Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Awakening by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

12 reviews

nineinchnails's review

adventurous 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

3.75

the writing style/prose is somewhat juvenile and wattpad-esque (i'm familiar with it from devouring brutal boys of everlake prep in november so it's not too jarring) however every time i was forced to put this down i was itching to pick it back up. it's definitely laced with something. the worldbuilding was super fun and interesting to read despite clearly pulling inspiration from other sources. everything gets revealed at a steady pace so even though it's a lot to juggle with i think they managed to pull it off; there's the magic academy thing (sorted by houses), elemental magic, fae orders, and probably more i'm missing at the moment. the world is super addictive for me but i could be biased because i fell in love with harry potter when i was 7 and that probably permanently altered my brain chemistry. this feels like a fusion of harry potter, the cruel prince, and winx club but adult and it's so captivating. it reminds me a little of the magicians tv show too (haven't read the books yet which is probably a cardinal sin) because it's an academy for adults but it's not quite as dark and satirical in tone imo.

the pacing probably isn't for everyone since the book moves pretty slowly but it focuses on character development and worldbuilding which is definitely my preference in fantasy. it makes me kinda wish we had chapters from the boys' pov but i'm hoping we'll get that in at least one of the later books. the pov being split between both twins might be annoying too since i did struggle remembering where one twin left off in their last chapter occasionally but they're both distinct enough for me to know who's chapter is whose so it could be a lot worse. considering how long this book is i should be pissed that barely any action happens but idk what to say it's like crack and it definitely didn't feel 400+ pages long. i really liked the characterisation of the twins and more importantly their relationship - it didn't ever get ugly between the two of them. despite all the shit they went through and the manipulation they faced they didn't let anything come between the two of them and it was really sweet. it kinda reminded me of my own relationships with my sisters (when we aren't at each others throats over stealing clothes or something) and felt realistic in that the traumatic shit we went through only made us more loyal and protective of each other instead of competitive.

there's probably more to say but it's nearly 1am and my brain is failing me so to conclude: this book is super OTT and you absolutely will get secondhand embarrassment but if you can suspend your disbelief (and have heeded the trigger warnings) you'll probably love it just for the pure entertainment. yes this book is unserious as fuck but i am seated!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Torture, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Car accident, Violence, Body shaming, and Sexual content

Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

attempted murder

, student/teacher relationship, dubcon, noncon

kat52's review against another edition

1.25

That .25 is entirely because although the writing is terrible I still want to know what happens. I really wanted to like the because powers based on the zodiac sign is an idea that's been circling my head for years but this reads like a high school creative writing assignment. 

The idea is great, the world building wasn't terrible....the setting as a school was just a poor easy excuse for the characters to be in forced proximity and to have a teacher/student trope. The "romance" is almost entirely the victims lusting after their bullies but the worst part is the dialogue! Aside from whether teenagers really speak like that offline, aside from the paragraphs while apparently dancing "almost pornographically, BILINGUAL PEOPLE DON'T SPEAK LIKE THAT!!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Bullying

Minor: Car accident

aubrieanne's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Bullying, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death of parent, and Death

celine_engel8's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Bullying

Minor: Addiction, Car accident, Alcoholism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

ifoundcallie's review

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Car accident, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Torture, Stalking, Incest, and Vomit

alexahunterliterary's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Cursing, Blood, Bullying, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Abandonment

sabaher's review

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Cursing

Moderate: Alcoholism

darlinglu's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.0

Initially was going to rate this 3 stars but the ending really did it for me.

If you're going to read this book, please read with caution.
Before diving into this, be prepared and throw your sanity out the window, because everything in this book is unhinged.

Zodiac Academy is a story about a set of twins being repeatedly bullied and tortured in a school where the faculty does not give a damn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Incest

crinkledmochi's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This gave me Wattpad vibes, has a nostalgic feel. It’s very trashy, writing could be better, however the plot is just not there lmao. 

The bullying is just insane though, and no one bats an eye. 

The tokenism of Diego is too much as well… why is the Spanglish so terrible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Bullying

Moderate: Alcoholism, Incest, and Addiction

Minor: Classism, Child abuse, Car accident, and Death of parent

domsreadingagain's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Bullying

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Car accident, Death, Hate crime, and Sexual content