*I received an ARC from BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review*
I unexpectedly really enjoyed this! I appreciated how it explored a hard sibling relationship, and the mystery of the gruesome murder kept me engaged.
If you're reading this for something like a Harry Potter remake you will be sorely disappointed, the magical backdrop was just that, a backdrop and this reads more like a contemporary thriller. Since Ivy is an outsider to the magic world we don't quite get into the nitty-gritty of how everything works and what the rules really are for the magic in this world. I didn't mind that since this story is definitely more character based and I enjoyed seeing things from our main characters eyes.
Ivy is a flawed, jaded woman and I thought her characterization was done really well. She reminded me a bit of Jessica Jones at least on the surface, they are different once you dig underneath though. As for the side characters I found them interesting as well. Her love interest was adorable, and I thought the exploration of some of the students and what was going on with them served as a good almost mirror to what was going on with the adults. Ivy's sister, Tabitha, was obviously the most interesting side character as the book does focus on their estrangement and relationship, which I also thought was well done.
Plot-wise, like I mentioned I was engaged the whole time. I did have a guess at the murderer but there's no way I would've guessed how and why it was committed.
Overall if you're interested in a Thriller/mystery with a woman private investigator featuring a little bit of magic this is a book for you.
I unexpectedly really enjoyed this! I appreciated how it explored a hard sibling relationship, and the mystery of the gruesome murder kept me engaged.
If you're reading this for something like a Harry Potter remake you will be sorely disappointed, the magical backdrop was just that, a backdrop and this reads more like a contemporary thriller. Since Ivy is an outsider to the magic world we don't quite get into the nitty-gritty of how everything works and what the rules really are for the magic in this world. I didn't mind that since this story is definitely more character based and I enjoyed seeing things from our main characters eyes.
Ivy is a flawed, jaded woman and I thought her characterization was done really well. She reminded me a bit of Jessica Jones at least on the surface, they are different once you dig underneath though. As for the side characters I found them interesting as well. Her love interest was adorable, and I thought the exploration of some of the students and what was going on with them served as a good almost mirror to what was going on with the adults. Ivy's sister, Tabitha, was obviously the most interesting side character as the book does focus on their estrangement and relationship, which I also thought was well done.
Plot-wise, like I mentioned I was engaged the whole time. I did have a guess at the murderer but there's no way I would've guessed how and why it was committed.
Overall if you're interested in a Thriller/mystery with a woman private investigator featuring a little bit of magic this is a book for you.