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Sisters of the Occult #1
All the Devils
Hell is empty and all the demons are at Ravenswood Academy . . .
Mourning the sudden death of her sister, Andy Emmerson knows she must come to terms with a life without Violet. But on the day of the funeral Andy is shocked to discover one thing: the person in that casket is not her sister.
Violet is alive.
Convinced her sister's elite boarding school is covering up the truth, Andy enrols at Ravenswood Academy to discover what really happened and find Violet.
The school is as beautiful and haunting as the students within it and Andy learns that it's not just good grades that drives these pupils. Something much darker is at play.
After discovering a cryptic note from her sister, Andy must follow a set of clues to unlock the truth. This will bring her into contact with secret societies, ancient magic, demons and monsters. And a charming senior named Jae Han who has his own reasons for finding out what happened to Violet . . .
Soon Andy realizes the price she must pay to bring her sister home is darker and more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.
Mourning the sudden death of her sister, Andy Emmerson knows she must come to terms with a life without Violet. But on the day of the funeral Andy is shocked to discover one thing: the person in that casket is not her sister.
Violet is alive.
Convinced her sister's elite boarding school is covering up the truth, Andy enrols at Ravenswood Academy to discover what really happened and find Violet.
The school is as beautiful and haunting as the students within it and Andy learns that it's not just good grades that drives these pupils. Something much darker is at play.
After discovering a cryptic note from her sister, Andy must follow a set of clues to unlock the truth. This will bring her into contact with secret societies, ancient magic, demons and monsters. And a charming senior named Jae Han who has his own reasons for finding out what happened to Violet . . .
Soon Andy realizes the price she must pay to bring her sister home is darker and more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
April 22, 2024
my tbr has gone up but so has my average rating. i count that as a win.
4★ rtc
_
dealing with the 1202 books on my tbr <<< requesting this because the first thing i saw was 'dark-academia'
and i wonder why i'm stressed lol😭
hahahaha i got the arc!
4★ rtc
_
dealing with the 1202 books on my tbr <<< requesting this because the first thing i saw was 'dark-academia'
and i wonder why i'm stressed lol😭
hahahaha i got the arc!
September 25, 2024
I have…mixed opinions on this one. On a surface level, it was fun. There was a mystery to keep the pages turning. I initially vibed with the dark academia aspect until we strayed away from it somewhat. But I think ultimately this felt a little too ‘one-track’ for me, the same barely changing motivation leading to a somewhat underwhelming outcome. That, along with the picking and choosing of mythologies that I don’t know how to feel about, makes for an uncertain blend. It has potential, and if you’re wanting a YA version of the likes of Ninth House this might be your thing, as a more fantasy-leaning dark academia with paranormal secrets abound.
Want to read
July 16, 2024Secret societies, ancient magic, demons, monsters, people possible faking their death, all tied up with a beautiful cover.
Consider me seated. Consider me intrigued.
Consider me seated. Consider me intrigued.
Read
January 15, 2024I suspect I am going to be an outlier here because I really struggled to get into this book - and if it hadn't been a Netgalley read it would have been a DNF less than two chapters in. Which is a shame because beneath the florid over the top prose (no one ever taught the author that less is more, why use one carefully chosen adjective when five can be squeezed into one sentence?) and the one dimensional chosen one heroine, there's a really interesting story full of mythology which could have been a really fun read.
Andy (Andromeda) enrolls at the school her sister died at, a school that continues to flourish despite Sunnydale type numbers of historic deaths for its female students. But she's not there for the education (a good thing, she barely bothers with classes) but to find out what happened to Violet. Because the body they buried wasn't her sister's (and obviously she didn't mention this to her parents). Her investigation will, of course, lead her to a mystery cult of elite students, to a hot alternative boy and into all kinds of danger.
The problem for me is that by the end of the book I couldn't tell you any more about Andy than I could at the beginning. She has dark ringlets, wears glasses, idolises her sister and... well, that's it. I don't know where she lives, what her relationship with her family is like, who her friends are, her hobbies, her dreams, her aspirations, her taste in music or books or clothes or, well, anything. She's just a breathless narrator (first person present, natch, which is part of the problem, how I dislike this as a tense unless the writer is super skilled). I also don't understand why the thing that makes her special is present in her and Violet and not in whichever side of the family passed it down to her and again, that's because there is no backstory.
To me, this is a book in need of an edit. Change the tense, and possibly the narrator, round out the heroine so she is a character and not a plot cipher and this could have been an incredible read. Booktok will no doubt love it, but that doesn't stop this being a missed opportunity because the plot has some real originality and, pruned, the author can write.
Andy (Andromeda) enrolls at the school her sister died at, a school that continues to flourish despite Sunnydale type numbers of historic deaths for its female students. But she's not there for the education (a good thing, she barely bothers with classes) but to find out what happened to Violet. Because the body they buried wasn't her sister's (and obviously she didn't mention this to her parents). Her investigation will, of course, lead her to a mystery cult of elite students, to a hot alternative boy and into all kinds of danger.
The problem for me is that by the end of the book I couldn't tell you any more about Andy than I could at the beginning. She has dark ringlets, wears glasses, idolises her sister and... well, that's it. I don't know where she lives, what her relationship with her family is like, who her friends are, her hobbies, her dreams, her aspirations, her taste in music or books or clothes or, well, anything. She's just a breathless narrator (first person present, natch, which is part of the problem, how I dislike this as a tense unless the writer is super skilled). I also don't understand why the thing that makes her special is present in her and Violet and not in whichever side of the family passed it down to her and again, that's because there is no backstory.
To me, this is a book in need of an edit. Change the tense, and possibly the narrator, round out the heroine so she is a character and not a plot cipher and this could have been an incredible read. Booktok will no doubt love it, but that doesn't stop this being a missed opportunity because the plot has some real originality and, pruned, the author can write.
July 31, 2024
2.75
I’m not sure if this was necessarily a bad book but I think I am now definitely less of a fan of contemporary stories than I used to be.
The story follows a girl called Andy learning of her sister Violet’s death at the school she attended called Ravenswood Academy. She however later realises that Violet never actually died and so she sets out to uncover the truth about her sister at the very school she used to go to, determined to uncover whatever secrets they may be hiding.
My first issue with this book was simply just how predictable it was. It was pretty much a Wednesday Addams reincarnation. I guessed all the plot twists pretty much from the start of the book and that’s why I’m saying in advance, maybe these books just aren’t for me anymore lol.
I also felt very frustrated with the fmc and found her to be quite foolish, rash and annoying. I do understand that this is a YA book but I don’t think I’m expecting too much of her to just think before she speaks.
