Scan barcode
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
4.0
There was too much info-dumping in the beginning, I was almost going to DNF but I decided to keep going as it was a book club book. I'm glad I did because the last half of the book was so good.
jackalnis's review against another edition
5.0
Tbh, the beginning of the book was slow paced, but as soon all the secrets were revealed, it became something of exciting to read, a plot that i never read in any other book, just wow mesmerized by the plot, i think im getting mesmer by reading this book,
bec143's review against another edition
1.0
Dnf'd after 4 chapters, after reading some reviews and determining it wasn't going to get any better, but most certainly worse. Wow, Bree is potentially the most annoying and unlikeable main character I have ever come across, I couldn't take anymore of her. I do not get the hype about this book.
springpetunia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The typical college experience of joining a secret society that kills demons
hackenbrook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
tencutepuppies's review against another edition
4.0
(4) To be honest I don’t even know how to sum up my thoughts on this book. I guess I’ll just group the things I liked and disliked together.
Liked:
-the fact that Bree was not a passive bystander in her own story, as some modern fantasy stories tend to have the MC helpless as they learn about their whole new world
-the emphasis on Black generational trauma, especially in a college institution in the South with a deep history of racism
-Selwyn Kane. that’s it.
-the way Nick wasn’t the boring nice love interest that we were supposed to root against—he had personality and there was some chemistry between him and Bree that I didn’t expect
Disliked:
-the pacing. I found it to be erratic, as it was fast in some places and inexplicably dragged on in others
-this kind of ties into the one above but I felt that there wasn’t enough side plot?? like it was mostly all about the central plot with the demons and the Round Table, and some of it felt repetitive by the end. I would have liked seeing more of rootcraft, and Bree’s relationships with her dad and best friend too. in that vein, I felt like she was never described to be actually doing school despite having classes that supposedly took so much work
-maybe I’m just stupid but the magic system was so hard to follow and there were so many words thrown at us at once
Don’t let my negative thoughts sway you to not read. The actual writing style of this book was great, and I don’t think many of my critiques are widely shared (minus the last one). I can definitely see why people were obsessed with it, I’m just a little disappointed I wasn’t one of them yet. Maybe by the second book I will be :)
Liked:
-the fact that Bree was not a passive bystander in her own story, as some modern fantasy stories tend to have the MC helpless as they learn about their whole new world
-the emphasis on Black generational trauma, especially in a college institution in the South with a deep history of racism
-Selwyn Kane. that’s it.
-the way Nick wasn’t the boring nice love interest that we were supposed to root against—he had personality and there was some chemistry between him and Bree that I didn’t expect
Disliked:
-the pacing. I found it to be erratic, as it was fast in some places and inexplicably dragged on in others
-this kind of ties into the one above but I felt that there wasn’t enough side plot?? like it was mostly all about the central plot with the demons and the Round Table, and some of it felt repetitive by the end. I would have liked seeing more of rootcraft, and Bree’s relationships with her dad and best friend too. in that vein, I felt like she was never described to be actually doing school despite having classes that supposedly took so much work
-maybe I’m just stupid but the magic system was so hard to follow and there were so many words thrown at us at once
Don’t let my negative thoughts sway you to not read. The actual writing style of this book was great, and I don’t think many of my critiques are widely shared (minus the last one). I can definitely see why people were obsessed with it, I’m just a little disappointed I wasn’t one of them yet. Maybe by the second book I will be :)
paper_treasuresandtomes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
smileypers0n's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death of parent, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Cursing, Car accident, Colonisation, Grief, Hate crime, and Slavery
isawaphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I quite literally could not put this book down. It’s an incredible combination of lived experiences, mythology and culture, and to an extent, fraternity dynamics. Masterful writing and storytelling.