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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dark academia usually bodes well, but this was a slog and a half. The tangled web of characters were all pretty terrible, inconsistent people who made bad decision after bad decision. The end was painful and made the story feel like it was for nothing. The friendship between the four was barely etched in, so the loss they felt, the descriptions of her as “extraordinary” seemed phoned in at best. I hated that Rose ends up with her bully, and that Sylvia is forgiven all the horrifying things she did. I hate that Every character is both bully and bullied, making it impossible to root for anyone. I hated the way sex and rape was played at so haphazardly. Sylvia is raped by Gerald, has sex with Max, Bella and Rose. Sami has sex with Ingrid and Rose but says he’s in love with Marta. Lloyd has sex with Max whose also with Genevieve and was with Sylvia, even though we know Max is a jerk. Rose has sex with Sami but wants to be with Sylvia. A completely convoluted mess.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
This was a must read for me as it had been widely pitched as “The Secret History for millennials”. This was a huge mistake on my part as I class Tartt’s masterpiece as a modern classic in my top 5 books of all time so it was a big ask to rate this in the same vein.
Yes it was Dark Academia, yes it was nasty posh kids bullying “normal” kids but that’s it.
Disappointing as it wasn’t a bad read, it was just incomparable.
To sum up, it’s fine albeit overly long and I’m sure it’ll be popular, but the media ruined it for me.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.
Yes it was Dark Academia, yes it was nasty posh kids bullying “normal” kids but that’s it.
Disappointing as it wasn’t a bad read, it was just incomparable.
To sum up, it’s fine albeit overly long and I’m sure it’ll be popular, but the media ruined it for me.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A barely enjoyable "thriller". My primary issue is just the complete and utter unrealistic nature of the entire premise. Teenagers simply do not act the way that they are portrayed in this book. Even the dramatically cruel and rigid boarding school the book is set in feels more of a parody of an Enid Blyton book than a realistic setting. From a purely factual perspective, there were just so many inconsistencies in the timelines and plot. For example panadol overdoses are not something that occur within the span of being left alone for 1 hour . Or as another example the completion of 50 laps of a hockey field as a so-called warm-up is so unrealistic, for a distance that would likely take over an hour just to name a specific few.
The "romance" between the characters was also wholly unrealistic.The idea of Rose and Sylvia ending up together was completely unfounded, with no previous hints of any romantic attraction at all for the entirety of their interactions in the first half of the book. It felt like a plot that had been created purely to fulfil a "happily ever after" trope.
The entirety of the plot is also centred around one specific event of unclear significance. It felt like a dramatic overreaction, with the entirety of the second half of the book feeling overdrawn, repetitive and unnecessarily dramatised.
Ultimately a rather disappointing thriller, with an unimpressive and unrealistic plot, dislikeable characters and an unsatisfying resolution.
The "romance" between the characters was also wholly unrealistic.
The entirety of the plot is also centred around one specific event of unclear significance. It felt like a dramatic overreaction, with the entirety of the second half of the book feeling overdrawn, repetitive and unnecessarily dramatised.
Ultimately a rather disappointing thriller, with an unimpressive and unrealistic plot, dislikeable characters and an unsatisfying resolution.