Scan barcode
criticalbooks's review against another edition
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Torture
emzhay's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I liked the moodiness, the meandering story, the characters, the imagery, and the house itself. It reminded me of my own college experience, despite some major differing aspects of course. After reading the author’s interview, I think that I was exactly the type of reader this was written for/about.
I often see this marketed as a dark academia thriller, but to me it was more an atmospheric gothic literary novel. It explores ideas, relationships and the self through its plot rather than using those elements to support the plot.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Confinement
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
klubbgodis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, Death, and Animal death
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Kidnapping, Death, and Sexual violence
kylieqrada's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
bi_n_large's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
rosita's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
It doesnt really have a plot, but i loved that.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Drug use, and Vomit
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Suicide
thelibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
coolmombeck's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Animal death, Death, and Sexual content
maiagaia's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
TL;DR Read this book if you want an atmospheric dark academia mystery with some really horrifying and creepy elements that includes beautifully realized and complex characters. Don't read this if you have to agree with/love your protagonist or if you are looking for something with a fast-moving plot.
Now onto some more in-depth thoughts.
Wow. Where to begin. This is a stunning book.
The most amazing accomplishment was the atmosphere Elisabeth Thomas was able to craft here. This book is gorgeously written without being overwrought. Others have criticized it by saying nothing happens, that there is no plot, and I am honestly confused by those assertions. No, this is not a thriller. It's not action-packed or filled with page after page of jump scares. Instead, it is a spiral of dread that leads to a bone-chilling but quiet climax.
The characters, particularly the protagonist Ines, have so much depth. I loved each and every one of them. Ines has been criticized for being unlikeable, but I don't see that. No, she doesn't always make the "right" decisions, and yes, she does some bad things, but she is a fully realized human. I ached for her situation. It's very clear that she is suffering with some sort of cocktail of depression and trauma for basically the entire novel and that informs her actions (and more often, her inaction.) Without getting into too much detail, her relationship with Baby in particular absolutely broke my heart, and that only happened because Elisabeth Thomas made both of those characters feel like real people to me, so I couldn't help but care about them. (Side note: someone else said Ines seemed more interested in sleeping with every boy in the school than with anything else, and I take deep offense to that. She was more interested in sleeping with every PERSON in the school than with anything else. Ines is a bisexual icon. You can't change my mind.)
"I used to believe the house was haunted. Really, it was the other way around; the house haunted me."
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Animal death, and Animal cruelty