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The Grimoire of Grave Fates
Crack open your spell book and enter the world of the illustrious Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary. There's been a murder on campus, and it's up to the students of Galileo to solve it. Follow 18 authors and 18 students as they puzzle out the clues and find the guilty party.
Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.
A prestigious school for young magicians, the Galileo Academy has recently undergone a comprehensive overhaul, reinventing itself as a roaming academy in which students of all cultures and identities are celebrated. In this new Galileo, every pupil is welcome—but there are some who aren't so happy with the recent changes. That includes everyone's least favorite professor, Septimius Dropwort, a stodgy old man known for his harsh rules and harsher punishments. But when the professor's body is discovered on school grounds with a mysterious note clenched in his lifeless hand, the Academy's students must solve the murder themselves, because everyone's a suspect.
Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows Galileo's best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort's mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo's halls. But they're about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn't always play by the rules. . . .
Contributors include: Cam Montgomery, Darcie Little Badger, Hafsah Faizal, Jessica Lewis, Julian Winters, Karuna Riazi, Kat Cho, Kayla Whaley, Kwame Mbalia, L. L. McKinney, Marieke Nijkamp, Mason Deaver, Natasha Díaz, Preeti Chhibber, Randy Ribay, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Victoria Lee, and Yamile Saied Méndez
Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.
A prestigious school for young magicians, the Galileo Academy has recently undergone a comprehensive overhaul, reinventing itself as a roaming academy in which students of all cultures and identities are celebrated. In this new Galileo, every pupil is welcome—but there are some who aren't so happy with the recent changes. That includes everyone's least favorite professor, Septimius Dropwort, a stodgy old man known for his harsh rules and harsher punishments. But when the professor's body is discovered on school grounds with a mysterious note clenched in his lifeless hand, the Academy's students must solve the murder themselves, because everyone's a suspect.
Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows Galileo's best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort's mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo's halls. But they're about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn't always play by the rules. . . .
Contributors include: Cam Montgomery, Darcie Little Badger, Hafsah Faizal, Jessica Lewis, Julian Winters, Karuna Riazi, Kat Cho, Kayla Whaley, Kwame Mbalia, L. L. McKinney, Marieke Nijkamp, Mason Deaver, Natasha Díaz, Preeti Chhibber, Randy Ribay, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Victoria Lee, and Yamile Saied Méndez
459 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2023
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June 25, 2023
The Galileo Academy is a prestigious magical academy that relocates itself and its students to various countries throughout the world. Because of this, the school is renowned for its diversity in its faculty and students. But one professor, Septimius Dropwort, is a harsh teacher with harsh rules and punishments, especially to those he considers “other.” When he’s suddenly discovered dead one evening, there are too many suspects to make any arrests. Can the students at the academy discover who among them may be the murderer?
This story is told from the POV of many different characters, all of whom are students at the school. Each chapter is from the POV of a different character, and each one is written by a new author. I was a little nervous about this approach at first despite liking the concept but let me tell you – these authors know how to write! It added so much diversity to the characters, their backgrounds, their ways of thinking, etc. that really emphasized the diversity of this fictional academy.
A drawback of this approach was that there are just so many characters (more than 15). So when a character from a previous chapter is referenced in a new chapter, I could recognize the name, but couldn’t remember who that person was. I needed a cheat-sheet at the beginning to refer to. Similarly, there were a few aspects that got repetitive because they were mentioned in every chapter since it was information relevant to every single character (e.g., they all disliked the same person, so every chapter we had to reread all the reasons this person was a monster).
And actually, my biggest dislike of the book was related to this person – they chose for the antagonist to be a white man who hated everyone and everything that wasn’t also a white male. With how interesting and magical this world was, I wanted more from the antagonist than something this mundane. Also, there was zero nuance included with the antagonist, which is never good and left him feeling like a bit of a caricature.
There were many creative worldbuilding aspects incorporated throughout the book. From magical creatures to the concept and physicality of the school itself, the authors excellently brought the setting to life. I would honestly love to read more books set at this school and in this world (fingers crossed!).
