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w0lfyfr3n's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
The first 75% of this book was a tough and slow read. It was not as scary as other horror books, and not as gripping as other mystery books. Eerie with a dragging suspense at best.
I did not like the main characters. Lottie is judgemental and self righteous, Alice is mean and pretentious. They both seem to be aware of this but do very little to curb it. The blurb is slightly misleading in that they actually cannot stand to be around eachother for a large part of the book, and the romance bits are scarce. Note: I particularly did not like the fact that Lottie thought she was asexual until she met Alice. It was a throwaway sentence that achieved nothing except feeding into the harmful idea that ace people just need to meet the right person to feel attraction.
The sentences were also packed with architectural descriptions that I spent a lot of time googling and then just gave up on. All the more interesting charactersHafsah, Renner, Mordue, Feathering etc. are only explored much later, and sadly not enough imo.
Moving on to what I eventually enjoyed though...I liked what this book was trying to say about the anger of women, how it grows from powerlessness, how it's often more unacceptable than a man's. However I did not agree with the bit about female violence. Anger and invasive thoughts are normal, but acting on them in the way that Alice and some of the others did, even before all the supernatural stuff came into play, is NOT. Sometimes it felt like this book was having a girlboss moment (Women can be violent too ! 💪) and as an afab person myself, I'm not sure I was a fan of that. I'm glad this was corrected towards the endby providing them with a psychologist and a healthy outlet instead . I just felt uncomfortable that anger issues and murderous/hurtful actions seem to be grouped together in some instances, though it made slightly more sense once the ritualistic stuff came into play.
However this books gets all its points for tying up the mystery super well. There was so much to untangle that it was ultimately upredictable, and towards the end almost every single mystery is resolved. The pieces fell in place in a very satisfying manner. The last 25% is definitely worth the haul, which is why this is still a 3/5.
I did not like the main characters. Lottie is judgemental and self righteous, Alice is mean and pretentious. They both seem to be aware of this but do very little to curb it. The blurb is slightly misleading in that they actually cannot stand to be around eachother for a large part of the book, and the romance bits are scarce. Note: I particularly did not like the fact that Lottie thought she was asexual until she met Alice. It was a throwaway sentence that achieved nothing except feeding into the harmful idea that ace people just need to meet the right person to feel attraction.
The sentences were also packed with architectural descriptions that I spent a lot of time googling and then just gave up on. All the more interesting characters
Moving on to what I eventually enjoyed though...I liked what this book was trying to say about the anger of women, how it grows from powerlessness, how it's often more unacceptable than a man's. However I did not agree with the bit about female violence. Anger and invasive thoughts are normal, but acting on them in the way that Alice and some of the others did, even before all the supernatural stuff came into play, is NOT. Sometimes it felt like this book was having a girlboss moment (Women can be violent too ! 💪) and as an afab person myself, I'm not sure I was a fan of that. I'm glad this was corrected towards the end
However this books gets all its points for tying up the mystery super well. There was so much to untangle that it was ultimately upredictable, and towards the end almost every single mystery is resolved. The pieces fell in place in a very satisfying manner. The last 25% is definitely worth the haul, which is why this is still a 3/5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault and Terminal illness
sage_alexandra's review
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
feminine rage, slow burn and sapphic enemies to lovers, murderous mysteries. what more can you ask for?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Dementia, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
the animal death is pretty devastating and described in detail. below and spoiler tagged, I will very briefly say what happened and where, but it won't reveal any plot points:dontreadthelastpage1989's review against another edition
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
it took me 3 months to finish this book but to put that in context, i was in a really long reading slump before that so this actually made me want to read again and got me out of it! i really wanted to know what would happen and how it ended and i would've liked to have so much more of it!! i loved the writing style most, also the themes of the book like female rage made it very interesting and the sapphic subplot was enjoyable as well! i thought the author really had a way with words, which i find is more rare than you'd think. this is definitely a book that would deserve more hype imo given the topic and prose!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Self harm, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
supershy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm, Torture, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Self harm
rachtmh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Just like Lauren Steven’s masterpiece ‘Every exquisite thing’, this book should be read by all. Women to feel empowered and others to learn!
Murder mystery, Academia, Gothic literature, Possession, Female rage and Sapphic/Asexual/Neurodiversity rep, plus so much more! What more could you need in a book.