Lastly the story felt quite rushed and everything happened too conveniently for my liking. It did become a lot more interesting by about the 66% mark but it was still pretty predictable.
That being said, it had a very interesting premise and I see why people found it to be enjoyable as well as it having lot of potential for an interesting sequel if there ever was to be one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC <3
I’m not sure if this was necessarily a bad book but I think I am now definitely less of a fan of contemporary stories than I used to be.
The story follows a girl called Andy learning of her sister Violet’s death at the school she attended called Ravenswood Academy. She however later realises that Violet never actually died and so she sets out to uncover the truth about her sister at the very school she used to go to, determined to uncover whatever secrets they may be hiding.
My first issue with this book was simply just how predictable it was. It was pretty much a Wednesday Addams reincarnation. I guessed all the plot twists pretty much from the start of the book and that’s why I’m saying in advance, maybe these books just aren’t for me anymore lol.
I also felt very frustrated with the fmc and found her to be quite foolish, rash and annoying. I do understand that this is a YA book but I don’t think I’m expecting too much of her to just think before she speaks.
Lastly the story felt quite rushed and everything happened too conveniently for my liking. It did become a lot more interesting by about the 66% mark but it was still pretty predictable.
That being said, it had a very interesting premise and I see why people found it to be enjoyable as well as it having lot of potential for an interesting sequel if there ever was to be one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC <3
December 29, 2023
OBSESSED.
Dark academic? Witchy vibes? Art history? Sprinkle of romance? All a recipe for a 5⭐️ read in my opinion. The characters and the scenery were all exquisitely, especially when we went to the Underworld. The twists just kept coming when it came to Jae and I spent a good deal of time picking my jaw up off the floor. The ending gave me hope for a sequel!
I HIGHLY recommend adding this to your tbr.
Dark academic? Witchy vibes? Art history? Sprinkle of romance? All a recipe for a 5⭐️ read in my opinion. The characters and the scenery were all exquisitely, especially when we went to the Underworld. The twists just kept coming when it came to Jae and I spent a good deal of time picking my jaw up off the floor. The ending gave me hope for a sequel!
I HIGHLY recommend adding this to your tbr.
September 25, 2024
I picked this book up on impulse, and I ended up being extremely disappointed. The two biggest issues I had, from the very beginning, were
1. the first person narrator - the main character is incredibly passive, but everything is filtered through her point of view, which meant that a lot of the time the story just... happened to her. Other people were acting, while she watched on. Or information was delivered, by people talking at her. Which is fine!! but it just underlined her passivity to the point where it became annoying. her refusal to engage or act, made me wonder why the author had chosen both 1st person and this character as the focal point. Bc she only really became an active participant in the final third (when stupid things happened.)
2. the complete and indiscriminate mixing of mythologies was incredibly uncomfortable to me. the author sticks with 'ancient' mythologies (egyptian, greek, and roman mostly), and seems to act like it's ok to mix all of these together - at one point saying 'all underworld river crossing figures are the same', etc. maybe people feel like it's ok bc these are 'ancient' cultures, but I personally found it lazy, under-researched, and in the case of egyptian mythology in particular, given the history of appropriation by white, anglocentric cultures, pretty tone deaf. call me crazy, but don't just claim that's the same as Greek civilisation? maybe?
All this was fine, if boring, until the 270 page mark where a lazy chosen one narrative is brought in at the last minute with no foreshadowing. The protagonist doesn't have to learn or develop, she just has magic now. She's a descendent of Hecate, apparently! She's special! No wonder she was never proactive at any point in the narrative - everything is handed to her, at the last bell.
From that point onwards, much like Andromeda 'Andy' Emmerson I just didn't care. why should I, when the stakes were so underwhelming? skimread the last 100 pages, left feeling very meh about it.
1. the first person narrator - the main character is incredibly passive, but everything is filtered through her point of view, which meant that a lot of the time the story just... happened to her. Other people were acting, while she watched on. Or information was delivered, by people talking at her. Which is fine!! but it just underlined her passivity to the point where it became annoying. her refusal to engage or act, made me wonder why the author had chosen both 1st person and this character as the focal point. Bc she only really became an active participant in the final third (when stupid things happened.)
2. the complete and indiscriminate mixing of mythologies was incredibly uncomfortable to me. the author sticks with 'ancient' mythologies (egyptian, greek, and roman mostly), and seems to act like it's ok to mix all of these together - at one point saying 'all underworld river crossing figures are the same', etc. maybe people feel like it's ok bc these are 'ancient' cultures, but I personally found it lazy, under-researched, and in the case of egyptian mythology in particular, given the history of appropriation by white, anglocentric cultures, pretty tone deaf. call me crazy, but don't just claim that's the same as Greek civilisation? maybe?
All this was fine, if boring, until the 270 page mark where a lazy chosen one narrative is brought in at the last minute with no foreshadowing. The protagonist doesn't have to learn or develop, she just has magic now. She's a descendent of Hecate, apparently! She's special! No wonder she was never proactive at any point in the narrative - everything is handed to her, at the last bell.
From that point onwards, much like Andromeda 'Andy' Emmerson I just didn't care. why should I, when the stakes were so underwhelming? skimread the last 100 pages, left feeling very meh about it.
February 27, 2024
All The Devils by Catelyn Wilson
When I saw this was a young adult dark academia book promised to be full of secret societies, mystery, magic, demons and much more, I immediately knew I had to read it. This is an incredibly fast-paced book, which starts smack bang in the middle of the action, meaning we skip out all the long, boring opening chapters and get hooked straight away. The author sets an eerie, threatening and mysterious tone to the book right from the get go, and this only builds throughout until we reach the intense, shocking ending. I liked the conclusion to the book overall, yet I did feel there were certain parts in the plot where readers are just supposed to except certain facts or situations without any explanation being given by the author. There are a few incidents where things are left to the reader to interpret but are too unambiguous, so I found myself becoming slightly confused and having to reread parts of this.
Credit must be given to the author for the amazing world-building done, especially regarding the Underworld. There are multiple, brilliantly-written parts of this book that describe the scenery around our characters, and I really felt as if I too was walking through the Underworld, seeing the river, the dying flowers and all the monsters living there. The author managed to make a fantasy setting seem fully-formed and realistic, which is a hard task. I also enjoyed that there was quite a few fun facts about history thrown in throughout, mainly about Egypt, which I thought was a nice addition and fit the story well.
