What to say about this book that hasn't been said before.

Firstly: I really enjoyed reading it. The writing was great and so many plot points were so absurd that I remained thoroughly entertained. I'm pretty sure many things weren't supposed to be funny but I found large stretches of this hilarious. I've compared a few dark academia books to the tv show Riverdale and this is no exception - it's engaging given its absurdity.

So I enjoyed my reading experience but I agree with a ton of the one star reviews. The book falls short in several places - we don't see Julian nearly enough for my liking, several characters are interchangeable/blend together, and way less focus is spent on some of the more interesting and spicy things than the reader would want.

But it's still an inherently entertaining novel, hence my high rating. I would generally recommend that folks read this, provided that you're not looking for anything realistic or that actually pays homage to the classics. About halfway through, I realized the book could've easily been about pharmacology majors experimenting with hallucinogens and very little would need to be changed to the plot. Because of this, I recommend it's spiritual successor If We Were Villains (where the Shakespearian influence is more tangible) as the stronger of the two books.

All criticism aside though, I'm glad to have read this and do eventually want to own a copy to revisit it. I have a soft spot for the unrealistic gothic that remains consistent with its own internal rules (a la VC Andrews), and I got that here. So, in spite of its flaws, a well deserved four stars. Recommended if you're curious about the dark academia genre since this is its seminal text - just don't go in with too many preconceptions and instead enjoy the ride.