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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Tempted to one-star this, but I think it had just enough going for it to lift it that little bit above... maybe. I thought I would love this one, but instead the whole thing just felt utterly on the nose, with characters that were just.... irritating (unlikeable is fine in this kind of book, but they weren't really interesting enough for that) and my least favourite trope of all, the whole
Spoiler
we're pretending there's magic but really there isn't any magic and the main character is just off her meds — which felt particularly grating because of how completely intentional it all felt (the mc is literally writing a "thesis" on conflations of witchcraft and mental illness in literature). Found myself rolling my eyes frequently, and having to turn back entire pages as I'd accidentally skimmed without paying attention (only to find I hadn't missed much). Yeah, this one just wasn't for me unfortunately.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a weird one. Dark academia, witchcraft, mental health issues and what could be described as unhealthy relationships have the main themes here. The death of her girlfriend and subsequent institutionalization has made Felicity’s return to Dalloway rife with landmines. She’s seeing things in the woods, convinced her ex is literally haunting her and pushing limits with her dorm’s newest resident Ellis. Ellis is mystery personified. She’s smart and dangerous, willing to trample over any and all boundaries in the name of research for her next novel. Their relationship gives toxic a new meaning, Ellis preys on Felicity’s vulnerabilities and pulls her into dangerous games. It’s twisty and dark, and you want to shake Felicity by the shoulders and yell at her to run for the hills. Having the benefit of age behind me, I can see that all of Ellis’ behaviors are ticking the box for unhinged, but late teens / early 20s me would be enamored of her confidence and mysteriousness. I 100% would have been sucked up into her orbit. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. You can’t look away and you really want to see what happens!
Side note: I saw some of the flack for how the author depicted PoC that was in the early reviewer copies, but seems to have been revised for final publication. I am not seeing the interactions described in earlier versions in this hardbound copy.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
First of all, you absolutely have to read this book in the Fall. September and November could work, but October is the sweet spot.
I was looking for an atmospheric, dark academia read for the season when I came across this read that was recommended to me by my teenage daughter. The cover art, the map of the campus and the quotes that begin chapters led me to believe I was in good hands.
This is the story of unreliable narrator Felicity Morrow of the the Boston Morrows, thank you very much. She is returning to Dalloway, a private all girls boarding school in the Catskills, to try and finish out her senior year. Why does she have to finish it a year later than her peers?
Her bestie (and lover) died last year supposedly as no body was ever found and Felicity is the last one to have seen her alive. This makes her return quite awkward as people believe that she may have killed Alex and they know that Felicity was dabbling in the Dark Arts.
Dalloway has its own tragic ancient history that involves the mysterious deaths of 5 girls in the 1700s. These five girls were rumored to be witches and when Felicity started to write a thesis on them, she started to believe in magic.
Returning to the present day, Felicity not only has to deal with the side-eyeing of her classmates but a very famous writer (at the ripe old age of 17) has moved into the very same house (and room!) of Felicity's lost love, Alex.
This mysterious writer named Ellis is very interested in Felicity and is soon egging her on to renew her unsanctioned magic tricks in the name of healing. But this is where we as readers are led down paths that are false and true. Is Felicity in her right mind? Is Ellis actually gaslighting her new friend? What happened to Alex? Is magic real? Are the Dalloway Witches coming for everyone?
This book is filled with images of cups of tea, book nooks, dark forests, witchy ghosts and all that you need to get into the season wearing an oversized sweater and by a crackling fire. The writing is so elevated that I found myself stopping to consider that this book was intended for a young adult audience. The choice of words and the behavior of the teens in this book is very different from a modern-day teen but that is exactly Lee's point. The girls of Dalloway are like no other.
While the ending was a little abrupt for my tastes, it was filled with fun plot twists and worth the journey. I appreciated the main characters all being young women and fair warning, there is a little bit of spice in the story and it isn't thrown in lightly. Lee was very deliberate and thoughtful in her inclusion of all the details in this story. Looking forward to what she creates next.
I was looking for an atmospheric, dark academia read for the season when I came across this read that was recommended to me by my teenage daughter. The cover art, the map of the campus and the quotes that begin chapters led me to believe I was in good hands.
This is the story of unreliable narrator Felicity Morrow of the the Boston Morrows, thank you very much. She is returning to Dalloway, a private all girls boarding school in the Catskills, to try and finish out her senior year. Why does she have to finish it a year later than her peers?
Her bestie (and lover) died last year supposedly as no body was ever found and Felicity is the last one to have seen her alive. This makes her return quite awkward as people believe that she may have killed Alex and they know that Felicity was dabbling in the Dark Arts.
Dalloway has its own tragic ancient history that involves the mysterious deaths of 5 girls in the 1700s. These five girls were rumored to be witches and when Felicity started to write a thesis on them, she started to believe in magic.
Returning to the present day, Felicity not only has to deal with the side-eyeing of her classmates but a very famous writer (at the ripe old age of 17) has moved into the very same house (and room!) of Felicity's lost love, Alex.
This mysterious writer named Ellis is very interested in Felicity and is soon egging her on to renew her unsanctioned magic tricks in the name of healing. But this is where we as readers are led down paths that are false and true. Is Felicity in her right mind? Is Ellis actually gaslighting her new friend? What happened to Alex? Is magic real? Are the Dalloway Witches coming for everyone?
This book is filled with images of cups of tea, book nooks, dark forests, witchy ghosts and all that you need to get into the season wearing an oversized sweater and by a crackling fire. The writing is so elevated that I found myself stopping to consider that this book was intended for a young adult audience. The choice of words and the behavior of the teens in this book is very different from a modern-day teen but that is exactly Lee's point. The girls of Dalloway are like no other.
While the ending was a little abrupt for my tastes, it was filled with fun plot twists and worth the journey. I appreciated the main characters all being young women and fair warning, there is a little bit of spice in the story and it isn't thrown in lightly. Lee was very deliberate and thoughtful in her inclusion of all the details in this story. Looking forward to what she creates next.