(#gifted @bloomsburypublishing) It's always a tragedy when a cover is THIS pretty but the story inside doesn't really live up to its potential 😭 I had high expectations for Hex, with its dark academia vibe mixed with poison and botany. 'A beautiful, spooky spell,' says one reviewer; 'Hex is some dark and joyous witchery', says another. I only wish I could have read what they read.

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The story (such as it is) is narrated by Nell, a PhD student specialising in Botany, or more specifically toxic plants, who has recently been expelled following the accidental death of a fellow student. Nell is obsessed with her mentor, Dr Joan Kallas, and dictates her story in diary form to Joan. Dinerstein Knight utilises the same second person form used to great effect in Caroline Kepnes' book YOU (the only thing about that book I liked), but I don't think it's as well executed. I wasn't totally convinced by Nell's obsession for Joan.

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In fact, I wasn't really convinced by anyone's relationship to anyone in this book. There are six principal characters, all involved in various incestuous relationships within their academic circle. They're all not very nice people, but sadly not the kind of not very nice people I enjoy reading about and hating. I didn't feel anything, except for Mishti, who felt the most alive to me.

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Nell is going through a lot of shit though, and while I wasn't convinced of her infatuation Joan, Dinerstein Knight portrays her declining mental state following her expulsion very well. I enjoyed reading about her disastrous attempts to grow poisonous plants in her apartment, her struggles with money, and her rocky relationship with her parents.

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I wouldn't rule this one out if you like reading books where you're locked in the head of a fucked up narrator, or are particularly fond of books with an academic setting, but I can't deny that it fell a bit flat for me given the potential of the book.