Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Catherine House

the girls that get it, get and the girls that don’t, don’t

I absolutely loved this book. I liked the moodiness, the meandering story, the characters, the imagery, and the house itself. It reminded me of my own college experience, despite some major differing aspects of course. After reading the author’s interview, I think that I was exactly the type of reader this was written for/about.

I often see this marketed as a dark academia thriller, but to me it was more an atmospheric gothic literary novel. It explores ideas, relationships and the self through its plot rather than using those elements to support the plot.

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alessiareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Caterine House is deffo not a book for everyone. If you’re into dark academia or mainly into books with a lot of academic problems then this book would suit you. It’s a very easy read , I finished it in two days.

The book is about a problematic girl who ends up being accepted in a ghost-like school (more selective than any Ivy League school) with very strict rules and with very low chances that students can contact their friends of family for three years during their stay. She feels trapped but knowing she has nowhere to go and nothing to lose she accepts looking into the secrets of the school. The place has one priority and that is plasma, what it is and why it’s important is very little explained and that’s where I want to add a warning, you won’t get much closure from this book since it’s very mysterious and doesn’t give much details. It’s entertaining and fun but there aren’t any details presented almost at all. The ending is very dissapointing since it seems forced, overall I enjoyed it and highly recommend it! It could’ve had more pages though, 200 more pages maybe where the action went a bit further could’ve made the book better!

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libraryghost's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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thefatpaperback's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a fever dream. I still think back on it and wonder if this was an actual book I read. It’s bizarre, but the writing is incredible. Big moments and shocking events are delivered like ripping off a band-aid: blunt and disorienting. The characters are great too. A friend and I were chatting about the book and he said he liked how it’s diverse without trying to be diverse and I agree. I 10000% recommend. I read this at the end of October and it was haunting for sure (but not scary…I don’t do horror novels!)

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