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amaranth_wytch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Mental illness, Drug use, Sexism, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
meganpkin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
May be triggering for someone who has been emotionally manipulated and for anyone whos attacked in their home by an intruder because that is described often.
A good mystery that was hard to figure out, all in all though I'm not sure it was worth how I ended up feeling by the end of it which is a personal reflection only. It was well written, paced well, I read it in 3days wanting to find out the truth and the prologue completely had my attention and drew me in. I liked the amount of trivia about film and such, that was enjoyable. Would be intrigued by a sequel.
A good mystery that was hard to figure out, all in all though I'm not sure it was worth how I ended up feeling by the end of it which is a personal reflection only. It was well written, paced well, I read it in 3days wanting to find out the truth and the prologue completely had my attention and drew me in. I liked the amount of trivia about film and such, that was enjoyable. Would be intrigued by a sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Classism, and Mental illness
Minor: Torture, Violence, Gore, Racism, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Suicide
markedwithanm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, and Bullying
allisonsmith120's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault and Vomit
aturb92's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness
jjames_mal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This YA horror/thriller follows Rachel an outcast at her prestigious prep school who finds comfort in horror movies after her own traumatic experience. After witnessing a prank meant to terrify her classmates, she learns about the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club obsessed with fear and horror.
I usually hate books about trials and games, but I loved this one. I loved how we are quickly thrust into the Mary Shelley Club and while there is mystery we also have a pretty good idea what's going on. I also love books about people getting obsessed with things, and the Mary Shelley Club sure is obsessed with horror, and their excitement is super contagious even through the page. I really liked the ending (couldn't really care about the romance) and I liked the feeling this book left me with.
I usually hate books about trials and games, but I loved this one. I loved how we are quickly thrust into the Mary Shelley Club and while there is mystery we also have a pretty good idea what's going on. I also love books about people getting obsessed with things, and the Mary Shelley Club sure is obsessed with horror, and their excitement is super contagious even through the page. I really liked the ending (couldn't really care about the romance) and I liked the feeling this book left me with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Bullying, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, and Classism
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I absolutely LOVED this. Read it in 24 hrs, I was entirely hooked. I need to read more from this author 100%. I enjoyed the pop culture, especially the horror film, references even though I personally am not big on horror films (I'm jumpy haha) and haven't watched the films referenced. But there were some references that I did know from the handful of horror I've watched and of course urban myths/legends that get told as spooky stories. I had a couple guesses on who the big bad guy was and I was both shocked and not shocked at the same time. Like I had a few theories floating in my brain so I was somewhat prepared for who it was, but I wasn't prepared for the actual execution of the bad guy reveal.
If you like seeing rich kids getting spooked and the token middle class/lower class kids being thrown in the mix, this is for you. Semi-reminiscent of Ace of Spades in that respect where there is a middle-class main character experiencing some scary/tramautizing stuff while in a school full of rich kids. It also does switch POVs once in awhile but the main POV is from Rachelour final girl .
The ending is also kind of open and leaves room for potential sequels which I wouldn't hate because I still have SO MANY questionslike where the hell did Felicity go?? Girl got her head bashed and was able to still leave the scene. Is she going to try to avenge the club/Freddie?? and I enjoyed the writing a lot. Highly suggest reading content/trigger warnings because there are quite of few things in this book that could set off unpleasant feelings/memories for any reader with certain traumas/mental health issues.
If you like seeing rich kids getting spooked and the token middle class/lower class kids being thrown in the mix, this is for you. Semi-reminiscent of Ace of Spades in that respect where there is a middle-class main character experiencing some scary/tramautizing stuff while in a school full of rich kids. It also does switch POVs once in awhile but the main POV is from Rachel
The ending is also kind of open and leaves room for potential sequels which I wouldn't hate because I still have SO MANY questions
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Drug use, Blood, and Death
Minor: Toxic friendship, Classism, Vomit, and Bullying
ncoletti's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Mental illness, Blood, and Grief
valeriabee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Genuinely was afraid. Mostly because it made me think of what my biggest fears are and how those fears impact my life. Also, Rachel, after having gone through a trauma, has high anxiety and I also suffer from anxiety so part of my fear was just... the anxiety I was feeling while I was reading.