The characters were also very well-written. Jae, in particular, was a very interesting, multi-layered character that I really warmed to, and the author managed to hide Jae's secrets from me right up until the end. Jae's character deals a lot with grief, and shows the detrimental effects this can have on young people, which I thought was a good addition. Violet was another interesting character, showing the possible consequences of greed, selfishness and desperation. At some points, I rooted for Violet and could understand her motivations but, at other points, I found myself becoming frustrated at her character's actions. However, towards the end we find out why Violet has become this not-so-good version of herself, and we are able, on some levels, to empathise with her. Yet, in my opinion, the reasons Violet give for actions are not sufficient to absolve her of guilt. I ended up hating Violet almost as much as Luciano and the other members of their group, which I wasn't certain was the author's intentions. Andy was an odd character that I couldn't work out. It took me a long time to warm to her, as I found she often came across as erratic, airheaded and annoyingly reliant on others. I became annoyed with Andy at certain points, as the answers seemed obvious to me (as a reader) yet Andy was seemingly unable to do anything by herself and was constantly relying on Jae (or Munia) to hold her hand at every step. However, after a while, I began to notice this frustrating character trait less, and found myself warming to Andy finally- perhaps this was only because Jae went missing and she was forced to stand on her own two feet, though.
Overall, I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. Other than the few issues I had, this was a very enjoyable and interesting read. I loved learning about the secret societies, meeting a whole bunch of intriguing monsters, and much more, which all play into the dark academia vibes that made this book so enjoyable. This book really reminded me why I was so obsessed with these types of books as a teenager and has renewed my love of dark academia books. I would definitely recommend giving this one a read. Thank you to NetGalley and Catelyn Wilson for the ARC.
When I saw this was a young adult dark academia book promised to be full of secret societies, mystery, magic, demons and much more, I immediately knew I had to read it. This is an incredibly fast-paced book, which starts smack bang in the middle of the action, meaning we skip out all the long, boring opening chapters and get hooked straight away. The author sets an eerie, threatening and mysterious tone to the book right from the get go, and this only builds throughout until we reach the intense, shocking ending. I liked the conclusion to the book overall, yet I did feel there were certain parts in the plot where readers are just supposed to except certain facts or situations without any explanation being given by the author. There are a few incidents where things are left to the reader to interpret but are too unambiguous, so I found myself becoming slightly confused and having to reread parts of this.
Credit must be given to the author for the amazing world-building done, especially regarding the Underworld. There are multiple, brilliantly-written parts of this book that describe the scenery around our characters, and I really felt as if I too was walking through the Underworld, seeing the river, the dying flowers and all the monsters living there. The author managed to make a fantasy setting seem fully-formed and realistic, which is a hard task. I also enjoyed that there was quite a few fun facts about history thrown in throughout, mainly about Egypt, which I thought was a nice addition and fit the story well.
The characters were also very well-written. Jae, in particular, was a very interesting, multi-layered character that I really warmed to, and the author managed to hide Jae's secrets from me right up until the end. Jae's character deals a lot with grief, and shows the detrimental effects this can have on young people, which I thought was a good addition. Violet was another interesting character, showing the possible consequences of greed, selfishness and desperation. At some points, I rooted for Violet and could understand her motivations but, at other points, I found myself becoming frustrated at her character's actions. However, towards the end we find out why Violet has become this not-so-good version of herself, and we are able, on some levels, to empathise with her. Yet, in my opinion, the reasons Violet give for actions are not sufficient to absolve her of guilt. I ended up hating Violet almost as much as Luciano and the other members of their group, which I wasn't certain was the author's intentions. Andy was an odd character that I couldn't work out. It took me a long time to warm to her, as I found she often came across as erratic, airheaded and annoyingly reliant on others. I became annoyed with Andy at certain points, as the answers seemed obvious to me (as a reader) yet Andy was seemingly unable to do anything by herself and was constantly relying on Jae (or Munia) to hold her hand at every step. However, after a while, I began to notice this frustrating character trait less, and found myself warming to Andy finally- perhaps this was only because Jae went missing and she was forced to stand on her own two feet, though.
Overall, I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. Other than the few issues I had, this was a very enjoyable and interesting read. I loved learning about the secret societies, meeting a whole bunch of intriguing monsters, and much more, which all play into the dark academia vibes that made this book so enjoyable. This book really reminded me why I was so obsessed with these types of books as a teenager and has renewed my love of dark academia books. I would definitely recommend giving this one a read. Thank you to NetGalley and Catelyn Wilson for the ARC.
April 5, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for allowing me to read the ARC for this book!
This book definitely fits into the 'Dark Academia' genre, with a mix of fantasy and a touch of horror, the blend was executed very well. The mix of mythology was interesting too, and I found the book to be quite enjoyable. It was well written, and I would recommend to those who are a fan of dark academia.
I found the plot enjoyable, however there were parts that felt a bit dull or slow, and it initially took me a while to get into it. However I would still say it is definitively worth giving this book a read, as it really picks up further into it.
This book definitely fits into the 'Dark Academia' genre, with a mix of fantasy and a touch of horror, the blend was executed very well. The mix of mythology was interesting too, and I found the book to be quite enjoyable. It was well written, and I would recommend to those who are a fan of dark academia.
I found the plot enjoyable, however there were parts that felt a bit dull or slow, and it initially took me a while to get into it. However I would still say it is definitively worth giving this book a read, as it really picks up further into it.
January 12, 2025
Das Buch ist alles was Vengeance sein wollte (auch wenn natürlich das Thema ein anderes ist). Absolute Überraschung und für das was es ist eine absolute 10 von 10. Perfekte Dark Academia Story mit Geheimgesellschaften, Mythologie, Kunst und einer kleinen Lovestory.
December 1, 2024
Wat een rit was dit boek!
Heb nog nooit zoiets gelezen wat dus wel echt heel gaaf was!
Er gebeurde zoveel, maar je wilde echt doorlezen omdat je wilde weten hoe het zat.
Ik had echt allerlei theorieën over hoe het verhaal nou in elkaar zat. Sommige dingen had ik juist maar sommige dingen zat ik er ook echt helemaal naast.
Wel heel grafisch geschreven, ook het paranormale. Dus daar moet je wel tegen kunnen. Als in; ik ben een visueel ingesteld persoon dus ik zag de paranormale entiteiten echt goed voor mij.
Heel uniek geschreven boek, LOVED de Dark Academia vibes en zeker een aanrader.
Heb nog nooit zoiets gelezen wat dus wel echt heel gaaf was!
Er gebeurde zoveel, maar je wilde echt doorlezen omdat je wilde weten hoe het zat.
Ik had echt allerlei theorieën over hoe het verhaal nou in elkaar zat. Sommige dingen had ik juist maar sommige dingen zat ik er ook echt helemaal naast.
Wel heel grafisch geschreven, ook het paranormale. Dus daar moet je wel tegen kunnen. Als in; ik ben een visueel ingesteld persoon dus ik zag de paranormale entiteiten echt goed voor mij.
