Scan barcode
rachelfaye's review
4.0
I really should have taken the word “dark” seriously. SO suspenseful and I think a unique plot but now I feel all creeped and icky. Good book. Dark books are not for me today, I don’t think.
tatyanavogt's review
3.0
So this is a book about a girl who goes back to her school after taking a break due to a traumatic event happening the year prior and stopping her from completing her senior year. But now she thinks she is being haunted, ends up getting into some interesting stuff, and need to deal with new issues.
I was really excited for the dark academia vibes that the cover was promising but I didn't really feel like it delivered at all. (regardless of her working on a thesis in her school house thing..). The witchy aspect was okay, the direction the book took was interesting and I kinda liked how it ended, but over-all the book was very much just okay.
I was really excited for the dark academia vibes that the cover was promising but I didn't really feel like it delivered at all. (regardless of her working on a thesis in her school house thing..). The witchy aspect was okay, the direction the book took was interesting and I kinda liked how it ended, but over-all the book was very much just okay.
ursa_arlo's review
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol and Racism
fernanda28's review
5.0
I read this book for the first time in 2021, and I hated the ending, but it stayed with me, mostly because of the ending.
With Halloween approaching, I found myself wanting to read something creepy, and I naturally came back to dark academia, since it's one of my favourite genres. I decided to finally reread a lesson in vengeance, and I have to say it is better on the second time.
I also discovered that I really, really, love the ending. I wish I could say more, but I think this is a book you need to experience without knowing anything about it beforehand. Just know that for me, this is dark academia perfection.
With Halloween approaching, I found myself wanting to read something creepy, and I naturally came back to dark academia, since it's one of my favourite genres. I decided to finally reread a lesson in vengeance, and I have to say it is better on the second time.
I also discovered that I really, really, love the ending. I wish I could say more, but I think this is a book you need to experience without knowing anything about it beforehand. Just know that for me, this is dark academia perfection.
the_reading_vampire's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
5.0
There are a few things you can always tempt me with. An all girls boarding school is a good start already. If you add a touch of secret society to it it gets better. If you add a mystery, both in the past and in the present, to it it becomes almost impossible to not read the book. I was therefore quite happy when Titan Books approved my Netgalley request to get a review copy of this book. If they hadn't asked me to hold my review until February I would have read the book straight away.
Everything about this book worked for me. I was only gonna make a start yesterday, a few chapters, just to get me going. At the end of the day I had passed the halfway point of the book, because it was simply impossible to put the book down. And that's mostly because the atmosphere in this book is simply amazing. I could feel the cold winter air. I could almost touch the snow. I could smell the blood and the smoke. I could hear the whispering of the ghosts.
I could also really understand what Felicity is going through. Not because I've been through something similar myself, luckily, but because Lee managed to describe her struggles, her fear, her panic, her love and all her other emotions so incredibly well. Although there are people trying to make her believe that she is going insane, as a reader I truly felt how serious this all was, how real everything was to her, how scared she was.
Since the book stays vague for a long time on whether or not everything that's going on is supernatural the story is also very thrilling and exciting. Although just before the half way point I had an inkling what might be going on and I wasn't that far off. Not that I mind. It means that Lee managed to build up the story perfectly. She left clues and hints, she made sure that things didn't simply come out of nowhere, she gave every scene and wink and smile a purpose.
I'm addicted and I can't wait to check out her other books!
Everything about this book worked for me. I was only gonna make a start yesterday, a few chapters, just to get me going. At the end of the day I had passed the halfway point of the book, because it was simply impossible to put the book down. And that's mostly because the atmosphere in this book is simply amazing. I could feel the cold winter air. I could almost touch the snow. I could smell the blood and the smoke. I could hear the whispering of the ghosts.
I could also really understand what Felicity is going through. Not because I've been through something similar myself, luckily, but because Lee managed to describe her struggles, her fear, her panic, her love and all her other emotions so incredibly well. Although there are people trying to make her believe that she is going insane, as a reader I truly felt how serious this all was, how real everything was to her, how scared she was.
Since the book stays vague for a long time on whether or not everything that's going on is supernatural the story is also very thrilling and exciting. Although just before the half way point I had an inkling what might be going on and I wasn't that far off. Not that I mind. It means that Lee managed to build up the story perfectly. She left clues and hints, she made sure that things didn't simply come out of nowhere, she gave every scene and wink and smile a purpose.
I'm addicted and I can't wait to check out her other books!
erinlikestoread's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
sanne6je's review
4.0
3.5 ⭐️
While it was sometimes a bit confusing, this was better than I expected.
I didn’t like the whole Ellis method writer part because it made the plot feel a bit too easy.
Felicity thinking she is going mad and me being confused the entire book was interesting.
It was dark witchy academia with murder vibes. I think it would be a perfect Halloween read
While it was sometimes a bit confusing, this was better than I expected.
I didn’t like the whole Ellis method writer part because it made the plot feel a bit too easy.
Felicity thinking she is going mad and me being confused the entire book was interesting.
It was dark witchy academia with murder vibes. I think it would be a perfect Halloween read
bookended's review
4.0
Honestly, as I was reading the first half of this, I thought I was going to rate it around 3-3.5 just because I felt, as beautifully written as it was, like nothing plot-wise was going on. I was obviously wrong?????!!!!
I was genuinely surprised by the turn of events, the twists and even the epilogue had my heart drop just a little bit! I did not rate it 5/5 because I really thought that there was going to be real magic in this book and just slightly disappointed that there is not :( but a beautiful story nonetheless. I mean.... its a lesbian-focused dark academia, gothic thriller... what's not to like?????
I was genuinely surprised by the turn of events, the twists and even the epilogue had my heart drop just a little bit! I did not rate it 5/5 because I really thought that there was going to be real magic in this book and just slightly disappointed that there is not :( but a beautiful story nonetheless. I mean.... its a lesbian-focused dark academia, gothic thriller... what's not to like?????
arielleb148's review against another edition
1.0
dnf at 14%. dark academia is just not for me and i didn’t like the writing. who knew you could use that many semi-colons on a single page