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aotales's review against another edition
4.0
Vita Nostra is a particular read for a particular reader. Defying genre categorization this story is part fantasy, part lyrical fiction, part psychological thriller … part science fiction entities?? It really swings among many literary branches, never settling or allowing definition. Most notably, it most certainly is not your typical “magical school setting” story.
This is a cerebral read. It is dense. It is heavy. Being a translated from Russian piece, the names of the many characters are confusing and sound similar and a lot of time is spent on “out there” concepts like existential existence and corporeal reality. It can be a lot of work to chew through this beast of a book that even lacks chapters for the reader to hang their hat and catch their breath. Vita Nostra definitely could’ve benefited from more grounding in reality, more story spent on some familiar territory with the students, their lives, their feelings. Rather we stumble and stagger along with the characters just hoping some enlightenment will come at the end … but much like what has come before it, the ending is just as head scratching.
If this sounds like a negative review, it isn’t, not really. Because, as I said, for the particular reader this is going to be an unparalleled read. Something about Vita Nostra is compulsively readable - or in my case I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook, which I highly recommend to cut down on some confusion. The book beats with a pulse of urgency and peril, building and building in atmospheric tension. Definitely bring your thinking cap and block out a good chunk of time, this book demands your attention it its intimidatingly confusing way. You’ll be frustrated and perplexed, but you’ll never read anything quite like it again.
Book Blog: https://aotales.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.o.tales/
This is a cerebral read. It is dense. It is heavy. Being a translated from Russian piece, the names of the many characters are confusing and sound similar and a lot of time is spent on “out there” concepts like existential existence and corporeal reality. It can be a lot of work to chew through this beast of a book that even lacks chapters for the reader to hang their hat and catch their breath. Vita Nostra definitely could’ve benefited from more grounding in reality, more story spent on some familiar territory with the students, their lives, their feelings. Rather we stumble and stagger along with the characters just hoping some enlightenment will come at the end … but much like what has come before it, the ending is just as head scratching.
If this sounds like a negative review, it isn’t, not really. Because, as I said, for the particular reader this is going to be an unparalleled read. Something about Vita Nostra is compulsively readable - or in my case I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook, which I highly recommend to cut down on some confusion. The book beats with a pulse of urgency and peril, building and building in atmospheric tension. Definitely bring your thinking cap and block out a good chunk of time, this book demands your attention it its intimidatingly confusing way. You’ll be frustrated and perplexed, but you’ll never read anything quite like it again.
Book Blog: https://aotales.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.o.tales/
bookburningsheep's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
dekaj's review against another edition
5.0
“Just stop crying. I’m ashamed of you, honestly.”
I hate this book so much. Most of all I abhor how it managed to make me feel exactly what Sasha felt; in the beginning I was terrified, with a knot of anxiety inside me of what this man would do to her, of what he would make her do.
“What if I won’t do it?” ... “You will, Sasha. You will. ... it is in your best interest to simply do everything I ask of you. It’s not complicated.”
This morphed into a need to see where her story would take her, before turning to apathy.
The writing is superb, the characters well thought out. It's has a very fine balance of what is shown, when it is shown, and what is left to our own imagination.
I think this book will stick with me for a very long time.
“It’s very bad, but not terrible” might be my new life motto. God, how I hate it.
I hate this book so much. Most of all I abhor how it managed to make me feel exactly what Sasha felt; in the beginning I was terrified, with a knot of anxiety inside me of what this man would do to her, of what he would make her do.
“What if I won’t do it?” ... “You will, Sasha. You will. ... it is in your best interest to simply do everything I ask of you. It’s not complicated.”
This morphed into a need to see where her story would take her, before turning to apathy.
The writing is superb, the characters well thought out. It's has a very fine balance of what is shown, when it is shown, and what is left to our own imagination.
I think this book will stick with me for a very long time.
“It’s very bad, but not terrible” might be my new life motto. God, how I hate it.
spinning_gold's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
Vita Nostra is one of the strangest yet most captivating books I’ve ever read. The story intertwines confusion, fear, and love in a way that keeps you hooked. I found myself, like the characters, gradually adjusting to the strange and often terrifying lessons of the mysterious school. It’s a reminder of how humans can adapt to almost anything—even the most bizarre circumstances—which is both fascinating and unsettling.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Violence, and Vomit
matcarrot's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25