Reviews

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

nflatwhite's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

jenhurst's review

4.0

I really disagree with the ratings that most people are giving the book. I think the atmosphere of this book was top notch. The creepy school and the question of what was real or not was keeping me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I think this is the best YA dark academia book I’ve read and I hope it finds its audience.

evelyne_cormier's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

apurplehyacinth's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.5⭐️

This book is the most stereotypical dark academia book i’ve ever read, but honestly, i didn’t mind.

i enjoyed the sometimes cringy way things were described like this was a harry potter fanfic. it felt magical and whimsy. that is until the plot twist that had me sitting on my bed with my mouth open in shock.

lesbian representation was a major plus for me, and i have a love hate relationship with the ending of this book. i love it for the grossness it left me with, while also hating it for that. i probably won’t ever read this again but it’s a fun one time read. I can understand why some people wouldn’t enjoy it, but I think it all just depends on how you interpret the content in this book. it’s heavy on darker topics and discussion of mental illnesses. if you’re not open to exploring how sometimes people use mental health as a weapon and how manipulation can cause a person to act in irrational ways. then maybe don’t read this. but for someone who loves thinking about this stuff, i had a fun time.

a great dark academia sapphic story mixed with murder, magic, and mystery

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death

bekahlou9's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

• A dark and rich academic setting that drew me in and captivated me. The writing is beautiful and flows so well together, the story is immersive, the characters are so unique and flawed. 
• Ellis and felicity are both so intoxicatingly toxic for each other, to the point where their addiction is overtaking everything. The pressure of them keeps building until all of the gaslighting and manipulation implodes on itself, leaving behind a precarious thin string waiting to break in someone’s favor.
• It’s interesting to see Felicity go from dissing and making fun of the girls who clung to Ellis, to her turning into one of them. Not even, becoming beyond what they were with Ellis.
• Felicity’s slow descent into occult induced obsession paired with unreliable narrative makes you question the reality of everything. Her perception doesn’t match the reality, it makes you question everything- we can see the details and come to a somewhat unbiased conclusion, but Felicity will come to a completely different one-or the same one but won’t believe in it.
• This was very different than what I anticipated, but it was mind bending and captivating all the same.

cobaltbookshelf's review

3.0

I was hooked immediately, I mean sapphic dark academia with mystery. Sure it dragged at bit but still I enjoyed it.

tessstoran's review

Not my genre 

milababic's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

lotus19's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

adelle_bookworm's review

2.0

Upřímně, stále váhám mezi 2* a 3*. Začátek mě chytl, ale pak mě to nebavilo. Felicity mi byla nesympatická, nežrala jsem její pohnutky, Ellis mi přišla od začátku trochu mimo, ostatní postavy tam zase byly moc málo. Dost to vytáhl konec - Felicity mi sice nesedla, ale právě u konce jsem ocenila její chování, díky němuž jsem absolutně neodhadla, k čemu se schyluje. Konec gradoval perfektně, tam mě to bavilo.

Vyprávění má temný ráz, to oceňuju. Ne jak zbytek... Strašně mě nakrklo zacházení s alkoholismem, easy přístup ke střílení po zvířatech a přístup k retrospektivám tak trochu nechápu doteď, jak se to obhajovalo a tak. Plno věcí tam prostě regulérně nedává smysl.

Originalita tam je, ale pro mě tam bylo až moc věcí, co mě strašně štvaly, a krom konce (který teda byl skvělý, to jo), mě to bohužel nebavilo.