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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Magical boarding school but from the perspective of the teachers. Liked a lot of what it was doing: the minutiae of being a teacher and running a school, how Walden is very much a flawed protagonist who thinks she's too old and experienced to fuck up like her teenage students, only to turn around and cause an even bigger mess. But it didn't quite gel together for me and I'm still chewing over why. Part of it is how the social commentary about the privileges of Chetwood doesn't really resolve, and part of it is the whole Mark subplot, which dragged the pacing down because he was so obviously bad news. Overall I found it interesting but flawed, and as an entry in the "former teacher writes their Thoughts About Teaching filtered through a genre lens" not as brilliant as Kanae Minato's Confessions.
I am convinced that this was made in a lab very specifically for me, which is why I was so frustrated by the way it ended.
The first half had me convinced that this was going to be my favorite release of the year, and then the wheels fell off around the halfway mark. The second act attempts to accomplish way too much, and it comes across as a little obvious and, in places, sloppy. Tesh's writing is so gorgeous that I still came away very pleased, but I do wish this had been executed differently.
The first half had me convinced that this was going to be my favorite release of the year, and then the wheels fell off around the halfway mark. The second act attempts to accomplish way too much, and it comes across as a little obvious and, in places, sloppy. Tesh's writing is so gorgeous that I still came away very pleased, but I do wish this had been executed differently.
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
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
This would be an awesome book anyway but I particularly enjoyed all the niche teaching in the UK references throughout the book. For example, having a demon mention that they can’t do anything that breaks the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe In Education really tickled me
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
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
I really had medium expectations going into this fantasy standalone seeing as magic schools have been written about before, and because I'm always scared that they are secretly fanfiction of a certain type. It was to my absolutely delight that I was completely blown away by this magic school book, mostly because the best parts of the book actually aren't about magic at all. The humor was written in a style similar to the Emily Wilde books, where the subject matter is serious but served with a side of snark and quirkiness. The romance was sweet but not the center story for this novel, something I appreciate because it was borne out of the characters went through, and not just attraction. The aesthetics of the magic school made me feel as though I was really there, just mostly in the teacher's lounge, a side of magic schools we rarely ever see. I've never read such a comprehensive book about teaching as a lifestyle, as a calling, as a job. This book is not afraid to get into the details of the extremely hard work it takes to teach kids (no matter what subject, English, maths, history, ethics, and even magic). In fact the whole book is mostly about what it means to be create and live a teaching philosophy that is unique to every teacher, based on background, experience, knowledge. Our main character is shaped by what happens to her as a student and is shaped again by becoming a teacher to a student who on the surface has nothing in common, but when it comes to youthful mistakes and brilliance, have more in common than they think. I appreciate the boundaries that were woven into this book so much: even though we as readers are made to care about the students through the eyes of this teacher, the relationships between the two sides were incredibly appropriate, and not even this being a fictional book could make the author lose her way in demonstrating how important these boundaries are for the safety of children. The second side of this novel is the main character struggling under the surface of herself: the question of, did I make the right career choice, did I make the right relationship choice all those years ago, is it worth it to teach when more money could be made elsewhere, why are all my clothes either professional or band t-shirts from 20 years ago, etc. I believe from all perspectives, the adults and the teenagers, the book is about how life makes you feel ancient and so so young at any point in time, and what we do when confronted with our ideas of mortality and immortality. This book had a perfect, realistic ending with one of the best finishing sentences that joins together all these ideas in one single line of dialogue.
I will also say separately, because I have no statement from the author to base this on, but I feel as though it must have been inspired by Wizard of Earthsea because of a similar main plot point that was executed so wonderfully and to me felt like an homage to the first big magic school book with ethics. Even if this is not the case, it made me appreciate this book even more for having read Le Guin's masterpiece.
I will also say separately, because I have no statement from the author to base this on, but I feel as though it must have been inspired by Wizard of Earthsea because of a similar main plot point that was executed so wonderfully and to me felt like an homage to the first big magic school book with ethics. Even if this is not the case, it made me appreciate this book even more for having read Le Guin's masterpiece.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes