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hales230's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Moderate: Homophobia
lolajh'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Very cool plot and the integration of fantasy themes into a modern setting, set with an unreliable narrator and FOOTNOTES. Back and forth time skipping with so many sapphic characters, a heap of them lesbians and I think I spotted a few butch lesbians too.
In the past timeline, a boarding school is deemed cursed after two young girls (they were lesbians too) went into the woods and were mauled to death by yellowjackets and seemingly spreading a curse of insanity and hallucinations that are driving people mad. Every single character’s backstory is explored, which I love, and the imagery in the horror scenes are so visual (I love that).
Then in the future, or present, timeline, three sapphic actors, one lesbian, one bisexual, and one not labelled that I think is quite lesbian-coded. These girls are all starring in a film about the history of the same boarding school and playing the lesbians at the beginning who died first from it as well as a depiction of their romance. Whilst these actors are working through the movie the curse set on the surreal events recorded to happen at the boarding school begin happening to them, so the mystery of the curse is found out by the reader and them at the same time as they discover it for themselves.During this, the trio gradually fall in love, with all three of them, perfectly sorting out the jealousy that occurred when two of the people were romantically involved and one is left out. The time they all come together and romance all three of them is when their relationship really comes together. Such a sick concept without the romance being the main plot of the story.
In the past timeline, a boarding school is deemed cursed after two young girls (they were lesbians too) went into the woods and were mauled to death by yellowjackets and seemingly spreading a curse of insanity and hallucinations that are driving people mad. Every single character’s backstory is explored, which I love, and the imagery in the horror scenes are so visual (I love that).
Then in the future, or present, timeline, three sapphic actors, one lesbian, one bisexual, and one not labelled that I think is quite lesbian-coded. These girls are all starring in a film about the history of the same boarding school and playing the lesbians at the beginning who died first from it as well as a depiction of their romance. Whilst these actors are working through the movie the curse set on the surreal events recorded to happen at the boarding school begin happening to them, so the mystery of the curse is found out by the reader and them at the same time as they discover it for themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
lucyrosemack's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
this book was so fun to read! i looked forward to picking it up every day and i would give play by plays to friends about what was going on in the story. i love the characters, was genuinely creeped out several times, and i wish i could go back and read it all again right now for the first time. im glad i had a pen to take notes as i read because there were so many moments i would have to turn back to, adjust my point of view, etc., and my book is full of (mostly false) predictions for the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Minor: Gore, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Car accident
sunbeam_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
• Likes: The atmosphere was beautiful! I loved the writing on a sentence level, I think Danforth is really talented and managed to really capture this haunting vibe. The historical sections of the novel were by far my favorite—I honestly wish we spent more time there as I thought it was the better developed story. I really appreciated that Danforth included a poly romance with the main characters, that's something I rarely see and want to see more! And finally I LOVED all the illustrations. I really want to see more books that utilize art to enhance the story.
• Dislikes: The basic plot is interesting I just didn't find that it was executed very well. The jumping timelines was a bit confusing and frustrating since I enjoyed one over the other. I also really got annoyed by the footnotes—a lot of them felt out of place and unnecessary and it was just a bit messy. The characters in the modern timeline were not my cup of tea especially Merritt and Heather, I had a hard time connecting and rooting for them. Even though the book was alright in the first acts the last act fell apart completely for both timelines and I ended up leaving the book disappointed.
•REP: All the lead characters were sapphic! However, all, except one, were white. No one was trans or disabled. And there was a bit of bi-phobia directed at Audrey from one of the other characters which I felt was unnecessary. I will also add that it felt as if one of the characters, Merritt, was autistic/neurodivergent coded, however I am a neurotypical person so I cannot really say if that is the case. I would encourage readers or potential readers to seek out reviews of this book by neurodivergent people.
• Final Thoughts: I enjoyed a lot of aspects but for the most part I was unsatisfied with the ending and had a hard time connecting with the main characters. This was actually one of my most anticipated books to read this year and I was expecting it to be a 10/10 so I think that expectation is what made me feel so disappointed in the end.
• Dislikes: The basic plot is interesting I just didn't find that it was executed very well. The jumping timelines was a bit confusing and frustrating since I enjoyed one over the other. I also really got annoyed by the footnotes—a lot of them felt out of place and unnecessary and it was just a bit messy. The characters in the modern timeline were not my cup of tea especially Merritt and Heather, I had a hard time connecting and rooting for them. Even though the book was alright in the first acts the last act fell apart completely for both timelines and I ended up leaving the book disappointed.
•REP: All the lead characters were sapphic! However, all, except one, were white. No one was trans or disabled. And there was a bit of bi-phobia directed at Audrey from one of the other characters which I felt was unnecessary. I will also add that it felt as if one of the characters, Merritt, was autistic/neurodivergent coded, however I am a neurotypical person so I cannot really say if that is the case. I would encourage readers or potential readers to seek out reviews of this book by neurodivergent people.
• Final Thoughts: I enjoyed a lot of aspects but for the most part I was unsatisfied with the ending and had a hard time connecting with the main characters. This was actually one of my most anticipated books to read this year and I was expecting it to be a 10/10 so I think that expectation is what made me feel so disappointed in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual content
Minor: Biphobia and Toxic friendship
mallory10100's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
oh my god i loved this book so much, what a creative story. i LOVED how gay it was
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Sexual violence, Vomit, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
i highly recommend reading this :) at the start i was overwhelmed at the size of it, but it’s very much necessary for this storypanthalassa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
best described as "absorbing." I wanted more from the ending, so taking off a star for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Pregnancy
starlesscircus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Drug use, and Vomit
twoddlecat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
this book was a dream, literally this book made me feel like I was a kid again in the best possible way. I love the format, I love the illustrations, I love the characters, I love the story, I love the vibe. So good and everyone is gay it's beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism
amandaquotidianbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I wanted to love this and the first few chapters were compelling. But the plot dragged on through the entire book. I don’t know if delaying the climax of the historical timeline worked well in amping up the tension in the modern timeline. And that tension of the modern timeline fizzled for me. I think I came to this looking for more horror than the book ever wanted to give me. The book did an excellent job of exploring the characters and relationships of diverse queer women. The atmosphere was also palpable and continuous. I found the overabundance of yellow jacket appearances and metaphor became hokey with its increasing prevalence. But my interest on the characters never waned. I’d say pick this up for a sprawling, sapphic character exploration rather than a tense mystery plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Sexual assault and Fire/Fire injury
kalagallop'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
Of the two timelines in the book, the characters in the present day are much more compelling and likable, while still being flawed. The ending is ambiguous in a way that is slightly frustrating, but the story was engaging the whole way through. I couldn’t put it down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content