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abbythebookfairy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was well worth the read. It intimidated me a tad, and I found Felicity slightly annoying in the beginning, but honestly? She grows on you.
You’re unfolding a mystery from the eyes of someone who should know the answers, but doesn’t. You follow a deep love story, and you find yourself so invested in finding the answers that you forget you’re just reading.
The ending was not shocking, but it was definitely well done. In my opinion? You shouldn’t always have to be shocked by the ending, just enjoy the way that it was executed.
I grew to love the characters, and understand them. Their flaws and fears, as well as their strengths and joys.
I think this book will live inside my mind for a long time.
You’re unfolding a mystery from the eyes of someone who should know the answers, but doesn’t. You follow a deep love story, and you find yourself so invested in finding the answers that you forget you’re just reading.
The ending was not shocking, but it was definitely well done. In my opinion? You shouldn’t always have to be shocked by the ending, just enjoy the way that it was executed.
I grew to love the characters, and understand them. Their flaws and fears, as well as their strengths and joys.
I think this book will live inside my mind for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Murder
sammy357's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I've never read dark academia before and I really only started the book because I thought the premise was interesting and wanted to read more sapphic books, so maybe I wasn't the intended audience.
I thought their would be magic, witches, and ghosts in the book and that's what I was most excited for. That and the mystery of the Dalloway Five.But unfortunately there wasn't actually any magic involved.
I wasn't really invested in the romance or the characters. Honestly from the beginning Ellis gave off bad vibes. When I read that she was a "method writer" I knew she would be a walking red flag. I mean have you ever heard of a method actor that didn't take it too far?
Overall the book was okay. I liked the beginning because of the hints of magic and a haunting, wasn't really invested in the rest of the book, and liked the last couple chapterswith the murder and Felicity trying not to get framed.
Wouldn't read again but I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it.
I thought their would be magic, witches, and ghosts in the book and that's what I was most excited for. That and the mystery of the Dalloway Five.
I wasn't really invested in the romance or the characters. Honestly from the beginning Ellis gave off bad vibes. When I read that she was a "method writer" I knew she would be a walking red flag. I mean have you ever heard of a method actor that didn't take it too far?
Overall the book was okay. I liked the beginning because of the hints of magic and a haunting, wasn't really invested in the rest of the book, and liked the last couple chapters
Wouldn't read again but I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Child abuse
Manipulation, substance abuse (alcohol mostly), suicide references (no actual abuse) reference to racist history at a PWIapurplehyacinth'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
ursa_arlo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol and Racism
sayhar13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Animal death, and Mental illness
persephonefoxx's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“The question isn't whether magic is real. It's whether I can touch it without being consumed by it.”
There is a certain irony that a book that criticises characters for pursuing witchcraft in a shallow and aesthetic way finds itself more focused on aesthetics than a plot. This is a story that values witchy and dark academia vibes first and plot second.
When I say that I didn’t know where this book was going, it is not in the usual way you’d expect from a tale marketed as a thriller. It was because for 75% of this story, it didn’t really go anywhere. The bulk of this book involves Felicity experiencing her slowing building flirtation, struggling with mental illness, and ignoring a sea of red flags amidst a list of dark academia brand backdrops.
The real substance in this book hides in the final quarter. It is here that the events I expected 100 pages ago started firing off in quick succession. The last 15% is a whirlwind and a victim of pacing issues due to the sheer amount of plot existing within.
Overall, this is a book with a strong start and an okay ending (although I am conflicted about the epilogue and if it even has a place in the story). But it got severely lost along the way. As a literary tale of grief and female anger and its relationship to witchcraft both past and present, it is a fully fledged entity with pacing issues. As a thriller, it misses the mark. It is not a bad book, it’s just not a memorable one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Murder, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Racism, Classism, and Emotional abuse
seren's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Gun violence, Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, and Grief
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
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