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adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I’m honestly not sure if I read the same book as everyone else, but I found this an incredibly tedious read.
First of all—why was Grace portrayed as such a weak character? Why are young women so often written as fragile, passive, and “normal”—the kind who initially loathe someone, only to suddenly realise they’re madly in love and can’t live without them? It completely undermines the plot for me. I see this trope far too often in books like this, and people wonder why I struggle to get into romance. Grace has clearly been through a lot, and while the story tries to frame her as strong and independent, she often came across as immature and childish.
Secondly, I couldn’t help but notice how heavily this book leaned on other well-known series—there were definite echoes of Twilight, a touch of Harry Potter, and even The Vampire Diaries, just to name a few.
As for the plot, it felt like it was hanging on by a thread—just barely there to prop up the central romance, which seemed to take priority over everything else. It felt like an afterthought rather than a fully fleshed-out storyline.
And I have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Why didn’t her uncle and cousin sit Grace down as soon as she arrived and explain what the school really was? Sure, she might not have believed them at first, but they could have used all the magical displays and “proof” they ended up showing her later on. The secrecy didn’t make her safer—it made her far more vulnerable. And why didn’t the two boys just sit her down and tell her their backstory earlier on? So much drama could have been avoided with one honest conversation.
I did appreciate that the ending wasn’t your typical “happily ever after”—that was a refreshing change. But even that felt more like a set-up for the sequel than a meaningful conclusion.
Overall, this just didn’t work for me, and I was left more frustrated than intrigued.
First of all—why was Grace portrayed as such a weak character? Why are young women so often written as fragile, passive, and “normal”—the kind who initially loathe someone, only to suddenly realise they’re madly in love and can’t live without them? It completely undermines the plot for me. I see this trope far too often in books like this, and people wonder why I struggle to get into romance. Grace has clearly been through a lot, and while the story tries to frame her as strong and independent, she often came across as immature and childish.
Secondly, I couldn’t help but notice how heavily this book leaned on other well-known series—there were definite echoes of Twilight, a touch of Harry Potter, and even The Vampire Diaries, just to name a few.
As for the plot, it felt like it was hanging on by a thread—just barely there to prop up the central romance, which seemed to take priority over everything else. It felt like an afterthought rather than a fully fleshed-out storyline.
And I have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Why didn’t her uncle and cousin sit Grace down as soon as she arrived and explain what the school really was? Sure, she might not have believed them at first, but they could have used all the magical displays and “proof” they ended up showing her later on. The secrecy didn’t make her safer—it made her far more vulnerable. And why didn’t the two boys just sit her down and tell her their backstory earlier on? So much drama could have been avoided with one honest conversation.
I did appreciate that the ending wasn’t your typical “happily ever after”—that was a refreshing change. But even that felt more like a set-up for the sequel than a meaningful conclusion.
Overall, this just didn’t work for me, and I was left more frustrated than intrigued.