A Lesson in Vengeance
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-02 09:50:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Victoria Lee
- ISBN：0593305825
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
For fans of Wilder Girls and Ninth House comes a dark， twisty， atmospheric thriller about a boarding school haunted by its history of witchcraft and two girls dangerously close to digging up the past。
Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School。
Perched in the Catskill mountains， the centuries-old， ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend。 Now， after a year away， she’s returned to graduate。 She even has her old room in Godwin House， the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches。 The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously， one after another， right on Godwin grounds。
Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history。 The school doesn’t talk about it， but the students do。 In secret rooms and shadowy corners， girls convene。 And before her girlfriend died， Felicity was drawn to the dark。 She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate。 But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere。 And when the new girl won’t let her forget。
It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway， and she’s already amassed a loyal following。 A prodigy novelist at seventeen， Ellis is a so-called “method writer。” She’s eccentric and brilliant， and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her。 So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book， Felicity can’t say no。 Given her history with the arcane， Felicity is the perfect resource。
And when history begins to repeat itself， Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself。
Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School。
Perched in the Catskill mountains， the centuries-old， ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend。 Now， after a year away， she’s returned to graduate。 She even has her old room in Godwin House， the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches。 The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously， one after another， right on Godwin grounds。
Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history。 The school doesn’t talk about it， but the students do。 In secret rooms and shadowy corners， girls convene。 And before her girlfriend died， Felicity was drawn to the dark。 She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate。 But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere。 And when the new girl won’t let her forget。
It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway， and she’s already amassed a loyal following。 A prodigy novelist at seventeen， Ellis is a so-called “method writer。” She’s eccentric and brilliant， and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her。 So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book， Felicity can’t say no。 Given her history with the arcane， Felicity is the perfect resource。
And when history begins to repeat itself， Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself。
Reviews
;3
，
it took me soo long to warm up to felicity and the super slow start but after the first 10 chapters it was 🤩😋
Trift
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2。5 stars。 This was majorly， epically fine。 70% of the book is spent just meandering about， then there’s some lead up and we go straight into the final climax， which is … pretty good。 But I needed more of that end in the rest of the book。 Sure， there’s a few bits of foreshadowing but it’s not enough。 There’s so many things that could have been done here to make this a truly dark gothic horror or thriller and the author passed by almost all of them。Whatever you’re excited for this book to be， the 2。5 stars。 This was majorly， epically fine。 70% of the book is spent just meandering about， then there’s some lead up and we go straight into the final climax， which is … pretty good。 But I needed more of that end in the rest of the book。 Sure， there’s a few bits of foreshadowing but it’s not enough。 There’s so many things that could have been done here to make this a truly dark gothic horror or thriller and the author passed by almost all of them。Whatever you’re excited for this book to be， there’s a different book that does it better。 。。。more
Morevna
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this was pleasantly gay， sadly a little too white， and enjoyably twisted。 also a little too much posh rich girls being snobby and， well， posh and vain。
carina
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DISCLAIMER: This is the first new book I've read since finishing the Shadowhunter Chronicles。 I am in the middle of a very bad hangover， so this review may be a little bit biased。A Lesson in Vengeance contains all of the necessary facets in a thriller book。 Unpredictable， merciless characters and the everpresent feeling of mystery keeping you at edge。 Combine that with dark academia vibes， boarding schools， and lesbians， and you're in for a wild ride。One thing to understand is that this is not a DISCLAIMER: This is the first new book I've read since finishing the Shadowhunter Chronicles。 I am in the middle of a very bad hangover， so this review may be a little bit biased。A Lesson in Vengeance contains all of the necessary facets in a thriller book。 Unpredictable， merciless characters and the everpresent feeling of mystery keeping you at edge。 Combine that with dark academia vibes， boarding schools， and lesbians， and you're in for a wild ride。One thing to understand is that this is not a romance。 This is not a fantasy。 This is not a happy-go-lucky book about teenagers having the time of their life。 This is a mystery and thriller through and through， verging on manipulation and gaslighting， and it will keep you awake at night。 This is about characters who are dangerously determined to reach their goals， ruthless in doing whatever it costs。The story follows Felicity Morrow， returning to Dalloway Academy to complete her second semester of her senior year。 She left after her girlfriend died in a tragic accident， and she hoped that there would be no more strange occurences waiting for her at school。 It's only that the very academy itself is ensconced in tales about mysterious witches and murders， and from the very beginning， Felicity had taken a liking to it。 