While this book of mystery was light on plot, it was quite enjoyable due to the characters and the fascinating setting. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This story is told from the POV of many different characters, all of whom are students at the school. Each chapter is from the POV of a different character, and each one is written by a new author. I was a little nervous about this approach at first despite liking the concept but let me tell you – these authors know how to write! It added so much diversity to the characters, their backgrounds, their ways of thinking, etc. that really emphasized the diversity of this fictional academy.
A drawback of this approach was that there are just so many characters (more than 15). So when a character from a previous chapter is referenced in a new chapter, I could recognize the name, but couldn’t remember who that person was. I needed a cheat-sheet at the beginning to refer to. Similarly, there were a few aspects that got repetitive because they were mentioned in every chapter since it was information relevant to every single character (e.g., they all disliked the same person, so every chapter we had to reread all the reasons this person was a monster).
And actually, my biggest dislike of the book was related to this person – they chose for the antagonist to be a white man who hated everyone and everything that wasn’t also a white male. With how interesting and magical this world was, I wanted more from the antagonist than something this mundane. Also, there was zero nuance included with the antagonist, which is never good and left him feeling like a bit of a caricature.
There were many creative worldbuilding aspects incorporated throughout the book. From magical creatures to the concept and physicality of the school itself, the authors excellently brought the setting to life. I would honestly love to read more books set at this school and in this world (fingers crossed!).
While this book of mystery was light on plot, it was quite enjoyable due to the characters and the fascinating setting. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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November 13, 2023Thank you to the publisher and GetUnderlined for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely adored the concept of this book. I think there is an untapped well of potential for collaborative literature that makes me want to become an editor myself just to make it happen, and this book felt like a glimpse into that world.
But unfortunately, I think the execution fell a bit flat for me. The writing of each individual author and of the story itself wasn't bad at all, and I found some new (to me) authors I want to read more of, particularly Hafsah Faizal and Darcie Little Badger. But this format just held the story back. It was almost Sisyphean in the way we hit a narrative refresh at every hour of the story. With each new chapter, the boulder rolled back down the hill, as each author had to start from scratch with character introduction and explaining a corner of this world and a magic system. It was exhausting.
I think this could've worked MUCH better if there were maybe... a third of the amount of authors, each writing a few chapters from their characters' POVs. With 18 perspectives being introduced until the very tail end of the story, I was spending more of my mental energy trying to keep track of the characters and the world-building than figuring out the actual mystery at hand. Every 20 pages or so, we were given a new POV that had to establish a new character, a unique magic system, a backstory, their relationship to the dead professor, relationships with other students, and tell a concise story with a beginning, middle, and end. It was just too convoluted and kept my head swimming and overwhelmed with unnecessary information.
Besides melting my brain a bit, this continued introductory format also hurt the storytelling itself. With the way information was handed to us, it wasn’t woven together enough for a mystery, which caused the first half of the story to feel entirely obsolete, with many of the early plot threads either turning out to be red herrings or remaining entirely unresolved. I honestly had more questions than answers at the end.
Finally, this structure hurt the climax, making it still feel out of nowhere, despite the attempt at building a through-line, just because we were being still introduced to entirely new characters and plots in literally the last pages. And with that, it lacked an ability to give the audience a final button to weave together the thematic conversations of the story. What are we supposed to take away from this world? I’m still not quite sure.
If we had less authors and a few chapters from each character, I think the pay-off would have been much more satisfying, and the world-building would've shone much more. This school and its characters were really drew me in, but it was just sand slipping through my fingers with this many POVs and storylines. It was just too much to keep track of and so much fell through the cracks.
CW: (I'm just listing them all together because the stories are so intertwined) murder, death, dead body, injury detail, fire, violence (brief), panic attacks, mental illness, hallucinations, blood, poison, kidnapping, grief, mentions of: loss of loved one, ableism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, bullying, colonization, war, generational trauma, spiders
I absolutely adored the concept of this book. I think there is an untapped well of potential for collaborative literature that makes me want to become an editor myself just to make it happen, and this book felt like a glimpse into that world.
