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lilivari's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.5
xiiv's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cortina's review against another edition
5.0
absolutely insane. probably my favorite book of all time. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER!!! was so complex the povs were so intricately done and the complexity of the plot would be seemingly impossible but wasnt incoherent in the slightest. I NEED MORE!! most underrated book of all time <3
sillylily88's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.5
this book is just a whole lot of nothing.
everyone praises it for being this great dark academia novel, but it’s seriously lacking in the description that would make that true. we are so much in the character’s heads and their blathering thoughts that there’s no tangible sense of the setting or mood. then, we get these exhausting “worldbuilding moments” where it’s literally just dialogue akin to plato where one character is like “why is this?” and then atlas or dalton or libby (for some goddamn reason) are like “well actually…………” and then rant about something ~academically~ for three paragraphs. there’s also no flow to the story because we’re trying to manage six disjointed point of views that proceed vaguely linearly (except when they don’t) and you have so little awareness of how much time is passing, IF it’s passing at all, that you just can’t bring yourself to care. at the same time, the characters constantly flip flop between who they hate and who they don’t for, at times, completely inane reasons. Oh, and all of that info is ALSO thrust to you through MORE DIALOGUE.
anyway, i actually like other things by olivie blake so i’m kinda disappointed that this was so bad lmao. I will not be finishing the series.
everyone praises it for being this great dark academia novel, but it’s seriously lacking in the description that would make that true. we are so much in the character’s heads and their blathering thoughts that there’s no tangible sense of the setting or mood. then, we get these exhausting “worldbuilding moments” where it’s literally just dialogue akin to plato where one character is like “why is this?” and then atlas or dalton or libby (for some goddamn reason) are like “well actually…………” and then rant about something ~academically~ for three paragraphs. there’s also no flow to the story because we’re trying to manage six disjointed point of views that proceed vaguely linearly (except when they don’t) and you have so little awareness of how much time is passing, IF it’s passing at all, that you just can’t bring yourself to care. at the same time, the characters constantly flip flop between who they hate and who they don’t for, at times, completely inane reasons. Oh, and all of that info is ALSO thrust to you through MORE DIALOGUE.
anyway, i actually like other things by olivie blake so i’m kinda disappointed that this was so bad lmao. I will not be finishing the series.
mollyhyland's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
1.0
mirajuliee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
khawlah's review against another edition
5.0
what a whirlwind. this was the best fantasy book i’ve read so far. i loved the magic in this novel and the connection the author created between the worlds of magic and science. the novel was filled with such complex characters who have a great deal of grey to them; very human. everything in this book from the characters to the plot to the setting is elaborate and meticulous. i don’t usually enjoy action in books or movies but the fight scenes in this book were just so captivating and epic; real page turners. i thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists, i was audibly gasping and giggling in excitement at points; olivie blake really knows what she’s doing. i tend to read stand alone novels and do not enjoy series but i am very excited to read the next book and i will definitely be reading the third.
claraoconnor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this had a great set up to be a five star book as the preview sounded like if the secret history was a fantasy novel. it began with a great foundation of solid characters that ultimately ended up falling flat. whilst there was great depth to some of the characters (mainly libby and tristan) that i thoroughly enjoyed, as the reader you are bombarded with so much information at once the plot is difficult to picture and hard to follow, resulting in it becoming boring at times. the twist toward the end was unexpected but for some reason lacked a punch. despite this, i am still curious about what to expect for the next book as it seemed like the main intention of this one was to set the stage for the next, but i won’t be in a hurry to read it