waytoomanybooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
I rarely read mysteries, but I am so glad I picked up this one! The emotions Isa and her three friends go through are palpable. And I greatly appreciate the fact that the women had goals, ambitions, fears, hopes, etc. that went beyond being wives and mothers, even though most of them are wives and mothers. They felt fully fleshed out, complex, and interesting. It's a great boarding school, dark academia story told from the perspective of an adult looking back on her harrowing teenage years.
I took off one star because the ending is a bit confusing and a little ambiguous considering the amount of detail that went in the rest of the novel.
Be mindful of the trigger warnings!
I took off one star because the ending is a bit confusing and a little ambiguous considering the amount of detail that went in the rest of the novel.
Be mindful of the trigger warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
angrybookworm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this book but honestly all the characters were a bit flat for me. I couldn’t stand Isa and Freya just felt like a metaphor the entire time. I did finish this book in about 2 days though because it was easy, got to the point, and was interesting at every turn. A lot of it was predictable but the few twists in the ending were pretty good. I’d recommend it for people who like mysteries. Plus it passed the bechdel test.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Incest
ellalafontant's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Blood, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief, Incest, and Islamophobia
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