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ballgownsandbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, and Animal cruelty
chemicalpink's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Cursing, and Death
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I feel like I'm going to sit with this book in my mind for a very long time and never actually understand it. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I wouldn't recommend this for plot readers. Not a lot happens in this book, and the structure is weird. It's all about the characters, specifically the lead. You're in her head dealing with her confusion, and it's pretty great.
Also, for me, the depiction of stressful, exclusive, small college pressure was just very, very well done. I've known people that handled college like almost every one of these characters. It was a highlight to read for sure.
I wouldn't recommend this for plot readers. Not a lot happens in this book, and the structure is weird. It's all about the characters, specifically the lead. You're in her head dealing with her confusion, and it's pretty great.
Also, for me, the depiction of stressful, exclusive, small college pressure was just very, very well done. I've known people that handled college like almost every one of these characters. It was a highlight to read for sure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mental illness, Grief, Animal cruelty, and Death
typedtruths's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i didn't think it was that weird?? but i loved it
➸ Trigger warnings forslut shaming, dubcon scenes, suicide, alcohol consumption & abuse, emesis, medical examination, unethical human medical experimentation, needles, grief depiction, death of a sister mentioned, death of a best friend & classmate, captivity & forced isolation, and animal experimentation & injury .
▷ Representation: Ines (mc) is Black & queer; queer & bipoc scs.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Goodreads • Twitter • Instagram
➸ Trigger warnings for
▷ Representation: Ines (mc) is Black & queer; queer & bipoc scs.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Goodreads • Twitter • Instagram
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Medical content
Moderate: Vomit, Death, Confinement, and Animal cruelty
ldandridge's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was really excited based on the description but it ended up just being meh. Nothing really seemed to progress much, and I was hoping for something much spookier. I liked the writing and the setting though. Lots of potential that ended up just falling flat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, Suicide, Sexual content, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, and Death
maiagaia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"When did I realize that Catherine would never let me go?"
TL;DR Read this book if you want an atmospheric dark academia mystery with some really horrifying and creepy elements that includes beautifully realized and complex characters. Don't read this if you have to agree with/love your protagonist or if you are looking for something with a fast-moving plot.
Now onto some more in-depth thoughts.
Wow. Where to begin. This is a stunning book.
The most amazing accomplishment was the atmosphere Elisabeth Thomas was able to craft here. This book is gorgeously written without being overwrought. Others have criticized it by saying nothing happens, that there is no plot, and I am honestly confused by those assertions. No, this is not a thriller. It's not action-packed or filled with page after page of jump scares. Instead, it is a spiral of dread that leads to a bone-chilling but quiet climax.
The characters, particularly the protagonist Ines, have so much depth. I loved each and every one of them. Ines has been criticized for being unlikeable, but I don't see that. No, she doesn't always make the "right" decisions, and yes, she does some bad things, but she is a fully realized human. I ached for her situation. It's very clear that she is suffering with some sort of cocktail of depression and trauma for basically the entire novel and that informs her actions (and more often, her inaction.) Without getting into too much detail, her relationship with Baby in particular absolutely broke my heart, and that only happened because Elisabeth Thomas made both of those characters feel like real people to me, so I couldn't help but care about them. (Side note: someone else said Ines seemed more interested in sleeping with every boy in the school than with anything else, and I take deep offense to that. She was more interested in sleeping with every PERSON in the school than with anything else. Ines is a bisexual icon. You can't change my mind.)
"I used to believe the house was haunted. Really, it was the other way around; the house haunted me."
TL;DR Read this book if you want an atmospheric dark academia mystery with some really horrifying and creepy elements that includes beautifully realized and complex characters. Don't read this if you have to agree with/love your protagonist or if you are looking for something with a fast-moving plot.
Now onto some more in-depth thoughts.
Wow. Where to begin. This is a stunning book.
The most amazing accomplishment was the atmosphere Elisabeth Thomas was able to craft here. This book is gorgeously written without being overwrought. Others have criticized it by saying nothing happens, that there is no plot, and I am honestly confused by those assertions. No, this is not a thriller. It's not action-packed or filled with page after page of jump scares. Instead, it is a spiral of dread that leads to a bone-chilling but quiet climax.
The characters, particularly the protagonist Ines, have so much depth. I loved each and every one of them. Ines has been criticized for being unlikeable, but I don't see that. No, she doesn't always make the "right" decisions, and yes, she does some bad things, but she is a fully realized human. I ached for her situation. It's very clear that she is suffering with some sort of cocktail of depression and trauma for basically the entire novel and that informs her actions (and more often, her inaction.) Without getting into too much detail, her relationship with Baby in particular absolutely broke my heart, and that only happened because Elisabeth Thomas made both of those characters feel like real people to me, so I couldn't help but care about them. (Side note: someone else said Ines seemed more interested in sleeping with every boy in the school than with anything else, and I take deep offense to that. She was more interested in sleeping with every PERSON in the school than with anything else. Ines is a bisexual icon. You can't change my mind.)
"I used to believe the house was haunted. Really, it was the other way around; the house haunted me."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
perditorian's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
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