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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
A slow start that got intriguing towards the end
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
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
A refreshingly great fantasy debut. I loved the world building and the unique impact the afterlife setting had on the stakes and the character histories. I loved the multi POVS, and how distinct and well realized each character felt. There were some moments in the set up where I was really side eyeing the premise, but the payoff was ultimately super satisfying.
I’m absolutely going to continue the series. The spoilers below are just my own personal recap for me to reread whenever book 2 comes out, so ignore all of this:
Important things to remember:
The decennial was always a competition and the headmaster simply erased everyone’s memories of the nominees who did not win. It is simply a disguise to feed the ether uncorrupted souls to keep it in balance. The ether is mad at Blackwood Academy because Silas is actually a corrupted soul who managed to go into the shadow lands, take over the shadow powers, and come back into Blackwood even stronger and take over it.
The origin of the Demien order is the group of people from Blackwood who broke away to try and take
it back from Silas. But overtime, it has also been corrupted, and they now worship some mysterious figure known as the Soulless One. We don’t know who that is, but there is a prophecy that Wren is the one who is supposed to be the catalyst to help them finally destroy
Blackwood. August was tasked by his sister Edith to bring Wren to them. He was already a spy for the demien order embedded in Blackwood, so he got to keep his humanity. Using the shadow magic is what strips your humanity away.
At the end, Edith has taken Wren to the Demien order — which looks like a community and not that evil — and august is so desperate to find her like he promised that we see him start to use shadow magic.
There is also a third splinter group called the resistance that is made up of people who were at one point spies for the Demien order within Blackwood so they never give up their humanity, but realized both sides had problems and are now trying to take down both and restore genuine balance to the afterlife.
Two housemasters are in the group, and Catherine , Masika’s old lover who “went Demien “
The resistance saved Emilio, Olivier, and Masika. But in helping them break the soul vow, they can no longer heal magically. Emilio was hurt in the last trial but is healing. Masika dropped a mountain on herself fighting August but is healing - has a scarred face though.
Irene won the decennial and ascended, but is secretly spying for the Demiens and working with Mateo (through her locket) to take down Silas. But they are lying to her too, bc they never told her August was a spy as well.
Also the ether is still unbalanced because it did not get its sacrifice of 11 souls bc 5 went missing. When it’s unbalanced the students run into more dangers.
Becoming ascended gives you full access to your powers, but shadow magic does too. If you stay too long at the academy The Forgetting takes your memories / humanity and you wander purgatory as a shell.
Winning the decennial also gives you the choice to cross to the other side, which some people chose after learning the horrible truth about the decennial. Emilio planned to choose that before he and Olivier admitted their love.
The role of the academy is to help lost souls in the ether cross over to the other side. People who’ve had a near death experience, survive, and then die in a tragic way around 17-18 end up in Blackwood as reapers who help usher the lost souls. No one knows what’s on the other side, but a lot was hidden from the students, who mostly only ever saw the tiny sliver of purgatory in Blackwood.
Why are vines taking over Blackwood? Probably bc of the Silas corruption.
Edith was undercover as Louise, who wren befriended. Lou was possessed and didn’t know it was Edith who had access to shadow magic, not her. Wren genuinely cared for her and is a kind girl who feels guilty about causing her sisters death by letting her drive drunk and they got into an accident.
Wren almost died during a trial when Edith sent a shadow creature after her and she was dragged into the shadow lands. August saved her by giving her a piece of his soul, which Olivier knows but Wren doesn’t. Because of this, wren and August are tethered and can read each others thoughts. Edith and August are also linked somehow and can sense each other.
Olivier was slipping into the forgetting before the decennial
I’m absolutely going to continue the series. The spoilers below are just my own personal recap for me to reread whenever book 2 comes out, so ignore all of this:
Important things to remember:
The decennial was always a competition and the headmaster simply erased everyone’s memories of the nominees who did not win. It is simply a disguise to feed the ether uncorrupted souls to keep it in balance. The ether is mad at Blackwood Academy because Silas is actually a corrupted soul who managed to go into the shadow lands, take over the shadow powers, and come back into Blackwood even stronger and take over it.
