Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't even know what to say about this. I don't even know why or how I got through this absolute shit show.
I REALLY don't think Tracy Wolff has ever experienced a hurricane. I don't think she even knows what a hurricane is, if I'm honest.
This book was a dumpster fire. Too much going on, no clear plot, every mythological/paranormal character that has ever existed is written into this book with ZERO context or explanation for their powers and history and inter-species dynamics, people just...jaunting around outside in a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE like it's normal -- like that would even be possible.
The magic system didn't make any sense, had no rules and nothing to explain why the characters could do what they did.
I've cared more about bowel movements than I cared about the romance. Because it's not a romance.
I just.
I'm just gonna leave my chapter notes--because there's just too much going on in this book (and none of it is good) to try and write a coherent review.
Chapter 1: Okay, so if it's so dangerous, how is it parents keep sending their kids to the academy-that's-described-like-Alcatraz? Like the very first paragraph tells us kids are almost dying and the perpetrators aren't being treated like the almost-murderer they are. Soooo?????
Chapter 3: Clementine's still wearing her shredded clothes, and is still bloody, right? How is that not setting off every vampire in existence around her? We're told LITERALLY in the first paragraph of chapter 1 that a vamp almost killed a girl. Yet Clementine is wandering around a school full of monsters covered in her own blood and isn't being mauled? Why? How?
Chapter 6: So, they're...manticores? Just how many paranormal species exist in this book? [I will later come to regret asking this question...]
Chapter 12: Clementine has all these complex emotions and feelings for people who did something to her (or to those she loved, I guess?) in the past. She's freaking the fuck out about being paired up with Jude for some poetry assignment and they have a full blown argument, and I don't know what the fuck they're mad at each other about because we weren't there to witness the almighty falling out that happened at some point before this stupid book began.
And just when you think that's complicated enough (I mean, sure, I can get behind 2 characters dealing with an issue that is at first mysterious but then gets revealed over the course of the book), some OTHER dude shows up out of nowhere and Clementine reacts like he's ALSO a plague on the earth she's been <i>desperately</i> trying to avoid.
????????????? Does this chick just have an issue with EVERYBODY?
Chapter 13: Remy's sudden appearance would matter to me more if I knew who the fuck he was, or why Clementine's hissing and spitting and trying not to cry because she's suddenly been made to share space with him. Like we're in chapter 13, folks. And this guy shows up out of nowhere, and we're just supposed to go with her being all "OMG NO"?
Yeah yeah, we get an explanation, sort of. But like. I feel like this isn't the first book in a series. That we've missed out on not just one but SEVERAL key events that apparently changed young Clem's life forever. And now we're watching as the consequences fall down around her.
But there's NO context for all of this teenaged freaking out she's doing.
Also can I just take this second to say there's a TON of paranormal characters in this book [What did I say?], and zero context for how or why they exist, what their unique traits are or where they come from. Like there's vampires--okay, but do they age? Are they born or turned? Does that matter? Why are they in an academy of students if they're immortal and unchanging? What exactly sets a manticore apart from a faerie? What can Clem do that the Jean-dipshits can't? Are the Fae immortal?
SO MANY QUESTIONS.
Chapter 21: Is this academy a school or a prison? Because they keep talking about dungeons and now we learn that the Jean-Jerks (stupidest nickname for a group I've read in a while, btw) were sent there for some reason, and it's not a good one. It sounds like a punishment, rather than a prestigious thing.
Chapter 26: Uh. How is it the teachers/administrators are expecting Clem and her cousin (who is a senior, like Clem is) to disrupt brawls between students when they themselves are students? Clem is a teenager, right? Why are the adults treating her like she's also an adult, fully capable and responsible for what happens to the other teenagers on the island?
Nothing in this book really makes any sense, I swear.
Chapter 27: I should have mentioned this sooner but whatever. The musical references to the Beatles and to Aerosmith are great--but I don't know if the YA generation is going to catch them (or care). They're being spoken about as if it's popular knowledge--IE there's not a lot of reference material to clue the reader in that they're making a reference to a song or band or whatever.
I mean, sure Aerosmith and the Beatles are huge bands--but this book is reading YOUNG young. Even if the characters are supposedly in their upper teens (as they're juniors/seniors in what essentially equates to high school), the voice of Clem and the situations, and even the punny chapter titles all make this sound more middle-grade than true YA.
I like Jude calling her Kumquat or whatever other citrus fruit, that's cute. But the music references are a bit niche with zero context.