Heel uniek geschreven boek, LOVED de Dark Academia vibes en zeker een aanrader.
September 30, 2024
The opening of ‘All the Devils’, the scene at Andy’s sister’s funeral, the tantalising clue of the vanished tattoo – titillating! That great title and incredible cover promise a lot, but I’m sorry to say that Catelyn Wilson’s latest book was, for me, dull and tedious.
‘All the Devils’ is Sleepy Hollow done kitsch. It’s the Hallmark Christmas movie version of Dark Academia; cheesy over-acting, awkward pauses, meaningful eye contact and all. Ravenswood Academy in Hemlock Cove: it wants Truly, Devious vibes but gives The Worst Witch.
Wilson pulls together lots and lots and lots of episodes, scenes, and tropes I've read in and around the Dark Academia genre, but loops them together too loosely and the novel constantly feels like its threads might come undone.
Like the typical campus novel, ‘All the Devils’ fetishises British aesthetics, breeding, customs and Western High Arts: it’s set in Edinburgh (Dark Academia capital!) and Wilson gets the National Curriculum year groups correct (Year 11, Year 12), but then she slips, using terms like 'high school' (which is the opposite end of the UK class spectrum from the Public Boarding School she's writing about!), and spellings like 'mold' for the British 'mould', and 'gray' for 'grey' proliferate. This culture confusion was maddeningly jarring.
There's lots of ‘blood running cold’, and pat and cliched descriptions of the kind of chills you might want to read about this spooky season, but I would have liked some character development, and some investigation into issues like eating disorders and internalised misogyny amongst teenage girls, which are present in the novel but never examined.
If you want a British Middle-Grade Dark Academia with no bounds set on believability, where things are just THERE, without plot justification or rationalisation; where things just HAPPEN and then they are over, without enquiry or reflection, then, sadly, this is it.
My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advanced copy for review through NetGalley.
‘All the Devils’ is Sleepy Hollow done kitsch. It’s the Hallmark Christmas movie version of Dark Academia; cheesy over-acting, awkward pauses, meaningful eye contact and all. Ravenswood Academy in Hemlock Cove: it wants Truly, Devious vibes but gives The Worst Witch.
Wilson pulls together lots and lots and lots of episodes, scenes, and tropes I've read in and around the Dark Academia genre, but loops them together too loosely and the novel constantly feels like its threads might come undone.
Like the typical campus novel, ‘All the Devils’ fetishises British aesthetics, breeding, customs and Western High Arts: it’s set in Edinburgh (Dark Academia capital!) and Wilson gets the National Curriculum year groups correct (Year 11, Year 12), but then she slips, using terms like 'high school' (which is the opposite end of the UK class spectrum from the Public Boarding School she's writing about!), and spellings like 'mold' for the British 'mould', and 'gray' for 'grey' proliferate. This culture confusion was maddeningly jarring.
There's lots of ‘blood running cold’, and pat and cliched descriptions of the kind of chills you might want to read about this spooky season, but I would have liked some character development, and some investigation into issues like eating disorders and internalised misogyny amongst teenage girls, which are present in the novel but never examined.
If you want a British Middle-Grade Dark Academia with no bounds set on believability, where things are just THERE, without plot justification or rationalisation; where things just HAPPEN and then they are over, without enquiry or reflection, then, sadly, this is it.
My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advanced copy for review through NetGalley.
January 21, 2025
Non ci sono elementi così originali, ma la storia fila liscia come l’olio: narrazione dinamica, priva di punti morti e dalla suspense spesso presente. Scorrevolissimo, adatto a letture leggere in grado di tenere comunque altissima l’attenzione del lettore. Un thriller che mi sentirei di consigliare anche come un approccio iniziale al genere, soprattutto perché scritto in modo molto semplice e perché non si perde in mille parentesi inutili.
October 14, 2024
I've totally got a mixed opinion on this one! A great and clever idea (and I'm pretty sure my first dive into dark academia).
I loved the secret societies, the spooky goings on, and the introduction of the variety of ancient gods (from all religious aspects and beliefs)
What I didn't love was the continuous repetitive narrative, yes Andy you're angst driven and on a mission, but we could do without being reminded of this for the whole first half of the book. This paired with the repetitive use of terms and phrases annoyed me (trust me in this book, "nobodies smile reaches their eyes," and we are told this A LOT)
The ending was a little weak for me, I expected a little more, but this is obviously the start of a series....
Good solid 3 stars, but nothing more.
I loved the secret societies, the spooky goings on, and the introduction of the variety of ancient gods (from all religious aspects and beliefs)
What I didn't love was the continuous repetitive narrative, yes Andy you're angst driven and on a mission, but we could do without being reminded of this for the whole first half of the book. This paired with the repetitive use of terms and phrases annoyed me (trust me in this book, "nobodies smile reaches their eyes," and we are told this A LOT)
The ending was a little weak for me, I expected a little more, but this is obviously the start of a series....
Good solid 3 stars, but nothing more.
February 28, 2024
* ARC review *
I loved the idea of this book and I did find it hooked me early on.
I really enjoyed the dark acedamia/witchy vibes with the magic, secret society and demonic elements.
Overall it ended up falling a little flat for me which was a shame after such a promising start, I think the heroine lacked depth but the storyline was very interesting.
I feel like there are a lot of people who will love this, so overall I rated it 3.75 stars.
Thank you so much Netgalley for this arc <3
I loved the idea of this book and I did find it hooked me early on.
I really enjoyed the dark acedamia/witchy vibes with the magic, secret society and demonic elements.
Overall it ended up falling a little flat for me which was a shame after such a promising start, I think the heroine lacked depth but the storyline was very interesting.
I feel like there are a lot of people who will love this, so overall I rated it 3.75 stars.
Thank you so much Netgalley for this arc <3
November 17, 2024
➵ 3.5 ⭐️
this was a decent dark academia read. Gave me Ninth House x The Temptation of Magic vibes, though I think it'd have benefitted if the MC was older and more mature but alas.
Still, the plot was very interesting and Jae was one of the best parts.
I had a bit of a hard time with this one and I'm not sure why since it started off really strong.
The first chapter absolutely slapped, grabbed me by the throat with the way it set everything up—the funeral, the mystery, the vibes—I was immediately intrigued and decided it's gonna be my next read on the spot.
But after that first chapter it kinda went downhill for a while. Even though I was super interested to find out what happened to Violet I wasn't interested to actually sit down and read it if it makes any sense?
The writing was fine but I wasn't really connecting with it, like it couldn't keep my attention. I don't know what but something was lacking, sometimes it felt like I was reading some kind of a dense textbook and not because of any complexity of the text though some sentences were structured weirdly.
All the Devils definitely reads as a debut even though I don't think that it is and there was also some repetition I found a little annoying.
Andy, the MC, also drove me crazy for the first 130 pages, acting like an idiot child most of the time. I understand that she's young and I can excuse the stupidity since she was acting out because of Violet but it was reckless and stupid and naive, it annoyed the shit out of me nonetheless.
Jae was one of the best parts as I mentioned, his back story was pretty interesting but there were parts in the beginning where I thought his behavior was a little weird and grating, after certain reveals everything made more sense.
I also really enjoyed the parts were the characters were going to the underworld—now that was pretty interesting.
The twists were good though I think that if you've read certain books and/or watched certain shows you won't really be surprised.
All the Devils definitely felt like the lukewarm YA version of Ninth House, and this may sound funny, but I don't mean this in a negative way, it just depends on what you like.
The ending was intriguing and not exactly what I expected so I am curious to read the sequel, especially since I went into this originally thinking it's a standalone.
"All I know is that I need you, Andromeda. I need you more than I need to breathe, than I need to sleep. I would burn the world down for you if you only asked. I've never felt that before as a god. Felt this."
this was a decent dark academia read. Gave me Ninth House x The Temptation of Magic vibes, though I think it'd have benefitted if the MC was older and more mature but alas.
Still, the plot was very interesting and Jae was one of the best parts.
I had a bit of a hard time with this one and I'm not sure why since it started off really strong.
The first chapter absolutely slapped, grabbed me by the throat with the way it set everything up—the funeral, the mystery, the vibes—I was immediately intrigued and decided it's gonna be my next read on the spot.
But after that first chapter it kinda went downhill for a while. Even though I was super interested to find out what happened to Violet I wasn't interested to actually sit down and read it if it makes any sense?
The writing was fine but I wasn't really connecting with it, like it couldn't keep my attention. I don't know what but something was lacking, sometimes it felt like I was reading some kind of a dense textbook and not because of any complexity of the text though some sentences were structured weirdly.
All the Devils definitely reads as a debut even though I don't think that it is and there was also some repetition I found a little annoying.
Andy, the MC, also drove me crazy for the first 130 pages, acting like an idiot child most of the time. I understand that she's young and I can excuse the stupidity since she was acting out because of Violet but it was reckless and stupid and naive, it annoyed the shit out of me nonetheless.
Jae was one of the best parts as I mentioned, his back story was pretty interesting but there were parts in the beginning where I thought his behavior was a little weird and grating, after certain reveals everything made more sense.
I also really enjoyed the parts were the characters were going to the underworld—now that was pretty interesting.
The twists were good though I think that if you've read certain books and/or watched certain shows you won't really be surprised.
All the Devils definitely felt like the lukewarm YA version of Ninth House, and this may sound funny, but I don't mean this in a negative way, it just depends on what you like.
The ending was intriguing and not exactly what I expected so I am curious to read the sequel, especially since I went into this originally thinking it's a standalone.
September 2, 2024
4.5
I got this as an ARC on NetGalley and honestly have been blown away by it. YA book but Dark and beautiful and sometimes super bloody scary! The mysteries just kept coming and I don't think I had a clue what was going to happen most of the time.
The characters I found so interesting and they had so many layers to them. The scene setting was detailed and enchanting. 100% recommend this to everyone!!
I got this as an ARC on NetGalley and honestly have been blown away by it. YA book but Dark and beautiful and sometimes super bloody scary! The mysteries just kept coming and I don't think I had a clue what was going to happen most of the time.
The characters I found so interesting and they had so many layers to them. The scene setting was detailed and enchanting. 100% recommend this to everyone!!
July 12, 2024
Dark academia and horror elements, absolutely loved the concept. The setting of Ravenswood Academy is dark and moody, definitely could picture this vividly. I most liked the isolated greenhouse! The plot is fantastic, secret societies, a trail left by a dead sister, underworld mysteries and plenty of magic. The academia side of things is lacking a bit as this is just setting of this book, we don’t get much of our FMC actually being involved in any schooling activities. I didn’t mind this though as the plot is great. The characterisation could have been a bit more developed for me personally but I can forgive this due to the great plot. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
November 23, 2024
3.75 - IMMACULATE vibes but I was a bit confused sometimes and I wish the academia aspect was more prominent
January 15, 2025
I’m kind of conflicted on this one. On one hand it combines so many things I like: dark academia, secret societies, and mysteries involving those things. I really want to love it because of that, but it’s hard to overlook all the instances of poor execution.
The disjointed world-building in this book is probably the worst thing. It attempts to blend multiple mythologies, primarily Egyptian, with elements Roman culture and some Greek too. Now, mythology isn’t something I know too much about, so I think it says something that I still found it blatantly obvious that these things should not coexist.
The scattered use of Latin was one thing that stood out as odd. While I get that it is commonly associated with witchcraft—it still felt out of place considering that most of the mythology and creatures are Egyptian, and those things have no real connection to Latin. Beyond the spells, there were random instances where Latin words and phrases popped up without much reason, so not only do the two worlds not blend but occasionally it just feels like the author added them for the aesthetic rather than because it fit logically into the world.
We also meet a character named Egeria in the Underworld, whoafter googling I now know is from ancient Rome, but in the place where she resides, everything is described as looking like it was from ancient Greece, and even the statues are wearing Greek clothing. And then, as a nice cherry on top, the Roman goddess in a Greek temple starts speaking Latin. I’m not sure if all this was due to a severe lack of research, or what more likely seems to be a deliberate mix-and-match approach featuring whatever aspects of certain cultures the author thought fit the aesthetic she wanted, but it creates a reading experience that has you scratching your head every five minutes.
Granted, the author does give a weak attempt at addressing that last thing with an explanation of why gods from various cultures exist in the Underworld. However, just chalking it the whole thing up to it being a "melting pot" of different cultures’ beliefs, feels like a lazy afterthought of an excuse for throwing these mythologies together. Even if this explanation does justify their coexistence, it doesn’t address why the gods themselves are a mixture of these cultures. And it certainly does not explain all the questions I had about what was happening in the normal world too.
In terms of the characters, this is where you’re gonna have to turn away if you don’t want any spoilers, because I’m not sure how to properly convey how stupid the main character is without spelling things out. I like to think I have a high tolerance when it comes to stupid main characters, but God, her interactions with her sister Violet and the love interest Jae had me wishing I could reach into the screen to shake some sense into her.
