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cjay1957's review against another edition
5.0
Witches and High priests, magic, spells and hexes. What more could a fantasy lover ask for. Good vs evil is a given and a fairytale that grabs you on the first page and carries you too quickly to the final page. Love it.
xbeautifultragedy's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book after wanting to find another series about a school with magic and dragons after the series that won't be named
meowzik's review against another edition
3.0
This had the makings of an excellent book, but it lost a little in the execution for me. The characters were great, I thought Bianca was written really well, as were the side characters, but I thought Miss Mabel came across as one-dimensional. I would have loved to see more about the competition - for all the hype it was given, and that it was such a big deal that Bianca competed, there wasn't nearly enough detail. I know it was just a stepping stone for the main plot line, but I think it would have added depth to the book. There were moments where I was reminded of Harry Potter (series, not character), but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. It picked up towards the end, and I thought the finish was good, but as before, I felt it was missing something. I'll be checking out the next book in the series, though.
amibunk's review against another edition
4.0
For a debut novel, Miss Mabel's School for Girls was a nicely written, enjoyable surprise. Lacking the conventional YA gimmicks (wretched love triangles, damsels in distress rescued by overly handsome love interests, snarky dialogue at the expense of the story-line) this novel read a bit like a middle grade book, but don't let that fool you. This book definitely has the sophistication and plot to interest teenagers and adults alike.
There are so many things to like about this novel: a boarding school for witches, a dastardly villain, a strong (if slightly underdeveloped) main character, and a gripping, fast paced plot. Plus, did I mention there was no love triangle?
Likewise, there were some weak points. The character development wasn't the strongest. The writing, while definitely competent, lacked some sophistication and subtlety. However, the problems were miniscule.
I am anxiously waiting to get my hands on the next installment of this series.
There are so many things to like about this novel: a boarding school for witches, a dastardly villain, a strong (if slightly underdeveloped) main character, and a gripping, fast paced plot. Plus, did I mention there was no love triangle?
Likewise, there were some weak points. The character development wasn't the strongest. The writing, while definitely competent, lacked some sophistication and subtlety. However, the problems were miniscule.
I am anxiously waiting to get my hands on the next installment of this series.
simonea's review against another edition
3.0
Another magical school, woohoo! It’s always a bit of a challenge to write a book about a school where magic is being thought. Due to the enormous success of Harry Potter, a lot of people are interested in similar books. On the other hand, the danger lurks in the fact that it might end up being a comparable story or even a dupe.
For myself, I’m always very interested in reading new books about magical schools. The power of Harry Potter! With that, come a lot of expectations as well. And most of the time I end up being disappointed, either because it was too similar or just not good enough.
For Miss Mabel’s School for Girls I decided to give the theme another try. I have to admit that it was mainly because of the cover (it’s sooo pretty!) and the rather unusual title. Katie Cross tells the story of sixteen-year-old Bianca, a witch who has inherited a deadly curse. Her only hope of survival is confronting the witch who cast the curse, Miss Mabel, who happens to be the head master of the local witch school. Problem: she is a bitch. Can Bianca get her to remove the curse? And at what cost?
The story of the book was quite interesting. It didn’t remind me too much of the already mentioned other magical school and brought a lot of action. The writing style is okay but not excellent. Weird sentences could be found every now and then.
What was lacking the most was the world and character building. The author was telling a story, an interesting one. Loads of descriptions, but the story went too fast. It was a bit flat. The characters where a little black and white. They were either good or bad, nice or unfriendly. But they stayed constant over the course of the story, development was nowhere to be found. It could have been great with some more depth, but was just ‘okay’ without.
Extra points go to Katie Cross for writing up a magical school where they teach algebra by the way. Go, Katie!
For myself, I’m always very interested in reading new books about magical schools. The power of Harry Potter! With that, come a lot of expectations as well. And most of the time I end up being disappointed, either because it was too similar or just not good enough.
For Miss Mabel’s School for Girls I decided to give the theme another try. I have to admit that it was mainly because of the cover (it’s sooo pretty!) and the rather unusual title. Katie Cross tells the story of sixteen-year-old Bianca, a witch who has inherited a deadly curse. Her only hope of survival is confronting the witch who cast the curse, Miss Mabel, who happens to be the head master of the local witch school. Problem: she is a bitch. Can Bianca get her to remove the curse? And at what cost?
The story of the book was quite interesting. It didn’t remind me too much of the already mentioned other magical school and brought a lot of action. The writing style is okay but not excellent. Weird sentences could be found every now and then.
What was lacking the most was the world and character building. The author was telling a story, an interesting one. Loads of descriptions, but the story went too fast. It was a bit flat. The characters where a little black and white. They were either good or bad, nice or unfriendly. But they stayed constant over the course of the story, development was nowhere to be found. It could have been great with some more depth, but was just ‘okay’ without.
Extra points go to Katie Cross for writing up a magical school where they teach algebra by the way. Go, Katie!
twhittie's review against another edition
4.0
Though I am generally not a huge fan of YA books, especially the fantasy genre, this book was a pleasant read! I loved how you found out more and more about the main character and her background as you read, instead of knowing most of the general plot from reading the summary on the back cover. I was wondering if this would be too similar of a feel towards Harry Potter since there is also a school of magic, but that's it. Miss Mabel's school seems anything but inviting. It was also fun to read about a headmistress who was anything but warm and motherly, more like cold and calculating. This book really was a good read and I am excited to read the next one in the series!
