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apurplehyacinth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4.5⭐️
This book is the most stereotypical dark academia book i’ve ever read, but honestly, i didn’t mind.
i enjoyed the sometimes cringy way things were described like this was a harry potter fanfic. it felt magical and whimsy. that is until the plot twist that had me sitting on my bed with my mouth open in shock.
lesbian representation was a major plus for me, and i have a love hate relationship with the ending of this book. i love it for the grossness it left me with, while also hating it for that. i probably won’t ever read this again but it’s a fun one time read. I can understand why some people wouldn’t enjoy it, but I think it all just depends on how you interpret the content in this book. it’s heavy on darker topics and discussion of mental illnesses. if you’re not open to exploring how sometimes people use mental health as a weapon and how manipulation can cause a person to act in irrational ways. then maybe don’t read this. but for someone who loves thinking about this stuff, i had a fun time.
a great dark academia sapphic story mixed with murder, magic, and mystery
This book is the most stereotypical dark academia book i’ve ever read, but honestly, i didn’t mind.
i enjoyed the sometimes cringy way things were described like this was a harry potter fanfic. it felt magical and whimsy. that is until the plot twist that had me sitting on my bed with my mouth open in shock.
lesbian representation was a major plus for me, and i have a love hate relationship with the ending of this book. i love it for the grossness it left me with, while also hating it for that. i probably won’t ever read this again but it’s a fun one time read. I can understand why some people wouldn’t enjoy it, but I think it all just depends on how you interpret the content in this book. it’s heavy on darker topics and discussion of mental illnesses. if you’re not open to exploring how sometimes people use mental health as a weapon and how manipulation can cause a person to act in irrational ways. then maybe don’t read this. but for someone who loves thinking about this stuff, i had a fun time.
a great dark academia sapphic story mixed with murder, magic, and mystery
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death
sleepysapph_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Gaslighting, Animal death, Violence, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Racism
marcilene's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is book is everything I've ever searched for and I went through it in the span of three days. Without spoiling the final scene of Felicity and Ellis was so satisfying to me, like I was waiting for that the whole time. As for the book Ellis wrote I can't describe how much I want to read it and at the same time never see it brought to life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death, and Alcohol
blackheart's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Classism, Cursing, Vomit, Death, Animal death, and Toxic relationship
wardenred's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.25
I feel as if the next year has just opened up in front of me, a great and yawning void that consumes all light. What will emerge from that darkness? What ghosts will reach from the shadows to close their fingers around my neck?
A few years ago I tried to read a different book by Victoria Lee and was underwhelmed to the point of DNFing. So no matter how intriguing A Lesson in Vengeance looked, I didn't have particularly high expectations for it. I certainly didn't expect to blast through the entire book in one go because I simply couldn't put it down!
Looking at the book critically, I certainly see it's got flaws. There's a certain clunkiness to how some parts of the plot fit together. Ellis doesn't make for a convincing Pulitzer-winning literary prodigy, what with every quote pulled from her manuscripts reading like regular middle-of-the-shelf witchy YA. Some of the representation feels heavy-handed and imperfect. For a dark academia novel, there's too little academia here behind all the pretentious talk.
But, listen, the vibes! The vibes are so thick here and so deliciously creepy. It's been a while, I think, since I read something so absolutely atmospheric. I started reading the book in broad daylight, and I almost immediately felt like I was instead sitting in a darkened room with shadows lurking in every corner. The prose here is so vivid and engrossing, and I loved being in Felicity's head, trying to guess at what was real and what wasn't about everything that went on. All the tension, murder, and creepy witchiness made for a perfect cocktail to bring some Halloween mood into a gloomy December.
I do wish there was more actual academia, though. And to get to know some of the side characters better, although I kind of do understand why practically no one was fully realized. Throughout the narrative, Felicity pretty much only has eyes for Ellis, herself, and the long-buried Alex; it's no wonder all the other girls drift in and out of her periphery, providing nothing more than vivid snapshots of their presence.
All in all: a flawed yet delightful read with great prose and one of my favorite unreliable narrators.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Alcohol, Mental illness, Murder, and Gaslighting
ahntologies's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
solarel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
At some points in this book I thought I was able to predict what would come next but I was always proven wrong. It kept me in a state of shock at every step with plot twists and reveals.
With the subject of high school girls, it makes sense that it read like a YA. At some points it felt like it was almost pretentiously trying to be adult, but that’s also on theme. The prose felt like it was trying too hard at times to be dark and edgy, but overall the vibes were very spooky academic.
Definitely a page turner. I enjoyed it.
With the subject of high school girls, it makes sense that it read like a YA. At some points it felt like it was almost pretentiously trying to be adult, but that’s also on theme. The prose felt like it was trying too hard at times to be dark and edgy, but overall the vibes were very spooky academic.
Definitely a page turner. I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Gun violence, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Grief, Murder, Outing, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Body horror, Animal death, Blood, Grief, and Murder
notlikethebeer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I am, openly, not a fan of books that aren't set firmly in The Real World. Even magical realism can get a bit too fantastical for me. And yet, every now and again, a book comes along and breaks that exception. This was one of them. A Lesson in Vengeance is dark and enticing and engrossing. It gave me Moira Fowley-Doyle vibes in a lot of ways, as well as Secret History vibes at times too - it definitely fits firmly into dark academia. And yet it went far darker than either of those, often quite unsettlingly so. Despite the various twisted parts, I really enjoyed getting to know each of the characters, and there was a great sense of unreliability and conflict as to who could be trusted and who couldn't - along with what could be trusted, and what couldn't. I personally loved the ending too, I can see why others might not, but I thought it was perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death, and Grief
vagrantheather's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A spooky dark academia with an unreliable narrator. Lots of fun. I do think the characters are much too well read for teenagers - they all speak academia fluently and have fixed thoughts on concepts and authors unknown outside of the realm of academic literature - would have worked better for me if they were in university looking forward to Masters programs. In general they just aren't at all young acting. And the way all of the adults in the background tacitly permit smoking, drinking, and a total lack of supervision, seems to me more like college than a pricey boarding school full of academically inclined socialites.
But those gripes are minor and in general I loved the mood, setting, writing, moral flexibility, and disconnection from reality. It was a lot of fun to read!
But those gripes are minor and in general I loved the mood, setting, writing, moral flexibility, and disconnection from reality. It was a lot of fun to read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Animal death, Abandonment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Minor: Cursing, Outing, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Drug use