I was hooked from the cover and description, it worked with everything that I wanted and enjoyed the idea of this story. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall way they worked with the story. I enjoyed how strong the concept was and glad it was so well done and can't wait for more in this series. Johnny Marciano has a great writing style and glad I got to read this.

Netgalley Review

Star Rating: ★★☆☆☆

This is a quirky, cute, and potentially interesting book. If would have been a solid 3 star read until the end. I say the end, but it doesn't really end. I mean, the pages stop, but none of the plots you spent the whole book following come to end. They just add more questions and end th book.

Imagine reading a murder mystery. Yollu've read almost the whole book. You have so many clues. You think you know who the bad guy is. The detective goes to confront the killer, but all the sudden the murder victim come forward, not so dead as you thought, and says something ludicrous like "I'm pregnant and I think the baby is yours." Then the book sends!

That's how I feel right now. The main plot was never finished and there was more plot added at the very end. It's a nasty unfulfilled feeling. Which is why two stars instead of three.

Like always though, read it and decide for yourself

So much of this book turned out to be unexpected. Even to the very end the way people act and the choices made have me feeling that there’s something way bigger than even what the big reveal at the end was. It took some time for me to understand Frankie. She’s portrayed as this really negative character, but I realized she’s been brought up and treated the way she has for so long that her criticisms of how she’s treated and the way things are make her look negative, but in reality she’s hurting and she’s just expressing and bringing attention to that hurt and it doesn’t get answered.

Frankie’s mom bothers me a lot. Especially because I had experienced similar from my grandmother growing up but, I had a much different approach to dealing with it then Frankie does. Or actually, maybe it wasn’t so different. I think the main difference was more people’s reaction to me. Frankie is seen as a negative person while I got a lot more sympathy for what I was going through. I feel so much for her because she’s purposely getting gaslit from all sides and she’s trying to figure out what’s happening and it’s not working out. Everyone seems to know more about what’s going on then she does and she’s being played as a puppet in everyone’s game and it saddened my heart.

Also the constant fighting between her and her brother Lucie really got to me too because it’s really shitty to see that her brother and her mom have a united front and can talk to each other, but Frankie is outcasted because she’s the one that calls out the flaws in the unbalanced treatment she receives. Some parents are very much the kind of people that say you take how I treat you and shut up and that’s how her mom is and I hate it.

I am very nervous and afraid for Frankie for whatever happens in the next book. This author knows what the trauma of a narcissistic parent looks like and I am afraid that things are going to get even worse.

All in all, I recommend this magical fantasy where a girl experiences being put in a magical school against her will and is uncovering dark secrets along the way. If you love all kinds of morally grey characters you will love this book.