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ellie_the_kraken's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.0
ambergamgee's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warning: abortion, cancer
This was a very engrossing book, I couldn’t put it down! Part magical youth, part detective drama. Like if Jessica Jones wasn’t magical but went to solve a murder at a magical high school. Um, actually better than that, I’m not doing it justice in my description! I really enjoyed it, it made me both laugh and gasp at different points.
This was a very engrossing book, I couldn’t put it down! Part magical youth, part detective drama. Like if Jessica Jones wasn’t magical but went to solve a murder at a magical high school. Um, actually better than that, I’m not doing it justice in my description! I really enjoyed it, it made me both laugh and gasp at different points.
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Four, except for the ending.
Many here complained that Ivy's a whiner. She IS, and I think that's a valid choice for a character, if the author explains WHY she's a whiner, and shows us in the story that Ivy still hasn't dealt with a lot of things in her life that she should have dealt with by now. There are real people like that, maybe a lot of them.
The plot rolls out quite nicely. Mrs. Webb is good. There's a lot of good who's-telling-the-truth, some red herrings, and a couple of maybe-a-bit-TOO-broad hints when people don't get their lies completely right. But she's a PI, so fair enough.
Two big problems for me, though:
(1)
and especially (2).
Gailey was so careful with the magic up till then, but for me they dropped the ball at the end.
I'll read their next one, though.
Many here complained that Ivy's a whiner. She IS, and I think that's a valid choice for a character, if the author explains WHY she's a whiner, and shows us in the story that Ivy still hasn't dealt with a lot of things in her life that she should have dealt with by now. There are real people like that, maybe a lot of them.
The plot rolls out quite nicely. Mrs. Webb is good. There's a lot of good who's-telling-the-truth, some red herrings, and a couple of maybe-a-bit-TOO-broad hints when people don't get their lies completely right. But she's a PI, so fair enough.
Two big problems for me, though:
(1)
Spoiler
a magic school, and no one notices Alexandria's various influences?and especially (2)
Spoiler
we are told repeatedly that certain levels of magic are impossible, unless you're Mrs. Webb and maybe even then .... but to resolve the plot we find that TWO of the key characters can do this impossible thing.Gailey was so careful with the magic up till then, but for me they dropped the ball at the end.
I'll read their next one, though.
sandreline's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Sarah Gailey is one of my favorite authors, but for this one I'm genuinely not sure if I loved it because of the writing or because of the fantastic audiobook narrator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
katsreads's review against another edition
4.0
i liked the premise of this book, i thought it was pretty unique in the witches realm of things. the magic system was underdeveloped, but that’s mainly by way of the main character being non-magic, which is a good way to get around it i suppose. some things abt the “mystery” were glaringly obvious and the main character just kept glossing over them (unreliable narrator frfr)
caraem3's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting tale of identity, those things we keep hidden from ourselves, and the consequences of what we try to do alone and in community.
edward_wilsher's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
The combination of sci-fi and detective genres is perfect for me and this book captures both very well. An intriguing murder mystery storyline throughout coupled with magical elements works really well.
oonawoodbury's review
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Fine mystery, I HATED Ivy's narration, especially in the audiobook, I was so done with her from basically chapter 2. It really didn't help that she was just moaning about how much her life sucks and how she resents her sister from the very beginning before we had any reason to be invested in her-- sooo annoying. The arc of the mystery was fine I guess, but I felt like I barely knew any of the characters and the magic was super poorly defined so that all felt a little hand-wavey. The magic system had potential but bc the mc was an outsider she never really got into it which was unfortunate bc her being an outsider was cool in other ways. Anyways, if it seems up your alley and the first few chapters don't annoy you, you'll probably enjoy this.
alexiachantel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
This dark academia read is a well done mystery involving a very unusual murder. Ivy, the hired PI, ends up at her twin sister's school. The kind of school Ivy was denied access to as a kid because she wasn't magic like her sister. Ivy has her own demons she ends up having to face in order to solve the crime.
Read if you're in the mood for a quick, dark academia read with a well thought out mystery.
Read if you're in the mood for a quick, dark academia read with a well thought out mystery.