100pagesaday's review against another edition
4.0
Within The Network, sixteen year-old Bianca is cursed. In order to save herself, her mother and grandmother from the curse, Bianca must find a way to work with Miss Mabel, the only one who can remove the curse. As a first-year student at Miss Mabel's School for girls, Bianca is not expected to enter The Competition, a deadly test of skills usually reserved for third year witches. Winning The Competition is the only way to work directly with Miss Mabel. Bianca must use all of her skills in hexes, curses, cunning and potions in order to show her worth and outwit Miss Mabel. Miss Mabel is more cruel then she seems and Bianca soon finds herself bound to Miss Mabel and her sinister intentions for the whole Network.
Miss Mabel's School for Girls is a fast-paced Young Adult fantasy. Miss Mabel's jumps right into the action as Bianca finds her way into the school and immediately volunteers for The Competition. I felt a little lost within the world of The Network and Miss Mabel's at first, but I was absorbed by the action. It was apparent that Bianca is determined to reverse her curse and tenacious, but I wanted to know more about the curse and its dangers. One of the best parts of the story for me were the characters. There are many well written female characters with distinct personalities; in fact, there are barely male characters in the book. Some of my favorites are the friends Bianca made, Leda and Camille. These young women formed a wonderful friendship that helped Bianca through her trials with Miss Mable. Miss Mable was deliciously vicious in her teachings, coming up with vile and malicious ways to test Bianca and what she needed from her. The book ends on a large cliffhanger with nothing resolved and a whole host of new issues, so it looks like I'll need to dive into the next book in the series.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Miss Mabel's School for Girls is a fast-paced Young Adult fantasy. Miss Mabel's jumps right into the action as Bianca finds her way into the school and immediately volunteers for The Competition. I felt a little lost within the world of The Network and Miss Mabel's at first, but I was absorbed by the action. It was apparent that Bianca is determined to reverse her curse and tenacious, but I wanted to know more about the curse and its dangers. One of the best parts of the story for me were the characters. There are many well written female characters with distinct personalities; in fact, there are barely male characters in the book. Some of my favorites are the friends Bianca made, Leda and Camille. These young women formed a wonderful friendship that helped Bianca through her trials with Miss Mable. Miss Mable was deliciously vicious in her teachings, coming up with vile and malicious ways to test Bianca and what she needed from her. The book ends on a large cliffhanger with nothing resolved and a whole host of new issues, so it looks like I'll need to dive into the next book in the series.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
cjmedinger's review against another edition
4.0
Great world building - magical world, magical all girls school, things aren't as they seem.
willie_g's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really like this book. Bewitching from beginning to end. An added plus, no sappy romance here. Not even a crush, which is quite refreshing. Bianca’s Dad is the BMOC, even though he’s a bit of a mystery until the end. No boys allowed =) You’ve got your silly teenage girl stuff, but nothing over the top to deter you from the fast paced, ever twisting plot.
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For full review, visit
http://2manybooks0time.tumblr.com/
piper9004's review against another edition
3.0
This review originally appears on What Am I Reading?
Rate: 3
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The best part of this story was Miss Mabel. She had an agenda so she was will to do anything, manipulate anyone to achieve her goals. Miss Mabel is the antagonist of the story and even though I'm not rooting for her to succeed, her presence inserted some drama into the story that made it interesting. Opposite Miss Mabel is Bianca. Bianca also has an agenda: getting Miss Mabel to remove the curse from her family. She's been training for her confrontation with Miss Mabel since she was a little girl, but Miss Mabel is much more than she expected. It's interesting seeing this seasoned witch and this witch in training duke it out so they can achieve their goals, but each opponent getting in the way of the other so the task is more difficult than expected.
The beginning starts slow and shows Bianca being accepted into Miss Mabel's School for Girls and entering the contest that will bring her closer to confronting Miss Mabel. The contest itself was quick and was a mixture of The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and something else I couldn't put my finger on. But once the contest is over, the story takes on a quality of originality (or at least it didn't remind me of other books/movies/TV shows) and becomes more interesting than the beginning.
The ending had me reaching for the second book, but the mature adult part of my brain told me I should pay my bills before I buy more books. I don't know how long I can hold out because I really really want to know what happens next. Anyway, this is definitely a book you should give a try.
Rate: 3
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The best part of this story was Miss Mabel. She had an agenda so she was will to do anything, manipulate anyone to achieve her goals. Miss Mabel is the antagonist of the story and even though I'm not rooting for her to succeed, her presence inserted some drama into the story that made it interesting. Opposite Miss Mabel is Bianca. Bianca also has an agenda: getting Miss Mabel to remove the curse from her family. She's been training for her confrontation with Miss Mabel since she was a little girl, but Miss Mabel is much more than she expected. It's interesting seeing this seasoned witch and this witch in training duke it out so they can achieve their goals, but each opponent getting in the way of the other so the task is more difficult than expected.
The beginning starts slow and shows Bianca being accepted into Miss Mabel's School for Girls and entering the contest that will bring her closer to confronting Miss Mabel. The contest itself was quick and was a mixture of The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and something else I couldn't put my finger on. But once the contest is over, the story takes on a quality of originality (or at least it didn't remind me of other books/movies/TV shows) and becomes more interesting than the beginning.
The ending had me reaching for the second book, but the mature adult part of my brain told me I should pay my bills before I buy more books. I don't know how long I can hold out because I really really want to know what happens next. Anyway, this is definitely a book you should give a try.