A review by sarasreading
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

From the very beginning of this book it's easy to see why it's the dark academia that launched 1,000 books. It's absolutely quintessential. Even when not much is happening, the prose and the atmosphere are just a 10/10. The characters aren't that great, and the plot can be slow, but I rarely found myself bored, and it's not a short novel. 

The execution of this book takes it from a 3 star read to a solid 4 for me. It could have been boring and kind of insufferable, but it just had a knack of drawing me deeper and deeper in. 

I read If We Were Villains last year, and I think because I read it first, because it deals with Shakespeare, and because I felt a more emotional connection to some of the characters, it wins out for me over this one. To me, The Secret History walked so If We Were Villains could run. 

Definitely recommend it for any dark academia fans, but also read the content warnings. There are so, so many.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings