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evbyrd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Pregnancy, and Cultural appropriation
hzamrzla's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
One scene is not a sexual assault, but a pretty blatant sexual assault parallel. It was the only thing in the book that really gave me pause.torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Suicide
jaedia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Grief
charlinem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death
Minor: Bullying
bujo_bellel's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Murder
ryyyaaan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- El is a well rounded character who is easy for the reader to like despite her being disliked by other characters.
- The premise and plot is enjoyable and easy to get hooked into.
- The worldbuilding is fantastic. It’s woven into the text so well it never feels like slogging through pages and pages of lore.
- It’s funny at times without taking away from the atmosphere.
- A great stepping point between YA and adult fantasy
Negatives (nit-picking here, the book was great)
- I dislike El’s relationship with Orion towards the end.
It feels forced to me that she’s starting to have feelings for him already. Or, at all for that matter. They just don’t seem compatible to me. Also, small point, but El mentions wanting kids badly at one point, which feels so out of character for her. Maybe later depending on how she’s developed, but it just didn’t seem right to me.<\spoiler> - I desperately wish there was any queer rep at all
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Vomit, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Drug use, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
thequiltyreader's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
There was an attempt to address inequalities due I class which was good.
Overall a good read and I'll try the sequel.
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bethanycrowepowell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Scholomance was built to protect teen wizards from the evil creatures drawn to their magic, but after some major technical failures, it doesn't quite work that way. Instead, students have to be on guard constantly, and their graduation is a gauntlet through where the largest of the monsters gather. When El starts to question whether it can be fixed, she's up against a lethal status quo that not everyone wants to change.
This book launches a trilogy that deconstructs magical school escapism with an eye to societies built around power disparities, full of compellingly complicated characters. El is a cranky but very relatable heroine whose fight against her prophesied destiny as a dark sorceress kept me reading through the whole series in a matter of days.
Graphic: Violence and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence