The Secret History

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I don’t even know what my feelings are after finishing this book! It’s one of those books where I feel like if I read it again in the future, I’m going to appreciate it so much more than I already do.

When people say this is what started the dark academia genre, I can see why. It’s everything, from secretive, pretentious, charming, chaotic, mysterious, dark, atmospheric, awakening, gripping, surprising, egotistical, timeless… I could keep going with how many descriptive words this book actually is!

I wasn’t prepared for the extremely long chapters. Some being over 100 pages, but somehow for this story, it works and makes sense. This isn’t for anyone that can’t stand a slow unraveling because every aspect and relationship is described, as our main character Richard tells us his story at Hampden college. Ultimately he wanted to be part of something and being included sometimes isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

To what lengths would you take to be part of a group, that has such intricacies, in which you wouldn’t ever truly understand? Would you ever protect people that you share a secret with, but never know who they are deep down as people? Does it seem worth putting your life into the hands of another when you don’t know them well enough? All questions, you’ll be thinking about when reading Richard’s actions and it also makes you question the morals people hold, versus their distorted view on the world.

The Cloisters

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I was intrigued by this book because it was marketed as being about a magical tarot deck. It really wasn’t magical at all and was more about the journey of the MC Ann as she becomes her own person through her internship at the Cloisters.

There were a lot of art references that I couldn’t appreciate, as I cannot say I’m an art history expert. Anyone that does love renaissance art, would probably love the extent at which various artists are mentioned throughout this book.

Ann was heavily manipulated from the moment she accepted to work at the Cloisters. I guessed that from the start and the larger question was always why? We have the owner Patrick obsessing about tarot and having an odd relationship with the other intern Rachel. And then Rachel never really revealing too much about herself, but wanting to help Ann in any way that she could. There was always something off with Rachel and the relationship she had with Ann. When Patrick and Rachel convince Ann to be part of their research into tarot, she became a believer in predicting the future with repeated use of a mysterious deck that she comes into possession of.

I liked the cute gardener Leo. He was intriguing at first but turns out he was just an aspiring creative, so his aloofness came with his personality. It was a bit of a slow burn to know what Rachel was all about. I think she just liked to manipulate people because she was bored. Patrick came off as a creepy sort of professor when it came to Rachel. I also felt like we didn’t really get to know him either.

The ending really wasn’t something I was expecting. It just seemed like it didn’t fit in with Ann’s character, so my reaction was along the lines of - oh that’s the ending you’re going with? Okayyyy

I can see why others may love this book, but I’m thinking it’s either going I’ve try head or it’s just not overly gelling with me. I really wanted to love it though!

Ninth House

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3.5 stars

I read this as it was a dark academia recommendation and I thought the overall premise was intriguing and interesting. This is my first Leigh Bardugo book and I have seen that this is quite different from her other series based on what others have been saying.

As we’re thrust into the world of Ivy League secret societies and magic, it’s established quite early on, that protocol, exclusivity, power, order and the intelligence exists within the system. Our main character Alex has a unique ability to see the dead referenced as “grays”. She’s scooped up from her troubled life into a full scholarship at Yale, so that her abilities can be used for the exclusive Lethe House. Through flashbacks we learn that she’s mentored by Darlington, who has gone missing in present time. A mysterious death of a girl close to the University sparks an investigation by Alex. She starts to uncover and realise some truths that could disrupt the whole system and unlock the truth of Darlington’s whereabouts.

I wasn’t always there for the flashbacks, as I felt I got the gist of the background of the MC Alex and her relationship with Darlington. It became a little long-winded for me and some parts could have been cut out. The whole establishment is what I imagine real life secret societies to be, minus the magic, but then again maybe not? Who knows what goes on in them really? I liked how the abuse of knowledge and people's opportunistic tendencies came out to play. The question being do people do it for control or power? Or maybe both?

The murder investigation was the most interesting part to me. Don't get me wrong, some of the magical and paranormal elements were fun to read, but the intricacies of uncovering each part of the murder and how it all came together, left me guessing. There was no way anyone could have guessed what was going to happen. This really borders on a crime thriller in some aspects of the book.

I'm intrigued enough to want to read the second book, but I'm also not in a rush.

Catherine House

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I started reading this book as it was a dark academia recommendation online. It’s definitely not for everyone. It’s very slow and it’s like having a build up with no reward.

The whole time I was reading the book, I thought how lazy Ines was and the Catherine House was her escape from the bad deeds she’d done prior. She wanted a home to feel safe in and have people care about her. Even if it meant taking advantage of what was on offer. It was three years of no contact with the outside world, but Catherine House could offer everything that was needed within its walls.

This book was dark, atmospheric, explorative, gothic, cult-like and elitist. Everyone at Catherine House are there to obtain a degree but it’s not considered a college or university. It’s always considered a house or home if you will. Every student that passes through are experimented on because the vision is that everyone is connected like an organism that keeps evolving. No matter what they will face in the outside world, they still had Catherine House.

The ending is left open ended, which I took as an opportunity for Ines to truly find in the world what she was looking for. Her time at Catherine House in some ways was pointless, though it allowed her sideways thinking to remain untainted.