alexiaruxandra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
General thoughts~
--- i did not appreciate the use of the G slur in the book (by an author who, as far as i know, is not Romani), which is why i subtracted a star. using slurs and stereotypes in media perpetuates violence against Romani people, and makes it seem normal, which is even more fucked up considering how many Romani people are assaulted and even killed on a day to day basis in North America and Europe, just for being Romani. not cool, dude... not cool ---
- the book is about Samantha Mackey, a graduate writing student who doesn’t fit in with her cohort, a group of four girls who call themselves Bunnies (and Samantha hates them because they are rich, spoiled, and fake). however, things take a gnarly turn when they invite her to one of their gatherings, and it only gets more fucked up as the book goes on
- i first heard about it from Books and Bao, who recommended it as a less known dark academia book
- Bao shared some of the details inside the book, and i really liked the idea of girls doing magic (it turned out to be a lot more messed up in the book, and i liked that)
- i think it’s definitely a unique take of the dark academia genre, especially the critique of it through an unlikeable character (because Samantha is a bit of a bitch lol). it shows her indoctrination into the bunny cult, which is an aspect i have not yet read in other DA books
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing~
- i found the writing a bit jarring at first, i’m not gonna lie. first person writing is usually a hit or miss for me, because it’s not my favorite. also, present tense writing reads like nails on a chalkboard (don’t know why, it just does), so it was a bit hard to get through at first, until i got used to it
- however, it makes sense narratively. Samantha is going through a lot of shit, so the inconsistent descriptions of what she’s doing and feeling feel accurate considering her mental state throughout the novel. sometimes the writing felt really slow, otherwise it was speeding through the actions, and while it was unexpected at times, i think the moments where these differences are noticeable made sense for the story
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters~
- absolutely everybody was pretentious, which was to be expect in a dark academia novel. i found Ava really interesting, especially her relationship with Samantha (who she affectionately calls Smackie)
- considering the fact that this book reads like a fever dream you experience while tripping on acid, the tender moments between Sam and Ava, like dancing tango badly on the rooftop were incredibly wholesome and provided much needed respite from the bunny stuff
- i hope poor Samantha gets a break after this book though. the girl needs a break and some love
- also, Jonah was so fucking cute. i did not know i could love a soft poetry guy so much, but every interaction he had with Samantha radiated warmth and i loved every second of it
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting/worldbuilding~
- the setting being a pretentious, experimental university fits 100% into my expectations when reading a dark academia book. professors who use increasingly more obnoxious terms to describe the creative process? yes, sign me the fuck up
- what i wish we could’ve seen more is a more detailed explanation as to why there was so much crime happening on campus. and i don’t mean stuff like theft or assault, which we see in real life on a daily basis, but instances like decapitations (which are mentioned at least a few times over the entire novel). what’s up with that? why was it only mentioned in passing and never expanded upon? i need to know more, and i understand that arts students (regardless of type) are a bunch of weirdos, but c’mon, you can’t tell me people are legit being decapitated with machetes on a university campus on a regular basis and expect me not to ask questions!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion~
all in all, it was a great way to start my reading year, and i enjoyed it despite how feverishly fucked up it is. i would recommend it if you want to read a dark academia book that features a cult, murders, and bloody bunny guts flying all over the place.
--- i did not appreciate the use of the G slur in the book (by an author who, as far as i know, is not Romani), which is why i subtracted a star. using slurs and stereotypes in media perpetuates violence against Romani people, and makes it seem normal, which is even more fucked up considering how many Romani people are assaulted and even killed on a day to day basis in North America and Europe, just for being Romani. not cool, dude... not cool ---
- the book is about Samantha Mackey, a graduate writing student who doesn’t fit in with her cohort, a group of four girls who call themselves Bunnies (and Samantha hates them because they are rich, spoiled, and fake). however, things take a gnarly turn when they invite her to one of their gatherings, and it only gets more fucked up as the book goes on
- i first heard about it from Books and Bao, who recommended it as a less known dark academia book
- Bao shared some of the details inside the book, and i really liked the idea of girls doing magic
Spoiler
to turn bunnies into guys- i think it’s definitely a unique take of the dark academia genre, especially the critique of it through an unlikeable character (because Samantha is a bit of a bitch lol). it shows her indoctrination into the bunny cult, which is an aspect i have not yet read in other DA books
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing~
- i found the writing a bit jarring at first, i’m not gonna lie. first person writing is usually a hit or miss for me, because it’s not my favorite. also, present tense writing reads like nails on a chalkboard (don’t know why, it just does), so it was a bit hard to get through at first, until i got used to it
- however, it makes sense narratively. Samantha is going through a lot of shit, so the inconsistent descriptions of what she’s doing and feeling feel accurate considering her mental state throughout the novel. sometimes the writing felt really slow, otherwise it was speeding through the actions, and while it was unexpected at times, i think the moments where these differences are noticeable made sense for the story
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters~
- absolutely everybody was pretentious, which was to be expect in a dark academia novel. i found Ava really interesting, especially her relationship with Samantha (who she affectionately calls Smackie)
- considering the fact that this book reads like a fever dream you experience while tripping on acid, the tender moments between Sam and Ava, like dancing tango badly on the rooftop were incredibly wholesome and provided much needed respite from the bunny stuff
- i hope poor Samantha gets a break after this book though. the girl needs a break and some love
- also, Jonah was so fucking cute. i did not know i could love a soft poetry guy so much, but every interaction he had with Samantha radiated warmth and i loved every second of it
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting/worldbuilding~