But unfortunately, I think the execution fell a bit flat for me. The writing of each individual author and of the story itself wasn't bad at all, and I found some new (to me) authors I want to read more of, particularly Hafsah Faizal and Darcie Little Badger. But this format just held the story back. It was almost Sisyphean in the way we hit a narrative refresh at every hour of the story. With each new chapter, the boulder rolled back down the hill, as each author had to start from scratch with character introduction and explaining a corner of this world and a magic system. It was exhausting.
I think this could've worked MUCH better if there were maybe... a third of the amount of authors, each writing a few chapters from their characters' POVs. With 18 perspectives being introduced until the very tail end of the story, I was spending more of my mental energy trying to keep track of the characters and the world-building than figuring out the actual mystery at hand. Every 20 pages or so, we were given a new POV that had to establish a new character, a unique magic system, a backstory, their relationship to the dead professor, relationships with other students, and tell a concise story with a beginning, middle, and end. It was just too convoluted and kept my head swimming and overwhelmed with unnecessary information.
Besides melting my brain a bit, this continued introductory format also hurt the storytelling itself. With the way information was handed to us, it wasn’t woven together enough for a mystery, which caused the first half of the story to feel entirely obsolete, with many of the early plot threads either turning out to be red herrings or remaining entirely unresolved. I honestly had more questions than answers at the end.
Finally, this structure hurt the climax, making it still feel out of nowhere, despite the attempt at building a through-line, just because we were being still introduced to entirely new characters and plots in literally the last pages. And with that, it lacked an ability to give the audience a final button to weave together the thematic conversations of the story. What are we supposed to take away from this world? I’m still not quite sure.
If we had less authors and a few chapters from each character, I think the pay-off would have been much more satisfying, and the world-building would've shone much more. This school and its characters were really drew me in, but it was just sand slipping through my fingers with this many POVs and storylines. It was just too much to keep track of and so much fell through the cracks.
CW: (I'm just listing them all together because the stories are so intertwined) murder, death, dead body, injury detail, fire, violence (brief), panic attacks, mental illness, hallucinations, blood, poison, kidnapping, grief, mentions of: loss of loved one, ableism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, bullying, colonization, war, generational trauma, spiders
Want to read
March 14, 2024This sounds like another amazing project being published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
The premise sounds hella unique and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Look at the authors!!!
The premise sounds hella unique and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Look at the authors!!!
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
June 10, 2023A connected sort-of anthology from 18 authors about 18 students all solving the same murder was always going to be hit or miss, and I knew from the rating that this book wasn't likely to be a hit. But gosh, this book was boring.
It suffered badly from not feeling like interconnected stories, a victim that I didn't care about, and way too many cooks in the kitchen. Did this book really need to be pushing 500 pages? The story moved at a snails pace and by page 100 the students were only just starting to find out that their teacher had been murdered.
Some characters appear in other stories in brief mentions only, which didn't help with the stories not feeling connected. But what made it worse was that despite all the students being at the same school, the magic system for each student was left to the author.
I heavily felt that when the authors were given notes on their stories, coming up with a magic system was mentioned which meant in nearly every story we had to sit and wait for them to explain it, rather than getting on with the actual plot. So every chapter was a new introduction to the character, a new introduction to their magic system... it's no wonder the story moved at a snails pace.
It suffered badly from not feeling like interconnected stories, a victim that I didn't care about, and way too many cooks in the kitchen. Did this book really need to be pushing 500 pages? The story moved at a snails pace and by page 100 the students were only just starting to find out that their teacher had been murdered.
Some characters appear in other stories in brief mentions only, which didn't help with the stories not feeling connected. But what made it worse was that despite all the students being at the same school, the magic system for each student was left to the author.
I heavily felt that when the authors were given notes on their stories, coming up with a magic system was mentioned which meant in nearly every story we had to sit and wait for them to explain it, rather than getting on with the actual plot. So every chapter was a new introduction to the character, a new introduction to their magic system... it's no wonder the story moved at a snails pace.
April 15, 2024
Goodness gracious it’s finally over.
I have a lot of thoughts on this book, very few of them are positive.
Let’s start with the pros shall we?
- some of the characters were very funny and I enjoyed reading about. The skeleton nurse who says puns, Diego to be specific. (Other characters were funny but these two sick out the most in my mind)
- this is a very fun and new concept for a book but I think they tried to shove too many things together (more on that in the cons) I liked the idea of a traveling magic school and the different characters all had very different personalities and nice things about them
That’s pretty much it for the pros. Pretty sad list ngl
Now time for the ✨cons✨ of which there are ✨so many✨
- there were so many aspects of this book competing for attention, a murder, a travelling boarding school, a thousand different magic types, a thousand different backstories to learn of, the rules of the school ect.
- diversity is important in books, I acknowledge that. I think that books should have more representation in them. However, the diversity presented in this book felt like it was there just so that the white guy could shit on all of them and when he died they can go “yeah he was a bigoted pos I’m glad he’s dead” as well as every single character was part of at least one minority *accept for dropwart, the only straight white cis male and the worst person to exist* it felt like the authors were going “look at all the bad stuff he did he sucks, he’s the worst you hate him right please tell me you hate him it’s really important that you hate him” while we learn nothing of him other than being bigoted. It would have been nice to learn more about his backstory (which could have been dropwart being more of a bad person) so that I could hate him on a deeper level than just hearing from the kids why I shouldn’t like him. Diversity is important so people feel included yes but it feels super forced when every person has to have at least one thing about them that is different/ part of a minority of sorts. I think having good representation requires a natural flow to the characters and their place in the storyline not just being put there to say that it’s such a diverse book.
- every new chapter we would have to learn a new backstory of a new character that we only meet for 45 ish pages and then pretty much doesn’t exist anymore. Sometimes these backstories were very boring or poorly integrated into the writing and just felt like a chore to read.
“The multicolored glass of the chandeliers sent sparks all over the hallway. Blue like the sky in los teros, her home. Glinting golden like the parana river Delphina loved and hoped to see soon.” What was that?? She’s talking about a chandelier and suddenly she’s going on about the blue color of the lights and how it’s the same color as the sky of her home cuz yk it’s not like the sky is blue everywhere or the sky ever changes hues, because that would just be ridiculous.
- the romances could only ever be underdeveloped and shallow. You get 45 pages to learn about this character and their goals and aspirations as well as their relationship status. Nothing ever happened with said relationship statuses. You learn that someone has a crush on someone else but they are too busy solving a murder to confess and you are too busy learning everything else about them to care about their crush in the first place. You learn that someone is in a relationship but you never care about the people in the relationship because you never knew them beforehand and so there is no tension, there is no spark and everyone is too busy solving this murder or learning about this new character to take the time to develop these relationships.
- almost everyone had some higher reason to solve the murder that didn’t even work out. They wanted to be known as hero’s, clear their reputation, they were the chosen one, this was their purpose in life, make their family proud, get a very expensive artifact, get famous, get rich etc. No one got any of these benefits as far as we know because the book ends with the murderer getting arrested and we know nothing of their trial, witnesses etc etc.
- in a couple of chapters there were soooo many modern references it was sickening (looking at you keturah). Everything from ikea to Beyoncé to a “DM on her IG” I could list all of them but we would be here for ages. At one point someone thinks “as Nike would say: just do it”. 1. It’s cringey 2. It will make the book age like milk left out during a heat wave 3. It feels like the authors are going “yes I am a fellow kid, hello, look at me using your slang extremely poorly and misplaced, don’t you love it?”
