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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 star book with absolutely ableist Language. Sad AF.
I honestly struggle to give this a rating. Bizarre, befuddling, creepy, different. I may be too dumb for this book. Characters are not particularly likeable which makes my enjoyment suffer, but that's a personal, albeit common, preference. This is like physics meets math meets magic meets grammar in a Russian boarding school. I have no idea what to think. The concept of this and the utter mystery will be lodged in my head for a while, though I will remember nothing of the people.
Reformation book club pick— was too long and kind of boring.
I'm still not 100% sure what I just read, but I enjoyed the journey and the challenge to understand what is true existence.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Eccentric. Compelling. Immersive.
This is by far one of the strangest books I have ever read and I am having a hard time describing as I don’t want to spoiling anything. I wouldn’t say it was a “feel good” book at all. It read more like an insane mystery and there was a tension that ran throughout. The writing was extremely descriptive and well done.
I always have a movie playing in my head as I read but this felt tangible and left me feeling dazed at the end.
Overall this was trippy and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something truly unique.
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Eccentric. Compelling. Immersive.
This is by far one of the strangest books I have ever read and I am having a hard time describing as I don’t want to spoiling anything. I wouldn’t say it was a “feel good” book at all. It read more like an insane mystery and there was a tension that ran throughout. The writing was extremely descriptive and well done.
I always have a movie playing in my head as I read but this felt tangible and left me feeling dazed at the end.
Overall this was trippy and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something truly unique.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loan from a friend - who kept calling it "funky." This was a weird one and I staunchly decry comparisons to Harry Potter. Creepy teachers are the only similarity there. This is one of those books where the main character has no idea what is going on and the reader learns at the same pace. Nothing makes sense and the motivational methods are horrific.
I was impressed at how well-paced this was, and how much fit into the book - three and a half years of intense character development, and it doesn't feel relentless or like there are missing pieces. Sometimes I wondered about the social differences, how much would actually be normal in a Russian or Ukranian school, but this was designed to be bizarre. The motivational methods hurt me, and we're still not really sure what these exercises and tapes are doing, besides transforming the students.
This book made me think about the idea of destiny in a different way than anything I've done previously. I think the mental world it created will stick in my head for a while. I sometimes want to be special, but I'm glad I'm not a word.
I was impressed at how well-paced this was, and how much fit into the book - three and a half years of intense character development, and it doesn't feel relentless or like there are missing pieces. Sometimes I wondered about the social differences, how much would actually be normal in a Russian or Ukranian school, but this was designed to be bizarre. The motivational methods hurt me, and we're still not really sure what these exercises and tapes are doing, besides transforming the students.
This book made me think about the idea of destiny in a different way than anything I've done previously. I think the mental world it created will stick in my head for a while. I sometimes want to be special, but I'm glad I'm not a word.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was wildly addictive to read. I don’t think I even understood it. It’s one I’ll have to re-read to fully grasp. I have not read Harry Potter but I doubt that this book is anything similar except it’s a “magic school.” But it’s not really. It’s so disturbing and like I’ve mentioned, it doesn’t even make sense. This whole book is a mood of its own. I love it. I’m mesmerized by it. I don’t get it.