When it comes to her sister, she is shown evidence over and over again that she was a part of the murderous secret society going on, but she still continues so be like ‘oh no it’s violet, violet could never’—like bitch, you’re staring down evidence that Violet could and in fact did. Despite being even told that Violet was the one who revived the secret society, therefore knowing exactly what it entailed in doing so, she still maintains her belief that Violet was not like the rest of the people in the group who committed murder. So throughout the entire story, we get this stupid ‘we have to save Violet’ agenda driving all of her actions as if I’m supposed to be rooting for that in any way. Then, after all that, the story still tries to treat the moment where Andy finds out her sister is in fact not the flawless person she thought as if it’s some sort of revelation. Like no, there’s only one person shocked by that turn of events, and everyone else was perfectly capable of figuring out two plus two equals four.
In terms of her interactions with her love interest, who she has zero chemistry with by the way, there are multiple times where she describes his shadow or appearance shift into something inhuman with the blink of an eye. And yet, she still is somehow shocked when he turns out to be, you guessed it, not human.
There’s more stuff with him that shows how stupid she is, but this review is getting super long so I’ll wrap it up there because I’m sure you get the point. I really cannot stand it when a story relies on a character with zero intelligence to carry its half baked mystery for hundreds of pages when anyone else could put things together by page 15.
Overall, the only real positive thing I have to say is about the pacing, which was excellent throughout. At least things were never boring, even if they made little to no sense. If you’re looking for something with a cool aesthetic and don’t mind if logic takes a back seat, this might work for you; but that’s about the only way I can imagine someone enjoying it.
~🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ . 25~
The disjointed world-building in this book is probably the worst thing. It attempts to blend multiple mythologies, primarily Egyptian, with elements Roman culture and some Greek too. Now, mythology isn’t something I know too much about, so I think it says something that I still found it blatantly obvious that these things should not coexist.
The scattered use of Latin was one thing that stood out as odd. While I get that it is commonly associated with witchcraft—it still felt out of place considering that most of the mythology and creatures are Egyptian, and those things have no real connection to Latin. Beyond the spells, there were random instances where Latin words and phrases popped up without much reason, so not only do the two worlds not blend but occasionally it just feels like the author added them for the aesthetic rather than because it fit logically into the world.
We also meet a character named Egeria in the Underworld, who
Granted, the author does give a weak attempt at addressing that last thing with an explanation of why gods from various cultures exist in the Underworld. However, just chalking it the whole thing up to it being a "melting pot" of different cultures’ beliefs, feels like a lazy afterthought of an excuse for throwing these mythologies together. Even if this explanation does justify their coexistence, it doesn’t address why the gods themselves are a mixture of these cultures. And it certainly does not explain all the questions I had about what was happening in the normal world too.
In terms of the characters, this is where you’re gonna have to turn away if you don’t want any spoilers, because I’m not sure how to properly convey how stupid the main character is without spelling things out. I like to think I have a high tolerance when it comes to stupid main characters, but God, her interactions with her sister Violet and the love interest Jae had me wishing I could reach into the screen to shake some sense into her.
When it comes to her sister, she is shown evidence over and over again that she was a part of the murderous secret society going on, but she still continues so be like ‘oh no it’s violet, violet could never’—like bitch, you’re staring down evidence that Violet could and in fact did. Despite being even told that Violet was the one who revived the secret society, therefore knowing exactly what it entailed in doing so, she still maintains her belief that Violet was not like the rest of the people in the group who committed murder. So throughout the entire story, we get this stupid ‘we have to save Violet’ agenda driving all of her actions as if I’m supposed to be rooting for that in any way. Then, after all that, the story still tries to treat the moment where Andy finds out her sister is in fact not the flawless person she thought as if it’s some sort of revelation. Like no, there’s only one person shocked by that turn of events, and everyone else was perfectly capable of figuring out two plus two equals four.
In terms of her interactions with her love interest, who she has zero chemistry with by the way, there are multiple times where she describes his shadow or appearance shift into something inhuman with the blink of an eye. And yet, she still is somehow shocked when he turns out to be, you guessed it, not human.
There’s more stuff with him that shows how stupid she is, but this review is getting super long so I’ll wrap it up there because I’m sure you get the point. I really cannot stand it when a story relies on a character with zero intelligence to carry its half baked mystery for hundreds of pages when anyone else could put things together by page 15.
Overall, the only real positive thing I have to say is about the pacing, which was excellent throughout. At least things were never boring, even if they made little to no sense. If you’re looking for something with a cool aesthetic and don’t mind if logic takes a back seat, this might work for you; but that’s about the only way I can imagine someone enjoying it.
~🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ . 25~
September 29, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3.25 stars
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of the ARC of All the Devils at YALC 2023!
All the Devils follows Andy, who goes to the n same school where her sister Violet has died. Only, Andy saw her body and knows it wasn’t her sister, she knows she is trapped somewhere and needs Andy to save her.
I won a copy of this book back in 2023 during YALC in London. The synopsis sounded really interesting, and I knew this would be a great book to read during the spooky season!
The opening chapter was great and did drew me in immediately! It set the tone for the book with a dash of the paranormal already peaking through. The eerie atmosphere created was noticeable throughout the whole book and followed the ups and downs.
Andy was a flawed character in my eyes. She just lost her sister, so I did give her some slack haha, but often she did act selfishly and was rash. She did grow throughout the book, but not as much as I would’ve liked. She remained mostly a character that annoyed me… Jae was hard to get a grip on. From the start it seemed as if he only showed little bits and pieces of himself, so I found it hard to really connect with him.
I think the main relationship in this book is the sibling bond between two sisters and how strong that can be. The love for Violet is what drives Andy forward the whole time in this book, which I found beautiful to read. The bits of romance felt out of place, and I didn’t really see the chemistry between the characters to get behind it as well.
While I liked the prose, the plot and the atmosphere created, the progression and characters didn’t really do it for me in the end. I found the beginning very strong, but after around 20% the story flattened and didn’t really rise above it anymore. I found myself guessing what would happen long before it did. While I did like how the story concluded, it felt like I had to force myself to read through the middle to get to the ending.
It might be that the story did become better in the published version, since I suspect the book didn’t have the last rounds of editing done before I got this copy, as no formatting was present and quite a few typos and double sentences haha.
Overall, All the Devils has a great atmosphere and a very interesting plotline but missed in the execution for me.
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of the ARC of All the Devils at YALC 2023!
All the Devils follows Andy, who goes to the n same school where her sister Violet has died. Only, Andy saw her body and knows it wasn’t her sister, she knows she is trapped somewhere and needs Andy to save her.
“Mortal actions never deceive the gods.”
I won a copy of this book back in 2023 during YALC in London. The synopsis sounded really interesting, and I knew this would be a great book to read during the spooky season!
