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A review by thewolfandherbooks
Vita Nostra by Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko
3.0
Actual Rating: 3.75
I AM FREEEEEEEEEEEE. I'm finished. It took me FOUR months.
My raw, unfiltered thoughts:
•My actual reaction when I got the final page: "What the f*ck? What the f*ck did I just read? My brain."
•I enjoyed the second half better than the first half.
•I loved the writing. There was just something so lyrical and immersive about it. The vibes were immaculate.
•Sasha ends up being less annoying by the end. I have to credit the way the authors made her growth realistic.
•THIS IS NOTHING LIKE HARRY POTTER. Not even close. Harry Potter is about a child who learns he's a wizard and everyone wants to kill him. Vita Nostra is about a girl recruited into quantum physics level school and the sacrifices she must make. There are so many grey areas and no cut and dry story of "good versus evil." I feel like when people compare this to Harry Potter, it means they haven't read any other fantasy book with an academic focus. I wouldn't recommend this for HP fans at all.
•The ending of this book altered by brain chemistry.
•Vita Nostra is if Catherine House and Middlegame had a baby.
-At 50 percent-
Likes:
•This reminds me of Catherine House in the sense that the character attends a school and no one tells them why the heck they are there and the rules make no sense.
•Though quite ambiguous, I actually like the writing style.
Dislikes:
•Sasha cries a lot. She is a big baby. She has probably cried at least 10x in the first 200 pages.
•For a complex story, it's characters are not. Sasha kind of bumbles around not knowing who she is or what she wants. She's merely told what to do. She can't break any rules without serious consequences, which makes the story boring. What's the point of a magic school, if you can't challenge authority?
I AM FREEEEEEEEEEEE. I'm finished. It took me FOUR months.
My raw, unfiltered thoughts:
•My actual reaction when I got the final page: "What the f*ck? What the f*ck did I just read? My brain."
•I enjoyed the second half better than the first half.
•I loved the writing. There was just something so lyrical and immersive about it. The vibes were immaculate.
•Sasha ends up being less annoying by the end. I have to credit the way the authors made her growth realistic.
•THIS IS NOTHING LIKE HARRY POTTER. Not even close. Harry Potter is about a child who learns he's a wizard and everyone wants to kill him. Vita Nostra is about a girl recruited into quantum physics level school and the sacrifices she must make. There are so many grey areas and no cut and dry story of "good versus evil." I feel like when people compare this to Harry Potter, it means they haven't read any other fantasy book with an academic focus. I wouldn't recommend this for HP fans at all.
•The ending of this book altered by brain chemistry.
•Vita Nostra is if Catherine House and Middlegame had a baby.
-At 50 percent-
Likes:
•This reminds me of Catherine House in the sense that the character attends a school and no one tells them why the heck they are there and the rules make no sense.
•Though quite ambiguous, I actually like the writing style.
Dislikes:
•Sasha cries a lot. She is a big baby. She has probably cried at least 10x in the first 200 pages.
•For a complex story, it's characters are not. Sasha kind of bumbles around not knowing who she is or what she wants. She's merely told what to do. She can't break any rules without serious consequences, which makes the story boring. What's the point of a magic school, if you can't challenge authority?