Chapter 32: Why are we all running through the menagerie again? Like this is the side questiest side quest that ever side quested. What the hell is the poooooint????
Chapter 35: Okay, so everybody shifts. Where do their clothes go? How are they not all naked when they shift back?
Chapter 46: So literally nothing is happening. There was discussion about evacuation, and then that didn't happen. They wandered through the dungeons/zoo...for some reason. They were outside, randomly. They got a hold of some weird tapestry and instead of talking about it or trying to figure it out they play a stupid party game.
I also don't care AT ALL about the tension between Jude and Clementine. She spends every waking thought mooning over him, but every time he gets close or speaks to her, she answers like someone's stolen her favorite candy and then slung mud on her easter dress. She's childish and throwing tantrums.
And Jude's not helping his case AT ALL by being broody and aloof and stoic for god only knows what reason.
What the fuck am I reading?
Chapter 48: Look, if you're in the middle of a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE, wandering around outside is NOT POSSIBLE. Winds get up to 157 mph or higher. Considering that a strong 45mph wind can knock a person down... yeah. At 66mph you're literally FLYING. There's so much wandering around outside. AND FOR WHAT?!
Chapter 51: Why do these people even bother going inside? They're guaranteed to immediately run right back out into the storm, right? Cause that's exactly what they just did. And how the fuck does Jude just KNOW what's going on. Why does he always show up out of nowhere every time Clem needs him?
Chapter 52: Also, anybody who's ever had ANY experience with a hurricane knows that you don't wait for it to start fucking raining to decide to evacuate. YOU LEAVE DAYS BEFORE THE STORM HITS LAND!
Chapter 55: "Don't love me" *proceeds to kiss the life out of her*
This is their whole relationship.
Chapter 56: I do not understand the government structure in this world. Clem just so casually mentions wars between gargoyle and vampire courts and now Jude is the nightmare prince. The Fae are apparently Mafia. Who gives this school/prison(?) it's credentials?
Also, the magic system is all sorts of fucked up. So, this school/prison has spells that supposedly dampen the kids/inmates magic, right? Except shit sometimes goes wonky (at first, there's no logical reason, then it's blamed on the storm and the lightning--as if lightning is a super rare occurrence that almost never ever happens in the GULF OF MEXICO). Yet, throughout this book we've encountered people including Clem and now Jude who have abilities that aren't dampened by the spells. What makes them different? Why aren't their powers cut off the way supposedly everybody else's is? Who put the wards in place in the first place?
SO MANY QUESTIONS!
Chapter 58: The only thing that makes this book YA and not middle grade is the sheer amount of F bombs.
Chapter 62: It's been 3 chapters. And all we're reading about is Clementine half-drowning in the water. Why should I care about any of this? Why are we spending so much time reading about her trying to swim in the ocean?
Chapter 63: 4 chapters.
Of course Jude is there--he's ALWAYS there.
Chapter 65: Is now a good time to recall that there is a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE bearing down on these people??? They're just... floating around in the ocean IN A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE. Do you know how silly that is? How IMPOSSIBLE it would be to survive that? Honestly.
Clem's seeing people in triplicate--and has been for a good 12 chapters now. AND THERE'S NOT A SINGLE EXPLANATION FOR IT. Just like we still have no idea why or how she can see ghosts.
Chapter 66: Okay, so now the CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE isn't just a normal storm it's a MAGICAL hurricane! Uhuh. So, you mean to tell me it's not affecting the Gulf Coast of the US at all? that it didn't obliterate Cuba or Haiti or any of the Bahamas? You mean to tell me that normal human people who I presume exist in this world aren't flipping their shit over a MAGICAL CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE headed for Louisiana again?
I hate when authors try to set shit in the real world and then don't take into consideration that Earth has actual people living on it with established governmental systems in place.
For the past 6-8 chapters these assholes have been floating around in the ocean without so much as a HINT of shifting. Now, they've all shifted at once, seemingly of their own accord. Even though they aren't and haven't been within the magical wards of the school/prison for ages...Sure, that makes sense.
One thing. That's all I ask. Can just ONE THING please make sense in this book? PLEASE.
Chapter 68: Also it is CONCERNING how many kids are straight up slaughtered in this book. I should have said something about this earlier but honestly with all the other bullshit going on it sort of slipped my mind. Like how many students/prisoners were even at this school, cause a good hundred or so have been killed and we're barely halfway through this book.
AND AGAIN. How are these people shifting back and forth without their clothes disappearing? Do their clothes shift with them?
Chapter 72: This past present future thing is doing my head in, man. There's simply TOO MUCH going on in this book. Entirely too much.
Storm
Magical creatures in a school that shouldn't exist
Ghosts with secrets
Time-warp/dimensional shifts
Mysterious artifacts that leave warnings
Nightmares that actually kill people
Kids just learning how to figure out their powers with zero help from adults
Mafia- faerie bullies
How come no one thought to tell Ms. Wolff to tone it the fuck down a bit?
Chapter 75: Once again...how are these myriad species of paranormal people no constantly at each other's throats? How is it that the teachers can't keep them in check? And why is it up to Clementine of all people to try and break up the fighting? What even IS authority at this place?
Chapter 76: Every time they get close to doing something useful, something has to happen to utterly distract or separate the group. No wonder this book is so damned long and nothing's going on. I have never cared less about all these kids fighting and dying.
Chapter 78: The amount of death going on and nobody reacting to it is ASTRONOMICAL.
Also, FINALLY people are addressing the fact that they're in the middle of a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE! Only took 3/4s of the entire goddamned book.
Chapter 79: I thought all the "Jean-Jerks" were dead? Now we have to watch out for them again? O.o
Chapter 86-87: A MATING BOND. You have got to be shitting me. How does that work? They're 2 entirely separate species. Where did this come from? Why is there no precedent for this? Why haven't mating bonds been brought up waaaaaay before now? I didn't need this in my life.
Oh, of curse, because her daddy isn't in the picture, she's only HALF manticore.
Ya'll I quit. I'm sorry this story is so dumb.
Chapter 89: I don't care.
Chapter 90: Okay so, if the hurricane wasn't a REAL hurricane, then how does the rest of the world feel about this gigantic storm just mysteriously disappearing? How's the folks in Louisiana and Mississippi? What about the people in Florida? This island doesn't exist in a vacuum.
1 last thing: Almost every review I came across (on GR and other sites) mentioned Wolff's <u>Crave</u> series as justification for why they picked this book up. Regardless of star rating, people were pointing fingers at this other series. Look. If a book can't stand on its own without someone (everyone?) mentioning another, unrelated series, then there's a problem.
I REALLY don't think Tracy Wolff has ever experienced a hurricane. I don't think she even knows what a hurricane is, if I'm honest.
This book was a dumpster fire. Too much going on, no clear plot, every mythological/paranormal character that has ever existed is written into this book with ZERO context or explanation for their powers and history and inter-species dynamics, people just...jaunting around outside in a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE like it's normal -- like that would even be possible.
The magic system didn't make any sense, had no rules and nothing to explain why the characters could do what they did.
I've cared more about bowel movements than I cared about the romance. Because it's not a romance.
I just.
I'm just gonna leave my chapter notes--because there's just too much going on in this book (and none of it is good) to try and write a coherent review.
Chapter 3: Clementine's still wearing her shredded clothes, and is still bloody, right? How is that not setting off every vampire in existence around her? We're told LITERALLY in the first paragraph of chapter 1 that a vamp almost killed a girl. Yet Clementine is wandering around a school full of monsters covered in her own blood and isn't being mauled? Why? How?
Chapter 6: So, they're...manticores? Just how many paranormal species exist in this book? [I will later come to regret asking this question...]
Chapter 12: Clementine has all these complex emotions and feelings for people who did something to her (or to those she loved, I guess?) in the past. She's freaking the fuck out about being paired up with Jude for some poetry assignment and they have a full blown argument, and I don't know what the fuck they're mad at each other about because we weren't there to witness the almighty falling out that happened at some point before this stupid book began.
And just when you think that's complicated enough (I mean, sure, I can get behind 2 characters dealing with an issue that is at first mysterious but then gets revealed over the course of the book), some OTHER dude shows up out of nowhere and Clementine reacts like he's ALSO a plague on the earth she's been <i>desperately</i> trying to avoid.
????????????? Does this chick just have an issue with EVERYBODY?
Chapter 13: Remy's sudden appearance would matter to me more if I knew who the fuck he was, or why Clementine's hissing and spitting and trying not to cry because she's suddenly been made to share space with him. Like we're in chapter 13, folks. And this guy shows up out of nowhere, and we're just supposed to go with her being all "OMG NO"?
Yeah yeah, we get an explanation, sort of. But like. I feel like this isn't the first book in a series. That we've missed out on not just one but SEVERAL key events that apparently changed young Clem's life forever. And now we're watching as the consequences fall down around her.
But there's NO context for all of this teenaged freaking out she's doing.
Also can I just take this second to say there's a TON of paranormal characters in this book [What did I say?], and zero context for how or why they exist, what their unique traits are or where they come from. Like there's vampires--okay, but do they age? Are they born or turned? Does that matter? Why are they in an academy of students if they're immortal and unchanging? What exactly sets a manticore apart from a faerie? What can Clem do that the Jean-dipshits can't? Are the Fae immortal?
SO MANY QUESTIONS.
Chapter 21: Is this academy a school or a prison? Because they keep talking about dungeons and now we learn that the Jean-Jerks (stupidest nickname for a group I've read in a while, btw) were sent there for some reason, and it's not a good one. It sounds like a punishment, rather than a prestigious thing.
Chapter 26: Uh. How is it the teachers/administrators are expecting Clem and her cousin (who is a senior, like Clem is) to disrupt brawls between students when they themselves are students? Clem is a teenager, right? Why are the adults treating her like she's also an adult, fully capable and responsible for what happens to the other teenagers on the island?
Nothing in this book really makes any sense, I swear.
Chapter 27: I should have mentioned this sooner but whatever. The musical references to the Beatles and to Aerosmith are great--but I don't know if the YA generation is going to catch them (or care). They're being spoken about as if it's popular knowledge--IE there's not a lot of reference material to clue the reader in that they're making a reference to a song or band or whatever.
I mean, sure Aerosmith and the Beatles are huge bands--but this book is reading YOUNG young. Even if the characters are supposedly in their upper teens (as they're juniors/seniors in what essentially equates to high school), the voice of Clem and the situations, and even the punny chapter titles all make this sound more middle-grade than true YA.
I like Jude calling her Kumquat or whatever other citrus fruit, that's cute. But the music references are a bit niche with zero context.
Chapter 32: Why are we all running through the menagerie again? Like this is the side questiest side quest that ever side quested. What the hell is the poooooint????
Chapter 35: Okay, so everybody shifts. Where do their clothes go? How are they not all naked when they shift back?
Chapter 46: So literally nothing is happening. There was discussion about evacuation, and then that didn't happen. They wandered through the dungeons/zoo...for some reason. They were outside, randomly. They got a hold of some weird tapestry and instead of talking about it or trying to figure it out they play a stupid party game.
I also don't care AT ALL about the tension between Jude and Clementine. She spends every waking thought mooning over him, but every time he gets close or speaks to her, she answers like someone's stolen her favorite candy and then slung mud on her easter dress. She's childish and throwing tantrums.
And Jude's not helping his case AT ALL by being broody and aloof and stoic for god only knows what reason.
What the fuck am I reading?
Chapter 48: Look, if you're in the middle of a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE, wandering around outside is NOT POSSIBLE. Winds get up to 157 mph or higher. Considering that a strong 45mph wind can knock a person down... yeah. At 66mph you're literally FLYING. There's so much wandering around outside. AND FOR WHAT?!
Chapter 51: Why do these people even bother going inside? They're guaranteed to immediately run right back out into the storm, right? Cause that's exactly what they just did. And how the fuck does Jude just KNOW what's going on. Why does he always show up out of nowhere every time Clem needs him?
Chapter 52: Also, anybody who's ever had ANY experience with a hurricane knows that you don't wait for it to start fucking raining to decide to evacuate. YOU LEAVE DAYS BEFORE THE STORM HITS LAND!
Chapter 55: "Don't love me" *proceeds to kiss the life out of her*
This is their whole relationship.
Chapter 56: I do not understand the government structure in this world. Clem just so casually mentions wars between gargoyle and vampire courts and now Jude is the nightmare prince. The Fae are apparently Mafia. Who gives this school/prison(?) it's credentials?
Also, the magic system is all sorts of fucked up. So, this school/prison has spells that supposedly dampen the kids/inmates magic, right? Except shit sometimes goes wonky (at first, there's no logical reason, then it's blamed on the storm and the lightning--as if lightning is a super rare occurrence that almost never ever happens in the GULF OF MEXICO). Yet, throughout this book we've encountered people including Clem and now Jude who have abilities that aren't dampened by the spells. What makes them different? Why aren't their powers cut off the way supposedly everybody else's is? Who put the wards in place in the first place?
SO MANY QUESTIONS!
Chapter 58: The only thing that makes this book YA and not middle grade is the sheer amount of F bombs.
Chapter 62: It's been 3 chapters. And all we're reading about is Clementine half-drowning in the water. Why should I care about any of this? Why are we spending so much time reading about her trying to swim in the ocean?
Chapter 63: 4 chapters.
Of course Jude is there--he's ALWAYS there.
Chapter 65: Is now a good time to recall that there is a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE bearing down on these people??? They're just... floating around in the ocean IN A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE. Do you know how silly that is? How IMPOSSIBLE it would be to survive that? Honestly.
Clem's seeing people in triplicate--and has been for a good 12 chapters now. AND THERE'S NOT A SINGLE EXPLANATION FOR IT. Just like we still have no idea why or how she can see ghosts.
Chapter 66: Okay, so now the CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE isn't just a normal storm it's a MAGICAL hurricane! Uhuh. So, you mean to tell me it's not affecting the Gulf Coast of the US at all? that it didn't obliterate Cuba or Haiti or any of the Bahamas? You mean to tell me that normal human people who I presume exist in this world aren't flipping their shit over a MAGICAL CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE headed for Louisiana again?
I hate when authors try to set shit in the real world and then don't take into consideration that Earth has actual people living on it with established governmental systems in place.
For the past 6-8 chapters these assholes have been floating around in the ocean without so much as a HINT of shifting. Now, they've all shifted at once, seemingly of their own accord. Even though they aren't and haven't been within the magical wards of the school/prison for ages...Sure, that makes sense.
One thing. That's all I ask. Can just ONE THING please make sense in this book? PLEASE.
Chapter 68: Also it is CONCERNING how many kids are straight up slaughtered in this book. I should have said something about this earlier but honestly with all the other bullshit going on it sort of slipped my mind. Like how many students/prisoners were even at this school, cause a good hundred or so have been killed and we're barely halfway through this book.
AND AGAIN. How are these people shifting back and forth without their clothes disappearing? Do their clothes shift with them?
Chapter 72: This past present future thing is doing my head in, man. There's simply TOO MUCH going on in this book. Entirely too much.
Storm
Magical creatures in a school that shouldn't exist
Ghosts with secrets
Time-warp/dimensional shifts
Mysterious artifacts that leave warnings
Nightmares that actually kill people
Kids just learning how to figure out their powers with zero help from adults
Mafia- faerie bullies
How come no one thought to tell Ms. Wolff to tone it the fuck down a bit?
Chapter 75: Once again...how are these myriad species of paranormal people no constantly at each other's throats? How is it that the teachers can't keep them in check? And why is it up to Clementine of all people to try and break up the fighting? What even IS authority at this place?
Chapter 76: Every time they get close to doing something useful, something has to happen to utterly distract or separate the group. No wonder this book is so damned long and nothing's going on. I have never cared less about all these kids fighting and dying.
Chapter 78: The amount of death going on and nobody reacting to it is ASTRONOMICAL.
Also, FINALLY people are addressing the fact that they're in the middle of a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE! Only took 3/4s of the entire goddamned book.
Chapter 79: I thought all the "Jean-Jerks" were dead? Now we have to watch out for them again? O.o
Chapter 86-87: A MATING BOND. You have got to be shitting me. How does that work? They're 2 entirely separate species. Where did this come from? Why is there no precedent for this? Why haven't mating bonds been brought up waaaaaay before now? I didn't need this in my life.
Oh, of curse, because her daddy isn't in the picture, she's only HALF manticore.
Ya'll I quit. I'm sorry this story is so dumb.
Chapter 89: I don't care.
Chapter 90: Okay so, if the hurricane wasn't a REAL hurricane, then how does the rest of the world feel about this gigantic storm just mysteriously disappearing? How's the folks in Louisiana and Mississippi? What about the people in Florida? This island doesn't exist in a vacuum.
1 last thing: Almost every review I came across (on GR and other sites) mentioned Wolff's <u>Crave</u> series as justification for why they picked this book up. Regardless of star rating, people were pointing fingers at this other series. Look. If a book can't stand on its own without someone (everyone?) mentioning another, unrelated series, then there's a problem.
dark
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:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
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 book was a lot darker than I expected. Not dark romance just dark. I liked clementine and Jude and the whole premise of the school. I had so many unanswered questions at the end!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No