The opening chapter was great and did drew me in immediately! It set the tone for the book with a dash of the paranormal already peaking through. The eerie atmosphere created was noticeable throughout the whole book and followed the ups and downs.
Andy was a flawed character in my eyes. She just lost her sister, so I did give her some slack haha, but often she did act selfishly and was rash. She did grow throughout the book, but not as much as I would’ve liked. She remained mostly a character that annoyed me… Jae was hard to get a grip on. From the start it seemed as if he only showed little bits and pieces of himself, so I found it hard to really connect with him.
I think the main relationship in this book is the sibling bond between two sisters and how strong that can be. The love for Violet is what drives Andy forward the whole time in this book, which I found beautiful to read. The bits of romance felt out of place, and I didn’t really see the chemistry between the characters to get behind it as well.
While I liked the prose, the plot and the atmosphere created, the progression and characters didn’t really do it for me in the end. I found the beginning very strong, but after around 20% the story flattened and didn’t really rise above it anymore. I found myself guessing what would happen long before it did. While I did like how the story concluded, it felt like I had to force myself to read through the middle to get to the ending.
It might be that the story did become better in the published version, since I suspect the book didn’t have the last rounds of editing done before I got this copy, as no formatting was present and quite a few typos and double sentences haha.
Overall, All the Devils has a great atmosphere and a very interesting plotline but missed in the execution for me.
January 13, 2025
I wish I enjoyed this book. Dark academia, occult, secret societies: it had all the right ingredients but none of the right execution. I do not understand what the author tried to do AT ALL.
All the characters were flat and underdeveloped. The main character was very bratty and impulsive yet extremely passive. Then it (of course) turns out she is somehow 'special' but she does absolutely nothing worthwhile with this knowledge and keeps relying on others to save the day. Also, why are you constantly thinking about how good the cheekbones of your male companion look while fleeing from some ancient demon?? Girl, bye.
The world-building was up in shambles. I was so confused with all the different sort of mythological elements being thrown in together without any explanation. Nothing is explored or explained properly, and everything just 'happens'.
Also, can we stop with the '1000+ years old ancient powerful god falls head over heels for some random whiny 17-year old after spending 2 weeks together' trope?
All the characters were flat and underdeveloped. The main character was very bratty and impulsive yet extremely passive. Then it (of course) turns out she is somehow 'special' but she does absolutely nothing worthwhile with this knowledge and keeps relying on others to save the day. Also, why are you constantly thinking about how good the cheekbones of your male companion look while fleeing from some ancient demon?? Girl, bye.
The world-building was up in shambles. I was so confused with all the different sort of mythological elements being thrown in together without any explanation. Nothing is explored or explained properly, and everything just 'happens'.
Also, can we stop with the '1000+ years old ancient powerful god falls head over heels for some random whiny 17-year old after spending 2 weeks together' trope?
October 8, 2024
Dark academia. Secret societies. Ancient gods. Creepy creatures. Halloween summonings. What more could you want?? This was so much fun! The perfect read for fall/Halloween time. This book moved at breakneck speed from the first chapter and never let up. I did feel like it may have moved too fast at times. I wanted to see Andy settle in at Ravenswood Academy, get to know the lay of the land, get to know her roommate, get to know Jae. But a lot of that worldbuilding was bypassed for the sake of moving the story along. I didn’t mind it too much because I still thought this was fun as hell. I also didn’t realize it was going to be a series, so now I’m excited for the next book to come out!
January 28, 2025
It’s been ages since I last read a book in Italian, and wow, I loved every second of it! The story pulled me in so much that I felt like I was living it myself, right in the shoes of the protagonist.
The plot has such a fascinating mix of elements: magic, Egyptian gods, a secretive cult, and so much more. It’s such a perfect blend that kept me hooked the entire time.
And let’s talk about Andy and Jae (if you know, you know!). I LOVE THEM!!!! I’m dying to see if they’ll finally get the romance they deserve.
The plot has such a fascinating mix of elements: magic, Egyptian gods, a secretive cult, and so much more. It’s such a perfect blend that kept me hooked the entire time.
And let’s talk about Andy and Jae (if you know, you know!). I LOVE THEM!!!! I’m dying to see if they’ll finally get the romance they deserve.
November 2, 2024
I really don’t know how I feel about this one.
Let’s start with the positives. For some reason this gave me similar vibes to Wednesday and I LOVE that show. The first 100 pages I was so invested and I thought okay this is gonna be good.
But then it kinda lost me? I read for vibes and I’m not looking for a literary masterpiece but I couldn’t get past the plot holes 😭 and I still had so many unanswered questions by the end. So I didn’t love this like I thought I would.
Let’s start with the positives. For some reason this gave me similar vibes to Wednesday and I LOVE that show. The first 100 pages I was so invested and I thought okay this is gonna be good.
But then it kinda lost me? I read for vibes and I’m not looking for a literary masterpiece but I couldn’t get past the plot holes 😭 and I still had so many unanswered questions by the end. So I didn’t love this like I thought I would.
December 26, 2024
Like I liked it, but I also didn’t. I really have mixed feelings about this one. It was fun, the mystery kept me entertained, but there was something I didn’t really enjoy. The horror parts might have not been my cup of tea taking into consideration that I am more of a fantasy girly. Yeah it was fine idk.
November 2, 2024
This one surprised me as the book was not what I was expecting at all! Starting off with trying to solve a murder/find out what happened to Violet, then all of sudden you have mythology creatures, the underworld & gods.. (which is pretty damn well written - scary place!)
Never read a book like this so hard to rate it but if this is your sort of thing you’ll probably enjoy it.
Never read a book like this so hard to rate it but if this is your sort of thing you’ll probably enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2024
4’5/5✨ Dark academia y demonios, qué maravilla que existan libros tan parecidos a mis gustos 👀😂 Muy entretenido y obviamente toda la trama del ocultismo, los rituales y los demonios me ha encantado🖤 Con muchas ganas de leer el siguiente el año que viene 👻✨
March 30, 2024
My very first ARC and it did NOT disappoint!
What drew me to this book…
“Dark academia meets horror in this YA fantasy series. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and Netflix’s Wednesday.”
About the book (no spoilers)…
Andy Emmerson is mourning the death of her sister, when she finds out she isn’t really dead. She travels to hell and back (quite literally) in order to save her. She joins her sisters school which isn’t quite what it seems. She meets the mysterious Jae who wants to help her on her quest, but he has secrets of his own. Andy has to battle demons, Gods, fellow students, teachers, parents, and even her own sister.
