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maregred's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Minor: Child death and Pregnancy
brianneh's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Classism, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Classism, Murder, Body horror, Child death, and Death
rodes's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Moderate: Vomit and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
sydneybedell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Violence
Minor: Murder
eni_iilorak's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.0
Interesting concept of an unusual magical world. Not only the magic system but also the society with its complex mechanisms of privilege are well thought out. Thinking through the details of a complex society is Naomi Novik's strength.
Writing emotions is not.
A first-person narrator with little interest in other people is a baffling and unfortunate choice. As a result, most of the other characters are completely forgettable. As the protagonist rarely talks to anyone, there is very little dialogue. The narrator takes us through the details of this fictional world. Very little is shown or discovered, almost everything is explained. Large parts of the book read less like a novel and more like an essay that outlines the rules of its universe. This style of writing left me detached from the story and characters.
I'm not sure I would have finished the book if it hadn't been for the excellent audiobook narration.
With one single sentence, the very last one in the book, Naomi Novik made me want to read the sequel, and I don't know if I am impressed or angry.
Writing emotions is not.
A first-person narrator with little interest in other people is a baffling and unfortunate choice. As a result, most of the other characters are completely forgettable. As the protagonist rarely talks to anyone, there is very little dialogue. The narrator takes us through the details of this fictional world. Very little is shown or discovered, almost everything is explained. Large parts of the book read less like a novel and more like an essay that outlines the rules of its universe. This style of writing left me detached from the story and characters.
I'm not sure I would have finished the book if it hadn't been for the excellent audiobook narration.
With one single sentence, the very last one in the book, Naomi Novik made me want to read the sequel, and I don't know if I am impressed or angry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Bullying, Classism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, Racism, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, and Pregnancy
quirkykayleetam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
This is a brilliant and hilarious deconstruction of "Dark Academia."
In a school full of monsters where, it's established, the only way to survive is to look out for yourself, the prophecised Destroyer of the World discovers that she would rather help everyone else make it out too. And, yeah, she's grumpy about it.
El, full name Galadriel, has seen how the system works, how it throws anyone not born in The Right Families under the bus. She's focused on being smart to stay Not Evil and alive. Then she meets Orion, the Boy Wonder, who comes from privilege, but has been White Knighting his way through the school, saving everyone who can, and she tells him that he's doing this in the stupidest way possible.
Watch El and Orion join forces, make friends (a new concept), and maybe find a way to make things better for the future.
El's snarky, suspicious, and permanent pissed first-person narration makes this book a hilarious read that tackles racism, classism, bullying, grief, and how freaking annoying it is to be a good person sometimes, even when you discover it's the only thing you can bring yourself to do.
In a school full of monsters where, it's established, the only way to survive is to look out for yourself, the prophecised Destroyer of the World discovers that she would rather help everyone else make it out too. And, yeah, she's grumpy about it.
El, full name Galadriel, has seen how the system works, how it throws anyone not born in The Right Families under the bus. She's focused on being smart to stay Not Evil and alive. Then she meets Orion, the Boy Wonder, who comes from privilege, but has been White Knighting his way through the school, saving everyone who can, and she tells him that he's doing this in the stupidest way possible.
Watch El and Orion join forces, make friends (a new concept), and maybe find a way to make things better for the future.
El's snarky, suspicious, and permanent pissed first-person narration makes this book a hilarious read that tackles racism, classism, bullying, grief, and how freaking annoying it is to be a good person sometimes, even when you discover it's the only thing you can bring yourself to do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Murder, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Classism, and Bullying
iksme's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Solid book, the main character couldn't be more self insert if she tried, if you ignore all the cliche it's kinda a good premace.
The world building is why this book has a 4 star rating because the characters are iffy.
The world building is why this book has a 4 star rating because the characters are iffy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Gore, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, and Murder
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m sorry to report that I found the narrator / heroine so rude, annoying, and just plain bitchy that I didn’t enjoy the book. I got the point about why she was so angry at the world but that didn’t need to be repeated again and again and again.
I also wasn’t very excited about a school that’s full of dangerous creatures within a world even more full of dangerous creatures - and for that to be the only plot point. There wasn’t a lot of complexity: high school students in endless struggle to stay alive. While I appreciated the wealth of bizarre creatures within the bowels of the school, and I enjoyed seeing how each would manifest its menace, that wasn’t enough to sustain my interest.
I know everyone else adores this book so clearly there’s a personal flaw that prevents me from appreciating it properly. I just didn’t like it.
I also wasn’t very excited about a school that’s full of dangerous creatures within a world even more full of dangerous creatures - and for that to be the only plot point. There wasn’t a lot of complexity: high school students in endless struggle to stay alive. While I appreciated the wealth of bizarre creatures within the bowels of the school, and I enjoyed seeing how each would manifest its menace, that wasn’t enough to sustain my interest.
I know everyone else adores this book so clearly there’s a personal flaw that prevents me from appreciating it properly. I just didn’t like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, and Violence