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The characters are cute and I liked how one topic was handled. But the plot is all over the place (what do this people do? Mafia?)
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, ich dachte nicht, dass es noch besser würde, aber dieses buch war ein Highlight! Vaughn ist alles! Len‘s Entwicklung war Wahnsinn! Die beiden zusammen: Wahnsinn! Der Liebesbrief war der Höhepunkt! Die vorherigen Spielchen: hot 😂
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Binge read this all night long. 10 stars. I don’t have enough words to describe how much I love L.J SHEN. There is not one book that isn’t amazing. She has this way of writing with such passion, anger and all the emotions that capture a reader. This book was a bit heavier than others, at times just weird and yet she somehow made it flawless. I don’t understand how that’s possible. I will never stop reading her masterpieces.
Le livre est bien, j’ai aimé les personnages et leurs histoires. L’intrigue est super cool et on est tenue en haleine même si bon au bout d’un moment on se doute du truc. Je recommande. Cependant si vous le voulez regarder en seconde main car c’est une autrice problématique.
All Saints High: making Euphoria look like Sesame Street since 2019.
Ah, just what the doctor ordered. Some quality trash. This book was a banger, in all of its melodramatic glory. I mean hell, look at the title. And cover! Iconic.
This book worked in a lot of ways for me which is a bit difficult to do as bully romances can often be pretty freakin' terrible. I only attempted one LJ Shen book before, The Kiss Thief, which I DNF'd and didn't really like much at all. I didn't think she was the kind of author for me but Zodiac Academy left me craving some trash and I knew what I was getting into this time.
I think you have to be in the mood for this kind of book. It's like watching a train wreck that you can't look away from, but I also have to give a little more credit because I didn't just like it purely for the absolutely bananas plot. I also thought things about this book were executed surprisingly well.
Honestly, this wasn't really a bully romance. Yeah it definitely had an enemies to lovers flare, but really it's more about Vaughn being sociopathic and obsessive than really being a bully. Yes, he does some problematic things to Lenora but I was really ready for some emotional trauma, this being LJ Shen and all, but Vaughn wasn't really that type of hero.
I think the whole psychotic thing worked in this book's favor. Let's be real, you have to suspend your disbelief in some (many) ways. I mean, All Saints High is the most batshit high school I've ever heard of. High school kids that can't get in trouble because they own the cops. Students watching public displays of sodomy like it's just another Tuesday. Teenagers having affairs with grown adults. Murder. Pedophilia. Abuse. Drugs. I mean...
The thing is though, it was actually a good story and things made logical sense once you could suspend your disbelief. For how bonkers this was, the story was actually well crafted and I got invested. I actually liked Vaughn's more sociopathic characterization (although he's definitely not a sociopath) as it made his character more intriguing than it would have been if he was a classic "popular bully." We kind of get some Secret History vibes– the art, the pretentiousness– which made the characters pretty compelling and a bit untouchable. Like yeah, they couldn't possibly be real, but can't say I'm not intrigued. It made it a lot easier to buy what LJ Shen was selling.
I love heroes that have a bit of a ~traumatic past~ and I think Vaughn's past and why that made him into who he is really worked for me in a lot of ways. It explained a lot, and I always love me some heroes where their issues affect relationships.
Another thing I appreciated was Lenora's ability to put up with Vaughn's crazy ass. She was no doormat and sometimes went gray rock on him which was just so entertaining because it drove him up the wall.
I also liked how most of this book actually doesn't take place in high school, but post-grad at a crazy castle-turned-art-school. Really full sent the pretentious art vibes.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. You definitely have to be in the mood for the drama and the absolutely bananas plot, but aside from that things were actually executed solidly and the logic added up. And I love me a psychotic hero.
"that character is problematic"
i'm sick and twisted. next.
Ah, just what the doctor ordered. Some quality trash. This book was a banger, in all of its melodramatic glory. I mean hell, look at the title. And cover! Iconic.
This book worked in a lot of ways for me which is a bit difficult to do as bully romances can often be pretty freakin' terrible. I only attempted one LJ Shen book before, The Kiss Thief, which I DNF'd and didn't really like much at all. I didn't think she was the kind of author for me but Zodiac Academy left me craving some trash and I knew what I was getting into this time.
I think you have to be in the mood for this kind of book. It's like watching a train wreck that you can't look away from, but I also have to give a little more credit because I didn't just like it purely for the absolutely bananas plot. I also thought things about this book were executed surprisingly well.
Honestly, this wasn't really a bully romance. Yeah it definitely had an enemies to lovers flare, but really it's more about Vaughn being sociopathic and obsessive than really being a bully. Yes, he does some problematic things to Lenora but I was really ready for some emotional trauma, this being LJ Shen and all, but Vaughn wasn't really that type of hero.
I think the whole psychotic thing worked in this book's favor. Let's be real, you have to suspend your disbelief in some (many) ways. I mean, All Saints High is the most batshit high school I've ever heard of. High school kids that can't get in trouble because they own the cops. Students watching public displays of sodomy like it's just another Tuesday. Teenagers having affairs with grown adults. Murder. Pedophilia. Abuse. Drugs. I mean...
The thing is though, it was actually a good story and things made logical sense once you could suspend your disbelief. For how bonkers this was, the story was actually well crafted and I got invested. I actually liked Vaughn's more sociopathic characterization (although he's definitely not a sociopath) as it made his character more intriguing than it would have been if he was a classic "popular bully." We kind of get some Secret History vibes– the art, the pretentiousness– which made the characters pretty compelling and a bit untouchable. Like yeah, they couldn't possibly be real, but can't say I'm not intrigued. It made it a lot easier to buy what LJ Shen was selling.
I love heroes that have a bit of a ~traumatic past~ and I think Vaughn's past and why that made him into who he is really worked for me in a lot of ways. It explained a lot, and I always love me some heroes where their issues affect relationships.
Another thing I appreciated was Lenora's ability to put up with Vaughn's crazy ass. She was no doormat and sometimes went gray rock on him which was just so entertaining because it drove him up the wall.
I also liked how most of this book actually doesn't take place in high school, but post-grad at a crazy castle-turned-art-school. Really full sent the pretentious art vibes.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. You definitely have to be in the mood for the drama and the absolutely bananas plot, but aside from that things were actually executed solidly and the logic added up. And I love me a psychotic hero.
"that character is problematic"
i'm sick and twisted. next.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sadly this was my least fav of the series so far, & I was looking forward to it the most. Just when I thought the storylines couldn't be any more unrealistic/dramatic/angsty Shen was all, 'Hold my beer'.
dark
tense
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:
Yes