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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book really can get you hooked. The way that they write makes you want to eat it up. It made me feel like I was reading the Different World version of Harry Potter. Can't wait to read the second book to read more about the characters.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This book mixes hbcu life with mystical creatures. A couple of characters are new to this world and want to know why they’re there. Personally, I was with the story until about 70%. The ending felt a tad bit rushed with a few gaps. Perhaps, that’s intentional with it being a murder mystery. I also could’ve done without a lot of the details of describing how everyone looked, especially when it came to hair. There seemed to be a lot of Black stereotypes presented, although such characters do exist in real world. I also noticed more grammatical towards the end. Overall, the story was interesting to have me finish the book. I’m happy the book/story exists. However, I’m not in a rush to pick up the second book. I’ll likely pick it up later.
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, dear. I promise yall I really wanted to love this book. I was so excited to read it but it never came together for me.
The positives:
There are parts that are good and characters I enjoyed. Quan the cat and Souxie were my faves. I found myself agreeing with Quan a lot 😂🤷🏿♂️. I laughed several times times.
The aesthetics of HBCU life came through real great in some points (and not in others, see below).
The concept for the book is dope and there’s so much potential in the world the author imagined. Like I saw like dozens of books in this world, honestly.
Some really great moments like the door were lost on me because I didn’t get the references from the author’s previous books, but when I read the explanation at the end that was dope.
I did have a “what’s gonna happen ?” focus throughout. That’s a good thing for me as a reader, but only if it pays off. (See below).
Negatives:
For a magical/paranormal/supernatural novel, there was hardly anything happening. I was like where is the spell casting and such. When magic and paranornal did come up — like the four girls under the tree - it just disappeared.
The story never went anywhere. Now, I would not say I was bored but I kept thinking I knew what this was about and it never was about any of those plot lines. And every time I thought it was on a trajectory of like here’s the thing and I felt like I had the cast of characters we got like 4 more characters, not exaggerating. Perhaps that is because this is going to be a series and the author has known that all along, but even in a series there has to be a place I am introduced to and a conclusion even as you set up more story.
Relatedly this book was too slow and repetitive. I was like let’s get on with it. 200 pages in and I felt like the book was just starting for like the third time 😩.
Based on the description I personally expected much more for working with HBCUs as the setting than what we got. It did successfuly capture many of the aesthetics of HBCU but things with just the structure, politics, nostalgia of HBCUs — even a fantasy version of that - didn’t really ever come through enough for me.
The characters were interesting but really chaotically underdeveloped among the main folx. And then there were these secondary folks that got so much book time and they gave nothing to the story.
The worst of it for me was there was just a lot of cavalier attitude about rape and sexual assault, misogyny, homophobia and other issues expressed through the characters in ways that were just out there and off putting.
Overall, I wasn’t bored. And I see why others may have enjoyed it. But as for me and my bookshelf, I don’t feel inspired to read the next books in this series. I would consider reading something else by this author that is really focused like a straight up mystery, or straight up horror, but the genre shifting big fantasy world build that is also doing mystery, and horror, and romance, didn’t hit for me in this one.
The positives:
There are parts that are good and characters I enjoyed. Quan the cat and Souxie were my faves. I found myself agreeing with Quan a lot 😂🤷🏿♂️. I laughed several times times.
The aesthetics of HBCU life came through real great in some points (and not in others, see below).
The concept for the book is dope and there’s so much potential in the world the author imagined. Like I saw like dozens of books in this world, honestly.
Some really great moments like the door were lost on me because I didn’t get the references from the author’s previous books, but when I read the explanation at the end that was dope.
I did have a “what’s gonna happen ?” focus throughout. That’s a good thing for me as a reader, but only if it pays off. (See below).
Negatives:
For a magical/paranormal/supernatural novel, there was hardly anything happening. I was like where is the spell casting and such. When magic and paranornal did come up — like the four girls under the tree - it just disappeared.
The story never went anywhere. Now, I would not say I was bored but I kept thinking I knew what this was about and it never was about any of those plot lines. And every time I thought it was on a trajectory of like here’s the thing and I felt like I had the cast of characters we got like 4 more characters, not exaggerating. Perhaps that is because this is going to be a series and the author has known that all along, but even in a series there has to be a place I am introduced to and a conclusion even as you set up more story.
Relatedly this book was too slow and repetitive. I was like let’s get on with it. 200 pages in and I felt like the book was just starting for like the third time 😩.
Based on the description I personally expected much more for working with HBCUs as the setting than what we got. It did successfuly capture many of the aesthetics of HBCU but things with just the structure, politics, nostalgia of HBCUs — even a fantasy version of that - didn’t really ever come through enough for me.
The characters were interesting but really chaotically underdeveloped among the main folx. And then there were these secondary folks that got so much book time and they gave nothing to the story.
The worst of it for me was there was just a lot of cavalier attitude about rape and sexual assault, misogyny, homophobia and other issues expressed through the characters in ways that were just out there and off putting.
Overall, I wasn’t bored. And I see why others may have enjoyed it. But as for me and my bookshelf, I don’t feel inspired to read the next books in this series. I would consider reading something else by this author that is really focused like a straight up mystery, or straight up horror, but the genre shifting big fantasy world build that is also doing mystery, and horror, and romance, didn’t hit for me in this one.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think the concept of the story is what intrigued me most. I just wish there was more plot development in this first book. I’m curious enough about that ending that I will be continuing the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the concept of this story but not so much the writing style.