I love starting a series like this and feeling like I've made some new friends

God, I LOVED these characters. They're so fucked up but I see so much potential for growth in them and their bond is just so amazing. The boys all sticking by Silas and hearing all they've been through together was so painful, but also heartwarming.

But moving on from the boys, MY LONER GIRLS!!!! I love them so so so much. Briar and Lyra were amazing from the beginning and I'm so glad they developed a close bond so early. I feel like in a lot of books the girls are isolated from making friendships and I always love when that isn't the case. I had so much fun reading this book and I absolutely ate it up.

Something I didn't love was the pacing. I feel like the end was super rushed and I didn't get to see their feelings develop how I would've liked. That isn't to say their relationship wasn't believable to me! I know for a fact that Alistair and Briar love each other, just wish we would've gotten more moments like that besides the last 70-ish pages.

Content Warnings

darkclouds's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

My mistake was adding a book from this series... not realising they can't really be read as standalones. Ti's the only reason, the ONLY reason, I put myself through this absolute abomination. I don't think it even warrants a full thought out review. I just wanted to gag. Throughout the entirety of this vomit inducing pairing and their ridiculous antics.

Done am I with the justifying of FMC drooling and and doing whatever possible to engage in cringey "chemistry" with MMC. And this said MMC is a toxic, creepy ass, violent MURDERER who not only kills her pet rat, gets off on scaring her, sexually harassing and kidnapping her, TATTOOING HER AGAINST HER WILL WITH HIS MF INITIALS SO HE COULD BRAND HER AS HIS and beyond - I couldn't do it. I all but breezed over their stupid scenes just so I can keep up with the underlying mystery element that seems to link these books together.

I thought Zodiac Academy was bad but we have been outbid.

Oh my god, guys, the DESCRIPTIONS. This book was way too long for NOTHING.

"Dark eyes like strings of licorice, sugary enough to eat and tart enough to make you sick."

"It's his smell. It's rattling me. Not just a glimpse of it like at the party, but his entire scent. Spicy, like clove and carnal. It’s the smell of black magic at midnight. When witches stand around their brew at night with the moon and candles burning the room. Incents wisping in the air. Ancient spells and occult sorcery sting my nose. It’s smoke, timber and I hate how much I love this smell. Stupid fucking hormones."

"He laughs, deep and rich like dark chocolate cake. Bitter at first, but it gradually melts on your tongue turning sugary and sticky. My favorite type of chocolate."

"My shadow returns behind me, casting over everything else around me. He absorbs it all, stealing all the light and pulling me deeper into the dark with him. That’s where he wants me. Right there in the shadows with him. They always said in movies the light defeats the dark. That good wins over evil, so why is it that he is able to destroy anything that even tries to challenge him? Good, light, it was no match for him."

LIKE WHAT ARE THESE DESCRIPTIONSSSS????? WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

This line was the last nail in the coffin for me and for that, I hope Alistair and Briar fall into a vat of molten lava and their burned remains ejected to the sun together.

"The parts of myself that loved the way my stomach tightened and my core ached while I watched him hurt someone."

Content Warnings

kbugz724's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I am...I can't put into words how much I loved this book! It is extremely dark so please look up trigger warnings (some parts are pretty graphic).
But through all that is an incredibly beautiful story about two people who have had very different upbringings but have so much of the same trauma. It's about a beautifully dark found family that would literally do absolutely anything for each other.
No only did MJ tell the perfect story of a broken boy and a broken girl coming together and learning to be a little less broken together, but it also told the story of how much your friends can be the family you always wanted and needed.

"Family wasn't who you were born with. It's who you'd bleed for."

Content Warnings

maddamekat's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

2.75

So the blurb had nothing to do with the plot. There are zero wedding dresses or empty graves so not sure what that was about.

Pacing was hard to track especially in terms of who was speaking. KU edition has inconsistent text formatting and a plethora of spelling mistakes.

The story itself wasn't bad it just needed smoothing out. As always I'll finish the series.

Content Warnings

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