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A review by jjames_mal
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Yet another dark academia that I chose to pick up. This book follows Ines, who is accepted to a prestigious, secretive school, Catherine House, where students go to study completely cut off from the entire world for three years.
I was really into this book for maybe the first half. Everything was super tense and mysterious, and I found it very interesting to learn about this creepy school. But the book just kept going. And going. I legit didn't think the author was going to spend most of the book describing several YEARS of students taking classes, with only a handful of sentences in every other chapter that moved the plot forward, but that's exactly what happened. (Maybe this is just a facet of dark academia as a genre, but I am not a fan).
I especially found this annoying because I actually really liked the plot. I liked the mystery and the discovery. The characters were interesting, and I liked how they developed. The writing style was pretty good, and I think Elisabeth Thomas really nailed the atmosphere. But ultimately that wasn't enough for me to be able to keep my attention on this book. It honestly took me months to finish. And even though I liked it overall, with just the amount of tedium I went through, it became a sometimes interesting but mostly mediocre read.
I was really into this book for maybe the first half. Everything was super tense and mysterious, and I found it very interesting to learn about this creepy school. But the book just kept going. And going. I legit didn't think the author was going to spend most of the book describing several YEARS of students taking classes, with only a handful of sentences in every other chapter that moved the plot forward, but that's exactly what happened. (Maybe this is just a facet of dark academia as a genre, but I am not a fan).
I especially found this annoying because I actually really liked the plot. I liked the mystery and the discovery. The characters were interesting, and I liked how they developed. The writing style was pretty good, and I think Elisabeth Thomas really nailed the atmosphere. But ultimately that wasn't enough for me to be able to keep my attention on this book. It honestly took me months to finish. And even though I liked it overall, with just the amount of tedium I went through, it became a sometimes interesting but mostly mediocre read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Confinement, Death, Medical content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Drug use