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marleywrites's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
This book was so gross. I loved it. It’s nasty parts were disgusting and I could picture the visuals so clearly. It was awesome.
I was rooting for Finch and Selena from their very first meeting. I loved the supporting characters of Sumera, Simon, Amber, and Risa.
Kyra was the perfect villain and pawn for Nerosi.
The spookiest part for me was when Simon and Selena saw the Echo of Margo. For some reason that really freaked me out. But in the best way.
Overall I liked the writing style and humor of the book. I liked the characters.
I wish Sumera could have been seen as more multi-dimensional rather than always being upset with Finch or Selena. I also wish we had slightly more build up towards the beginning of the story.
I was rooting for Finch and Selena from their very first meeting. I loved the supporting characters of Sumera, Simon, Amber, and Risa.
The spookiest part for me was when Simon and Selena saw the Echo of Margo. For some reason that really freaked me out. But in the best way.
Overall I liked the writing style and humor of the book. I liked the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Violence, Biphobia, Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Outing and Suicide
Mention of past suicide off page occurs twice and is brief. Outing is referred to in the past.morethanmylupus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Car accident, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide
thetinytrashcan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
For a debut novel this book is executed extremely well. I loved all the characters in the book and appropriated that all the ensemble characters had important roles to play in the plot. Though most of the characters could have been explored more I never felt that any of them were bland or unnecessary which made me fall in love with this book. I loved the premise presented in the summary and found that the book did a pretty good job executing the lore of the story and presented background information in interesting ways that kept me engaged the whole time. The only reason this is book lost points in my book is because it wasn’t as much of a dark story as the summary presented and I don’t feel that it completely reached the mood it was trying to create.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Outing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicide and Toxic relationship
alli_the_bookaholic13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Thank you Raincoast Books for an ARC copy for an honest review.
This was an excellent YA queer mystery thriller. If you’re not already intrigued by that alone, there are potential cult elements, a mysterious band disappearance from almost 20 years ago, a queer girl coming to terms with her sexuality, and a weird thing in the tunnels beneath the school that can grant wishes.
The writing style was really good. It was super easy to follow, and the author developed the creepy and unsettling atmosphere really well. I was completely sucked into this story, and I didn’t want to put it down. It did feel a little slow at times, but I enjoyed the mystery aspect and also the relationship aspect.
Finch has lived a pretty sheltered life, but after her parents death, she starts at Ulalume. She and Selena are drawn towards each other, and I enjoyed seeing Finch come to terms with her crush on Selena. Their relationship was really good, and I liked how it developed over the course of the book. Finch is also drawn down into the tunnels beneath Ulalume where she accidentally pulls something into existence in their world.
Selena was also a good character. I liked her confidence and how she owned her identity, and I really felt for her when we learned how she’d suffered before getting to this place where she could own it. Her toxic friendship/relationship with Kyra was very unsettling, and Kyra only became worse as the book progressed. Selena is drawn not only towards Finch, but she’s also pulled into the mystery of the thing in the tunnels when Kyra discovers it and gets her friends involved.
This got pretty dark at times, and the ending was really intense. I really liked the friendships that developed in the book, the romance, and the creepy mystery.
This was an excellent YA queer mystery thriller. If you’re not already intrigued by that alone, there are potential cult elements, a mysterious band disappearance from almost 20 years ago, a queer girl coming to terms with her sexuality, and a weird thing in the tunnels beneath the school that can grant wishes.
The writing style was really good. It was super easy to follow, and the author developed the creepy and unsettling atmosphere really well. I was completely sucked into this story, and I didn’t want to put it down. It did feel a little slow at times, but I enjoyed the mystery aspect and also the relationship aspect.
Finch has lived a pretty sheltered life, but after her parents death, she starts at Ulalume. She and Selena are drawn towards each other, and I enjoyed seeing Finch come to terms with her crush on Selena. Their relationship was really good, and I liked how it developed over the course of the book. Finch is also drawn down into the tunnels beneath Ulalume where she accidentally pulls something into existence in their world.
Selena was also a good character. I liked her confidence and how she owned her identity, and I really felt for her when we learned how she’d suffered before getting to this place where she could own it. Her toxic friendship/relationship with Kyra was very unsettling, and Kyra only became worse as the book progressed. Selena is drawn not only towards Finch, but she’s also pulled into the mystery of the thing in the tunnels when Kyra discovers it and gets her friends involved.
This got pretty dark at times, and the ending was really intense. I really liked the friendships that developed in the book, the romance, and the creepy mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Animal death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Grief, Suicide, Alcohol, Drug use, Medical trauma, and Outing
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