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A review by just_a_bibliophile
The Ivies by Alexa Donne
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Murder mystery in an elite private boarding school? Check. A group of terrifyingly ambitious students who will do anything to get into the college of their dreams? Check. The Ivies is a recipe for disaster. And I loved it.
The Ivies, set in the ambitious boarding school of Clafin, follows a group of determined seniors - known as the Ivies - aspiring to get into their ideal Ivy League colleges. Shortly into the book, a member of the Ivies is found murdered after being accepted into Harvard, bringing about the key question: just what would someone do to bring about their own college acceptance?
As the story progresses, our narrator Olivia, another member of the Ivies, (naturally) begins to take the murder investigation into her own hands. This leads to her discovering a whole host of (rather extreme, crazy, and bizarre) events and actions which have been committed by her peers, massively amping up the incredibly mysterious atmosphere created throughout the story.
While we did have our YA-typical cliché characters, with the rich queen bee and her entourage, the scholarship student, and so forth, the characters were explored in such a way that they didn't come across as 'flat' or the likes at all (which is always exciting in a book, isn't it?). I thought Avery's character was particularly intriguing, as despite her queen bee exterior, she seemed to be a lot more complicated as we found out more about her. While Margot appeared to be more of a dull yes-person with little personality, Sierra also turned out to be quite a well developed character, with her involvement in the Ivies and her own reasons behind her ambitions. All of the Ivies put together made a crazy interesting story, adding on to the mysterious tension which I do so love.
As for Olivia, our main character, I thought her POV was well written as the story's narrative. She's pretty much your standard 'scholarship girl' in YA books: smart, seemingly nice enough, wants to 'fit in', etc. I didn't think there was a great deal of character development for her, apart from the changes in her relationships, but I did enjoy hearing her perspective throughout as she discovered more.
It was fast paced and mysterious, with incredibly clever foreshadowing utilised during the story, forcing me to question each and every character and their motives. The twists and turns in the novel were meticulously placed throughout, definitely keeping me guessing until the very end. Ultimately, The Ivies is well worth a read for any YA mystery fans, or just anyone craving the drama and tension of these ambitious private boarding schools.
Rating: 4.5 stars
The Ivies, set in the ambitious boarding school of Clafin, follows a group of determined seniors - known as the Ivies - aspiring to get into their ideal Ivy League colleges. Shortly into the book, a member of the Ivies is found murdered after being accepted into Harvard, bringing about the key question: just what would someone do to bring about their own college acceptance?
As the story progresses, our narrator Olivia, another member of the Ivies, (naturally) begins to take the murder investigation into her own hands. This leads to her discovering a whole host of (rather extreme, crazy, and bizarre) events and actions which have been committed by her peers, massively amping up the incredibly mysterious atmosphere created throughout the story.
While we did have our YA-typical cliché characters, with the rich queen bee and her entourage, the scholarship student, and so forth, the characters were explored in such a way that they didn't come across as 'flat' or the likes at all (which is always exciting in a book, isn't it?). I thought Avery's character was particularly intriguing, as despite her queen bee exterior, she seemed to be a lot more complicated as we found out more about her. While Margot appeared to be more of a dull yes-person with little personality, Sierra also turned out to be quite a well developed character, with her involvement in the Ivies and her own reasons behind her ambitions. All of the Ivies put together made a crazy interesting story, adding on to the mysterious tension which I do so love.
As for Olivia, our main character, I thought her POV was well written as the story's narrative. She's pretty much your standard 'scholarship girl' in YA books: smart, seemingly nice enough, wants to 'fit in', etc. I didn't think there was a great deal of character development for her, apart from the changes in her relationships, but I did enjoy hearing her perspective throughout as she discovered more.
It was fast paced and mysterious, with incredibly clever foreshadowing utilised during the story, forcing me to question each and every character and their motives. The twists and turns in the novel were meticulously placed throughout, definitely keeping me guessing until the very end. Ultimately, The Ivies is well worth a read for any YA mystery fans, or just anyone craving the drama and tension of these ambitious private boarding schools.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Violence, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Grief, Eating disorder, and Murder