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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“The Rabbit Club” is propulsive, and Yates sucked me into the world of Cockbayne College. There was a bit of a slow start, but even with my short attention span, I remained engaged and invested in Ali’s story.
At first, everything seemed a bit disconnected. What was the purpose of all these characters in Ali’s life, beyond companionship? By the end of the book, I understood all of the characters’ purpose except Guy and Izzy and their storyline. It seems dropped in for no clear reason.
Also, I am unsure about “The Rabbit Club” being a thriller. It feels more like a classic novel—psychological, dramatic, and introspective—very different from your typical thriller. Honestly, I can’t quite put my finger on why it is so different, just a feeling. Perhaps, it ends as a thriller but is mostly “regular” fiction (for lack of a better word).
“The Rabbit Club” was not what I expected, and sometimes that throws me for a loop. This time, I appreciated reading something unexpected, and I would recommend this book to others as well.
At first, everything seemed a bit disconnected. What was the purpose of all these characters in Ali’s life, beyond companionship? By the end of the book, I understood all of the characters’ purpose except Guy and Izzy and their storyline. It seems dropped in for no clear reason.
Also, I am unsure about “The Rabbit Club” being a thriller. It feels more like a classic novel—psychological, dramatic, and introspective—very different from your typical thriller. Honestly, I can’t quite put my finger on why it is so different, just a feeling. Perhaps, it ends as a thriller but is mostly “regular” fiction (for lack of a better word).
“The Rabbit Club” was not what I expected, and sometimes that throws me for a loop. This time, I appreciated reading something unexpected, and I would recommend this book to others as well.
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Thank you to HTP Books/Hanover Square Press for providing me with a gifted ebook copy of The Rabbit Club through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
At the age of eighteen Allistair McCain is leaving Los Angeles behind, after he's been accepted to attend Oxford University. It's been his dream to study Literature in England, and have the opportunity to meet intellectuals at the university. He is also hoping to initiate a relationship with his legendary rock star father, Gerry McCain, who abandoned Ali and his mother, when Ali was a toddler. As Ali navigates his way through his new life, he longs to be a part of one of Oxford's oldest secret societies, using his father's fame as a way to gain entry. But Ali's desire to be accepted among the rich and elite of the Saracens sets a dangerous game in motion, that Ali could have never expected.
The Rabbit Club is a satisfying dark academia story, with a young, naive Ali entertaining a world of wealth and nepotism. His initial optimism is a great balance to the darker side of the story, and it made him a lovable character right from the start. Even though Yates is building the story toward tragedy, I was rooting for Ali throughout the book.
There are a lot of literature references in the book, and Ali is a big fan of Shakespeare. I enjoyed the fact that Yates used that as a connection between Ali and his father. I found that their relationship gave a lot of heart to the story, and I just loved the over the top eccentric personality of Gerry (Gel). Yates also uses a lot of references to Alice in Wonderland, and I thought it worked well with the darker themes in the book, especially paralleling with Ali's determination to be accepted into the Saracens.
I did find the pacing of the book to be a bit slow, and I think it missed the opportunity to build up the suspense and tension in the story. Some of the dark academia feel got buried, for me, under overly-wordy dialogue and long stretches of things that were happening that I felt didn't add much to the story. There are two alternating POVs in the book, and while I did initially enjoy the mystery of the chapters from William Goodwin, I felt they eventually became a bit repetitive.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story at the heart of The Rabbit Club, and I would recommend it if you love secret societies, university life, questionable characters, and the machinations of those in powerful positions.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!
When Ali first arrives in Oxford, bright-eyed and full of American positivity, he believes he is finally where he belongs. He finds a group of friends with whom he can discuss life and literature, miraculously reunites with his estranged father, and begins to rub elbows with some of England’s elite. What Ali doesn’t know though is that someone is playing a dark and manipulative game with him. One that may ensure he doesn’t leave Oxford alive.
Listen: I love some good dark academia, especially when it incorporates English literature. If We Were Villains is not only one of my favorite dark academia books, but one of my favorite books of all time. So, I’m always going to end up comparing any new dark academia that I read to Villains. The bar is high.
This book was chock full of literature references, and I really enjoyed the way they were layered throughout. It was super satisfying in terms of picking out patterns and themes between the events of the book and the literature that the characters were discussing. The writing and pacing are sharp and there was never a dull moment for me; I wanted to keep coming back in order to figure everything out.
What I found less satisfying was the ending. I was surprised when I went to turn the page and suddenly there wasn’t any more left to read. I didn’t feel like I came away from the book with a good sense of certain characters’ motivations. Just to be powerful? Just to be manipulative and evil? I’ve seen some things that indicate there are connections to the author’s previous book, Black Chalk. I haven’t read that one, so it’s possible that reading that book connects some dots that weren’t connected here.
All in all, this is a solid dark academia read. Do I still prefer If We Were Villains? Yes. Is this still an exciting read that scratched my ever-present dark academia itch? Also yes.
When Ali first arrives in Oxford, bright-eyed and full of American positivity, he believes he is finally where he belongs. He finds a group of friends with whom he can discuss life and literature, miraculously reunites with his estranged father, and begins to rub elbows with some of England’s elite. What Ali doesn’t know though is that someone is playing a dark and manipulative game with him. One that may ensure he doesn’t leave Oxford alive.
Listen: I love some good dark academia, especially when it incorporates English literature. If We Were Villains is not only one of my favorite dark academia books, but one of my favorite books of all time. So, I’m always going to end up comparing any new dark academia that I read to Villains. The bar is high.
This book was chock full of literature references, and I really enjoyed the way they were layered throughout. It was super satisfying in terms of picking out patterns and themes between the events of the book and the literature that the characters were discussing. The writing and pacing are sharp and there was never a dull moment for me; I wanted to keep coming back in order to figure everything out.
What I found less satisfying was the ending. I was surprised when I went to turn the page and suddenly there wasn’t any more left to read. I didn’t feel like I came away from the book with a good sense of certain characters’ motivations. Just to be powerful? Just to be manipulative and evil? I’ve seen some things that indicate there are connections to the author’s previous book, Black Chalk. I haven’t read that one, so it’s possible that reading that book connects some dots that weren’t connected here.
All in all, this is a solid dark academia read. Do I still prefer If We Were Villains? Yes. Is this still an exciting read that scratched my ever-present dark academia itch? Also yes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
very the-secret-history ish but with its own great and wonderful twist. i’m excited to see how others think of it