I couldn't help but draw some stark comparisons to The Secret History. And while yes that book is the birth of dark academia, this one didn't quite add enough 'newness' to the genre to be super impactful. Does it show how the echelon of academia forces people to do some wild things? Sure, but so do so many other books and they do it better.

I think part of the issue was the characters really didn't draw me in. They were rather surface level and I didn't feel super invested in them. It's not even that they're all kinda shitty, cause I can get down with a morally gray character, but they were just kinda blah.

The Tarot history was interesting but I also didn't feel like it was in depth enough. We would get tidbits and then they'd just kind of move on. I kept expecting something more involved especially with the advisor/boss character (idr his name).

Overall I didn't hate it but also rather forgettable.

ENDING

The twist at the end with her father was a shock, but I question the inclusion of it except to perhaps establish Ann's character as someone who could kill and move on with her life.

Spice: 2.5/5 (closed door)