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mar1ska's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It really intrigued me when I was 11 but I felt too young to really understand it, nonetheless it has been on my mind for years and I'm happy I found the title (thanks reddit)!
Reading up on this story and looking back on it, Fidelity definitely must've had a part in my gay awakening. Little me in her sheltered Christian family was crying and reading this book in secret...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Self harm
Moderate: Classism and Racism
sareece92's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
_hexposito's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm
dunnalotofreading's review against another edition
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
jennamae's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The plot is very interesting. It also had a lot more spice than i expected, which I’m not complaining about. I will definitely read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
itsreirei's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book feels like The Craft set in the Victorian era. I see why some may dislike it but I personally quite enjoyed reading it. Curious to see where the story goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Sexism, Classism, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Misogyny, Child death, Addiction, and Bullying
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Abandonment, Medical content, and Drug abuse
bzliz's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Although this is categorized as YA, I don’t think I could have endured or enjoyed it as a young adult. I picked it up because I remember the cover from when I was younger but I don’t recall ever reading it. Even after finishing, I can’t be sure if I read it and forgot or if the cover is just burned in my brain for some reason.
Gemma Doyle leads a group of sheltered girls into a world of magic that she herself doesn’t understand and has only just begun to experience. The group discovers the past tragedy of a group before them called the Order whose desire for power had deadly consequences and tread the fine line of falling into that same tragedy.
Portions drag on a little and to enjoy this you need to endure the historical trappings of misogyny and racism, plus the performative propriety and customs of the time. The magic system explored is less of a system encountered in many fantasy novels and is more like a nebulous innate ability that no one can explain and at times it left me outright confused.
Gemma Doyle leads a group of sheltered girls into a world of magic that she herself doesn’t understand and has only just begun to experience. The group discovers the past tragedy of a group before them called the Order whose desire for power had deadly consequences and tread the fine line of falling into that same tragedy.
Portions drag on a little and to enjoy this you need to endure the historical trappings of misogyny and racism, plus the performative propriety and customs of the time. The magic system explored is less of a system encountered in many fantasy novels and is more like a nebulous innate ability that no one can explain and at times it left me outright confused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Racism, Self harm, Vomit, and Sexism
bekahzabel's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5/5 🌟 I read this series in middle school and circled back to it in effort to re-explore some favorites as an adult. I’m so happy I started with this one, it felt like slipping back into a cozy familiar dark bedtime story. Libba Bray’s writing style is suitable for both YA and adults in this series.
I noticed so much more allusion, foreshadowing, and hidden gems this second time around.
If you like:
Coming of Age Witches
Discovering & Developing Power
Found Family
Sisterhood
Dark Academia
Secrets & Plot Twists
then this trilogy will hit the spot for you.
I noticed so much more allusion, foreshadowing, and hidden gems this second time around.
If you like:
Coming of Age Witches
Discovering & Developing Power
Found Family
Sisterhood
Dark Academia
Secrets & Plot Twists
then this trilogy will hit the spot for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny, Drug use, Death, Grief, Murder, and Self harm
ricksilva's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle witnesses the terrifying murder of her mother in colonial India, seemingly by supernatural forces. Back England and enrolled in a girls boarding school, Gemma discovers a diary of a former student who sought the secrets of an ancient Order of sorceresses, and the power of a dream-dimension called the Realms.
In spite of warnings to stay clear of these secrets, Gemma and three friends begin to explore their own magical potential, eventually finding their own way into the Realms in the hope of changing the fate that awaits them all back at their dreary school.
This story careens headlong toward tragedy with little effort on the part of any of the main characters to stop it, in spite every possible warning.
The characters are definitely not always likeable, but they all do grow beyond their original simple impressions, and the character development helps keep things interesting and keeps the reader engaged even as terrible and obvious mistakes are made again and again.
In spite of warnings to stay clear of these secrets, Gemma and three friends begin to explore their own magical potential, eventually finding their own way into the Realms in the hope of changing the fate that awaits them all back at their dreary school.
This story careens headlong toward tragedy with little effort on the part of any of the main characters to stop it, in spite every possible warning.
The characters are definitely not always likeable, but they all do grow beyond their original simple impressions, and the character development helps keep things interesting and keeps the reader engaged even as terrible and obvious mistakes are made again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm and Sexism
madisone's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
Though this book was written in 2003 (a sometimes rough period for Y. A. books featuring a female protagonist), it was quite enjoyable in 2022. The best way to describe this book is a gothic fantasy that takes place in the Victorian era. It was a slow pace at the beginning, but as you get more into the intricacies of the plot, it gets much quicker. The characters were complex and intriguing because of their flaws and opinions. This book covers topics such as the restrictions put upon women (especially in the Victorian era), female relationships, and forgiveness with just a touch of a mystery. While I would have liked to see more into different characters family life, I realize this is only the first in a series. Would recommend this book, but there are a few trigger warnings you should look up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming
Minor: Sexual content, Infidelity, and Adult/minor relationship