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dzeesene's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
goodyeargoodbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. The most conflicted I have felt about a book in a long time.
The reviews of the final instalment have me doubting whether it is worth my time to continue with this one.
The reviews of the final instalment have me doubting whether it is worth my time to continue with this one.
ahollman's review against another edition
5.0
pretentious dark academia with magic ??? dinner is SERVED
amieib's review against another edition
3.0
WTF?
It's very difficult to rate this book because on one hand, there is no way it's a 5-star read considering it took me getting to over 50% of the book to be really interested and invested. But it also cannot be as low as a 2-star read because despite the fact that it took over a month for me to read (and I read other books in between, which I never do) and was painfully slow, I couldn't and didn't want to stop. And that's something considering I am a proud member of the DNF club.
Past the hurdles, I enjoyed it and can't wait to see what comes next in the series. In many ways I did and did not understand anything that happened in the book which intrigues me. It almost felt like some alternate version of me read the book and then present me was offered a retelling by AU me. It was confusingly okay. It was also gratingly pretentious and verbose at times, something I hope the author cracks down on going forward. It felt a bit like trying too hard and doing too much. Like the author found a dictionary and decided to write a story around every complex word she found.
Ultimately, I think it's a 3 star read (on the days I feel less generous, it might be a 2.5). I loved the characters and it made me stop to think regularly. And there are so many twists. I think it might be one of those books I can't make any decisions about until I read the second book and conclude the series.
It was confusing and intriguing and I didn't hate that? I think? Anyway, the fact that I'm willing to continue the series is promising I guess.
It's very difficult to rate this book because on one hand, there is no way it's a 5-star read considering it took me getting to over 50% of the book to be really interested and invested. But it also cannot be as low as a 2-star read because despite the fact that it took over a month for me to read (and I read other books in between, which I never do) and was painfully slow, I couldn't and didn't want to stop. And that's something considering I am a proud member of the DNF club.
Past the hurdles, I enjoyed it and can't wait to see what comes next in the series. In many ways I did and did not understand anything that happened in the book which intrigues me. It almost felt like some alternate version of me read the book and then present me was offered a retelling by AU me. It was confusingly okay. It was also gratingly pretentious and verbose at times, something I hope the author cracks down on going forward. It felt a bit like trying too hard and doing too much. Like the author found a dictionary and decided to write a story around every complex word she found.
Ultimately, I think it's a 3 star read (on the days I feel less generous, it might be a 2.5). I loved the characters and it made me stop to think regularly. And there are so many twists. I think it might be one of those books I can't make any decisions about until I read the second book and conclude the series.
It was confusing and intriguing and I didn't hate that? I think? Anyway, the fact that I'm willing to continue the series is promising I guess.
kristindelcorso's review against another edition
2.75
The magic is really interesting, but poorly explained. I wanted to know more than the descriptions. The characters require more depth and grace than they are handled with. The story has an air of pretension and says so much while saying so little. That being said, this genre— 6 magical kids in some mystical magical school— is a favorite of mine.
starryclaudia's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
candicemtd's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
britwert's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This was not even close to what I had expected for how talked about this book is in certain circles. This did a good job at setting up characters, but the plot?? Where did it go??
I get the need for setting up the world and the magic, but I felt like I read through pages and pages of dialogue that simply did nothing to move the story along for me. It’s disappointing to read an entire book waiting for something just to realize that it’s essentially a set up for book two. I still have so many questions, but in a “will these really be answered” way, not an “omg I need the next book in my hands right now” kind of way.
I get the need for setting up the world and the magic, but I felt like I read through pages and pages of dialogue that simply did nothing to move the story along for me. It’s disappointing to read an entire book waiting for something just to realize that it’s essentially a set up for book two. I still have so many questions, but in a “will these really be answered” way, not an “omg I need the next book in my hands right now” kind of way.
d34nn3_29's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
5.0