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justnicole's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, War, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse
lauracatereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
To be honest, I went into this book blind with little idea of what was in store for me other than the knowledge that this was considered a dark academia book. Obviously, with most dark academia, a certain level of darkness is expected. Ava Reid 100% delivered that, but in keeping it YA made it what I would consider a suitable level of thematic darkness that a young adult audience would grasp.
Effy Effy Effy Effy — is there ever a more tortured character who has never been dealt a lucky draw of cards in her life? I will admit for the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the book I truly was grasping for straws trying to figure out how things were ever going to brighten up for her. By the halfway, I was convinced that Ava Reid was going to Addie LaRue her and force her to end up with the Fairy King. Although it would be a bit optimistic to say that her ending is an incandescently happy one (she most certainly has an arduous journey ahead of her), her outcome was far better than I initially expected. I was very pleased with the ending, truthfully.
My bad boy academic Preston Héloury was nothing short of the perfect MMC for this book in that he was an excellent companion to Effy’s FMC but never, ever overshadowed her. Nor did he dim her light or distract from her story. In fact, he was a necessary building block of her story by (in part) marking the transformation from terrorized, drowned Effy to her reborn, swimming Euphemia. Preston was the perfect companion. While I could see what he brought for Effy, I did find it a bit difficult to see what she brought growth-wise to his character. They do have a lot of pride & prejudice vibes with Preston in the Elizabethan pride and Effy getting off on the wrong food with Preston in Darcian fashion. She did do a good job of calling him out on his erudite pride.
The Gothic setting of this book??! Creeptastic & well executed. There was not an overt amount of detail spent on the world building here, but rather just enough to get the points across. I did sometimes wonder what this world would look like on a map, but the locations were simply not important enough that I thought it required one. Overall, I loved the concept of the Bottom Hundred and its stark contrast to the north. Hiraeth was serving if Davy Jones had a house instead of the Black Pearl. The Fairy King, although not the only villain here (there are so many!), was fantastically designed.
Overall, my only gripe and the reason this book gets a 4.5 from me instead of a 5.0 was the hasty wrapping up of the plot. There was soooo much build up for the first 3/4 of the novel that by the time the storm hits, you’re expecting a huge drawn out ending. But as soon as the Fairy King is out of the picture, it felt like a race to wrap up this book and move on. Angharad’s story was absolutely vital to the entire structure of the novel, but her telling her story was more or less confined to about one chapter of the book. I definitely think her character could’ve been fleshed out and the reveal of her story and role in it be played out a bit more fluently. I would’ve loved to have seen more Effy & Angharad interaction, and most certainly some Preston & Angharad interaction as Preston struggles with this newfound knowledge (can we call it belief?) that the supernatural is real.
Anyways, I took an incredible amount of words more than usual to say that this was great.
Effy Effy Effy Effy — is there ever a more tortured character who has never been dealt a lucky draw of cards in her life? I will admit for the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the book I truly was grasping for straws trying to figure out how things were ever going to brighten up for her. By the halfway, I was convinced that Ava Reid was going to Addie LaRue her and force her to end up with the Fairy King. Although it would be a bit optimistic to say that her ending is an incandescently happy one (she most certainly has an arduous journey ahead of her), her outcome was far better than I initially expected. I was very pleased with the ending, truthfully.
My bad boy academic Preston Héloury was nothing short of the perfect MMC for this book in that he was an excellent companion to Effy’s FMC but never, ever overshadowed her. Nor did he dim her light or distract from her story. In fact, he was a necessary building block of her story by (in part) marking the transformation from terrorized, drowned Effy to her reborn, swimming Euphemia. Preston was the perfect companion. While I could see what he brought for Effy, I did find it a bit difficult to see what she brought growth-wise to his character. They do have a lot of pride & prejudice vibes with Preston in the Elizabethan pride and Effy getting off on the wrong food with Preston in Darcian fashion. She did do a good job of calling him out on his erudite pride.
The Gothic setting of this book??! Creeptastic & well executed. There was not an overt amount of detail spent on the world building here, but rather just enough to get the points across. I did sometimes wonder what this world would look like on a map, but the locations were simply not important enough that I thought it required one. Overall, I loved the concept of the Bottom Hundred and its stark contrast to the north. Hiraeth was serving if Davy Jones had a house instead of the Black Pearl. The Fairy King, although not the only villain here (there are so many!), was fantastically designed.
Overall, my only gripe and the reason this book gets a 4.5 from me instead of a 5.0 was the hasty wrapping up of the plot. There was soooo much build up for the first 3/4 of the novel that by the time the storm hits, you’re expecting a huge drawn out ending. But as soon as the Fairy King is out of the picture, it felt like a race to wrap up this book and move on. Angharad’s story was absolutely vital to the entire structure of the novel, but her telling her story was more or less confined to about one chapter of the book. I definitely think her character could’ve been fleshed out and the reveal of her story and role in it be played out a bit more fluently. I would’ve loved to have seen more Effy & Angharad interaction, and most certainly some Preston & Angharad interaction as Preston struggles with this newfound knowledge (can we call it belief?) that the supernatural is real.
Anyways, I took an incredible amount of words more than usual to say that this was great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Physical abuse and Sexual harassment
mktraxel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
CAWPILE 4.8
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Rape, Death, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
sophiarichter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I was really excited to read this book because I saw a glowing review on it. To be honest I was a bit disappointed by the quality of writing, even though the world and characters were well-developed I felt like I was being hit over the head with the same point. I loved the sea imagery and many of the lines were quite beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
daydaybookbay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I rated this book a 5.5 out of 10. There are many elements to this novel I enjoy, but I wish each had been explored more. By dropping the adolescent romance, more effort could be dedicated to expanding the settings and main plotlines.
