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ninjaschooldropout's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
beastee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
guillemette_gagliano's review against another edition
4.0
Like nothing I've ever read!
I loved it, it was so engrossing and mysterious, and well-written in a very new (at least for me) kind of way.
I only regret that the end was so open, I wanted answers to all my questions (and I have a lot of them).
I loved it, it was so engrossing and mysterious, and well-written in a very new (at least for me) kind of way.
I only regret that the end was so open, I wanted answers to all my questions (and I have a lot of them).
timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
The book's covers give you an idea that this book is going to stand in a category by itself, no matter what classification system you use. Sort of like Sasha does in the book.
I can't disagree with the idea "Harry Potter written by Kafka."
The book does to us what the school does to Sasha - each one reveals just enough at each step to stop the reader/student from going "GGAAAAAHHHH THIS IS STUPID" and getting on with life.
You probably won't be surprised to learn that handwaving philosophy is an important part of this story. You might be surprised to find yourself NEEDING to finish the book anyway, Once again, the reader's path is that of the Torpa student.
We do not find out who runs the school, or why. Is it to create workers for some task we can't understand? To save the world from the loose cannons the students will become? We do not find out why the lesser students also need to attend the school.
We do not find out what would happen if the process brought forth TWO Sashas- but look, if the authors ever read what I just typed they would probably high-five each other.
Sasha's believable. The tutors are suitably enigmatic. Nothing is explained, but we readers come to believe that we couldn't understand it anyway.
If there's another book, I will read it, but ONLY if we are promised an explanation of Farit, and just what he can and can't do.
We are left with a strange echo of the learning process Sasha went through. It appears in our world as a shadow, where things seem impossible until they aren't, then they seem obvious. The classic example is riding a bicycle (unless you're Calvin.)
I can't disagree with the idea "Harry Potter written by Kafka."
The book does to us what the school does to Sasha - each one reveals just enough at each step to stop the reader/student from going "GGAAAAAHHHH THIS IS STUPID" and getting on with life.
You probably won't be surprised to learn that handwaving philosophy is an important part of this story. You might be surprised to find yourself NEEDING to finish the book anyway, Once again, the reader's path is that of the Torpa student.
We do not find out who runs the school, or why. Is it to create workers for some task we can't understand? To save the world from the loose cannons the students will become? We do not find out why the lesser students also need to attend the school.
We do not find out what would happen if the process brought forth TWO Sashas- but look, if the authors ever read what I just typed they would probably high-five each other.
Sasha's believable. The tutors are suitably enigmatic. Nothing is explained, but we readers come to believe that we couldn't understand it anyway.
If there's another book, I will read it, but ONLY if we are promised an explanation of Farit, and just what he can and can't do.
We are left with a strange echo of the learning process Sasha went through. It appears in our world as a shadow, where things seem impossible until they aren't, then they seem obvious. The classic example is riding a bicycle (unless you're Calvin.)
emtees's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This was a strange and exhausting book to read, but that isn’t a bad thing. The journey that the main character, Sasha, goes on is also strange and exhausting and the authors carry you along with her even as she becomes something the reader can barely understand.
There is a whole genre of “magical school” books and whether they are children’s books, YA or adult they usually follow a certain pattern: someone who is dissatisfied with the regular world, who is isolated or different or just feels like there should be more to life, is whisked away to a world of magic and power and even if it is frightening and dark at times, it is still better than what they had before. Vita Nostra… is not that type of book, possibly because of what the blurb calls its “Russian sensibility.” Sasha Samohkina may be a bit lonely and awkward, but she isn’t unhappy with her ordinary life when, with no warning, she finds herself stalked by a strange man with bizarre demands. When she fails to meet his odd requirements, terrible things happen, but when she forces herself to comply, Sasha finds she’s “earned” her way into a mysterious school in the remote city of Torpa. There is no question that Sasha, rather than being whisked away to fulfill all her dreams, is blackmailed into attending the Institute, as are all the other students, who struggle through mind-bending courses that break their spirits and even distort their bodies, all in the name of protecting the people they love from retaliation by their mysterious, powerful “mentors.” The book follows Sasha through the first three years of her “education” in a system that is not quite science, not fully magic, driven by mathematical and philosophical concepts. The remarkable thing is the way the authors slowly depict the way her training changes Sasha’s mind and personality, to the point that the reader feels they are undergoing the experience with her. Very little actually happens in this book - until the very end there is no outside plot, no bigger threats, not even a clear point to the studying Sasha and her fellow students are doing. All the plot tension comes from the school itself - will Sasha pass her tests? Will her friends? Can ordinary human things like friendship and romance survive in a climate designed to turn the students into something Other? Will Sasha be able to keep the secret of what is happening to her from her family, and if she can’t, what will happen to them? Sasha’s journey from an ordinary, if bright and disciplined, teenager into the thing she has become by the time she reaches her final exam takes up the entire book and it is compelling even if it is also at times horrifying.
The only slight flaw in this book for me came at the end. The ending to the book is, deliberately I think, somewhat ambiguous. After all the build up over the course of three years, Sasha takes her final exam and… something happens. I don’t mind that the story didn’t perfectly clarify what happened or what it meant, but the writing got very confusing in the last five or so pages, possibly due to a translation issueI suspect “password” wasn’t a perfect translation for what Sasha turned out to be and more importantly, huge ideas and significant concepts were introduced so late in the story that there wasn’t really any time to deal with them. I don’t believe there was an intention to write a sequel to this book but the way it ended felt like that’s what was meant and that was a bit disappointing.
