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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
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
“Even the devil does not trust men to honor a bargain, so it does not deal with them. It offers power only to women.”
This is everything I want a book about witches to be. This is a story about angry, feral, desperate women claiming power and agency in a world that only seeks to harm them.
This book brings with it a bloody and violent atmosphere, fantastic characters, and an unsettling serial killer plot at the core. The magic, themes, and plot weave into the dark and chilling as it explores misogyny, power, and the violence men inflict on women. While simultaneously rotating around themes of female power, sisterhood, and family acceptance.
I already knew just how well Krystal Sutherland can delve into stories about sisters and family, how deeply unsettling her brand of horror can be, and how wonderful and unapologetic her characters are - I read House of Hollow, after all. But to me, this was an almost perfect escalation on similar themes. A fucked up Pokemon evolution of horrors if you will (and I do mean that in the nicest way). The characters all felt so different and individual, each with their own wants, desires, and fears. And while there were times I questioned some of the plot points in relation to their teenage age range - I suspended my disbelieving swiftly because YA protagonists will get shit done no matter how young they are, because honestly, someone has to.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if it was a harrowing experience at times. While the characters have their fun moments, and the atmosphere of the story pulls you in - this story is grim. For the first time in my horror reading experience, I felt my heart racing as I read. I felt a deeply rooted fear and unease settle in me, a looming discomfort. And all from the first chapter. The prologue really tapped into a primal fear that unfortunately far too many women can relate to. An unease that spiked at later intervals throughout my reading experience. So while this book is a stunning addition to YA horror, it is one I suggest you check trigger warnings for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
- wow ! Just wow amazing I really enjoyed this . I wasn’t ready to leave this world! The world building to this so good I wasn’t ready to leave it ! It started off very dark academia like and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it I stuck with it and was sucked in by this amazing story . I found myself thinking about it while at work waiting to read it ! Towards the end one of the characters brought up being 17 and I was SHOCKED I knew going in it was a YA book , yet I kept seeing them as older .
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
A fierce, feminist fantasy where magic is
carved into skin and paid for with your soul. Three girls, Zara, Jude, and Emer, use invocation curses to hunt a killer targeting women like them. Their bond is forged through grief, rage, and the choice to protect, even when it hurts.
Goodness here isn't soft-it's defiant. Each girl embodies a different kind of moral courage, and together they form a radiant resistance against a world that punishes others like them.
carved into skin and paid for with your soul. Three girls, Zara, Jude, and Emer, use invocation curses to hunt a killer targeting women like them. Their bond is forged through grief, rage, and the choice to protect, even when it hurts.
Goodness here isn't soft-it's defiant. Each girl embodies a different kind of moral courage, and together they form a radiant resistance against a world that punishes others like them.
adventurous
dark
dark
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:
No
honestly really fucked with the vibes in this one, i thought the magic system was super interesting