4.5 stars!
This is such a great gothic, dark academia, eerie, and mysterious novel. I loved that we got to dive into the science and education portion quite a bit. I often find in a lot of academic set books, the actual classroom/learning scenes don't even exist so I always love when a book like this touches on it a good amount.
This is also filled with so many secrets the whole way through that keep you refusing to put the book down until you get answers!
I thought the pacing was fantastic during the first 2/3s and it was a great mix of plot progression and answers to your questions. Although, after that we had a lot happening with the plot like usual, but it felt rushed and jumbled a bit. I felt like we needed a lot more info on the minor plot points we got throughout the first portion. The romance had its complete wrap up. I did want more of a wrap up with what is going on with the illness, the college, and some side characters.
Overall, I loved this! Perfect fall vibes. A fantastic academy setting and a great fmc that felt realistic. She gave us our eye roll moments lol but she's a boss!