In part, I had anxiety because I was seeing how complicated the whole situation is and how hard it is to know/figure out who is telling the truth. It is so hard to decide who in this book is trust worthy (especially because it's written in first person) and that made my anxiety sky rocket. I didn't like not knowing or being unsure of what I was (and Rachel was) dealing with.
Moldavsky does a wonderful job of setting up and revealing the villain, the monster. I think it's in the way that she really makes you doubt yourself. For a minute you think, Rachel is right, it's this person... but then you think no way it doesn't add up. Or obviously it has to be this other person, why don't they realize this... but then why would it be them? What motivates them? Moldavsky really drives home the idea that "the real monsters aren't the ones created by man. The real monster is man himself." Something that Mary Shelley has proven to us in her own work 200 years ago with Frankenstein. I mean, it speaks to the common misconception and mislabelling of Mary Shelley's monster. People often address the green 'monster' as Frankenstein, but really he is Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein is the doctor. I don't say this to be pretentious, but to point out that the fact that Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster, but people don't want to believe that their peers are capable of monstrosities, so they reassign the role to the supernatural, to the least human. It's not wrong to say Frankenstein is the monster, it's only wrong if you're not referring to the Doctor. Shelley and Moldavsky's point is that people are scarier than any supernatural horror movie or book.
It's funny because I was telling my friends about this book earlier and when I told them a fun fact I learned about Mary Shelley from this book, it gave me another realization of how the revelation at the end redefines the scene. It was so crazy to me how perfectly set up the revelation is. When you get to it you might think "oh duh thats so obvious it makes the most sense," but I think that's only because Moldavsky sets it up so well without giving it away.
Reading this book also prompted me to ask my students (who are high school students) whether they think people their age are capable of empathy, rather, how much empathy they think their age group has the capacity for. Then, what kind of person they think of when they think of an empathetic person. Because books like these where the rich kids are such... assholes, really makes me wonder whether it has to do with age, upbringing, privilege, etc. Like what is interfering with their capacity to have empathy or to simply not be assholes. I was surprised by my students honest answers, but also by their lack in faith for the capacity towards empathy in their age group. (I think it definitely is partially a developmental thing, you learn as you grow older and experience more life -- but it is very nuanced).
In part, I had anxiety because I was seeing how complicated the whole situation is and how hard it is to know/figure out who is telling the truth. It is so hard to decide who in this book is trust worthy (especially because it's written in first person) and that made my anxiety sky rocket. I didn't like not knowing or being unsure of what I was (and Rachel was) dealing with.
Moldavsky does a wonderful job of setting up and revealing the villain, the monster. I think it's in the way that she really makes you doubt yourself. For a minute you think, Rachel is right, it's this person... but then you think no way it doesn't add up. Or obviously it has to be this other person, why don't they realize this... but then why would it be them? What motivates them? Moldavsky really drives home the idea that "the real monsters aren't the ones created by man. The real monster is man himself." Something that Mary Shelley has proven to us in her own work 200 years ago with Frankenstein. I mean, it speaks to the common misconception and mislabelling of Mary Shelley's monster. People often address the green 'monster' as Frankenstein, but really he is Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein is the doctor. I don't say this to be pretentious, but to point out that the fact that Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster, but people don't want to believe that their peers are capable of monstrosities, so they reassign the role to the supernatural, to the least human. It's not wrong to say Frankenstein is the monster, it's only wrong if you're not referring to the Doctor. Shelley and Moldavsky's point is that people are scarier than any supernatural horror movie or book.
It's funny because I was telling my friends about this book earlier and when I told them a fun fact I learned about Mary Shelley from this book, it gave me another realization of how the revelation at the end redefines the scene. It was so crazy to me how perfectly set up the revelation is. When you get to it you might think "oh duh thats so obvious it makes the most sense," but I think that's only because Moldavsky sets it up so well without giving it away.
Reading this book also prompted me to ask my students (who are high school students) whether they think people their age are capable of empathy, rather, how much empathy they think their age group has the capacity for. Then, what kind of person they think of when they think of an empathetic person. Because books like these where the rich kids are such... assholes, really makes me wonder whether it has to do with age, upbringing, privilege, etc. Like what is interfering with their capacity to have empathy or to simply not be assholes. I was surprised by my students honest answers, but also by their lack in faith for the capacity towards empathy in their age group. (I think it definitely is partially a developmental thing, you learn as you grow older and experience more life -- but it is very nuanced).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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