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rockhopper's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gospelflare's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
svimm2056's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.25
The plot was intriguing, but I didn't care much about the characters.
pinkalpaca's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
foxyreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm not going to say I had high expectations for this book but it seemed promising.
I was truly disappointed by it. The main female character is highly annoying and I've never felt any sympathy for her or for any character in the book, except maybe Yaya.
Though the writing was enjoyable, there are many repetitions of sentences that didn't bring anything to the story.
The plot is inexistant. There is no plot at all during the three-year period this book is covering. Most of the time, I had the impression of reading the same things over and over again. I was just eager to get to the end of it just to finish it and be over with it.
I would not recommend that book, whether you like "dark academia" or not.
I was truly disappointed by it. The main female character is highly annoying and I've never felt any sympathy for her or for any character in the book, except maybe Yaya.
Though the writing was enjoyable, there are many repetitions of sentences that didn't bring anything to the story.
The plot is inexistant. There is no plot at all during the three-year period this book is covering. Most of the time, I had the impression of reading the same things over and over again. I was just eager to get to the end of it just to finish it and be over with it.
I would not recommend that book, whether you like "dark academia" or not.
murphys_bee's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the way it was written and it was jus captivating. Kind of the definition of no plots just vibes but in the best ways.
sleeprunreadrepeat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
cosy_crow's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I enjoyed this book, for the most part, do i think that it could have been 100 pages and still said the same things? yes. i would have probably liked it better as a novella, as they could (and should have) cut out all of the scenes that didn't need to be there.
None of the characters grabbed me like the author wanted, most of the time I couldn't remember who the characters were because of how little characterisation they had, the mc spends a lot of time with these characters and yet i could not pin point one character attribute that they had.
the books ending didn't surprise me, and yet Ines, our mc. didn't want to be there half the time, I would have loved a more messed up consequences to the genetic engineering they did on her, but instead we just have her continue to be so uninterested in the whole school and yet we are supposed to believe at the end that she has complete understanding of the work of psalm. sceptical.
I did somewhat enjoy it, mainly due to the atmospheric prose, and yet the whole book and story left me wanting a lot more.
None of the characters grabbed me like the author wanted, most of the time I couldn't remember who the characters were because of how little characterisation they had, the mc spends a lot of time with these characters and yet i could not pin point one character attribute that they had.
the books ending didn't surprise me, and yet Ines, our mc. didn't want to be there half the time, I would have loved a more messed up consequences to the genetic engineering they did on her, but instead we just have her continue to be so uninterested in the whole school and yet we are supposed to believe at the end that she has complete understanding of the work of psalm. sceptical.
I did somewhat enjoy it, mainly due to the atmospheric prose, and yet the whole book and story left me wanting a lot more.
katiegilley's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Catherine House was The Secret History meets The Stepford Wives, with a little bit of Us (Jordan Peele's recent movie) thrown in. I've only been able to describe this as weird. It's weird, but kind of fun. Kind of.
Ines is a college freshman running from her past. Surprisingly, she's accepted into Catherine House, a secluded and isolated college where everything is paid for - tuition, room and board, clothes, books. The students aren't paying money for their education, but the school gets payment in other ways. Although Ines is usually drunk, sleeping, or engaging in a lot of sex with a lot of people (nothing graphic in this novel though), she's also determined to figure out what in the world this school is up to.
This novel is written almost like a dream. It's fuzzy, the dialogue is strange, and nothing seems like it's quite real. I'm not sure what was going on in that school and I guess that was the point. This book has left me with a lot of unresolved feelings and I can't even say if I liked it or not. I'm glad I read it and I feel like I just emerged from the rabbit hole back into real life. So if you want to be steeped in an alternate reality, this book might be for you!
Catherine House was The Secret History meets The Stepford Wives, with a little bit of Us (Jordan Peele's recent movie) thrown in. I've only been able to describe this as weird. It's weird, but kind of fun. Kind of.
Ines is a college freshman running from her past. Surprisingly, she's accepted into Catherine House, a secluded and isolated college where everything is paid for - tuition, room and board, clothes, books. The students aren't paying money for their education, but the school gets payment in other ways. Although Ines is usually drunk, sleeping, or engaging in a lot of sex with a lot of people (nothing graphic in this novel though), she's also determined to figure out what in the world this school is up to.
This novel is written almost like a dream. It's fuzzy, the dialogue is strange, and nothing seems like it's quite real. I'm not sure what was going on in that school and I guess that was the point. This book has left me with a lot of unresolved feelings and I can't even say if I liked it or not. I'm glad I read it and I feel like I just emerged from the rabbit hole back into real life. So if you want to be steeped in an alternate reality, this book might be for you!