I found it hard to put the book down. 

So I do realize I got exactly what I expected when I read this book and yet I’m still disappointed. This is the most lukewarm, shallow, uninspired book. To start our main character is the pinnacle of damsel in distress and both her and the MMC are incredibly flat static characters. Not to mention Corvina has the most mild unrealistic case of schizophrenia I’ve ever heard of. While I do realize this book is by no means trying to be a psychological look into the mind of a schizophrenic girl, I do wish if that’s going to be a plot point it was handled with a little more care. (Aka do you research into what schizophrenia is before slapping the name Mo on a lone voice in her head and calling it a day). Regardless of Corvina, don’t even get me started of Vad (crazy that his name is Vad). I still do not understand why he’s into Corvina, aside that some old lady when he was a kid told him he would be. There is nothing driving his motivations outside of pure sexual lust it seems and frankly I find that boring and an ick. ALSO, this was a minor plot point but it really bothered me that the stereotypical mean girl was described that she was a bitch because she was sexually assaulted in her past??? I could unpack why that’s problematic but I think it’s obvious enough. The mystery plot felt like a slap dash after thought and I was unconvinced by any of the plot twists. The world building was weak, the characters were flat, and the plot was like a piece of Swiss cheese. But like I said, I wasn’t really expecting anything more.

Dark, moody, and spicy! The University of Verenmore is full of secrets and it's ready to burst. The plot, the intrigue, the spice = chef's kiss!! 

I appreciated the author choosing to start Corvina in college late so she was 21 instead of 18. Made the age gab reasonable for me. I enjoyed the suspense but found myself asking even more questions at the end which was slightly frustrating.I would love to read a continuation. The spice was there but not a focus which was a refreshing change of pace for me. I’d read another book by this author and highly recommend this book.

I was underwhelmed by the writing, plot and characters, but I loved the setting, moody images and overall dark academia vibes.