Lauren Stevens work has fast become among my favourites with her incredible insights and history on the treatment and expectations of women woven into fantasy and mystery.
I myself turned into a bit of a Sherlock reading this book, constantly desperate to use every little bit of information we were fed to try and solve everything before the eventual reveal.
The characters and relationships are so real and natural and the setting is so darkly romantic and ominous.
Truly an outstanding read.
Murder mystery, Academia, Gothic literature, Possession, Female rage and Sapphic/Asexual/Neurodiversity rep, plus so much more! What more could you need in a book.
Lauren Stevens work has fast become among my favourites with her incredible insights and history on the treatment and expectations of women woven into fantasy and mystery.
I myself turned into a bit of a Sherlock reading this book, constantly desperate to use every little bit of information we were fed to try and solve everything before the eventual reveal.
The characters and relationships are so real and natural and the setting is so darkly romantic and ominous.
Truly an outstanding read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
fanboyriot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
♡ Mystery
♡ Spooky Vibes
♡ Dark Academia
I loved the vibe of this book, the spooky atmosphere was set so well. And the formatting design was so beautiful. Especially with the UK cover it was really so pretty.
The mysterious vibe of the school and an atmosphere that drew me in like the north tower, having said that, the characters came off a bit annoying several times. One minute they were roommates and starting out on the wrong foot, then they were sharing secrets, then they were back to rude misunderstandings, it was so back and forth. By the end I was over them but it did improve and they were a lot better.
The lore of this school and the rituals were kinda nice to read, it was mysterious and interesting but also easy to read and enjoyable to play around with theories. While the plot of this got more and more ridiculous by the end it was super entertaining to read.
Spice Level: n/a
Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧(1/5)
POV: Duel, First Person
Release Date: 07, July 2022
Rep: Lesbian (? Main Character), Demisexual (Main Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
librarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was not what I was expecting from a book advertised as a retelling of Jekyll and Hyde, but it was immensely enjoyable.
the society soulless girls not being at the root of the deaths preceding and during the events of the novel was also not what I was expecting, but I really appreciated the twist. The dark academia society with engraved name plaques for the new girls who performed the ritual is a strange touch, but fits the setting. One thing that also felt odd is the headmistress not reading the investigation notebook before she burned it. However, I do understand her not wanting to learn about atrocities she may have committed and the horror she thought the murdered student might of felt for her. Lottie and Alice are adorable together and I love the bloody and devoted relationship that evolved from their semi-mutual animosity. The council of horrific old white men experimenting on their peers and the young women they're supposed to be mentoring feels a bit too true to life, but I like how it tied together the frayed ends of the storytelling. The ghost of the nun was also a nice touch, guiding Lottie through the task she already wanted to do and helping her solve the mystery. One thing I would critique is the repeated reference to Lottie not being asexual with her newfound attraction to Alice. Asexuality is an umbrella term, and if she's only attracted to Alice, she may still be able to identify with a term under the umbrella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Terminal illness
vaguely_pink's review
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Man, I love angry women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Self harm, and Suicide
amyteurhour's review against another edition
2.0
Content warning: unsolved murder, assault, violence, self harm, suicide/suicidal thoughts, possession, animal death cat killed , misogyny, sexism, domestic and sexual abuse, attempted grooming
I felt like this was trying to do too much. The pacing felt so slow, even during the parts that should have been exciting/kept me hooked as the mystery ramps up, I just felt that it was the same as when things were still slow and starting out. The end felt like Steven was trying to cram social commentary, but the lead up to this hadn't really set things up for that. I didn't really click with either of the main characters, and felt that their friend was also kind of crammed into the story without getting much development.
I felt like this was trying to do too much. The pacing felt so slow, even during the parts that should have been exciting/kept me hooked as the mystery ramps up, I just felt that it was the same as when things were still slow and starting out. The end felt like Steven was trying to cram social commentary, but the lead up to this hadn't really set things up for that. I didn't really click with either of the main characters, and felt that their friend was also kind of crammed into the story without getting much development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
gen_nh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed reading this throughout but it did feel a little trite at the end with a very on the nose wrap up where the whole context and moral of the book were explicitly spelled out in an internal monologue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Suicide and Murder