence, or when their voices laughed too loudly at a stupid joke, or later, in the many feverish hours they spent studying in the library. Everyone here was here desperately. All of us, for one reason or another, had nowhere else to go."

I don't really know how to review this book because there isn't really any plot... It's more of a slice of life novel with some dark academia, gothic and horror elements.

We follow Ines, who has been accepted to study at Catherine House. It’s kind of a very selective college with a lot of mystery surrounding it as every student needs to completely cut any contact with the outside world for the entire duration of their studies there.

"What was Catherine, exactly? Let’s say, a community of minds. A crucible of experimental, reformist liberal arts study. Research-and-development institute for the most radical new materials sciences. A postsecondary school more selective than any Ivy League, and so terrifically endowed that tuition was free to any student lucky enough to be accepted. A tiny, pioneering, fanatically private place that by some miracle of chemistry produced some of the world’s best minds: prizewinning authors, artists and inventors, diplomats, senators, Supreme Court justices, two presidents of the United States. A school, and an estate: a complex confection of architecture and design, a house - a magnificent house - miles off the highway, in black woods, behind a long iron gate."

Ines is one of the most flawed characters I’ve ever encountered. She just… doesn’t care. And to be honest, it’s refreshing, for once, not to follow the "detective" kind of character, just the average person that knows something is up but doesn’t have the willpower to investigate (or maybe I liked that because that’s what I would do in situations like these 😂😅).

"But what did you like if there is no plot and the characters are not likeable?", you may ask. The vibes. Honestly, the vibes are immaculate, I felt so immersed in the story. It felt like I was having a dream if that makes sense? You know, when you only see the things that are right before your eyes and the edges feel a bit blurry? That’s what reading this book feels like. Also because we jumped from one event to another without really any connection nor logic, it felt even more dreamlike.

I got both Never Let Me Go and Wilder Girls vibes from this book, so I guess if you enjoyed either of these, like dark academia, and aren’t bothered by not having a clear plot, give Catherine House a go!

tw: mention of death, substance abuse

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reedsky's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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rosita's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

As soon as I started reading, I was trapped in Catherine House, and it only got better. If you are up for a dark, setting-driven story with casual queer and poc representation, and a sprinkle of science fiction, can't recommend it enough.
It doesnt really have a plot, but i loved that.

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