The origin of the Demien order is the group of people from Blackwood who broke away to try and take
it back from Silas. But overtime, it has also been corrupted, and they now worship some mysterious figure known as the Soulless One. We don’t know who that is, but there is a prophecy that Wren is the one who is supposed to be the catalyst to help them finally destroy
Blackwood. August was tasked by his sister Edith to bring Wren to them. He was already a spy for the demien order embedded in Blackwood, so he got to keep his humanity. Using the shadow magic is what strips your humanity away.
At the end, Edith has taken Wren to the Demien order — which looks like a community and not that evil — and august is so desperate to find her like he promised that we see him start to use shadow magic.
There is also a third splinter group called the resistance that is made up of people who were at one point spies for the Demien order within Blackwood so they never give up their humanity, but realized both sides had problems and are now trying to take down both and restore genuine balance to the afterlife.
Two housemasters are in the group, and Catherine , Masika’s old lover who “went Demien “
The resistance saved Emilio, Olivier, and Masika. But in helping them break the soul vow, they can no longer heal magically. Emilio was hurt in the last trial but is healing. Masika dropped a mountain on herself fighting August but is healing - has a scarred face though.
Irene won the decennial and ascended, but is secretly spying for the Demiens and working with Mateo (through her locket) to take down Silas. But they are lying to her too, bc they never told her August was a spy as well.
Also the ether is still unbalanced because it did not get its sacrifice of 11 souls bc 5 went missing. When it’s unbalanced the students run into more dangers.
Becoming ascended gives you full access to your powers, but shadow magic does too. If you stay too long at the academy The Forgetting takes your memories / humanity and you wander purgatory as a shell.
Winning the decennial also gives you the choice to cross to the other side, which some people chose after learning the horrible truth about the decennial. Emilio planned to choose that before he and Olivier admitted their love.
The role of the academy is to help lost souls in the ether cross over to the other side. People who’ve had a near death experience, survive, and then die in a tragic way around 17-18 end up in Blackwood as reapers who help usher the lost souls. No one knows what’s on the other side, but a lot was hidden from the students, who mostly only ever saw the tiny sliver of purgatory in Blackwood.
Why are vines taking over Blackwood? Probably bc of the Silas corruption.
Edith was undercover as Louise, who wren befriended. Lou was possessed and didn’t know it was Edith who had access to shadow magic, not her. Wren genuinely cared for her and is a kind girl who feels guilty about causing her sisters death by letting her drive drunk and they got into an accident.
Wren almost died during a trial when Edith sent a shadow creature after her and she was dragged into the shadow lands. August saved her by giving her a piece of his soul, which Olivier knows but Wren doesn’t. Because of this, wren and August are tethered and can read each others thoughts. Edith and August are also linked somehow and can sense each other.
Olivier was slipping into the forgetting before the decennial
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
VERY high 4-star read.
It didn’t quite hit the 5⭐️ vibe but this book was still fantastic.
The stakes felt high. The characters felt so real and interesting. I love that we had multiple POVs and really got to connect with them.
The last third of this book was a WILD ride! Reveals came one after another, betrayal, surprises, and SO MUCH MORE.
Time to impatiently wait for book 2 🥲
It didn’t quite hit the 5⭐️ vibe but this book was still fantastic.
The stakes felt high. The characters felt so real and interesting. I love that we had multiple POVs and really got to connect with them.
The last third of this book was a WILD ride! Reveals came one after another, betrayal, surprises, and SO MUCH MORE.
Time to impatiently wait for book 2 🥲
Really enjoyed being thrown straight into the world without loads of preamble. Good settling and magic system. Liked that the relationships were already established - felt more authentic and believable and not just like reading the same thing over and over. Wanted the ending to be a bit more powerful.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Really hard to get into the story and the characters- wouldn’t read again
slow-paced