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A review by incunabula_and_intercourse
The Ivies by Alexa Donne
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
Everyone sucks, but the protagonist sucks the least, and boy, is it fun watching her run around and play Nancy Drew among a sea of backstabbing prep school assholes. The twists were twisty, the investigation riveting, and the pace magnetic. And yeah; it's pretty damn funny that Tyler killed Emma just for the perfect essay topic. I want to study him under a microscope.
My big quibble is the pacing. Funnily enough, most books have strong beginnings and ends, with weak middles; I've never seen the polar opposite of second-act sag before! Basically, the middle 80% is the good shit, from Emma's death to the climax; however, the very beginning and the epilogue do drag a touch. Ethan's Canadian-ness did feel a bit hammered in; I don't think of my Canadian friends' nationality nearly this much. Plus, while this might be Emma's failing rather than Alexa Donne's, it should still go without saying that waiving the right to an attorney is a bad idea. Asking for an attorney is not suspicious behavior, no more than exercising your right to remain silent; it's something you should do before the police get you in trouble.
But I digress. A fun, enthralling thriller, and one I definitely recommend.
My big quibble is the pacing. Funnily enough, most books have strong beginnings and ends, with weak middles; I've never seen the polar opposite of second-act sag before! Basically, the middle 80% is the good shit, from Emma's death to the climax; however, the very beginning and the epilogue do drag a touch. Ethan's Canadian-ness did feel a bit hammered in; I don't think of my Canadian friends' nationality nearly this much. Plus, while this might be Emma's failing rather than Alexa Donne's, it should still go without saying that waiving the right to an attorney is a bad idea. Asking for an attorney is not suspicious behavior, no more than exercising your right to remain silent; it's something you should do before the police get you in trouble.
But I digress. A fun, enthralling thriller, and one I definitely recommend.