xnedra2084's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Animal death, Alcohol, Death, Blood, Drug use, Murder, and Body horror
alexandriasreads's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
Hahahaha what the fuck????
Mean girls meets heathers meets fucking Frankenstein, this was an absolute trip form start to finish.
Not sure what I just read tbh, but it was very fun.
Mean girls meets heathers meets fucking Frankenstein, this was an absolute trip form start to finish.
Not sure what I just read tbh, but it was very fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
andreeadicu's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Mental illness, Drug use, Violence, and Gore
laurataylor's review against another edition
dark
tense
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
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Animal death, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Cursing, Car accident, Bullying, Torture, and Violence
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
codecat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Classism, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Gore
Moderate: Violence, Cursing, Body horror, Blood, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
keiramckay's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Gore, Drug use, Murder, Gaslighting, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Injury/injury detail, and Sexual content
mair_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
THIS BOOK IS SO STRESSFUL TO READ.
If you just read part 1 and part 2 you'll be thinking um it's intense but like it's fine part 3 let me tell YOUU I was tense on the edge of my seat I hatteeeddd it but in a good way it was so difficult to read.
Definitely don't read this if you don't like an unreliable narrator, Samantha is like the most unreliable narrator ever but I loved it. I questioned so much what was real and you can really see the shift of how she sees the world throughout the book, and it definitely feels like you're living through it with her, it's crazy. The book goes in a very different direction than I thought it would near part 3 and I honestly started not enjoying it too much, hence the minus .5 stars, but this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, read it regardless in 3 sittings I LOVED it. The ending is a smack in your face that leaves you with a hole in your chest so yeah <3 read it
If you just read part 1 and part 2 you'll be thinking um it's intense but like it's fine part 3 let me tell YOUU I was tense on the edge of my seat I hatteeeddd it but in a good way it was so difficult to read.
Definitely don't read this if you don't like an unreliable narrator, Samantha is like the most unreliable narrator ever but I loved it. I questioned so much what was real and you can really see the shift of how she sees the world throughout the book, and it definitely feels like you're living through it with her, it's crazy.
Spoiler
Also can i just say... max is so hot I cannot believe he was KILLED I want him BACK like I know he's a freak but PLEASE 🙄🙄
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Animal cruelty, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Animal death
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, and Death
Minor: Rape, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, and Stalking
refrejarator's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Murder, Violence, Gore, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Injury/injury detail, and Sexual assault
readingjaunt's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Self harm