A Lesson in Vengeance
- Downloads：6828
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-05 07:19:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Victoria Lee
- ISBN：0593305825
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Books_areinmymind
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Ok but this book I-Questo libro rappresenta perfettamente il tipo di libri che amo。 Un mix perfetto di mystery， paranormale， dark accademia e horror。 Penso sia uno dei pochi libri che mi abbia davvero terrorizzato in alcuni punti grazie alle descrizioni （scritte davvero magnificamente）。 L’atmosfera e il setting dark academia mi hanno fatto davvero impazzire e i colpi di scena mi hanno colta di sorpresa。 Mi è piaciuto molto anche come l’autrice abbia affrontato il tema dell’ossessione di Felicity Ok but this book I-Questo libro rappresenta perfettamente il tipo di libri che amo。 Un mix perfetto di mystery， paranormale， dark accademia e horror。 Penso sia uno dei pochi libri che mi abbia davvero terrorizzato in alcuni punti grazie alle descrizioni （scritte davvero magnificamente）。 L’atmosfera e il setting dark academia mi hanno fatto davvero impazzire e i colpi di scena mi hanno colta di sorpresa。 Mi è piaciuto molto anche come l’autrice abbia affrontato il tema dell’ossessione di Felicity per la magia e ho amato come in ogni momento sia io che la protagonista non capivamo se ciò che succedeva era frutto dell’immaginazione o era realtà。 Leggete questo libro， non ve ne pentirete。—————————————————————“I close my eyes and press my palms to the hardwood， feeling the texture of the grain against my thumbs。Is this what it feels like to be a ghost？ To haunt the same halls over and over， waiting for someone to see you， to speak to you， to call for you or send you away again？” 。。。more
Stephanie
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I personally really enjoyed this book， although I didn’t really enjoy the final twist and the ending。 The whole book is about two characters， Felicity and Ellis， with all the other characters only serving to drive the plot forward。 The witchcraft and ghosts also serve to drive the plot forward and is very much a thing in the background used to drive the plot and keep the reader invested， with most of the book being an allegory for grief and loss。 I wish the book spent more time building the rela I personally really enjoyed this book， although I didn’t really enjoy the final twist and the ending。 The whole book is about two characters， Felicity and Ellis， with all the other characters only serving to drive the plot forward。 The witchcraft and ghosts also serve to drive the plot forward and is very much a thing in the background used to drive the plot and keep the reader invested， with most of the book being an allegory for grief and loss。 I wish the book spent more time building the relationship Felicity and Ellis had with the rest Godwin girls and spent more time developing the rest of the Godwin girls。 Besides the two main characters， everyone else is kinda just there？？？ with little information given on them besides some basic things。 。。。more
manu
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I LOVE WHEN LESBIANS ARE INSANE
natasha
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I love dark academia <3 all the twists on top of the overall spooky vibe made this a five star read for me。
rea
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“I open the cover， flipping past the title page。For Felicity。 I did it all for you。”
lena
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3。25
Graciella Delgado
，
*Thank you， NetGalley， for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*Something about the ending fell flat for me and I think it was feeling a build up for extra twists that never happened- making the ending feel as though it was cut short。 Beyond that though， this was atmospheric， filled with paranoia， and something I couldn't put down once I started。 It took me a bit to feel grounded in the environment being established but tension-filled relationships and dynamics between our main cha *Thank you， NetGalley， for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*Something about the ending fell flat for me and I think it was feeling a build up for extra twists that never happened- making the ending feel as though it was cut short。 Beyond that though， this was atmospheric， filled with paranoia， and something I couldn't put down once I started。 It took me a bit to feel grounded in the environment being established but tension-filled relationships and dynamics between our main character， Felicity， and curious new girl， Ellis。 Felicity is truly an unreliable narrator in the most entertaining way as she desperately tries to navigate past deaths and whether or not they were accidental， witchcraft and if the spirits she feels around her are real， and new relationships- wondering if they can be trusted or not。Lesbians， murder plots， and witchcraft all set in creepy boarding school filled with secrets- it's a story I didn't realize I needed。 CW: grief， death， murder， manipulation 。。。more
Alex Pippenger
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I think I need to give up on YA whatever-genre-this-is。 This was incredibly， incredibly boring until around three quarters through。 Prior to that point， it just felt very meandering and almost confusing in some parts。 I don't know， I just didn't care about the story or the characters。 Whoever designed the cover though？ *chef's kiss* It's stunning。Edit: Apparently this was a thriller？？ I think I need to give up on YA whatever-genre-this-is。 This was incredibly， incredibly boring until around three quarters through。 Prior to that point， it just felt very meandering and almost confusing in some parts。 I don't know， I just didn't care about the story or the characters。 Whoever designed the cover though？ *chef's kiss* It's stunning。Edit: Apparently this was a thriller？？ 。。。more
julia ☆ [owls reads]
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4 stars！ * What will emerge from that darkness？ If you're a dark academia fan and also happen to love witchy history and rituals， read this！Victoria Lee's writing in A Lesson in Vengeance was so hypnotic。 I had such a wonderful reading experience with this novel: it was atmospheric and engaging and a little bit unsettling at times。 I loved loved loved the setting of Dalloway School and Godwin House and the history surrounding it。 This was such a tense book all around。 Felicity was 4 stars！ * What will emerge from that darkness？ If you're a dark academia fan and also happen to love witchy history and rituals， read this！Victoria Lee's writing in A Lesson in Vengeance was so hypnotic。 I had such a wonderful reading experience with this novel: it was atmospheric and engaging and a little bit unsettling at times。 I loved loved loved the setting of Dalloway School and Godwin House and the history surrounding it。 This was such a tense book all around。 Felicity was an intriguing--and unreliable--narrator and I loved how the book already started by giving us an idea that she had been through something pretty intense and traumatic that had deeply affected her。 The way Lee slowly developed that particular element was so well done because， up until the end， I couldn't really figure out what was true and what wasn't。The plot was also pretty spooky at times！ I will say I was disappointed that the book didn't end up really being paranormal at all， but I did enjoy how the mystery was developed。 It was pretty easy to guess what was happening， though， since there were a lot of red flags being waved in front of my face the entire time。Overall， this was a lovely and entertaining read。 I enjoyed the atmosphere and the characters and totally fell in love with the setting。*Series: Standalone。POV: Told from Felicity's POV。Content Warnings: （view spoiler）[Grief。 Panic Attacks。 Murder。 Gaslighting。 （hide spoiler）]Instalove: （view spoiler）[No。 （hide spoiler）]Love Triangle: （view spoiler）[No。 （hide spoiler）]Cliffhanger: No。HEA: （view spoiler）[For some。。。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
paige
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Full review coming soon， but this lived up to my expectations and more。 Victoria Lee outsold once again。
Mikayla
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I was provided an ARC of this book through Netgalley， and my review contains no spoilers。This is one of those books that you probably shouldn't read in the night unless you want to be just as anxious as the main character， Felicity。 The thing that strikes me about this book is that it is so， so， so smart。 The way Lee brings literature and analysis into the book and weaves it seamlessly into the plot feels like they're winking at us as we read。 They're dropping just enough hints that as each reve I was provided an ARC of this book through Netgalley， and my review contains no spoilers。This is one of those books that you probably shouldn't read in the night unless you want to be just as anxious as the main character， Felicity。 The thing that strikes me about this book is that it is so， so， so smart。 The way Lee brings literature and analysis into the book and weaves it seamlessly into the plot feels like they're winking at us as we read。 They're dropping just enough hints that as each reveal happens we're feeling surprised while also wondering why we didn't think of it before。 I loved Lee's first duology， and I think they've done a masterful job here of constructing a story that builds on all of the great work they did with their previous work。 It's cool to see authors continue to level up their craft， and Lee is no exception。 。。。more
Lauren Remark
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Impossible de lâcher ce livre。 L'ambiance dark academia， l'ambivalence des personnages， le mystère autour de la situation de départ qui se lève peu à peu tout en devenant de plus en plus complexe， l'hésitation entre l'explication logique， la folie du personnage， ou la sorcellerie， il n'y a pas grand chose qui ne m'ait pas séduite ！ Le rythme est bon， on est loin de l'action-packed thriller， mais on est réellement tenu en haleine jusqu'au bout， notamment grâce à la dynamique entre les personnages Impossible de lâcher ce livre。 L'ambiance dark academia， l'ambivalence des personnages， le mystère autour de la situation de départ qui se lève peu à peu tout en devenant de plus en plus complexe， l'hésitation entre l'explication logique， la folie du personnage， ou la sorcellerie， il n'y a pas grand chose qui ne m'ait pas séduite ！ Le rythme est bon， on est loin de l'action-packed thriller， mais on est réellement tenu en haleine jusqu'au bout， notamment grâce à la dynamique entre les personnages particulièrement soignés。 Bon， allé， trouvons un défaut， le personnage de Ellis， autrice à succès à 17 ans est sur ce point largement irréaliste et cela m'a parfois froissé， mais bon。。。 Travaillant dans le monde du livre， je pense que c'est un problème de déformation professionnelle aussi。 Quoi qu'il en soit， la dynamique entre ces deux personnages， la manière dont est traitée la romance tout au long du livre est particulièrement sensible。 Un énorme point positif， la représentation lesbienne est parfaitement abordée à mes yeux， sans revendication ni engagement， elle est juste là， normalisée， et ça fait tellement du bien de ne pas lire une énième histoire de coming out。Une de mes meilleures lectures de l'été 2021， j'ai maintenant hâte de découvrir les prochains projets d'une autrice que je vais suivre sans aucun doute ！ 。。。more
Tessa
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⭐⭐⭐⭐A Lesson In Vengeance is a broody， atmospheric novel that had me sucked in right from the beginning。 Following the death of her girlfriend the year before， a deeply traumatized Felicity Marrow returns to school with a ghost on her heels。 There she meets Ellis， a brilliant novelist with a spark of something either brutal or deadly in her eyes – and she wants Felicity to help her tell her next story。 This had so much good: Sapphic love story， secret covens， scary legends with a bit more truth ⭐⭐⭐⭐A Lesson In Vengeance is a broody， atmospheric novel that had me sucked in right from the beginning。 Following the death of her girlfriend the year before， a deeply traumatized Felicity Marrow returns to school with a ghost on her heels。 There she meets Ellis， a brilliant novelist with a spark of something either brutal or deadly in her eyes – and she wants Felicity to help her tell her next story。 This had so much good: Sapphic love story， secret covens， scary legends with a bit more truth to them than anyone wants to admit， and the chilling， creeping pace of a thriller that knew。how to use its medium。 Between legends。of witches， Felicity's often unreliable mind， and all of the things creeping in the dark， I was hooked！ I could go on， but I loved a lot about this book。 Some of the pacing threw me， lagging a bit where it may have needed some tightening but once it got going again it didn't disappoint。 Look for this one on 3rd of August！ Fantastic。 *My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review。* 。。。more
Mary Maldris
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Sami
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Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of A LESSON IN VENGEANCE in exchange for an honest review。 FRTC
Kaeli
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I really enjoyed this book。 I found myself devouring it as I just wanted to know what was going to happen next。 A Lesson in Vengeance is filled with twists and moments that made me put the book down to stare at a wall for a few minutes to process。 I can't wait for my physical copy to arrive and finally be able to hold this book in my hands。About 30% into this book， the first major twist happened， and it's done perfectly to make the reader suspicious of anything and everything that Felicity exper I really enjoyed this book。 I found myself devouring it as I just wanted to know what was going to happen next。 A Lesson in Vengeance is filled with twists and moments that made me put the book down to stare at a wall for a few minutes to process。 I can't wait for my physical copy to arrive and finally be able to hold this book in my hands。About 30% into this book， the first major twist happened， and it's done perfectly to make the reader suspicious of anything and everything that Felicity experiences and sees。 The last 15% is full of shock after shock and made me want to immediately start to reread the book to see if I had missed any clues to the major twist of the ending。 The constant questioning of what is and is not happening made for a much more suspenseful reading experience because I never knew whose perceptions of reality to trust。Felicity and Ellis' relationship is definitely dark and twisted。 However， it also serves as the lynchpin for the entire plot of the book。 I was enthralled by their relationship as it went from coldness and suspicion on both sides to something more， leading to the intense final act where everything both comes together and falls apart。 。。。more
Liz （Quirky Cat）
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If you put a book in front of me and compare it to Ninth House， you better believe that I'm going to read it！ A Lesson in Vengeance is the latest novel to come from the mind of Victoria Lee， and guys – this is not a book you're going to want to miss out on。 Seriously， I'm going to be forcing all of my friends and family to read it。tThe Dalloway School is famous for many things， not all of them good。 They have witchcraft and death buried in the closets。 Felicity Morrow can't get enough of the hau If you put a book in front of me and compare it to Ninth House， you better believe that I'm going to read it！ A Lesson in Vengeance is the latest novel to come from the mind of Victoria Lee， and guys – this is not a book you're going to want to miss out on。 Seriously， I'm going to be forcing all of my friends and family to read it。tThe Dalloway School is famous for many things， not all of them good。 They have witchcraft and death buried in the closets。 Felicity Morrow can't get enough of the haunted nature of her school， which is why the lore has become part of her senior project。tThat is until she found herself sunk too deep into legend。 Now she's doomed herself， her friends， and who knows how many others to follow down the same path that witches in history once took。t"I understand the concept of sense memory。 But understanding isn't preparation。"tWords cannot express how much I loved A Lesson in Vengeance。 I love Dark Academia novels， so I went into A Lesson in Vengeance expecting to love it。 I simply wasn't prepared for the extent of that love。tVictoria Lee merged so many fantastic elements together to create this novel， and it shows。 Dark academia meets mystery and thriller with a lesbian leading lady。 Seriously， what more could you possibly ever ask for？tBest of all – better than the intrigue， the character development， or the dramatic twist – the writing。 Victoria Lee's writing is enchanting。 More than that， she wound a story in such a way as for it to be virtually impossible to spot the truth right away。t"You can still feel history in these halls。 At any moment you might turn the corner and find yourself face to face with a ghost from the past。"tIs this a ghost story？ Is it a tale of teenage girls doing horrible things？ Who knows？ Only those that have actually read all the way until the end will be able to tell you that one。 And I， for one， will not be spoiling it。tI loved the rich atmosphere of this novel。 It wiggles into the bones and won't let go， and while that may be a graphic image for some， it is very much an accurate one。 Felicity's story is harrowing and fascinating， dark and complex。tPart of me is quite sad that this is a standalone novel， but mostly because I am greedy。 What Victoria Lee here is perfectly captured within one novel， and there is no need for her to continue。 I just don't want to let the world or story go。tThanks to Delacorte Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review。 All opinions expressed are my own。 Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks 。。。more
taylor
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If this was an adult novel I think it would have been a 4 or even 5 star read。 As it stands I think it's a 3。5 （rounded up to a 4）。 Still very dark and very enjoyable。 TWs: Death （including a grandparent）， violence， manipulation and emotional abuse， child neglect， mental health issues， substance abuse， underage drinking， suicide references （no actual suicide）， racism， past institutionalization， police， animal death/cruelty， blood， gore， medication for mental illness If this was an adult novel I think it would have been a 4 or even 5 star read。 As it stands I think it's a 3。5 （rounded up to a 4）。 Still very dark and very enjoyable。 TWs: Death （including a grandparent）， violence， manipulation and emotional abuse， child neglect， mental health issues， substance abuse， underage drinking， suicide references （no actual suicide）， racism， past institutionalization， police， animal death/cruelty， blood， gore， medication for mental illness 。。。more
Katie O
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I think I'm going to be among the few lower-star ratings with this book—honestly， I wish I could give it a higher rating， especially since it checks so many boxes: gothic academia， witchy legacies， investigating murders， an unreliable narrator， and more。 But unfortunately reading this book was a slog for me， which breaks my heart as this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021。 The academic plot isn't really there。。。all the mystery comes across as just happening to take place at the school。 I think I'm going to be among the few lower-star ratings with this book—honestly， I wish I could give it a higher rating， especially since it checks so many boxes: gothic academia， witchy legacies， investigating murders， an unreliable narrator， and more。 But unfortunately reading this book was a slog for me， which breaks my heart as this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021。 The academic plot isn't really there。。。all the mystery comes across as just happening to take place at the school。 I didn't really feel the connection between the witches/Dalloway Five and the actual Dalloway campus/students--granted， this could've been pointing toward the narrator's unique obsession with the witches， but it resulted in a disconnectedness that I didn't mesh with。 The part that really drew me in didn't happen til the last 20-30 pages， and it's a long ride to get there。 。。。more
Bridgette
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This was a quick， dark read。 I really enjoyed the writing style and all the references to horror written by women， having been an English major in undergrad。 Some bits felt like they were only there for aesthetics and not for any part of the plot， but the girls themselves were like that also so it mostly worked。 It's also a study of toxic and manipulative relationships， which was done really well， and built to a great climax。 This was a quick， dark read。 I really enjoyed the writing style and all the references to horror written by women， having been an English major in undergrad。 Some bits felt like they were only there for aesthetics and not for any part of the plot， but the girls themselves were like that also so it mostly worked。 It's also a study of toxic and manipulative relationships， which was done really well， and built to a great climax。 。。。more
Kera’s Always Reading
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This is a dark and intricate story that will pull you under。Read this if you’re into:- Sapphic stories- Dark academia- Boarding school mystery- Witchcraft - Mental health representation- Rising intensity- Atmospheric thrillersInside the walls of the Godwin House， the dormitory of the Dalloway School where the Dalloway Five all died mysteriously years ago， Felicity has just come back after being away for the last year。 She is just trying to finish her schooling and put the past behind her， but th This is a dark and intricate story that will pull you under。Read this if you’re into:- Sapphic stories- Dark academia- Boarding school mystery- Witchcraft - Mental health representation- Rising intensity- Atmospheric thrillersInside the walls of the Godwin House， the dormitory of the Dalloway School where the Dalloway Five all died mysteriously years ago， Felicity has just come back after being away for the last year。 She is just trying to finish her schooling and put the past behind her， but the memory of her girlfriend Alex’s death the previous year is haunting her… much like the spirits of the Dalloway Five。 The new girl at Dalloway， Ellis， has Alex’s old room。 There is something about her that Felicity can’t seem to resist。 And even though all Felicity wants is to put the darkness and the school’s witchcraft history in her rear view， Ellis is all about it。 The closer Felicity and Ellis become， the closer they get to uncovering secrets about the school and the darkness surrounding Alex’s death。I could not get enough of the dark intensity and ramping urgency in this book。 I adore Victoria Lee’s writing。 You definitely feel like you are right there inside this novel！ 。。。more
Shelly Seward
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The storyline， the setting， and the characters in this book made for a perfect atmospheric read。 A boarding school with a link to witchcraft， in a spooky setting。 I just read the synopsis and immediately knew I had to read it。Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a honest review。
bri！
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usually me and booktok do not agree but unreliable narrators and gays murdering each other is exactly my thing
Alexis
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Woop woop got my copy 2 days early！！！
Randi （Rampant Reading Reviews）
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I received an advanced copy of A Lesson in Vengeance through NetGalley so I could share my review with you！Content Warning- Death （graphic）， Violence （graphic）， Manipulation and emotional abuse， Child neglect （past/offscreen）， Mental health issues， Substance abuse， Suicide references （no actual suicide）， References to racist history at a PWI， Animal abuse/death （graphic）， and Gore。Everything is not as it seems at Dalloway Academy。 Darkness lurks in its very history， yet Felicity Morrow seems to I received an advanced copy of A Lesson in Vengeance through NetGalley so I could share my review with you！Content Warning- Death （graphic）， Violence （graphic）， Manipulation and emotional abuse， Child neglect （past/offscreen）， Mental health issues， Substance abuse， Suicide references （no actual suicide）， References to racist history at a PWI， Animal abuse/death （graphic）， and Gore。Everything is not as it seems at Dalloway Academy。 Darkness lurks in its very history， yet Felicity Morrow seems to be the only one who can see it。 That is， until the arrival of Ellis Haley， who is at the school to research her next novel， which explores the murders that happened on Dalloway’s campus back at its beginnings。 Back then， five girls were accused of witchcraft and were killed off one by one until their fates became legends。 Their deaths are the gory center at Dalloway’s mystique， but they aren’t the only tragedies seen on campus。 Felicity is still recovering after the death of her girlfriend， which was either an accident or the result of her own magical mistakes。 Ellis is the first person at the school to share Felicity’s passion for Dalloway’s history of witchcraft and murder， and an instant connection forms between the pair of girls。 If they aren’t careful， they’ll be consumed by Dalloway’s famous darkness。You can get your copy of A Lesson in Vengeance now from Delacorte Press！A Lesson in Vengeance was delightfully dark and twisted！ I was especially fond of the ways that Felicity’s perspective shaped the narrative of events in the story。 She was an excellently unreliable narrator， as it was difficult to tell what was the truth and what was happening in her head。 The ways that perception and reality blended together in this novel were both exceptional and engaging。 As someone who is only just getting into the genre of Dark Academia， I found this book to be an exemplary piece of writing for the category。My Recommendation-If you think that October and Halloween can’t come fast enough， I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of A Lesson in Vengeance to tide you over！ This psychological ghostly thriller would be a great choice for fans of Ace of Spades or If We Were Villains。 。。。more
Larissa
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it might be a 3。5 but i’m on a reading slump so it’s hard for me to say， i need a bit more time
Bethany
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Actual Rating: 4。5 starsOooh this went darker than I was expecting！ And I loved it。 I think this one is going to be a hit。 If you're looking for queer dark academia with a twisty plot， you will definitely want to check out A Lesson in Vengeance。 Set at an elite， all-girls boarding school founded by a survior of the Salem witch trials， there is a dark， bloody history and a dark present。 Felicity Morrow has returned to Dalloway School to finish her senior year after taking time off when her best f Actual Rating: 4。5 starsOooh this went darker than I was expecting！ And I loved it。 I think this one is going to be a hit。 If you're looking for queer dark academia with a twisty plot， you will definitely want to check out A Lesson in Vengeance。 Set at an elite， all-girls boarding school founded by a survior of the Salem witch trials， there is a dark， bloody history and a dark present。 Felicity Morrow has returned to Dalloway School to finish her senior year after taking time off when her best friend died the year before。 All her housemates have graduated and a new crop of girls has moved in。 Including a young， bestselling novelist working on her next book。 This has all the creepy， dark， haunted vibes you could want。 Excessively intellectual teen girls reading high brow literature （I say this in love as I was like this too）， witches， rituals， possible ghosts， plenty of sexual tension， and an unreliable narrator。 It took me a little while to get fully invested in this and I don't love the way the early part relied so heavily on a dual timeline with flashbacks。 I think structurally it could have been done a little differently。 Regardless， once I was into it， I was INTO IT and that ending was perfection！ Did not expect a YA story to go where this one went。 The author took inspiration from The Secret History by Donna Tartt， but with lesbians and it is fabulous。 Definitely recommend！ I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。Content warnings include: death， gore， rituals， blood， animal death， violence， mental health related episodes， probably others。 。。。more
DK
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I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。Felicity Morrow returns to Dalloway， an elite， all-girls boarding school， for her second attempt at senior year。 Haunted by the death of her ex-girlfriend， Alex， and her preoccupation with the school's witchy origins， Felicity is further unbalanced by the arrival of new student and Pulitzer Prize winning teen author， Ellis Haley。 Ellis soon has the other girls of Godwin House under her spell， and convinces Felicity to help her re I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。Felicity Morrow returns to Dalloway， an elite， all-girls boarding school， for her second attempt at senior year。 Haunted by the death of her ex-girlfriend， Alex， and her preoccupation with the school's witchy origins， Felicity is further unbalanced by the arrival of new student and Pulitzer Prize winning teen author， Ellis Haley。 Ellis soon has the other girls of Godwin House under her spell， and convinces Felicity to help her research for her next novel， one that is set at the school and features the infamous Dalloway Five， a coven of witches who were gruesomely killed on school grounds。 Can Felicity withstand a second brush with the occult， or will she lose herself again？A Lesson in Vengeance is smart， intense， riveting， and delightfully spooky。 If you've been longing for a Sapphic dark academia novel， this is it！ As with many dark academia and/or boarding school books， the characters are driven， academically focused， somewhat hedonistic， prone to quoting poetry， and eager to adopt old fashioned aesthetics。 At times I forgot when the book was set as the girls of Godwin House spend their time using typewriters， researching in libraries， reading books， and generally eschewing all forms of modern technology。 Altogether it creates a deeply immersive reading experience and I kept expecting to look out the window and see autumn leaves and the mountains or snow covered trees。 While I didn't exactly like any of the characters， they are fascinating and brilliant。 Felicity is an unreliable narrator and I love the way the story weaves in meta commentary on female characters and mental health。 Ellis is wickedly smart， mysterious， and controlled。 The tension between the two of them is on par with some of my favorite characters who ride that line between rivalry， friendship， or more。 Their story is filled with twists， chills， and thrills。 Brew a pot of coffee， light some candles， switch off the lights， and get lost in this tale of witches and death， beauty and desire， ghosts and vengeance。 。。。more
Laura （crofteereader）
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3。5 starsThe dialogue between the Godwin House girls reminded me of my least favorite interactions with English majors in college。 Pair that with the "rich girl boarding school" and "only vintage， academic aesthetic" clothes and it was just too pretentious。 Now， when we started talking about witchcraft and murder and lesbians， I was on board。I don't know if it's just because I read an ARC， but there were some very big contradictions in the story。 Some contradictions were deliberate， revealed to 3。5 starsThe dialogue between the Godwin House girls reminded me of my least favorite interactions with English majors in college。 Pair that with the "rich girl boarding school" and "only vintage， academic aesthetic" clothes and it was just too pretentious。 Now， when we started talking about witchcraft and murder and lesbians， I was on board。I don't know if it's just because I read an ARC， but there were some very big contradictions in the story。 Some contradictions were deliberate， revealed to be incorrect as part of the story， and then there were others where I had to ask a friend who was also reading the book "wait， didn't she say THIS before？ How did we get to THAT now？ Am I hallucinating？" It wasn't mimicking the mental state of our narrator， instead pulling me completely out of the story while I contemplated using my kindle's search function to double check what I thought I'd read before。Personally， I think the book would have worked better with college students - or at least been a bit more believable。 Indeed， I kept forgetting that the characters were kids。 Maybe really rich kids do act and talk and carry on like this， I don't know。 It also felt like we dropped the academia part of this dark academia story in a way that made it impossible to keep track of the passage of time。This makes it sound like I hated the book。 I absolutely did not。 The writing （apart from pretentious dialogue） was enthralling， with brilliant descriptions and a great rhythm to the words。 I devoured the book in only a handful of sittings， curious to know how everything would unfold。 And I'm also always a sucker for gay ladies。{Thank you Delacorte Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own} 。。。more
Lauren
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