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jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book left me absolutely gagged, already I need the next one to find out more.
With magic and a unique schooling system, with daggers and gems as part of their rites, processes to go through to fully bond with their magic and all four schools having their own unique ways this led for a wild ride.
Our mc has a form of dark magic called toushana and there are an enlisted group called draguns who work to get rid of those with it. Hiding in plain sight we watch our mc go through the school process at the school she is an heir too as her grandma runs it alongside following a serious of mysterious disappearances alongside it.
Overall, I didn’t see the plot twists coming and loved every second of this read. I will be impatiently waiting the sequel and especially reccomend this to fans of those such as Harry Potter or the scholomance series.
With magic and a unique schooling system, with daggers and gems as part of their rites, processes to go through to fully bond with their magic and all four schools having their own unique ways this led for a wild ride.
Our mc has a form of dark magic called toushana and there are an enlisted group called draguns who work to get rid of those with it. Hiding in plain sight we watch our mc go through the school process at the school she is an heir too as her grandma runs it alongside following a serious of mysterious disappearances alongside it.
Overall, I didn’t see the plot twists coming and loved every second of this read. I will be impatiently waiting the sequel and especially reccomend this to fans of those such as Harry Potter or the scholomance series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
roseleebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This book was a magical boarding school book that kept me reading late into the night. The concept and magic system is really interesting with a debutante system of progression through trials for students to cement their position as a magic user in their society.
Quell is an interesting protagonist with forbidden magic that she is struggling to hide, which could get her killed if it was discovered. Watching Quell's goals change as she learns more about the society she is trying to become a part of was fascinating. And the end of this book had me wishing the next was released already.
The only issue I had was that the time frame for everything in the book seems very fast, but then that was also part of what kept me reading.
Overall I cannot wait to learn more about the world and characters in this book, and see where Quell's story takes her as the series progresses.
Quell is an interesting protagonist with forbidden magic that she is struggling to hide, which could get her killed if it was discovered. Watching Quell's goals change as she learns more about the society she is trying to become a part of was fascinating. And the end of this book had me wishing the next was released already.
The only issue I had was that the time frame for everything in the book seems very fast, but then that was also part of what kept me reading.
Overall I cannot wait to learn more about the world and characters in this book, and see where Quell's story takes her as the series progresses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Murder
literarymary95's review against another edition
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
3.5
This is basically a Southern Belle school where young women train to learn how to be a lady but with powers. It was an interesting read although it took some time to get into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Death
tamsterdam_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Torture, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization
booknerderika's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
4.0
I considered giving this a 3.75 ⭐️ rating, but I'll just round it up to a solid 4⭐️.
To start off, I enjoy dual perspective books, but I was a little confused as to why Yagrin was the other perspective. I thought at first that he would become the love interest, but then he didn't, and now I'm worried that a love triangle is brewing for the 2nd book. I really hope he doesn't, though. I have read books where the villain is the other perspective, but with everything that has happened idk if I see him as the main villain.
I enjoyed the twists in this, especially with thegrandma . The more Quell discovered, the more mysteries needed to be unraveled. I was not happy with the way things ended between Quell and Jordan. I also didn't like the way he just fell to the ground crying after his encounter with Yagrin. I wanted to see more from him and he just continued to disappoint me.
I liked the world that Elle created and I will be reading book 2 when it is released.
Side note: I understand that marketing a book as a mash-up of other popular books/shows can help with sales, but I did not see this as a mash-up of Bridgerton and Fourth Wing. I feel like it was its own story and didn't need the comparison.
To start off, I enjoy dual perspective books, but I was a little confused as to why Yagrin was the other perspective. I thought at first that he would become the love interest, but then he didn't, and now I'm worried that a love triangle is brewing for the 2nd book. I really hope he doesn't, though. I have read books where the villain is the other perspective, but with everything that has happened idk if I see him as the main villain.
I enjoyed the twists in this, especially with the
I liked the world that Elle created and I will be reading book 2 when it is released.
Side note: I understand that marketing a book as a mash-up of other popular books/shows can help with sales, but I did not see this as a mash-up of Bridgerton and Fourth Wing. I feel like it was its own story and didn't need the comparison.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
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
chronicacademia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This book is my new fantasy obsession. It is trope-y and fun and full of what I love about YA fantasy. I’ve seen comparisons to almost every big name book—Ninth House, Caraval, Bridgerton, etc.—and I understand why. It fits so well into the YA fantasy canon (and will surely be a booktok recommendation when it releases). To me, it felt like Legendborn meets The Selection. (Alternatively, I could also see Legendborn meets Shadow & Bone.)
I am normally super hesitant of books that are trope-y, but I really loved this one. It wasn’t necessarily trying to do anything new; instead it read as a love letter to all the things YA fantasy has done well over the past few years. This is clearly a book that was written by an author who loves the genre, and the story she is telling.
Quell was such a phenomenal main character. She was powerful and sweet and a little naive—but she wanted to believe things would work out for the best, and you really can’t help but love her. It’s easy to see why she’s the main character of the novel, and it’s easy to see why every single character loves her so completely.
I did think this was a slower read—although I never really wanted to set it down. It’s definitely a character driven novel, and it sparkles because of its lead.
The only thing I didn’t totally love was the romance. I don’t get good vibes from Jordan—although I’m not sure I was ultimately supposed to. I do wonder if J. Elle is hinting toward a new love interest in book two with a very intriguing side character, and I truly cannot wait to find out what happens next.
If this book isn’t on your radar yet, it absolutely should be.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.
I am normally super hesitant of books that are trope-y, but I really loved this one. It wasn’t necessarily trying to do anything new; instead it read as a love letter to all the things YA fantasy has done well over the past few years. This is clearly a book that was written by an author who loves the genre, and the story she is telling.
Quell was such a phenomenal main character. She was powerful and sweet and a little naive—but she wanted to believe things would work out for the best, and you really can’t help but love her. It’s easy to see why she’s the main character of the novel, and it’s easy to see why every single character loves her so completely.
I did think this was a slower read—although I never really wanted to set it down. It’s definitely a character driven novel, and it sparkles because of its lead.
The only thing I didn’t totally love was the romance. I don’t get good vibes from Jordan—although I’m not sure I was ultimately supposed to. I do wonder if J. Elle is hinting toward a new love interest in book two with a very intriguing side character, and I truly cannot wait to find out what happens next.
If this book isn’t on your radar yet, it absolutely should be.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Gore, Child death, Genocide, Blood, and Murder
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