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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There was a lot of buildup but it led to nothing really. I spent the whole book waiting for the twist and I think the author was too cause there was like no plot. The magic aspect and the truth about the Dalloway Five should have been explored more.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
I enjoyed the experience of reading this quite a bit and feel like it definitely lived up to its promises for "For fans of A Secret History" (unlike most other books that fall into that category). As the ending closed in and the mysteries were revealed, I felt a little uncertain about the way those mysteries had been scaffolded earlier in the book...or perhaps I was put off by the pacing...IDK. But that's why I knocked off a star. I also kind of wish it had been longer, more adult (the teens act like adults anyway), and had dug in deeper to its darkness/perversity... But maybe by then, the Secret History comparisons would have been derisive rather than complimentary.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jeg synes det er en god bog, og synes den var virkelig god da jeg hørte den sidst, men det tog længere tid at læse den her gang da det er til skole. Synes stadig den er god og mystisk. Man undrer sig og bliver virkeligt draget med da man ikke kan stole på felicitys opfattelse af hvad der sker.
A bit of a slog which only gained major traction around the 70% point. I would have DNF'd this long before if I wasn't such a fan of Lee's debut series. I'm just...okay with pushing through to the end.
While I liked the setting and Lee's VERY atmospheric prose, I didn't really find myself connecting with anyone--especially the narrator Felicity. I found her very wishy-washy and judgemental--especially regarding her perception of others and how she thinks people should perceive her. While some of this can be attributed to her mental state, I felt no sort of sympathy for her all through the novel. She was a bland, nothing character.
Ellis didn't fare much better with me. I found her to be too over-the-top and ostentatious (seriously, a Pulitzer winner at 17? Okay!) and her The other characters were simply window-dressing. Either they were there to not make it just a story about two miserable people, to be catalysts for Felicity's realization of her privilege,
I especially found fault in how Leonie's (the lone black character) perception of events and her grandmother's past was basically tacked-on at the very end for Felicity to come to an understanding about her privilege as a wealthy white woman and how this caused those around to handle her with kid gloves--a privilege that is not afforded to those who are not of a similar ilk. Felicity also came to this realization a bit too quickly in my opinion. It would have fared better if this point were weaved through the text earlier on.
But enough about the faults I found. The last 30% was fun to read and contained the breakneck pacing I had become familiar with by reading Lee's previous work. If you like sapphic slow--VERY SLOW-- atmospheric horror/thrillers, perhaps give this one a go.
While I liked the setting and Lee's VERY atmospheric prose, I didn't really find myself connecting with anyone--especially the narrator Felicity. I found her very wishy-washy and judgemental--especially regarding her perception of others and how she thinks people should perceive her. While some of this can be attributed to her mental state, I felt no sort of sympathy for her all through the novel. She was a bland, nothing character.
Ellis didn't fare much better with me. I found her to be too over-the-top and ostentatious (seriously, a Pulitzer winner at 17? Okay!) and her
Spoiler
manipulative planning felt fairly tacked-on at the end.Spoiler
or to be a future murder victim.I especially found fault in how Leonie's (the lone black character) perception of events and her grandmother's past was basically tacked-on at the very end for Felicity to come to an understanding about her privilege as a wealthy white woman and how this caused those around to handle her with kid gloves--a privilege that is not afforded to those who are not of a similar ilk. Felicity also came to this realization a bit too quickly in my opinion. It would have fared better if this point were weaved through the text earlier on.
But enough about the faults I found. The last 30% was fun to read and contained the breakneck pacing I had become familiar with by reading Lee's previous work. If you like sapphic slow--VERY SLOW-- atmospheric horror/thrillers, perhaps give this one a go.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes