Originally posted at between-the-shelves.com!

I received an ARC of this in a giveaway. At first, I was so excited about it! A witchy mystery, set in a boarding school. Basically, sounds perfect for October. However, despite my excitement for the book, it sadly didn't live up to my expectations. Honestly, it felt like there was too much going on to really follow the basic plot of the book.

Let me start with the positive: the characters in this, despite being horrible, are well-rounded and interesting. They're just not people you would generally like if you met them in real life. The strengths in Lowe's writing fall in the character; she created a cast of people that draw you in the story at the beginning. You're intrigued as to what they'll do next.

However, despite the strengths in character, the rest of the story fell flat. The plot was all over the place. To me, the middle of the book wasn't necessary. There were also long periods where professors would lecture that made me lose interest in the story. Once in a while, they're okay, but I failed to see how they connected to the story about the girls. Much of this could have been cut out to make way for a more interesting plot line.

Alos, I couldn't tell where this book was set. They referred to "the States" a couple of times, but nothing about their language or the description of the setting gave me a sense of where they were in the world. Canada? The UK? I still don't know.

All in all, this was a book that had a lot of potential that fell flat for me. Which is so sad, because a lot of other people liked it! It just wasn't for me.

2/5 stars