There is a whole genre of “magical school” books and whether they are children’s books, YA or adult they usually follow a certain pattern: someone who is dissatisfied with the regular world, who is isolated or different or just feels like there should be more to life, is whisked away to a world of magic and power and even if it is frightening and dark at times, it is still better than what they had before. Vita Nostra… is not that type of book, possibly because of what the blurb calls its “Russian sensibility.” Sasha Samohkina may be a bit lonely and awkward, but she isn’t unhappy with her ordinary life when, with no warning, she finds herself stalked by a strange man with bizarre demands. When she fails to meet his odd requirements, terrible things happen, but when she forces herself to comply, Sasha finds she’s “earned” her way into a mysterious school in the remote city of Torpa. There is no question that Sasha, rather than being whisked away to fulfill all her dreams, is blackmailed into attending the Institute, as are all the other students, who struggle through mind-bending courses that break their spirits and even distort their bodies, all in the name of protecting the people they love from retaliation by their mysterious, powerful “mentors.” The book follows Sasha through the first three years of her “education” in a system that is not quite science, not fully magic, driven by mathematical and philosophical concepts. The remarkable thing is the way the authors slowly depict the way her training changes Sasha’s mind and personality, to the point that the reader feels they are undergoing the experience with her. Very little actually happens in this book - until the very end there is no outside plot, no bigger threats, not even a clear point to the studying Sasha and her fellow students are doing. All the plot tension comes from the school itself - will Sasha pass her tests? Will her friends? Can ordinary human things like friendship and romance survive in a climate designed to turn the students into something Other? Will Sasha be able to keep the secret of what is happening to her from her family, and if she can’t, what will happen to them? Sasha’s journey from an ordinary, if bright and disciplined, teenager into the thing she has become by the time she reaches her final exam takes up the entire book and it is compelling even if it is also at times horrifying.
The only slight flaw in this book for me came at the end. The ending to the book is, deliberately I think, somewhat ambiguous. After all the build up over the course of three years, Sasha takes her final exam and… something happens. I don’t mind that the story didn’t perfectly clarify what happened or what it meant, but the writing got very confusing in the last five or so pages, possibly due to a translation issue
helenairui's review against another edition
3.0
Que como acabo de leer, no estaba siendo divertido y si que estaba siendo una alegoría del totalitarismo del gobierno o de como ven los adolescentes ser creados pero dios creó que no se entendia por querer abarcar demasiado en realidad no es tan bueno. Decepcionante.
iamthe42's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
someonetookit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was weird and made my brain hurt but I loved it. If you're after a quick read that doesn't require mental capacity to understand, this is not it. If you want a book about a young adult who melts into a puddle, manipulates time and accidentally makes herself invisible from over-achieving, this is for you. Just anticipate the occasional blank stare as you try to wrap your head around what's happening 😅
brisingr's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a pick for our Eastern European literature book club. If you'd like to diversify your reading alongside us, please join us! https://www.instagram.com/kultbookclub/
If you ever wondered what studying at the School of Philology in an ex-soviet/communist country is like, this book is the answer: just pure vibes, utterly severe incomprehensible teachers, and an obsession with grammar, stupidly long train journeys and terrible living conditions. I did not think that a novel about a magical school set in early 2000s Ukraine would be as captivating as it ended up being: in its familiarity, all throughout.
I admit I, even Eastern European myself, am just as guilty in my ignorance of books from the area. But oh, it does feel absolutely divine to read books that are so familiar to the mapping of my soul, from the way these people are vacationing, to Gaudeamus igitur as the school's anthem, all the way to the phrasing of the dialogue, which may sound choppy in English, but is so utterly recognizable because we all say it the same: "Close your mouth when I am talking." / "What do you want? What? Just let me die! All of you, let me die!"
I am left with a thousand more questions now that I finished this volume than when I started it, and I am fearful that I won't see a translation of the continuation any time soon. But what I do know is that, despite my expectations and the headache-inducing minuscule font, I somewhat enjoyed myself reading this. I loved the oh so familiar, communist and severe approach of the teachers, the absolute stubbornness of the main character, and the running plot and magic system that is yet to be explained, but I can already tell is so studied, and is in its own, an elegy to how I learnt language and the power of the word.
I have no idea how we are supposed to talk about this book, couldn't explain it if I tried. Literally vibes. UBB Cluj wishes it fucked this hard.
If you ever wondered what studying at the School of Philology in an ex-soviet/communist country is like, this book is the answer: just pure vibes, utterly severe incomprehensible teachers, and an obsession with grammar, stupidly long train journeys and terrible living conditions. I did not think that a novel about a magical school set in early 2000s Ukraine would be as captivating as it ended up being: in its familiarity, all throughout.
I admit I, even Eastern European myself, am just as guilty in my ignorance of books from the area. But oh, it does feel absolutely divine to read books that are so familiar to the mapping of my soul, from the way these people are vacationing, to Gaudeamus igitur as the school's anthem, all the way to the phrasing of the dialogue, which may sound choppy in English, but is so utterly recognizable because we all say it the same: "Close your mouth when I am talking." / "What do you want? What? Just let me die! All of you, let me die!"
I am left with a thousand more questions now that I finished this volume than when I started it, and I am fearful that I won't see a translation of the continuation any time soon. But what I do know is that, despite my expectations and the headache-inducing minuscule font, I somewhat enjoyed myself reading this. I loved the oh so familiar, communist and severe approach of the teachers, the absolute stubbornness of the main character, and the running plot and magic system that is yet to be explained, but I can already tell is so studied, and is in its own, an elegy to how I learnt language and the power of the word.
I have no idea how we are supposed to talk about this book, couldn't explain it if I tried. Literally vibes. UBB Cluj wishes it fucked this hard.