You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
aformeracceleratedreader's review
medium-paced
5.0
Read trigger/content warnings. The author does have a brief warning at the beginning as well.
Once again, Hanna Alkaf writes another banger for me. She has quickly become my fave ya author not only because culturally I can connect, but also her writing is just so good. It's a great take on supernatural horror/haunted house (well in this case haunted school) while also discussing heavy topics like sexual assault, r*p*, and PTSD. I enjoyed the characters and the story line flowed well for me. I liked the ending overall, but I wish there was one little thing involving the first missing girl to fully close the story. I did start to tear up at one part towards the end which the author somehow always makes me emotional in her books.
There were very topical and memorable lines toward the last fourth of the book like "How many times have we dismissed a girl because she acts in ways that makes us uncomfortable?" and "Perhaps girls just do what they can to get by. To survive." Plus many more that I even took pics of the pages with the lines on them.
I will def be watching out for what the author writes next because every single thing she has written has been top tier for me.
Once again, Hanna Alkaf writes another banger for me. She has quickly become my fave ya author not only because culturally I can connect, but also her writing is just so good. It's a great take on supernatural horror/haunted house (well in this case haunted school) while also discussing heavy topics like sexual assault, r*p*, and PTSD. I enjoyed the characters and the story line flowed well for me. I liked the ending overall, but I wish there was one little thing involving the first missing girl to fully close the story. I did start to tear up at one part towards the end which the author somehow always makes me emotional in her books.
There were very topical and memorable lines toward the last fourth of the book like "How many times have we dismissed a girl because she acts in ways that makes us uncomfortable?" and "Perhaps girls just do what they can to get by. To survive." Plus many more that I even took pics of the pages with the lines on them.
I will def be watching out for what the author writes next because every single thing she has written has been top tier for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape
cupidslibrary's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
I really really enjoyed this. It was spooky and creepy and eerie, but also had an underlying message about being a girl in the world where people don’t believe you, who don’t keep you safe when you tell them something is wrong. Who just write you off as ‘hysterical’, or ‘crazy’ or ‘emotional’. I liked the supernatural horrors of St Bernadette’s intertwined with the real life horrors of being a young woman or girl who preyed on by real life monsters, who don’t get what they deserve until it’s too late. And I like that the ending tied up with girls standing with girls and facing their fears and their monsters head on, and getting that revenge they so rightfully deserved, especially for Julianna! Loved the writing, though I wish I had been more invested in Rachel, I sort of skimmed her chapters.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting