If I could submit a review that was literally just me screaming for 5 hours, I would. Honestly this book is fantastic on so, so many levels but the ending is making it really really hard to think about anything else (in a good way!)

There has been waves of magic school 'knock-offs' since Harry Potter and it's insane success, but I can say with full confidence that this is literally the most unique and amazing magic school novel I've ever read, with the most fascinating and interesting magic system on top of that. A school that literally tries to kill you but is still a safer option than not going? Unique distinctions between types of energy sources, affinities, AND different tracks of magic? There is literally so much to learn about this world and I could honestly just have read a guidebook and rated it five stars too, without the absolutely fantastic story and characters to match.

I'm not going to go too much into the plot and characters because people need to go into this book with no spoilers but??? It was just so good??? I love El on so many levels (won't say which, spoilers), Orion is fantastic, and there are some amazing side characters as well. Even the characters that wholeheartedly suck do it in such a well-written way that you still appreciate their suckiness even if you hate them. Then the plot itself is filled with so much intrigue and mystery, so many twists and turns, and a whole lot of dark demons trying to eat your soul.

Honestly this is everything I want in magic school novels (and I think Naomi was genius in getting rid of the actual teachers). I'm seriously dying to read what happens next, but until that time, I'm going to definitely recommend this book to everyone I know (including you! read this book!)

If there is one book that I recommend wholly, entirely, with every part of my soul, it will be this one. I don't remember the last time I sobbed this hard and frequently for a book, nor the last time I felt so fully seen in one. Every word in this book is gorgeous, and you can tell Victoria put so much of herself into this book. It's completely, utterly, entirely worth it, and I don't think I could love it more. Some lines just hit me like a truck, and there are already scenes I've reread multiple times before even finishing the book itself, and I can think of so many others I'll be rereading in the days, weeks, years, lifetimes to come.

I don't think this is a book I can bear to break apart into pieces and analyze. Like [b:The Starless Sea|43575115|The Starless Sea|Erin Morgenstern|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554996038l/43575115._SY75_.jpg|66444785] and [b:Strange the Dreamer|28449207|Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519915549l/28449207._SY75_.jpg|48158509], so much of my love for this book is built in the emotional connection I've made to it, and breaking it up into explainable parts will never be able to sum up just how much this book hit me, means to me, and spoke to me. It is the blend of storytelling, characters, setting, concepts altogether, and that something more that some books just seem to have for me. But this is one of those books that has left me changed, makes the world feel a little bigger for a while, and while it hurts like a knife to the gut, I feel better for it. This is a story I can save in my soul to call on when I need it.

From the first page, Addie's story was one I was excited to embark on, from her bargain struck in 1714 to her ghostly presence on the streets of New York in 2014. This story never stumbled, never strayed, and while it may be considered 'slow' and others might say it needs time to really get going, I think it's pace and style are integral to understanding Addie and her life, to really sinking into the story Victoria has written. Additionally, while plot wise most of this story is build up, only for it all to come together in the final few chapters, it makes so much sense, both while reading and after reading. I honestly can't complain about any of it. If a book has me so invested that I'm already crying at 42%, that I'm barely able to turn the next page in fear of what happens next, that book is sure to be one of my favorites.

I already loved Victoria so so much before this book, but the fact that she was able to create this just increased that love even more, somehow. I cannot wait to buy every edition and version of this book, and reread it with you all!

+Interesting premise (Cults???)
+Compelling characters
+Alternating viewpoints
+Great tension
+Shocking reveals
+Made me cry
-Intensely religious

I didn't expect anything less from Courtney Summers. Sadie was a heartbreaker, and I didn't expect The Project to be anything less. In my opinion, The Project stands strongly on its own and while many comparisons can be made between it and Sadie all I'll say is that while I found Sadie more compelling as a character than Lo, both books are absolutely fantastic reads in their own right.

I haven't consumed a lot of media regarding cults, so I was worried going into this that I might somehow be unprepared for what was to come. While there was like, a single reference to other well-known instances of cults, this book didn't rely on references to other events in order to make the reader understand the gravity of the cult within the book. Basically, you don't need to be a cult fanatic to love this book. Summers is able to show how manipulative and disarming a cult leader can be, how magnetic and charismatic, while also showing that the blame does not rest on all members of a cult equally.

Not only does The Project deal with cults and the abusive relationships that form within them, it deals with grief as well. The two main characters, Lo and Bea, both lost their parents in a tragic accident, one that Lo herself barely survived. This event kickstarts Bea's point of view, which starts earlier than Lo's and serves more as a string of flashbacks interspersed with Lo's present storyline. Both Lo and Bea have internalized their grief differently, and follow different paths in order to heal or bury it. We see people take advantage of this grief and of the ways that they handle that grief. We see how tragic loss has ingrained itself in every aspect of Lo and Bea, but in different ways. In this way, The Project is not only a harrowing story about unearthing the truth of a cult (and surviving it), but a character study of trauma, loss, and grief as well. Summers does a fantastic job of blending the two topics, and I felt they complemented each other well in the way the characters changed and grew, and how it affected their actions and reactions to plot points.

Sadie was already enough proof that Summers excels when it comes to characters and family-driven relationships, and The Project is only another example of this skill. In just a few shorts pages, I was drawn in by the pain and loss of Bea and Lo, of Lo's need to write her story and create a lasting impact, of Bea's protectiveness and how the accident shattered her belief she could protect Lo. Their bond seemed bone-deep, and learning what came between it later was heartbreaking. It also made the scenes where the two are manipulated even harder to bear, as we watch evil people manipulate their weaknesses to take advantage of them. And the worst part of it is that we can see how easily we can be manipulated too. None of the promises made to Bea and Lo seemed far-fetched or out there, and we understand why they made the decisions they did.

And on top of all that, you've got the actual plot itself. Like Sadie, the alternating viewpoints create so much tension that you can't help but keep reading. There's always some unexplained oddity nagging at the back of your mind, some new question that needs answering. Why does everyone seem to love the Unity Project? Why does Lev Warren just seem so nice? What is really going on here? It's a book that keeps you on your toes and questioning everything, even the narrators. And because of all this, this is a book that doesn't let you go until it's done.

I also want to take a moment to commend the audiobook of this too. I listened to Sadie on audio and it was a large part of my positive experience, and the same can be said for this one. If you're looking for your next great audio, pick this one up! You won't regret it.

This book was a LOT but in the best of ways!

It's one of those books where you can just tell the author has a whole handbook written on the world and it's lore, yet still understands to only share what's needed with the reader. It seriously felt so perfectly balanced between giving too much and not enough information about the world, and while I still got lost at points, it was mainly due to me not remembering the names of certain characters in the lore (I blame the audiobook (and not having spellings available to me because of that) and reading this over the course of 3 weeks for my book club for that though). On top of that, the world itself is actually extremely interesting and I loved every part about it. The lore was wonderful, from the grimfolk to all the stories that are interwoven with the history of the nations in the novel. The magic and belief systems were also a joy to read and piece together, from the alignment based on days of week (which felt a lot like astrology!) to the actual magic that gets revealed and discussed more later in the book. There was also a tense political atmosphere, both within Karina's kingdom and between the nations surrounding it. It came together to create a rich and lush world that I loved being in.

The characters were also compelling, and even though Karina and Malik often opposed each other, I couldn't help but cheer for both of them. Malik was such a cinnamon roll of a character, (he just wants to save everyone! he just wants everyone to be happy!), but without being too much of a pushover and still standing up for what he believes. Karina also had a lot of growth in this book alone, and I loved seeing her grow into a great queen. The side characters were also super complementary to the two MCs without seeming shallow, and there's a lot of favorites I'm hoping to see more of in the next book.

The plot was also exciting and a joy to read, even if I have to admit it dragged a little in the middle and there were some scenes that could have lasted longer. I loved the idea of the challenges and especially liked the second and third ones, and what they brought out in all of the characters. Additionally, I loved how the myths came back to life alongside the plot, and past and present seemed to interweave to create the story we were reading. While some things were predictable, there were still many moments and twists that surprised me, and some scenes were so well-written (and well-narrated) to make these moments even more tense, and it was so fun to read.

Overall, I'm super excited to read the next book in the series, and I really enjoyed the discussions this book provoked in my book club! Definitely recommend this one.

I love that this is the third f/f book I've read in a row, 2020 is the year for these books!

I honestly would've liked this more had I not read it for book club, both because then I would've listened to it in one sitting (and that probably would've been better) and I wouldn't have taken too close a look at some of the more... meh... actions and decisions of the characters, especially Codi, but I still really liked this!

My biggest frustration was probably just how mean/cruel Codi could get with her old best friends, but then again, it also felt super realistic the entire time. Codi doesn't know who she wants to be and she feels stuck, and she focuses in large part on her friendship with Maritza and Jakory as the source for these feelings. It doesn't help that they continually try to put her back into the box she's working to get out of, but at the same time they're not the worst friends because they don't even know Codi wants to leave the box. It's overall just a lot of... not being fully honest with your friends and it leading to so many confrontations and misunderstandings, and it was a lot sometimes.

Spoiler

It was also nice but also frustrating that Maritza literally does the same exact thing Codi does but with her family in Panama. So if Codi had just been honest then... half the plot just, wouldn't be a thing

I did really like Ricky and his friend group though, they were the more 'popular' kids yet they were still great, amazing people. Codi, in wanting to try new things, didn't have to try to be someone she wasn't around them, and they accepted her with open arms. It honestly made the moral of the story much better imo, that she

Spoiler

ended up staying with both groups

because then it wasn't about "don't try to become someone you're not" but instead "you can be more than just one thing and that's ok." In the end the book kind of showed that you can have different friends for different things and as long as you're not shitty about it, that's a totally ok way to be.

I also just really liked Codi's and Lydia's relationship, from the

Spoiler

awkward not-kiss to the wholesome moments where they supported each other through hardships

. They were honestly just so adorable and cute and it was a constant bright spot in the book, even when there was a lot of tension going on in the friend side of things. I also like where the book ended for them, their story wasn't entirely figured out yet and that meant there was no feelings of insta-love or anything. The relationship is new, it's going well, but there's no huge plan for the future or anything.

Overall, I did really enjoy (and can recommend the audiobook!), and I'll definitely pick up whatever Quindlen writes next.