- we get all this evidence and attempts to solve this mystery of who kills dropwart and a whole bunch of characters that are thrown in for fun like that one girl from a different dimension and the way this murder is solved is by a detective that just reveals themself as a detective at the end? Like yeah btw I’m a detective let’s solve the murder and solves it in one chapter but then it doesn’t even work because suddenly werewolves exist and one got kidnapped and did the whole recording without them knowing and exposed the murderer *gasp* what a cliche. But it did give us the only good modern reference given to us by nurse fibula herself.
Birdie: I was just…
VP: what? Rehearsing for a play?
Our queen nurse fibula: only if it’s bye bye bir-
VP: don’t!!! It’s trademarked.
In conclusion this book was in shambles. It had a lot of potential but I found that the cons outweighed the pros with the sheer amount of times I cringed. (There was a girl who’s only personality traits were being a wheelchair user and wanting to fix climate change. An actual quote from her: “ thee steps to solving a murder: step 1- break into murder victims home. Step 2- ??? Step 3- solve climate change”
This book was bad. Not shatter me levels of bad where every character has like no personality and the plot just doesn’t exist but it’s up there. The only reason I actually finished this book was 1. I wanted to know who did it 2. Because I wanted to say I finished it and 3. The good old it’s so laughably bad that I wanna see what grave it digs itself”
Don’t read this book unless you want to read something that mentions Elon musk and frozen (the movie) as well as has some “not like other girls” personality archetypes. If you wanna read it and show your friends the sheer horror of reading the words “gworl! You heard about dropwart dropping dead????” Be my guest. I hope you revel in your misery just as I did.
1.5/5 stars at least it had plot and the possibility of being good.
I have a lot of thoughts on this book, very few of them are positive.
Let’s start with the pros shall we?
- some of the characters were very funny and I enjoyed reading about. The skeleton nurse who says puns, Diego to be specific. (Other characters were funny but these two sick out the most in my mind)
- this is a very fun and new concept for a book but I think they tried to shove too many things together (more on that in the cons) I liked the idea of a traveling magic school and the different characters all had very different personalities and nice things about them
That’s pretty much it for the pros. Pretty sad list ngl
Now time for the ✨cons✨ of which there are ✨so many✨
- there were so many aspects of this book competing for attention, a murder, a travelling boarding school, a thousand different magic types, a thousand different backstories to learn of, the rules of the school ect.
- diversity is important in books, I acknowledge that. I think that books should have more representation in them. However, the diversity presented in this book felt like it was there just so that the white guy could shit on all of them and when he died they can go “yeah he was a bigoted pos I’m glad he’s dead” as well as every single character was part of at least one minority *accept for dropwart, the only straight white cis male and the worst person to exist* it felt like the authors were going “look at all the bad stuff he did he sucks, he’s the worst you hate him right please tell me you hate him it’s really important that you hate him” while we learn nothing of him other than being bigoted. It would have been nice to learn more about his backstory (which could have been dropwart being more of a bad person) so that I could hate him on a deeper level than just hearing from the kids why I shouldn’t like him. Diversity is important so people feel included yes but it feels super forced when every person has to have at least one thing about them that is different/ part of a minority of sorts. I think having good representation requires a natural flow to the characters and their place in the storyline not just being put there to say that it’s such a diverse book.
- every new chapter we would have to learn a new backstory of a new character that we only meet for 45 ish pages and then pretty much doesn’t exist anymore. Sometimes these backstories were very boring or poorly integrated into the writing and just felt like a chore to read.
“The multicolored glass of the chandeliers sent sparks all over the hallway. Blue like the sky in los teros, her home. Glinting golden like the parana river Delphina loved and hoped to see soon.” What was that?? She’s talking about a chandelier and suddenly she’s going on about the blue color of the lights and how it’s the same color as the sky of her home cuz yk it’s not like the sky is blue everywhere or the sky ever changes hues, because that would just be ridiculous.
