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lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
Magical boarding school with a dark academia twist. Moves a little unevenly, but shows a lot of promise for future installments.
Thoughts
The cover and description of this book had me going in thinking it was going to be more standard fantasy, so I found myself very confused by the use of cell phones at the start. Turns out it's modern magical boarding school with a dark academia twist, and I should have read the description more thoughtfully (mea culpa). Magical boarding schools don't usually do it for me, but this has all the markers that fans of the genre will love: distinct named Houses, mysterious symbols, classifications of things, school culture, magical tests, and Latin! And of course, a secret plot going on behind the scenes that our scrappy young heroine will have to uncover. The magic system and the school system are both described in depth, with a lot of cool stuff that sparks the imagination. The masks/diadem system in particular is very cool.
The lead couple are a standard enemies to lovers pair, although I found myself much more invested in the lives of several of the supporting cast. This book feels more like a setup for what's the come - now that we've been introduced to the magic, the characters, and the plot, the real fight can begin. It makes the pacing of the first volume a little wobbly, but the ending really comes in swinging with promises of some really twisty exciting stuff in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Razorbill for the advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Magical boarding school with a dark academia twist. Moves a little unevenly, but shows a lot of promise for future installments.
Thoughts
The cover and description of this book had me going in thinking it was going to be more standard fantasy, so I found myself very confused by the use of cell phones at the start. Turns out it's modern magical boarding school with a dark academia twist, and I should have read the description more thoughtfully (mea culpa). Magical boarding schools don't usually do it for me, but this has all the markers that fans of the genre will love: distinct named Houses, mysterious symbols, classifications of things, school culture, magical tests, and Latin! And of course, a secret plot going on behind the scenes that our scrappy young heroine will have to uncover. The magic system and the school system are both described in depth, with a lot of cool stuff that sparks the imagination. The masks/diadem system in particular is very cool.
The lead couple are a standard enemies to lovers pair, although I found myself much more invested in the lives of several of the supporting cast. This book feels more like a setup for what's the come - now that we've been introduced to the magic, the characters, and the plot, the real fight can begin. It makes the pacing of the first volume a little wobbly, but the ending really comes in swinging with promises of some really twisty exciting stuff in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Razorbill for the advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Classism, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood and Death of parent
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