- the setting being a pretentious, experimental university fits 100% into my expectations when reading a dark academia book. professors who use increasingly more obnoxious terms to describe the creative process? yes, sign me the fuck up
- what i wish we could’ve seen more is a more detailed explanation as to why there was so much crime happening on campus. and i don’t mean stuff like theft or assault, which we see in real life on a daily basis, but instances like decapitations (which are mentioned at least a few times over the entire novel). what’s up with that? why was it only mentioned in passing and never expanded upon? i need to know more, and i understand that arts students (regardless of type) are a bunch of weirdos, but c’mon, you can’t tell me people are legit being decapitated with machetes on a university campus on a regular basis and expect me not to ask questions!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion~
all in all, it was a great way to start my reading year, and i enjoyed it despite how feverishly fucked up it is. i would recommend it if you want to read a dark academia book that features a cult, murders, and bloody bunny guts flying all over the place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Injury/injury detail
Minor: Rape
mlovesbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
This was so good and unpredictable. I loved it so much more than I thought I would.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual assault and Eating disorder
Minor: Racial slurs
mahitdzmare's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Racial slurs
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Gaslighting, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Infidelity, Ableism, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Car accident
Further warning for an implied teacher/student relationship, and at least one use of the R slur.kclark's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Death, Violence, Racial slurs, Gore, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm and Toxic friendship
henrygravesprince's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
first, the positives:
- some of the surrealist passages are fantastic, and the author is very good at writing things in a surreal way, especially portraying normal things as such
- the dynamic between Ava and Samantha is very interesting in contrast to Samantha, the Bunnies, and men
now, the negatives:
- some of the stylistic grammar-breaking choices work, but a lot of them don’t; particularly the recurring all-caps and multi-exclamation point moments irked me
- the “gore” moments were honestly more silly than anything, particularly when half of the time it’s just “and then [xyz] literally exploded”
- there are a lot of really out of place, pointless moments of bigotry that would not alter the story or tone at all if they were removed, particularly the weird references to lizard people conspiracies, the R slur & derogatory comparisons to disabled people, and the usage of the G slur to describe a Romani woman; it comes across very much as the author just not giving a shit about it
I think there could be a good book chipped out of Bunny with more editing, but it just fell flat to me. People also misrepresent what this book actually is a lot when recommending it; I wish I had actually known what sort of book this was when going into it rather than what it gets portrayed as.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Animal death, Bullying, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Stalking, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Gore, Death of parent, Drug use, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
angelkisses's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Racial slurs and Rape
gwrhyr's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Every single character sucks in a 2D, plucked-from-Tumbr sort of way. The main character is so insufferable that the first hundred pages of the book are almost impossible to get through. Samantha spends half of the book feeling sorry for herself and seems to base her entire personality on internalised misogyny, embodying the trope of 'not like other girls'. Although all of the characters are 'quirky', none of them are memorable, so that 150 pages in you still have to go back to remember who Victoria was.
Bunny invokes a sense of performative ‘wokeness’ in that it seems to comment on the elitist settings of Ivy league colleges, yet the author makes use of slurs. On top of that, the novel, especially its writing style, is needlessly vulgar and misogynistic, and seems to be written largely for shock-value.
At least the third part was somewhat interesting, but even with suspension of disbelief some events were simply illogical and did not seem to line up with the narrative. Other parts were so confusingly written that it became hard to understand what was going on. The ending was a desperate attempt at a plottwist. All in all, Bunny reads like bad fanfiction.
At least the third part was somewhat interesting, but even with suspension of disbelief some events were simply illogical and did not seem to line up with the narrative. Other parts were so confusingly written that it became hard to understand what was going on. The ending was a desperate attempt at a plottwist. All in all, Bunny reads like bad fanfiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
raysberry's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The beginning felt a bit slow but it was okay, didn’t really connect with Sam and Ava because they’re so negative and have this „us against the world“ mentality that’s never healthy.
The middle part was difficult to read because it made me so uncomfortable but that was also why it was so good. The ending dragged on for too long imo, maybe I wouldn’t even have finished it if I didn’t read it alongside a friend.
I guess it was kind of the whole vibe but I’m genuinely confused as to what the conclusion was. But I’m probably also just not a fan of ambiguous endings.
All in all: Difficult to read for me, not always for the right reasons. Interesting forinsight into the mind of a person that falls into a cult but not necessarily more than that, which is why it feels like there’s something missing (it’s a novel, not non-fiction after all).
3/5 stars if I’m generous, won’t be reading again except for maybe some prose I wrote down while reading.
The middle part was difficult to read because it made me so uncomfortable but that was also why it was so good. The ending dragged on for too long imo, maybe I wouldn’t even have finished it if I didn’t read it alongside a friend.
I guess it was kind of the whole vibe but I’m genuinely confused as to what the conclusion was. But I’m probably also just not a fan of ambiguous endings.
All in all: Difficult to read for me, not always for the right reasons. Interesting for
Spoiler
3/5 stars if I’m generous, won’t be reading again except for maybe some prose I wrote down while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Minor: Racial slurs
sydoodle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Drug use, Rape, and Racial slurs