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aimeeverret's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
heathergudaz95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death
Minor: Grief
writer_a_fox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
emwith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
courtsport3000's review against another edition
- 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
It's got:
-dark academia vibes featuring a big old school on a cliff by the sea (with multiple libraries!)
-secret societies with eerie initiation practices
-a unique magic system boasting a diverse array of abilities, each influenced by phases of the moon
-a creepy sanitorium type facility where something sinister is happening
-family secrets on family secrets on family secrets
-dual POVs where both characters are actually equally engaging
-New Adult energy with YA grade romance (not in a bad way)
-betrayals, cover ups, murders, rescues - alll the drama
This is everything I want from a dark academia fantasy. It was thrill to experience and I cannot overstate how eagerly I'm anticipating the sequel later this year. I want to lose myself in this mysterious world again as soon as possible. Highly recommend.
Special thanks to Margaret K. McElderry Books for an ARC in exchange for review.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use and Death of parent
deussaxmachina's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Self harm
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
This is what a dark academia fantasy should be. Honestly, what a good set of two tats you see coming and some you don’t.
Emory is frustrating but I understand why she makes the decisions she slides in the name of a chance to save her best friend Romie. And Romeo’s brother Baz is so sweet and wholesome and I want to give him a big hug with all he goes through.
The prose is magnetic.
Lots to say here: it’s a dense fantasy, leans a little older on the YA scale (honestly I would have thought it was solidly New Adult), and had a lot if very good concepts and characters to sink into.
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Gaslighting
Self harm was the applicable tag, but with a caveat: magic in this world works by bloodletting when once’s lunar alignment is not in the sky. It’s not done with self-hatred in mind, but it is prevalent in the storykatewheels13's review against another edition
Moderate: Death
ladypalutena's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Of course, now that I've said all that, I've done my due diligence with Googling the book and it's going to be a duology. Great. And I read it way too long before the next book could even conceivably be written. Excellent.
Anyway.
The magic system in this book is phenomenal. Everything is hooked to the lunar cycle, and your magic is tied to the specific phase of the moon you were born under. You can only use your magic during that phase of the moon, unless you do some bloodletting and "borrow" some of your future magic. It's the most interesting magic system I've seen in a long time, and I am looking forward to reading more about it in the future.
The characters - you can sort of tell that everyone has shifty secrets and something isn't going to go as planned from about 1/3 of the way through the book, but when it hits, it really hits.
The plot had me guessing almost the entire time, and towards the ending of the book, I was literally checking how much longer I had left because "There's no way they can wrap it up in that many pages, can they?" And no, they can't.
If you're looking for a dark academia setting, mysterious deaths, people with mysterious secrets, and the most interesting magic system I've seen in a while, this is the book for you. I will be waiting for the next one to come out.
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
Minor: Blood and Alcohol