Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Madam

The premise of this book was quite interesting, and parts of it were even fun to read. Overall, though, it was incredibly predictable and a bit grotesque. The love interest that was set up for the main character was also incredibly weak and underdeveloped. I would say, overall, if you are looking for something easy to read that you don't have to think about, go for it. If you want something well-written with well-developed characters and a true mystery, this is not the book for you.

Content Warnings

fuzzythealmighty's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Here are just a handful of the issues in this book:

It misrepresented itself in its synopsis. This book advertises itself as a "modern gothic" but it take place in the mid 90s which is now far from modern. It also is not as dark or atmospheric as it claims.
There are many many inconsistencies in the book. Most of these are inconsistencies in characterization, but there are some in the plot which makes it difficult to suspend disbelief. For example,
The fact that the school new the details of Rose's father's death, which Rose and her mother tried to keep hidden, but not the fact that Rose's mother was an outspoken feminist.
The book has a very narrow conceptualization of dark academia.
Arguably, the worst bit of this book is it's fake feminism. This book was lauded as feminist literature, again a misrepresentation, when the feminism in it is very underdeveloped. It lacks intersectionality. The mentions of sexuality and race in this book are not explored in a meaningful way. The cast, and tone and ethos and etc., of this book was exceptionally white, cis, and straight. It didn't address these issues brought up in the book enough. Rose was raised by a prominent feminist but disliked feminism. I also felt she was exceptionally judgmental of other women. Many Greco-Roman stories were used in this text and the author did not discuss actual current feminist critiques of this text. The discussion around autonomy and choice was honestly disheartening. She basically describes women having no choices as a good thing that changed history.
Finally, there were so many issues that this book could have touched on that it didn't including: colonialism, socioeconomic status, autonomy, cultural transfer, education, and the meaning of indoctrination. I know that this book technically discussed class, but it was done in such a way that it didn't explicitly critique how wealth is hoarded and maintained by taking from other people.

Anyways, don't read this. There are better dark academia books out there.

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frecca95's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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hannahleigh's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

If you’re into slow moving, hopeless stories where the only semi-likable character is the main character, this book is for you. It wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

I couldn’t understand why the “big secret” couldn’t get revealed sooner, and in a more pleasant way. There were so many missed opportunities for actual plot drama and instead the drama came mostly in the form of bullying and the “suspense” of not knowing the secret of the school. This meant that the Big Reveal fell pretty flat and everything afterwards dragged on until the author suddenly decided to end the book.

The ending, while I guess truly was the best way to wrap up all the complicated loose ends, came suddenly and felt like the author was just as relived to be done with the book as I was.

It was well written and pretty well thought out. The author really knows her manipulation and abuse tactics, I’ll give her that. I listened on audible and the reader was really good.

Wanted to like the book so much but I just didn’t.

Content Warnings

issiwerro's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Wow, this book really packed a punch! Gloomy boarding school in Scotland, classes on mythology and peculiar happenings, this was everything I love and more. I was intrigued from the beginning and delighted when plot twists didn't go the way I thought they would. A really clever story, I sincerely hope there is a sequel.

Content Warnings

bookaddictkatie's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

melnealgarcia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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