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adelaidebijou's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Body shaming
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Body shaming, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion
jamieleepilk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank-you so much to Quercus for the proof UK release 13/5/21.
Welcome to Caldonbrae Hall, an isolated school for girls where the girls "value" is placed higher than all else. This book wasn't what I was expecting. To be honest I was steering clear from reading to much about it because it felt like a book with lots of mystery. I was surprised by the time of the book set in the 1990s, for some reason I was expecting it to be a lot earlier and with the creepiness of the novel it feels like an old victorian gothic!
Everything is told from the point of view Rose, the newly recruited classics teacher who is at least half the age of the other teachers in the school. Rose is the first new teacher in quite some time. For most of the first half of the novel she is kept in the dark and as the reader you are kept from information about how the school is run and what happened Jane the old classics tutor. I personally loved Rose as an antagonist, she felt very real and reacted how some-one in her situation should react. Her relationships with the girls are varied and I loved the lighter sides of the novel with Rose teaching Nessa, Freddie and Daisy and her relationship towards those three girls.
The addition of the Greek classic plays was brilliant and was done in a way that even if you're aren't aware of these plays before hand you won't miss out. The Heroines stories being interweaved with the lives of Rose and the girls was a great element.
Parts of this book hard to read, especially towards the end. And some parts of this book did want me to scream and chuck the book across the room similar feelings I had with reading books like The Handmaid's Tale and Vox.
Overall I really enjoyed it and I did find it hard to put it down, the writing is extremely smooth so you do read pretty quickly. Some sections and interactions started to feel a bit repetitive after the half way point, if not for that it would have easily been five stars.
📖 If you liked/For Fans of 📖
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Welcome to Caldonbrae Hall, an isolated school for girls where the girls "value" is placed higher than all else. This book wasn't what I was expecting. To be honest I was steering clear from reading to much about it because it felt like a book with lots of mystery. I was surprised by the time of the book set in the 1990s, for some reason I was expecting it to be a lot earlier and with the creepiness of the novel it feels like an old victorian gothic!
Everything is told from the point of view Rose, the newly recruited classics teacher who is at least half the age of the other teachers in the school. Rose is the first new teacher in quite some time. For most of the first half of the novel she is kept in the dark and as the reader you are kept from information about how the school is run and what happened Jane the old classics tutor. I personally loved Rose as an antagonist, she felt very real and reacted how some-one in her situation should react. Her relationships with the girls are varied and I loved the lighter sides of the novel with Rose teaching Nessa, Freddie and Daisy and her relationship towards those three girls.
The addition of the Greek classic plays was brilliant and was done in a way that even if you're aren't aware of these plays before hand you won't miss out. The Heroines stories being interweaved with the lives of Rose and the girls was a great element.
Parts of this book hard to read, especially towards the end. And some parts of this book did want me to scream and chuck the book across the room similar feelings I had with reading books like The Handmaid's Tale and Vox.
Overall I really enjoyed it and I did find it hard to put it down, the writing is extremely smooth so you do read pretty quickly. Some sections and interactions started to feel a bit repetitive after the half way point, if not for that it would have easily been five stars.
📖 If you liked/For Fans of 📖
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
ellekreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
In Madam, we follow Rose Christie as she starts her new job as a Classics teacher at the 150-year-old Caldonbrae Hall, an elite boarding school for girls that promises its students will emerge as the cream of the crop, ready to be a boon to society.
The traditions are arcane, the students are frighteningly self-assured, and Rose's love of sharing historical tales of powerful women are garnering the wrong kind of attention. As Rose discovers what really makes Caldonbrae tick, it becomes increasingly apparent that the only way to avoid the fates the school has planned for her, and her girls, will be to save them herself.
What I Liked:
- dark academia but not from the student's POV!
- dark academia but not YA!
- gothic horror but set in the 90s!!!!
- plenty of lore into Greek and Roman tales!
- eat the rich!!!!!!!!
What I Didn't Like:
- the pacing was off now and then - although I didn't struggle, I was definitely more bored in some places than others. The classes felt quite repetitive.
- there are a LOT of characters to keep track of
Overall this was a moody, atmospheric, easily-read gothic horror/thriller. I loved the school and its disgusting underbelly, I loved the girls gaining their baby feminist perspectives. Weird, dark, and unsettling throughout - it kept my attention throughout and I'd definitely recommend it.
Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Quercus Books for the ARC. This one's available to buy now!
The traditions are arcane, the students are frighteningly self-assured, and Rose's love of sharing historical tales of powerful women are garnering the wrong kind of attention. As Rose discovers what really makes Caldonbrae tick, it becomes increasingly apparent that the only way to avoid the fates the school has planned for her, and her girls, will be to save them herself.
What I Liked:
- dark academia but not from the student's POV!
- dark academia but not YA!
- gothic horror but set in the 90s!!!!
- plenty of lore into Greek and Roman tales!
- eat the rich!!!!!!!!
What I Didn't Like:
- the pacing was off now and then - although I didn't struggle, I was definitely more bored in some places than others. The classes felt quite repetitive.
- there are a LOT of characters to keep track of
Overall this was a moody, atmospheric, easily-read gothic horror/thriller. I loved the school and its disgusting underbelly, I loved the girls gaining their baby feminist perspectives. Weird, dark, and unsettling throughout - it kept my attention throughout and I'd definitely recommend it.
Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Quercus Books for the ARC. This one's available to buy now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion
jamesflint's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse
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