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swalters12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
aclopez6's review against another edition
4.0
(review also posted on Netgalley)
The Monarchs picks up where The Ravens left off--Scarlett and the coven are working to repair their group from the previous semester's drama and fallout. However, from the first page, there are hints of new problems--like a hand, reaching out of a crypt. Despite this, Kappa is working towards change, such as creating a journal/guestbook to host people's secrets and avoid misinformation and lack of information from causing trouble again. And yet, after the house begins to behave oddly (cracks in foundation, plumbing issues, fires) our characters try a new spell and lose their magic, which begins their journey of rebuilding trust and regaining their magic.
This book is very plot-driven, which is great for YA! The characters read very similarly to one another, which might be in part because of the third person perspective limiting how much we get to see of each character. Still, well-written and fast paced enough to keep me turning the page.
I would recommend this book to my high school students who are already invested in magic and maybe dark academia style books, but I would not recommend it to students who are just moderately curious about magic and sororities. That is to say--definitely put it on a bookshelf and make it available to students, but I would not feature nor teach this book.
The Monarchs picks up where The Ravens left off--Scarlett and the coven are working to repair their group from the previous semester's drama and fallout. However, from the first page, there are hints of new problems--like a hand, reaching out of a crypt. Despite this, Kappa is working towards change, such as creating a journal/guestbook to host people's secrets and avoid misinformation and lack of information from causing trouble again. And yet, after the house begins to behave oddly (cracks in foundation, plumbing issues, fires) our characters try a new spell and lose their magic, which begins their journey of rebuilding trust and regaining their magic.
This book is very plot-driven, which is great for YA! The characters read very similarly to one another, which might be in part because of the third person perspective limiting how much we get to see of each character. Still, well-written and fast paced enough to keep me turning the page.
I would recommend this book to my high school students who are already invested in magic and maybe dark academia style books, but I would not recommend it to students who are just moderately curious about magic and sororities. That is to say--definitely put it on a bookshelf and make it available to students, but I would not feature nor teach this book.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I was really looking forward to the first book in this duology. Kass Morgan is one of my favorite authors and a story about a sorority of witches sounded like a perfect fit for me. However, the book was not as amazing as I had hoped it would be and therefore I had never gotten to the second book in the series. While browsing a second hand bookstore I found a copy though and I was more than curious enough to buy it and to start reading.
I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than the first one. Maybe it's because my expectations were lower. Maybe it's because there is a lot less romantic drama in this book and a lot more dangerous magic. Maybe it's also because in this book the characters are not getting stronger and stronger throughout the story. They're getting weaker and weaker and have to find a way to protect themselves and the entire world anyway.
I also liked how this book forced our witches to grow as people. It's one thing when the danger is coming from one of your own. It's different if so many people hate you that people are doing whatever they can to hurt you. The girls are forced to look in the mirror, to look at who they've become and to understand that maybe they are not completely to blame for what's happening, but they're not completely blameless either.
The finale of the book and the eventual aftermath were also truly amazing and satisfying. I really liked how everything came together nicely and how this really felt like a happily ever after, despite the fact that I'm quite certain the authors could come up with countless more stories set in this world. However, these characters have been through enough, I really felt for them in this book, so I hope they have a nice and calm future!
I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than the first one. Maybe it's because my expectations were lower. Maybe it's because there is a lot less romantic drama in this book and a lot more dangerous magic. Maybe it's also because in this book the characters are not getting stronger and stronger throughout the story. They're getting weaker and weaker and have to find a way to protect themselves and the entire world anyway.
I also liked how this book forced our witches to grow as people. It's one thing when the danger is coming from one of your own. It's different if so many people hate you that people are doing whatever they can to hurt you. The girls are forced to look in the mirror, to look at who they've become and to understand that maybe they are not completely to blame for what's happening, but they're not completely blameless either.
The finale of the book and the eventual aftermath were also truly amazing and satisfying. I really liked how everything came together nicely and how this really felt like a happily ever after, despite the fact that I'm quite certain the authors could come up with countless more stories set in this world. However, these characters have been through enough, I really felt for them in this book, so I hope they have a nice and calm future!
rerooff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leyfreoo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
melina_9954's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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
4.0
justiner16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
mindycat84's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.25
jasminelilymae's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
luciearan's review against another edition
3.0
Není to zase tak dlouho, co jsem dočetla první díl této série - Vrány. Bylo to příjemně oddechové čtení a tak jsem i v případě dílu druhého doufala, že bude alespoň na stejné úrovni. Bohužel, možná i díky tomuto srovnání, mě docela zklamal. Jelikož, jak už to tak bývá, trpí typickými nešvary druhých dílů.
Tohle dílko totiž celkově působí, jako by autorka potřebovala za každou cenu naplnit předem stanovený počet stran a tak celou první polovinu řeší neskutečně zdlouhavě a nezáživně vztahové problémy jednotlivých dívek. A pokud snad náhodou probleskne náznak příběhu, je hbitě zašlapán zpět. Druhá polovina knihy je na tom pak o něco lépe a opět se vrací k standardu nastavenému dílem prvním. Příběh tak začne vyplouvat napovrch a lehce nabírat na obrátkách. Ani tak ale příliš neoslní a poslouží spíše k tomu, aby se čtenář vzpamatoval z části první.
Této knize by pomohlo jedině výrazné seškrtání a zredukování počtu stran. Takhle je to ale, sotva průměrná četba, jejímž bonusem je akorát tak, pěkná obálka.
Tohle dílko totiž celkově působí, jako by autorka potřebovala za každou cenu naplnit předem stanovený počet stran a tak celou první polovinu řeší neskutečně zdlouhavě a nezáživně vztahové problémy jednotlivých dívek. A pokud snad náhodou probleskne náznak příběhu, je hbitě zašlapán zpět. Druhá polovina knihy je na tom pak o něco lépe a opět se vrací k standardu nastavenému dílem prvním. Příběh tak začne vyplouvat napovrch a lehce nabírat na obrátkách. Ani tak ale příliš neoslní a poslouží spíše k tomu, aby se čtenář vzpamatoval z části první.
Této knize by pomohlo jedině výrazné seškrtání a zredukování počtu stran. Takhle je to ale, sotva průměrná četba, jejímž bonusem je akorát tak, pěkná obálka.