Ava Reid writes beautiful phrases and sprinkles them throughout the chapters. Her artistic metaphors rest on the boundry of remaining applicable. The wording captures the reader, but any further, the intention would be lost. She uses imagery to convey emotion and the characters' mindsets.
The characters fell a bit flat for me. Each character was one dimensional and served only one purpose throughout the book. Preston exists to be an on-paper protective love interest. Effy is constantly reminding you how misogyny, sexism, and her beauty overshadow her genius. Every other character means nothing to me.
Effy's low-key racist. Her xenophobia is front and center, but we are
overlooking that? Why?! Time and time again, she shows her
academic rivalry" is really just her prejudice against Argantians.
I wanted more from the fairy-tale. We are to believe the Fairy King is real, so why are there literally ZERO other elements involved? Everything points to Effy actually having mental health issues where she has "episodes." If Angharad was a ghost/spirit or if Effy would have seen an alternate reality through the hagstones, these would be easy places to incorporate fantasy aspects.
Is Effy a reliable narrator? Honestly, I'm left thinking the fantasy aspect is really part of Effy's imagination. She experienced great trauma from her mother, and her obsession with Myrddin's novel plays a role in her coping. I'm left to feel she really has mental health issues, and maybe the pink pills are good for her. I know that's not the conclusion I'm "supposed" to reach, but...
I wish there had been more development in the setting and the characters. The countries, the North and South, the school, the house, the land... I could never picture them. The only thing I was able to imagine was the door to the basement. There is this whole world Reid introduced in this book, but we never get a clear picture of what it's like.
I really wanted to love this book. Part of me feels I would have enjoyed it more as a physical book because I would get bored listening to it. I never got the feeling of being immersed in the story.
I love the moody vibes Reid is able to create. The feel and the way she conveys emotion is beautiful. I wish the attention to the setting had matched. I want to visualize where the characters are and how the North/South/Bottom Hundred look and compare to each other. I wanted to pull more from the text.
Ava Reid writes beautiful phrases and sprinkles them throughout the chapters. Her artistic metaphors rest on the boundry of remaining applicable. The wording captures the reader, but any further, the intention would be lost. She uses imagery to convey emotion and the characters' mindsets.
The characters fell a bit flat for me. Each character was one dimensional and served only one purpose throughout the book. Preston exists to be an on-paper protective love interest. Effy is constantly reminding you how misogyny, sexism, and her beauty overshadow her genius. Every other character means nothing to me.
Effy's low-key racist. Her xenophobia is front and center, but we are
overlooking that? Why?! Time and time again, she shows her
academic rivalry" is really just her prejudice against Argantians.
I wanted more from the fairy-tale.
Is Effy a reliable narrator? Honestly, I'm left thinking the fantasy aspect is really part of Effy's imagination. She experienced great trauma from her mother, and her obsession with Myrddin's novel plays a role in her coping. I'm left to feel she really has mental health issues, and maybe the pink pills are good for her.
I wish there had been more development in the setting and the characters. The countries, the North and South, the school, the house, the land... I could never picture them. The only thing I was able to imagine was the door to the basement. There is this whole world Reid introduced in this book, but we never get a clear picture of what it's like.
I really wanted to love this book. Part of me feels I would have enjoyed it more as a physical book because I would get bored listening to it. I never got the feeling of being immersed in the story.
I love the moody vibes Reid is able to create. The feel and the way she conveys emotion is beautiful. I wish the attention to the setting had matched. I want to visualize where the characters are and how the North/South/Bottom Hundred look and compare to each other. I wanted to pull more from the text.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Alcohol, Classism, Mental illness, Addiction, Misogyny, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Death, Child death, and War
fkshg8465's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I’ve been steadily chipping away at NPR’s 2023 favorite books list. Starting to wonder why. There seem to be more I dislike than like, including this one. Yeah, heroine is great, but a lot of it is too contrived for me, and most of the characters are really despicable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Confinement, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Stalking
star_charter152's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racism and Child death
Minor: Animal death
lila_still_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, and Grief
dyanimae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
Minor: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, War, Death, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Dementia, Classism, and Abandonment
darlingmoira's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This is not the book for me. The writing style is good, it allowed me to finish the book despite really struggling with the story.
This book is talked about as an enemies to lovers but once again hugely misses the mark! The “enemies” part relies on the main character being openly racist to her counterpart. For the majority of the book she talks and thinks about how her soon to be lover shouldn’t even be allowed to study at her school.
The plot could have been really well done if it removed that aspect of the story completely.
I have to acknowledge that the “feminist” aspects of this story are well done. How the main character handles a SA situation internally and then makes progress with dealing with it is portrayed very realistically. Everything about that part of the story is well done but otherwise book would have just been a 2 and nothing more.
This book is talked about as an enemies to lovers but once again hugely misses the mark! The “enemies” part relies on the main character being openly racist to her counterpart. For the majority of the book she talks and thinks about how her soon to be lover shouldn’t even be allowed to study at her school.
The plot could have been really well done if it removed that aspect of the story completely.
I have to acknowledge that the “feminist” aspects of this story are well done. How the main character handles a SA situation internally and then makes progress with dealing with it is portrayed very realistically. Everything about that part of the story is well done but otherwise book would have just been a 2 and nothing more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia