Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Catherine House

I want to level set expectations up front: this book is 3/4 no-plot-just-vibes. If you like gothic atmospheres, dark academia motifs, and off putting characters, this will 100% be your jam. Fortunately for me. I happen to enjoy a lack of plot as long as the vibes (imagery, setting, etc.) are strong enough to make up for it.

Thomas really did do a beautiful job of building a school that had all the makings of elite: shiny and mysterious from the outside and dusty and chipped when you look too closely. We experience Catherine through a character who would rather observe than interact so we get to see it all. The excessive wine drinking, the overly rich food, the drafty library and gallery. The imagery is consistently strong throughout the whole book.

The way she handles our leading woman, Ines, is a pretty unique experience. Even though we experience Catherine through Ines’s eyes, she’s either so detached or dissociated that rarely do we get a glimpse at what she thinks or feels. We know everything that happens to her but never really get to know how she feels about it. Her past is alluded to, but otherwise we get to know little about her even in the rare instance she does connect with another character. The only time we get to know something about her is when other characters plainly state things about her. Much like Catherine House, Ines is elusive and more of a concept than a noun.

The story over all is pretty slow until it isn’t. The first 2/3 of the book is an atmospheric fever dream, while the last 1/3 is cerebral thriller. So again— if mostly vibes and not a lot of plot isn’t your thing, Catherine House isn’t for you. Overall, I did really like this book. However, it could’ve been stronger if the bulk of the story punched as hard as the last ~120 pages did.

Content Warnings

risaleel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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mirnda's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The beginning had me hooked with its tension, and although the pacing dragged through the middle, by the end I felt like I had gone on a journey with the book. The audiobook narrator, Ines del Castillo, was wonderful and gave the characters so much life. I am looking forward to rereading the book and seeing the ways it slowly folds into its ending.

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medini_l's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

Dreamy, delirious and dripping with dread.

Content Warnings

heytherekaity's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-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

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