Adorable. Rainbow Rowell is the best at writing romance.

Oh my god. That plot twist. Scratch that, the plot twists. Wow.

Anyway. This book. This book, right here has a wide array of string female characters. The queen's all have such different personalities and the other, supporting characters that are female are all also wonderful. My personal favourite is Natalia. If you read the books you'll see what I mean.

There was romance in this book, yes. But it wasn't all consuming towards the plot, and that is what I am here for.

And the plot. Well. You can see from my initial reaction that I am impressed with the amount of twists and turns this book took.

I usually read the last page of the book it I am really bored or if I can't seem to figure out where the plot is going. And, boy, am I glad I didn't do that for this book.

I recommend, for anyone who's ready for some magic, plot twists and complicated relationships of all kind.

I FLIPPED ALL THE TABLES IN MY HOUSE —AND BELIEVE ME, THERE ARE A LOT OF TABLES — AT THAT ENDING.

*clears throat*

Anyways.

I don’t read mystery-crime-detective novels. I only read one other and that was A Study In Charlotte and that was also really good. This book was insanely well plotted and I got attached to all the characters but, being myself, I also suspected everyone the second they showed up, which is why the revelation (at the end) didn’t come as a surprise. I absolutely loved Nate and Leo Nair, they were both wonderful, completely different characters.

And did I talk about representation? There was a character that preferred they/them, a queer character, disabled character... and I’m probably forgetting something.

The romance was so-so, but I rarely think that the romance is necessary when there is more plot. However I did start getting interested in that part of the book.

The pacing was also kinda slow and we only got to the main plot in the modern day timeline about half way through the book — but it wasn’t boring. I loved exploring the boarding school and getting to know the characters.

In conclusion, this book was great, but I know nothing of mysteries and get attached way too easily.

‘Maybe loving somebody means simply that they bring out the best in you, and you bring out the best in them — so that together, you are always the best possible versions of yourselves.’

Okay, so, I have some conflicting thoughts on this book.

Let’s start with the good, because it’s always easier to focus on the bad. I loved the way this book ended, not many books that are marketed with such a cover end this way. (Sorry, I’m trying to be vague, so as not to spoil anyone.) We also do not see many characters such as Arden, who are ‘recklessly loyal’ — at least not many main characters. That’s a phrase that most often would suit the side kick who’s death is used to fuel the hero’s anger. So it was nice to see that portrayed in a main character. I also loved that the chapters had names instead of just numbers.

However, you see, the main plot, the plot that is described on the back cover? The one where she goes to find this boy? That doesn’t happen until around 60% through the book. Everything before that is just dramatic build up, I guess. I did not really care about the main drama part of the story and Arden was an annoying and stalkery character for most of the book. The dude characters were there to serve a purpose and disappear ; not very well developed.


It’s a pretty okay book, but you should read it for the ending, because that’s the part that makes this book worth it.