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outspokenlibrarian 's review for:
Vita Nostra
by Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko
I've thought about this one for several days now and I still am not entirely sure what to make of it. A reviewer on GoodReads described this book as "Harry Potter written by Kafka" and I think that's a pretty apt description.
This novel (which is part one in a trilogy set in the same world, but only this first one has been translated so far) is thematically "dark academia," and yeah, I'd say this is pretty dark. The book was originally written in Ukrainian, and the Dyachenkos are pretty well-known in their own country, having written about twenty sci-fi/fantasy books and even won awards. I had never heard of them until this book club.
Vita Nostra was a bit tough to read, as my interest level waxed and waned during the course of the book, but even when I was really confused, much like the characters in the book, I resolved to concentrate and see what happened next.
The ending was pretty abrupt and not having the second book at the ready to see what happens was a bit disappointing.
It's difficult to explain the plot without giving too much away, but the magic study of Hogwarts is fluffy clouds and rainbows compared to what these students go through.
This novel (which is part one in a trilogy set in the same world, but only this first one has been translated so far) is thematically "dark academia," and yeah, I'd say this is pretty dark. The book was originally written in Ukrainian, and the Dyachenkos are pretty well-known in their own country, having written about twenty sci-fi/fantasy books and even won awards. I had never heard of them until this book club.
Vita Nostra was a bit tough to read, as my interest level waxed and waned during the course of the book, but even when I was really confused, much like the characters in the book, I resolved to concentrate and see what happened next.
The ending was pretty abrupt and not having the second book at the ready to see what happens was a bit disappointing.
It's difficult to explain the plot without giving too much away, but the magic study of Hogwarts is fluffy clouds and rainbows compared to what these students go through.