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dragongirl271's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexism, and Racism
Minor: Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, and Homophobia
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
First of all, I love the concept of this. I wish more short story anthologies were more collaborative stories like this because I feel like I'm more invested. I also think teens would be more drawn to them than the regular short story anthologies that are being published (of which there are too many in my opinion, but I digress!).
My main issue is I think there are a tad too many characters in this one. There's a lot to remember between the stories, and widdling it down to fewer authors (which means maybe they get to write more parts?) would help with the overall clarity. And maybe a character map if you're going to have this many characters.
The mystery intertwined with the fantasy though, I enjoyed that! I loved the magic school setting, too. Such a fun concept that just needs a little bit of tweaking to really put it over the edge.
My main issue is I think there are a tad too many characters in this one. There's a lot to remember between the stories, and widdling it down to fewer authors (which means maybe they get to write more parts?) would help with the overall clarity. And maybe a character map if you're going to have this many characters.
The mystery intertwined with the fantasy though, I enjoyed that! I loved the magic school setting, too. Such a fun concept that just needs a little bit of tweaking to really put it over the edge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Gore
Minor: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Sexism
displacedcactus's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I'm not always a fan of books that change narrators frequently, but I knew going into it that the central conceit of this book was that each chapter would follow a different student... written by a different author! With that in mind, I settled in and went along for the ride.
I never read that other magic school book -- you know, the one that was adapted into a movie series and has a ton of merch and oh yeah, a super-TERFy creator? But thanks to its cultural dominance over most of the last couple decades, I'm aware enough of it that I could tell how much this book was an answer to that series and other very similar series. Because this book is about all of the *other* students at the magical school. The queer kids. The BIPOC kids. The disabled kids. The poor kids. The troubled kids.
It's also about a school that claims it's trying to overcome its prejudiced legacy, but is certainly stumbling along the way.
Anyway, this was a fun read. Every student has their own motivation for trying to solve the mystery -- to prove they didn't do it, to gain the approval of an elder, to get things back to normal, or for a few, because they believe they are, in fact, The Chosen One. Some of these kids were really enjoyable characters and I could have read an entire book or series featuring them, and the kids that I didn't enjoy as much, well, I only had to spend a chapter in their heads. And none of the narrators were truly annoying.
If you're a fan of YA, give this a read. You'll probably enjoy it, and you'll likely encounter a few new-to-you authors to check out later!
I never read that other magic school book -- you know, the one that was adapted into a movie series and has a ton of merch and oh yeah, a super-TERFy creator? But thanks to its cultural dominance over most of the last couple decades, I'm aware enough of it that I could tell how much this book was an answer to that series and other very similar series. Because this book is about all of the *other* students at the magical school. The queer kids. The BIPOC kids. The disabled kids. The poor kids. The troubled kids.
It's also about a school that claims it's trying to overcome its prejudiced legacy, but is certainly stumbling along the way.
Anyway, this was a fun read. Every student has their own motivation for trying to solve the mystery -- to prove they didn't do it, to gain the approval of an elder, to get things back to normal, or for a few, because they believe they are, in fact, The Chosen One. Some of these kids were really enjoyable characters and I could have read an entire book or series featuring them, and the kids that I didn't enjoy as much, well, I only had to spend a chapter in their heads. And none of the narrators were truly annoying.
If you're a fan of YA, give this a read. You'll probably enjoy it, and you'll likely encounter a few new-to-you authors to check out later!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Racism, Transphobia, and Homophobia
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