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itstheesilvie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
3.25
A wonderful sapphic retelling! Loved the enemies to friends to lovers plot line. I also liked the way the author tied in some of the societal issues women face everyday, and have faced since the beginning of time. It made the supernatural parts of this story more compelling. The writing style kept me engaged, switching from character perspective is a win for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual harassment
fanboyriot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
♡ Mystery
♡ Spooky Vibes
♡ Dark Academia
I loved the vibe of this book, the spooky atmosphere was set so well. And the formatting design was so beautiful. Especially with the UK cover it was really so pretty.
The mysterious vibe of the school and an atmosphere that drew me in like the north tower, having said that, the characters came off a bit annoying several times. One minute they were roommates and starting out on the wrong foot, then they were sharing secrets, then they were back to rude misunderstandings, it was so back and forth. By the end I was over them but it did improve and they were a lot better.
The lore of this school and the rituals were kinda nice to read, it was mysterious and interesting but also easy to read and enjoyable to play around with theories. While the plot of this got more and more ridiculous by the end it was super entertaining to read.
Spice Level: n/a
Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧(1/5)
POV: Duel, First Person
Release Date: 07, July 2022
Rep: Lesbian (? Main Character), Demisexual (Main Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Self harm, Animal death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Sexism, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Cursing, and Gore
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Suicide, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Torture
kimseokjinschild's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
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
4.0
This book was slow at first, but once I started to get into it I started to enjoy it. I like how the main focus wasn't the romantic storyline, instead the mystery behind the North Tower curse and the chemistry between characters were great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Animal death
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Sexual harassment
amyteurhour's review against another edition
2.0
Content warning: unsolved murder, assault, violence, self harm, suicide/suicidal thoughts, possession, animal death cat killed , misogyny, sexism, domestic and sexual abuse, attempted grooming
I felt like this was trying to do too much. The pacing felt so slow, even during the parts that should have been exciting/kept me hooked as the mystery ramps up, I just felt that it was the same as when things were still slow and starting out. The end felt like Steven was trying to cram social commentary, but the lead up to this hadn't really set things up for that. I didn't really click with either of the main characters, and felt that their friend was also kind of crammed into the story without getting much development.
I felt like this was trying to do too much. The pacing felt so slow, even during the parts that should have been exciting/kept me hooked as the mystery ramps up, I just felt that it was the same as when things were still slow and starting out. The end felt like Steven was trying to cram social commentary, but the lead up to this hadn't really set things up for that. I didn't really click with either of the main characters, and felt that their friend was also kind of crammed into the story without getting much development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Suicide, Self harm, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
izzyvioletgrace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Grief, Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, and Physical abuse
oolymee's review against another edition
3.5
There are lot of things I really loved about this book. It is an excellent, eerie, and unsettling retelling of Jekyll & Hyde. Also it's sapphic. And the enemies-to-lovers is brilliant. The descriptions of rage are gritty and feel very tangible if that makes sense.
The downside to this book is that there were a few ends that just weren't quite tied up in the ending. While I did enjoy the ending, I wish the ending had been just a bit longer with a heavier focus on where the characters go next.
The downside to this book is that there were a few ends that just weren't quite tied up in the ending. While I did enjoy the ending, I wish the ending had been just a bit longer with a heavier focus on where the characters go next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
cecilie26's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
2.5
Okay, this is the first time that I have tried to read something in this kind of genre. I have read murder mysteries but this is a whole other genre than that in my opinion.
It was nice to try something new, but this book was really not something for me.
I’m gonna make some pros and cons, because that the only way that I can make this kind of shot and not write something that doesn’t make sense.
Let’s start with the pros:
- liked the generational women rage and what it represents
- did like the girl kinda fight club vibe.
The cons:
- the animal cruelty(could not for the life of me see the reason for that even thoughthe cat lived.
I know the authors perspective was to show how far she would go, but that could have been done another way. I just really don’t like animals being hurt to further the stories cruelness.
- the romance was a bit weird. It didn’t feel like it came naturally.
It was nice to try something new, but this book was really not something for me.
I’m gonna make some pros and cons, because that the only way that I can make this kind of shot and not write something that doesn’t make sense.
Let’s start with the pros:
- liked the generational women rage and what it represents
- did like the girl kinda fight club vibe.
The cons:
- the animal cruelty(could not for the life of me see the reason for that even though
I know the authors perspective was to show how far she would go, but that could have been done another way. I just really don’t like animals being hurt to further the stories cruelness.
- the romance was a bit weird. It didn’t feel like it came naturally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Death
emmataylor173's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual harassment
sinnybuns's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
An incredible depiction of female rage and how easy it is to fall into the trap of believing that in order to be accepted by society, you need to be “nice” and “sweet”. I love that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was incorporated into the story. I also particularly loved that being in love with someone of the same sex was completely normalised. No huge coming out moments or internalised homophobia like you so often find in sapphic romance, especially YA sapphic romances.
This book is a slow burn in terms of romance but the plot itself moves quickly. If you’re looking to read this for the romance only, don’t. You will be disappointed. The love story shared between the two main characters is a sub-plot and not a main focus in this book.
This book is a slow burn in terms of romance but the plot itself moves quickly. If you’re looking to read this for the romance only, don’t. You will be disappointed. The love story shared between the two main characters is a sub-plot and not a main focus in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Murder, Animal death, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
The Details:
Narrated by Farrah Cave and Beth Easdown
Unabridged
Absolutely adored Every Exquisite Thing, so was excited to see that Steven's debut was available through my library app.
This is a sapphic, modern gothic retelling of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
I'm not sure if it wad the share name of Lottie combined with the sapphic grumpy x sunshine, but it at first had a wholesome likness to The Rosewood Chronicles. It also reminded me of Claire and Elise from The Coldest Touch.
This was such a good story!
I definitely see improvements in storytelling and writing style in the delivery of the modern gothic/dark academia genre, going back to this after reading Every Exquisite Thing, but it wasn't off putting.
The conversations did feel a little more juvenile than I'd expected but it was easily overlooked once I connected to the characters and got really invested in the story.
This inspiration of the classic has made me appreciate the themes of mental health that the original introduces.
I hope there are more in to come from these retellings, as I see these as becoming very beloved.
Narrated by Farrah Cave and Beth Easdown
Unabridged
Absolutely adored Every Exquisite Thing, so was excited to see that Steven's debut was available through my library app.
This is a sapphic, modern gothic retelling of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
I'm not sure if it wad the share name of Lottie combined with the sapphic grumpy x sunshine, but it at first had a wholesome likness to The Rosewood Chronicles. It also reminded me of Claire and Elise from The Coldest Touch.
This was such a good story!
I definitely see improvements in storytelling and writing style in the delivery of the modern gothic/dark academia genre, going back to this after reading Every Exquisite Thing, but it wasn't off putting.
The conversations did feel a little more juvenile than I'd expected but it was easily overlooked once I connected to the characters and got really invested in the story.
This inspiration of the classic has made me appreciate the themes of mental health that the original introduces.
I hope there are more in to come from these retellings, as I see these as becoming very beloved.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual harassment, Murder, Sexual content, Bullying, Child death, Toxic relationship, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship