A review by herbivorehaunts
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very atmospheric and a perfect Halloween/autumnal read. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021 for me and while it ultimately fell a little short of my expectations, I really enjoyed the reading experience. I need more sapphic dark academia! 

While I enjoyed most of this, I wish that this had been written with slightly older characters. The characters felt and acted like they were in college, and I feel like all of the things they get up to could have been easier explained away by them being older.  I also felt like this book could have really benefitted from an extra 100 pages or so. Dark academia shines when at a creeping, slow burn, and most of this book was that pace, which made the ending feel really rushed and all too abrupt. I loved the slow pace at the beginning and felt like the end came way too fast. 

I thought the characters were interesting and very unlikeable, but in a way that you still cared about them and where they ended up in the end. I would be interested in picking another title up by this author in the future. I also liked what this book had to say about the genre as well, some interesting topics get brushed upon in terms of academia as a setting, as well as patriarchal oppression in such spheres. There are no specific men mentioned in this book, not even as a minor character, which I'm pretty sure is the first book that I've read with an all female cast. The writing style was really wonderful and I thought that overall A Lesson in Vengeance is a near-perfect dark academia read. 

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