My thoughts…
I honestly loved this book from start to finish. It had absolutely everything I could want from my first ever YA dark academia book. Suspense, heartbreak, romance, magic, sisterhood, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. The style of writing was perfect, the twists and turns were excellent. The ending was a cliff hanger I wasn’t expecting but thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot WAIT for the next book!
It is the perfect autumn read, which makes perfect sense why the release date for this book is September.
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. It was the perfect book to introduce me to dark academia. It was an exciting and fun read & I think everyone should add it to their TBR
What drew me to this book…
“Dark academia meets horror in this YA fantasy series. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and Netflix’s Wednesday.”
About the book (no spoilers)…
Andy Emmerson is mourning the death of her sister, when she finds out she isn’t really dead. She travels to hell and back (quite literally) in order to save her. She joins her sisters school which isn’t quite what it seems. She meets the mysterious Jae who wants to help her on her quest, but he has secrets of his own. Andy has to battle demons, Gods, fellow students, teachers, parents, and even her own sister.
My thoughts…
I honestly loved this book from start to finish. It had absolutely everything I could want from my first ever YA dark academia book. Suspense, heartbreak, romance, magic, sisterhood, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. The style of writing was perfect, the twists and turns were excellent. The ending was a cliff hanger I wasn’t expecting but thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot WAIT for the next book!
It is the perfect autumn read, which makes perfect sense why the release date for this book is September.
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. It was the perfect book to introduce me to dark academia. It was an exciting and fun read & I think everyone should add it to their TBR
November 21, 2024
As a former teenage girl, I feel personally offended by how annoying Andy was. As a mythology geek, I am confused as to why the author chose to combine a bunch of different mythologies together (mostly Egyptian, Greek and Roman from what I could tell) into this weird amalgamation of myths. It feels like the author purchased an “Ancient Myths for dummies 101 guide”, closed their eyes, picked a bunch randomly and said “Ight cool”.
How to explain this book. Well, it had a very interesting premise. Violet (Andy’s older sister) who goes to this super prestigious, very exclusive school, has recently drowned. On the day of her funeral, Andy discovers that her sister is not actually dead, and thus goes on a quest to a) find her sister, b) uncover the truth of what occurred that night, whilst the culprits try to drive her away.
This book is simply not good. The characters are all annoying and underdeveloped, with absolutely no character development, I couldn’t even tell you what a single character looks like besides the fact that Andy wears glasses (and believe me, this is mentioned a lot) and that Jae Han is Korean.
Andy was incredibly weirdly passive yet impulsive. She never actually DID anything, everything just happened to/around her, however, when she should’ve stayed fucking quiet, she wouldn’t. Andy was quick to anger, bratty and irrational and so fucking annoying (have I mentioned that yet?).
The fact that she also randomly got magic more than halfway through the book, because hey why the fuck not, was fucking hilarious to me. It genuinely made me giggle because of course, she wouldn’t ACTUALLY think of anything smart to do, so let’s just give her a random power-up.
Let me just rant about one more insignificant thing about our wonderful MC. I LOVE the name Andromeda, so to have to read this girl whine and cry about her name being Andy repeatedly, made me despise her just a teensy-wee bit more. Like are you allergic to uniqueness and fun? It’s fitting since she’s got the personality of a door, thus her nickname should reflect that. No, I don’t care about how irrational that is, if she can be irrational, then so can I.
Also, the choice to make Andy fall in love with a 1000+ years old god is… well, a choice, definitely one I am baffled by. Hello?? Andy is a teenage girl?? Anubis/Thanatos/Whatever-the-fuck is very much not. Listen I may not know much of anything, but I do know that I don’t fuck with this.
The writing was… well, I’ve read worse I guess. Even though YA books generally tend to have more easily digestible writing and less complicated plots overall, the writing in this book is not consistent at all. Sometimes things are described in too much depth, whilst other times, the plot quickly jumps from scene to scene without any explanation. Sometimes, sentences were overly long, with too many adjectives and flowery words that added fuck-all to the prose. Quotes sometimes feel like they came straight from Tumblr (so sorry my Tumblr baddies, I love y’all xoxo), and to have everything come from Andy’s POV was honestly hell.
All in all, I hated this book, but once I decided to turn my brain off, it turned terribly amusing.
Just in case you’re wondering, I bought this book because I liked the cover, so I guess there’s that.
How to explain this book. Well, it had a very interesting premise. Violet (Andy’s older sister) who goes to this super prestigious, very exclusive school, has recently drowned. On the day of her funeral, Andy discovers that her sister is not actually dead, and thus goes on a quest to a) find her sister, b) uncover the truth of what occurred that night, whilst the culprits try to drive her away.
This book is simply not good. The characters are all annoying and underdeveloped, with absolutely no character development, I couldn’t even tell you what a single character looks like besides the fact that Andy wears glasses (and believe me, this is mentioned a lot) and that Jae Han is Korean.
Andy was incredibly weirdly passive yet impulsive. She never actually DID anything, everything just happened to/around her, however, when she should’ve stayed fucking quiet, she wouldn’t. Andy was quick to anger, bratty and irrational and so fucking annoying (have I mentioned that yet?).
The fact that she also randomly got magic more than halfway through the book, because hey why the fuck not, was fucking hilarious to me. It genuinely made me giggle because of course, she wouldn’t ACTUALLY think of anything smart to do, so let’s just give her a random power-up.
Let me just rant about one more insignificant thing about our wonderful MC. I LOVE the name Andromeda, so to have to read this girl whine and cry about her name being Andy repeatedly, made me despise her just a teensy-wee bit more. Like are you allergic to uniqueness and fun? It’s fitting since she’s got the personality of a door, thus her nickname should reflect that. No, I don’t care about how irrational that is, if she can be irrational, then so can I.
Also, the choice to make Andy fall in love with a 1000+ years old god is… well, a choice, definitely one I am baffled by. Hello?? Andy is a teenage girl?? Anubis/Thanatos/Whatever-the-fuck is very much not. Listen I may not know much of anything, but I do know that I don’t fuck with this.
The writing was… well, I’ve read worse I guess. Even though YA books generally tend to have more easily digestible writing and less complicated plots overall, the writing in this book is not consistent at all. Sometimes things are described in too much depth, whilst other times, the plot quickly jumps from scene to scene without any explanation. Sometimes, sentences were overly long, with too many adjectives and flowery words that added fuck-all to the prose. Quotes sometimes feel like they came straight from Tumblr (so sorry my Tumblr baddies, I love y’all xoxo), and to have everything come from Andy’s POV was honestly hell.
All in all, I hated this book, but once I decided to turn my brain off, it turned terribly amusing.
Just in case you’re wondering, I bought this book because I liked the cover, so I guess there’s that.
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