She needs to stay away from it this time - but her pledge to stay away from the arcane is disrupted when author prodigy Ellis Haley moves into her ex-girlfriend's dormitory room。 Felicity doesn't know who she is， but she knows there is more to her than it seems。What I loved about this book was the thriller aspect。 I've never felt so terrified while reading a book until this one。 The only time I ever felt something this chilling was when I watched Parasite， or， you know。 Thrillers。 Victoria Lee perfectly captured the pacing needed to design a well-written thriller。 I felt that some parts could have used a little more details （For example， （view spoiler）[Felicity's relationship with her mother was skimmed over。 It would also have been nice to have a few more scenes with Clara， so that her death would have hurt more。 （hide spoiler）]） But my complaints are superficial， and I do not think they have an extreme significance in my enjoyment of the book。One last thing。 Three last things？ Dark academia。 Boarding school。 Lesbians。 Really hits different。 I'd definitely recommend it to a friend。 。。。more
Bianca St。
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sadly I found myself mostly bored while reading this， which I did not really expect。。。。。 a shame
Ashley
，
Damn。
Katie
，
5/5 - the dark academia gays need therapy。 Delightfully gothic
Mary Kate
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There are no men anywhere in this whole book。 It is a glorious thing。Also this was amazing。
Agnesophie
，
I've read this book in two days because I couldn't put it down。 It's a perfect dark academia book （which was a nice surprise， since the last book I've read that was described by its author as 'dark academia' turned out to not be， in fact， dark academia）。 But this book was dark academia in the best way。 The characters were so interesting and the plot was so delightfully twisted。 Seriously， read it！！！ I've read this book in two days because I couldn't put it down。 It's a perfect dark academia book （which was a nice surprise， since the last book I've read that was described by its author as 'dark academia' turned out to not be， in fact， dark academia）。 But this book was dark academia in the best way。 The characters were so interesting and the plot was so delightfully twisted。 Seriously， read it！！！ 。。。more
Augusta Whittemore
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2。5 StarsUnfortunately， this one was a miss for me :（ It was certainly atmospheric， and the scenery -- at least， the *idea* of what it should be like--was stunning。 However， the rest of the story fell flat。 The writing was hard to get through; each sentence， while beautifully constructed， felt like。。。。too *much*。 There were too many words for each thought， and my brain had to stop and choke down each one， if that makes sense。 One top of that， lines and ideas were repeated over and over again to 2。5 StarsUnfortunately， this one was a miss for me :（ It was certainly atmospheric， and the scenery -- at least， the *idea* of what it should be like--was stunning。 However， the rest of the story fell flat。 The writing was hard to get through; each sentence， while beautifully constructed， felt like。。。。too *much*。 There were too many words for each thought， and my brain had to stop and choke down each one， if that makes sense。 One top of that， lines and ideas were repeated over and over again to the point that I grew annoyed with it。 If the idea was to give the reader a sense of dread and foreboding， using the same analogies reatedly dampens that-- the reader is used to it by the time the punchline comes around。 （I can only be anxious about unseen hands reaching out to choke somebody so many times。。。）The dialogue was unrealistic， but I'll give Victoria a pass on that one because I think that was the point that she was trying to make--that this is a school filled with pretentious rich girls。 But that was also a theme shoved down the reader's throat， and by the end of it I was exhausted。 The whole thing comes off entirely too pretentious。 "There are Dalloway students who spend most of their year enmeshed in internships at the nearby aerospace laboratory， students who sleep in the classics building and only speak in ancient Greek。 And then there's us: the literati， the bookish intelligentsia with an affinity for horn-rimmed glasses and pages that smell like dust"If that isn't supposed to be pretentious on purpose， then I need someone else to explain it to me :） and I think the characterization suffered because of it。 There's telling the story from an unlikeable or unreliable character's point of view。。。。and then there's telling a story from the POV of characters that aren't fleshed out and this is a tale of the latter。 It was all tell， and no show。 I didn't care about the characters because I felt like I didn't know them。What I did appreciate about this book is more of what it *tried* to do， than what it accomplished。 I can see that she wanted it to have Sabrina vibes， but it just missed the mark entirely for me。 There was no big reveal， no "aha" moment where everything came together--other than Victoria telling us how it all came together if that makes sense。 to put it best， I'd say--most excellent idea， poor execution。 。。。more
Amanda Borbe
，
I had very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised。 It was a lot darker than I thought it would be。
leah
，
（3。5）
Cameron | Golden Girl Book Club
，
this should’ve been my inaugural october creepy read bc 😅 made the mistake of listening to the audiobook while driving in the dark on backroads in the ozarks witchy Sapphic dark academia meets psychological thriller with a touch of the grotesque tad predictable but it keeps you on your toes the whole time
Joanna Estrada
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I really loved the cover， but I’m not a big horror reader， especially psychological horrors。 Just a genre mismatch for me。DNF
Marcella
，
Sapphic dark academia！ It was a very interesting story。 I love the dark academia and gothic building vibes， along with some witchy reference。 Saw the twist from miles but it was so interesting to see it unravels and how the protagonist would react to it。 Love it！
Jennifer
，
I enjoyed this more than I can rationally justify。
sonia
，
3。5
Priya
，
Yep， if you like psycho bitches， this one's for you。 Good for me， I like all bitches。 Yep， if you like psycho bitches， this one's for you。 Good for me， I like all bitches。 。。。more
Sarah Kartak
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3。5 stars
Allie
，
Great for fans of dark academia。 Mixture of Ninth House and Catherine House。 Fantastic audiobook。（I wish there are been more in regards to Felicity’s thesis。 I feel like it was touched on a lot then not。）
hailey
，
a sapphic dark academia novel！？ what more could the gays wish for？？
Sophie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Solid 5 stars， one of the best corruption arcs I've ever read Solid 5 stars， one of the best corruption arcs I've ever read 。。。more
Mark Alpheus
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not a bad book， i just didn't enjoy it。 Bored me so mostly skimmed my way through。 Felt to me like it's more tell than show， and I guess I wasn't in the mood for that rn。 Did not dnf because there's a part of me who was still intrigued with the ghosts。 But overall， i was dissapointed。 not a bad book， i just didn't enjoy it。 Bored me so mostly skimmed my way through。 Felt to me like it's more tell than show， and I guess I wasn't in the mood for that rn。 Did not dnf because there's a part of me who was still intrigued with the ghosts。 But overall， i was dissapointed。 。。。more
Emily Drechsler
，
This book is made up of characters that I would strongly dislike if I were to ever come across them in person。 I wanted to like this book - the atmosphere while feeling forced， was initially interesting and I had hope that maybe the story would come together。 However， the characters are flat， the twist was predictable， and any “dark academia” vibes are completely off put by how contrived the school atmosphere and players feel。
Lori
，
It was amazingly atmospheric and gave me a delicious sense of dread as I read。 However， I felt no real connections to any of the characters and at times it felt like the second book in a series。 Most backstory was filled in over time in flashbacks， but in a somewhat unintentionally jarring way。
Erica
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This was a twisty turny mindfuck of a book。 Loved it。
Mallory
，
this book was exactly what all the hype promised—a twisted exploration of sapphic dark academia with murder and deception。 i loved the dynamics between the characters and the way witchcraft was explored， though i do feel like i could have happily read 100 more pages that dove into more of the school atmosphere。 while i also love disaster lesbians， i was kind of hoping for some sweeping and twisted romance。 though that was entirely based on my own hopes， and the actual story that unfolded was sti this book was exactly what all the hype promised—a twisted exploration of sapphic dark academia with murder and deception。 i loved the dynamics between the characters and the way witchcraft was explored， though i do feel like i could have happily read 100 more pages that dove into more of the school atmosphere。 while i also love disaster lesbians， i was kind of hoping for some sweeping and twisted romance。 though that was entirely based on my own hopes， and the actual story that unfolded was still absolutely shocking and engaging。 such a wild and fun read overall！ thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley！ 。。。more
Cristina Roock
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This book makes me want to visit a New England college and go on dark twisty occult adventures。。。
angelina
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4。5*i need a moment
Andrae
，
3⭐️Although I didn't love this， I did have lots of thoughts while reading so that is honestly better than just feeling bleh and having no thoughts at all。 I think that this did a lot of things well， I really enjoyed the writing style and the vivid descriptions that are given in this book。 The storytelling was very dark and ominous and was also really easy to read。 The character development was really well done， I think that all of these characters were extremely easy to understand even though th 3⭐️Although I didn't love this， I did have lots of thoughts while reading so that is honestly better than just feeling bleh and having no thoughts at all。 I think that this did a lot of things well， I really enjoyed the writing style and the vivid descriptions that are given in this book。 The storytelling was very dark and ominous and was also really easy to read。 The character development was really well done， I think that all of these characters were extremely easy to understand even though they all had their own issues。 The things that they did made me uncomfortable but not to a point where the book became unenjoyable。 I also like how everything wrapped up， these characters arcs came full circle and I felt satisfied with how everything ended。 Again， even though the things that were happening were twisted， I felt very impacted by the ending。 The biggest issue of this was the pacing。 While the atmosphere this book creates by taking its time and meandering through the plot， at times I felt that the book became too slow。 There are lots and lots of really really over the top descriptions that fill the pages and get kind of dull to read。 Which may or may not be a turn off for you。 I also think that because of this the twists became really easy to predict very far ahead of time。 I wasn't surprised or caught off guard at any point in the story and I think that the book relies heavily on the shock value。 Another thing that wasn't a very big deal but kept getting on my nerves is how limited the academic setting is throughout the book。 There is very little page time of the girls in class or doing school work and there are barely any interactions with any teachers or staff。 So， it was good， but it could have been so much better。Oh well。 -------------this was written really well， but the pacing was off and i got detached from the story about halfway through 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Lesson in Vengeance
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Lesson in Vengeance&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Lesson in Vengeance&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0