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queenie_booklove's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
a_dub7's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Murder
bookdnbusy's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
what can i say? three stars, deserved.
i started this book wanting to give it five stars, and for a second there i really thought i was gonna give it five stars. then it started dragging and it honestly didnt capture my attention again until the 60% mark.
the fact that i’m gonna have to read the second book to find out what the hell happened has me upset cause i really dont want to dive back into this world. it had so much potential, honestly, it did! during some moments it felt like i was reading some magnificent YA fantasy and others like i was reading a wattpad story by an aspiring writer. it had no consistency, and the fact that it focused so much on everything and everyone ASIDES from the person who’s supposed to be the main character just had me annoyed.
there’s a lot of college sh*t happening at any given time, and i get it, but these are meant to be adults. over 21 adults. you’d think they’d have a little more common sense, but you know, that frontal lobe doesn’t do much until after 25…
the characters are loveable, for sure. maggie can be a little a-holish, but i dont mind it. souxie is a mystery, and the fact that quan has made himself her familiar is hilarious to me. asha is filled with trauma and reticence, but i do love her sharp edges. and isis… i hope nothing bad ever happens to her, EVER!
i dont know what else to say other than, i really don’t want to read the second book if it’s just gonna drag on like this one did. this could’ve been a nice stand alone if there wasnt so much filler writing going on. i was at the edge of my seat the last 40% of the book. it could’ve counted for something, but no, we’re left with a cliff hanger and a promise of nothing.
i started this book wanting to give it five stars, and for a second there i really thought i was gonna give it five stars. then it started dragging and it honestly didnt capture my attention again until the 60% mark.
the fact that i’m gonna have to read the second book to find out what the hell happened has me upset cause i really dont want to dive back into this world. it had so much potential, honestly, it did! during some moments it felt like i was reading some magnificent YA fantasy and others like i was reading a wattpad story by an aspiring writer. it had no consistency, and the fact that it focused so much on everything and everyone ASIDES from the person who’s supposed to be the main character just had me annoyed.
there’s a lot of college sh*t happening at any given time, and i get it, but these are meant to be adults. over 21 adults. you’d think they’d have a little more common sense, but you know, that frontal lobe doesn’t do much until after 25…
the characters are loveable, for sure. maggie can be a little a-holish, but i dont mind it. souxie is a mystery, and the fact that quan has made himself her familiar is hilarious to me. asha is filled with trauma and reticence, but i do love her sharp edges. and isis… i hope nothing bad ever happens to her, EVER!
i dont know what else to say other than, i really don’t want to read the second book if it’s just gonna drag on like this one did. this could’ve been a nice stand alone if there wasnt so much filler writing going on. i was at the edge of my seat the last 40% of the book. it could’ve counted for something, but no, we’re left with a cliff hanger and a promise of nothing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror and Blood
bammalou53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
My rating is 4 1/2 stars. I took off for grammatical errors, or it would have been 5 stars. The crew consist of Maggie, Souxie, Asha, Hillary and Quan the talking cat. The story is definitely character driven and I love it!! I connected with each character in a different way, and I was able to visualize each one in all their glory! The ending hurt my heart, so to book two I go. I can't recommend this book enough, have me all the feels!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death
dymonlikestoread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
The Secret World of Maggie Grey
Author: Granger
Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
* Trigger Warnings *
Imagine discovering you’ve been accepted into a magical HBCU. Your new friend group consists of a Witch, a Siren, a talking cat, and a Nymph. Oh yeah, and you just discovered you're a Vampire.
Think of an unapologetically black Legacies (Vampire Diaries Spin-off).
I was hesitant about this book. It took me a while to get into it. Once I got into it I really enjoyed it. I loved the setting of a secret historically black college where magical beings can be around people like them. The characters were all interesting and their backgrounds played a key role in their personalities.
While I enjoyed getting the multiple points of view from all the characters. I did feel like we missed out on a lot of points of view from Maggie who I assumed is the main character. The girls are hilarious, especially Asha.
The only issue I had was the stereotypical depiction of some of the black characters. And some of the men in this book are misogynistic narcissists, to say the least. I don't think this author’s writing style will be everyone’s cup of tea it’s very blunt. Either way, I can’t wait to start book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Classism
kbea88's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A really great premise, but serious problems with pacing and editing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content and Murder
dj_is_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am an alumna of Drew Collins University. Let’s just start there. A magical HBCU?! Their school colors are my actual HBCU school colors! It was destined to be. Buddy read with my bestieboo
Maggie Grey: Imagine being told this outlandish story of an underground world of mythical Black who attend an HBCU and not only is there magic, but your family is “The First Family” to discover this mythical place just before Civil Rights and they are royalty. It wouldn’t sound outlandish to me because I spend my holidays in Crystal City 😉
Throughout book 1, my girl Maggie was just as confused as I was because what is this place?! Why are am I here? What are my powers? Instead of her regular life as a graduate student, she's sent to The Underground. Her white hair and dark skin made her stand out amongst the other vampires, werewolves, witches, and sirens. Her signature white hair, a trait of The First Family, puts so many targets on my girls back, even when crimes are committed and I just need everyone to leave her alone!
Luckily, Maggie meets Souxie and she decides that they will be best friends. Love that energy. To me, there's an overall theme of community, secrets, and the desire to belong in both novels. A lot of the men we meet carry secrets because their position in power. And isn't that a reflection of real life? Unfortunately these secrets are at the detriment of the women and their bodies.
Like every college campus, everyone wants to belong to something. Clubs, status, & sororities are important. But this crew has established their own found family. Asha & Isis complete the anti-club/crew & Quan the Cat & Hillary are here for the ride. Their adventures are chaotic, hilarious, magical, & deadly😧
It wouldn’t be a favorite of mine if there wasn’t a love story intertwined. I need Namir & Maggie to stop playing & move forward because their connection is earth shattering. Literally! 🌙🩸
I’m so glad I met Maggie, Souxie, Asha, & Isis. They’re the crew I would want to hang out with & I'm excited to see their powers, magic, & adventures at Drew Collins & Club Asylum👀🧛🏾♀️
✨Fantasy/Magical Realism
✨Slow Burn
✨TW - Violence/SA
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Sexual harassment
jaithebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
bookishpixie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
this book is everything everyone says it is.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 a vampire, a witch, a siren become friends at a magical HBCU. this book is a magical murder mystery and there's even a talking cat! i love the descriptions of Greek life and how the author really immersed us into this world.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 a vampire, a witch, a siren become friends at a magical HBCU. this book is a magical murder mystery and there's even a talking cat! i love the descriptions of Greek life and how the author really immersed us into this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder
bdannie45's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Pregnancy