The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
thoughttojot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
2.5
What happens in certain (many) scenes is very dark and gore-filled, but somehow none of it manages to be actually scary.Â
The story takes its time unspooling the horror aspects, but once the thread is cut you’re well and truly dropped in. It’s like stepping into a dark room from a sun-soaked day and your eyes need to adjust to the dimness. Except in this case, the story starts with the quiet of a dusty library and you step past a threshold, into the horrific consequences of… occult dealings. Academia, right?
And yet, the story lacks the knife’s-edge tension to be truly horrifying.Â
The strongest aspects of the novel were the mundane moments. The ones where Tess is peppering books with sticky note insults or struggling to juggle multiple jobs to keep her and her sister afloat. Or where Eliot is desperate and hopeful and heartbrokenly trying to find a way to help his mother. These scenes are all so deeply and painfully human, that when the horror arrived I mostly felt disappointed.
In comparison, the gore and trying to figure out what’s up with the devil scenes lack the same emotionality as the mundane ones. I wish we could have gotten to see more moments where Tess was tempted to take the devil up on his offer. If we were shown more often than told of her passion for music and the cello, seeing the consequences of her putting aside her own dreams would have been more impactful. She gave up the life she wanted for her family. The devil shows her what her life could be like, if she accepted his deal. Let her waver and grapple with morals. Let her be tempted. Lean more into that!
I will say, I enjoyed both Tess and Eliot as characters. They just got a little lost in the horror along the way.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Suicide attempt, Blood, and Self harm
ahen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ending was brilliant
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Violence, Death of parent, and Medical content
sandra_bwf's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Self harm, and Gore
uncreativeoops's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Terminal illness, Cancer, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I loved the concept of this book, however it just wasn’t very well executed. It was actually quite disappointing.
The biggest problem that I had with this book was that there’s no world building! Literally. It’s mainly set in a library which sounds great. But when the devil appears, I’m assuming that’s meant to be a different location, it’s just described as if it’s a dream or imaginary. I couldn’t picture any other place other than the library.
I really wanted more from Eliot and Tess, their characters could’ve been so good but there’s a lack of character development for them both.
Honestly, I just forced my way through this because I’d been asked by friends for my opinion on this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Terminal illness, Vomit, Gore, and Self harm
ksuazo94's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Blood and Fire/Fire injury
collinsd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Cancer, Vomit, Death, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
l_lilly_05's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Child death
literarypenguin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a brilliant and gripping dark academia novel! I went into this book not knowing what I was going to expect but I can safely say this book surprised me.
I adored the characters in this book in particular I loved Tess as a character. She is headstrong, sarcastic and very driven. She is super protective of her little sister and spends most of her free moments playing her cello. She was content at spending most of her time alone until she runs into Eliot Birch, a young man from Britain who has a fascination for magic and witchcraft. Eliot was a great character as well, one of the things I loved about him was how much he did care about people and wanted to help them.
The dynamic between Eliot & Tess was very well developed and brilliantly written. The romance was set up wonderfully and it didnt feel fast or slow at all. It was very believably and almost felt realistic. The banter between them was very good and had several funny lines too.
The atmosphere was one of the high points of this book, it had a great dark and creepy vibe surrounding it. It was a perfect dark academia read!
While it is a YA novel, it didnt feel young. It felt like something people of all ages could pick up and read and enjoy it. I greatly appreciate that aspect of this book most of all.
I highly recommend this if you ever need a good dark academia read or a creepy read, pick this one up you won't regret it!
I adored the characters in this book in particular I loved Tess as a character. She is headstrong, sarcastic and very driven. She is super protective of her little sister and spends most of her free moments playing her cello. She was content at spending most of her time alone until she runs into Eliot Birch, a young man from Britain who has a fascination for magic and witchcraft. Eliot was a great character as well, one of the things I loved about him was how much he did care about people and wanted to help them.
The dynamic between Eliot & Tess was very well developed and brilliantly written. The romance was set up wonderfully and it didnt feel fast or slow at all. It was very believably and almost felt realistic. The banter between them was very good and had several funny lines too.
The atmosphere was one of the high points of this book, it had a great dark and creepy vibe surrounding it. It was a perfect dark academia read!
While it is a YA novel, it didnt feel young. It felt like something people of all ages could pick up and read and enjoy it. I greatly appreciate that aspect of this book most of all.
I highly recommend this if you ever need a good dark academia read or a creepy read, pick this one up you won't regret it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Terminal illness and Body horror
anniereads221's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, and Terminal illness
Minor: Infidelity