beewitchtt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
This book felt like putting my deepest flaws, fears and thoughts about myself and my relationships on display. A wonderful read but one that I will not necessarily say I'm sad is over- being met with that much rawness and weirdness is a little overwhelming. It was beautiful, though. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who wanted something absolutely off the rails to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Rape
lapetitepaola's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Rape, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
lokes's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Drug use, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Murder, Drug abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Car accident, Medical trauma, Self harm, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Rape, Stalking, Bullying, and Kidnapping
rozmaran's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was confusing as hell, the ending disappointed me slightly but it kept me invested to the last page. Overall enjoyable read but overhyped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Stalking, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, and Rape
lana_bannanah03's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
I´m speechless, wtf was that? Anyways I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body horror, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Rape and Death of parent
maja536372728's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
i love understanding books (i read the reddit thread)
i also love changing my rating 5 times in an hour, dont mind me
i also love changing my rating 5 times in an hour, dont mind me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape
bagelexpert's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
5.0
I don’t know how to capture the qualities of this book in a review. You had to be there. Holy. Wow. I don’t study literature anymore but every fiber of my body is twitching to write a ten-page analysis. This book is a great read for women in academia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexual content, Self harm, and Drug use
Minor: Rape
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
versmonesprit's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.25
That’s it. If I ever see a book recommended on TikTok again, I’m taking it off my TBR no questions asked. This is hands down one of the worst books ever written.
I could write a proper review for it, but I don’t respect it nearly enough to grace it with an intelligible little essay.
Mona Awad really saw those tumblr photos of people dressing up while wearing animal masks and said “Hold my beer, I can rip this off and turn it into utter shite.” Well, she did. Congratulations I guess?
The book drags on and on and on, with no plot AND no vibes. Literally, gives nothing but utter boredom. A better writer could turn this premise into a good story maybe, but not this one. I can’t believe someone wrote a Mean Girls fan fiction and managed to butcher it this terribly.
Save your time, and especially your money.
I could write a proper review for it, but I don’t respect it nearly enough to grace it with an intelligible little essay.
Mona Awad really saw those tumblr photos of people dressing up while wearing animal masks and said “Hold my beer, I can rip this off and turn it into utter shite.” Well, she did. Congratulations I guess?
The book drags on and on and on, with no plot AND no vibes. Literally, gives nothing but utter boredom. A better writer could turn this premise into a good story maybe, but not this one. I can’t believe someone wrote a Mean Girls fan fiction and managed to butcher it this terribly.
Save your time, and especially your money.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Self harm and Rape
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