A review by emmyb
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book DELIVERED on the dark, spooky, atmospheric vibes, though heavy on the dark and very light on the "academia." It definitely had the aesthetic down, but for being set in a school there were barely any school scenes taking place besides the library and social events resembling college sorority parties. For being labeled as a dark academia, this story felt very isolated to the Godwin house dorm. Most of the book was spent in one-on-one time between Ellis and Felicity, with occasional appearances from the three other girls in the dorm.

There were some things that kept me from enjoying this book more:
- The stakes felt low for most of the book, without much tension or urgency
- I didn't feel much chemistry between Ellis and Felicity for the romance to feel believable and deep
- I was expecting actual witches, but it was really just suspicions and doing witchy things as an act
- The relationships between Felicity and the other Godwin girls went from cold to hot without any development. One second they were shunning her, and then five pages later they were BFFs.

The best part of the book was the last 80 pages. It was pretty predictable
I knew early on Ellis' desire to recreate the killings would end in her actually committing murder.
but I still found it intriguing. The epilogue, however, left me unsatisfied.
So she's committed TWO murders and just walks free, no consequences, no guilt on her part? She just goes on with her life?
I couldn't tell if we were supposed to be on you-know-who's side or not, but it felt unresolved.
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