- the romances could only ever be underdeveloped and shallow. You get 45 pages to learn about this character and their goals and aspirations as well as their relationship status. Nothing ever happened with said relationship statuses. You learn that someone has a crush on someone else but they are too busy solving a murder to confess and you are too busy learning everything else about them to care about their crush in the first place. You learn that someone is in a relationship but you never care about the people in the relationship because you never knew them beforehand and so there is no tension, there is no spark and everyone is too busy solving this murder or learning about this new character to take the time to develop these relationships.
- almost everyone had some higher reason to solve the murder that didn’t even work out. They wanted to be known as hero’s, clear their reputation, they were the chosen one, this was their purpose in life, make their family proud, get a very expensive artifact, get famous, get rich etc. No one got any of these benefits as far as we know because the book ends with the murderer getting arrested and we know nothing of their trial, witnesses etc etc.
- in a couple of chapters there were soooo many modern references it was sickening (looking at you keturah). Everything from ikea to Beyoncé to a “DM on her IG” I could list all of them but we would be here for ages. At one point someone thinks “as Nike would say: just do it”. 1. It’s cringey 2. It will make the book age like milk left out during a heat wave 3. It feels like the authors are going “yes I am a fellow kid, hello, look at me using your slang extremely poorly and misplaced, don’t you love it?”
- we get all this evidence and attempts to solve this mystery of who kills dropwart and a whole bunch of characters that are thrown in for fun like that one girl from a different dimension and the way this murder is solved is by a detective that just reveals themself as a detective at the end? Like yeah btw I’m a detective let’s solve the murder and solves it in one chapter but then it doesn’t even work because suddenly werewolves exist and one got kidnapped and did the whole recording without them knowing and exposed the murderer *gasp* what a cliche. But it did give us the only good modern reference given to us by nurse fibula herself.
Birdie: I was just…
VP: what? Rehearsing for a play?
Our queen nurse fibula: only if it’s bye bye bir-
VP: don’t!!! It’s trademarked.
In conclusion this book was in shambles. It had a lot of potential but I found that the cons outweighed the pros with the sheer amount of times I cringed. (There was a girl who’s only personality traits were being a wheelchair user and wanting to fix climate change. An actual quote from her: “ thee steps to solving a murder: step 1- break into murder victims home. Step 2- ??? Step 3- solve climate change”
This book was bad. Not shatter me levels of bad where every character has like no personality and the plot just doesn’t exist but it’s up there. The only reason I actually finished this book was 1. I wanted to know who did it 2. Because I wanted to say I finished it and 3. The good old it’s so laughably bad that I wanna see what grave it digs itself”
Don’t read this book unless you want to read something that mentions Elon musk and frozen (the movie) as well as has some “not like other girls” personality archetypes. If you wanna read it and show your friends the sheer horror of reading the words “gworl! You heard about dropwart dropping dead????” Be my guest. I hope you revel in your misery just as I did.
1.5/5 stars at least it had plot and the possibility of being good.
July 24, 2023
Actual rating: 3.5
I was really enjoying this up until about three quarters in. The characters were so diverse and their magical abilities were so interesting that it kept me intrigued. Unfortunately the closer I neared the end the more it became apparent that the payoff for the actual plot and the murder mystery was not going to be all that satisfying. And it did leave me a bit underwhelmed. What this book ended up becoming is a collaborative novel wherein each contributor wanted to do their own world-building at the expense of a cohesive feel to the story and a straightforward plot.
I was really enjoying this up until about three quarters in. The characters were so diverse and their magical abilities were so interesting that it kept me intrigued. Unfortunately the closer I neared the end the more it became apparent that the payoff for the actual plot and the murder mystery was not going to be all that satisfying. And it did leave me a bit underwhelmed. What this book ended up becoming is a collaborative novel wherein each contributor wanted to do their own world-building at the expense of a cohesive feel to the story and a straightforward plot.
Want to read
April 22, 2021The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows the untimely murder of a professor at an esteemed wizarding school and the efforts of various students to track down his killer, with each chapter portraying a different character’s perspective. The novel was created by Hanna Alkaf (The Weight of Our Sky) and Margaret Owen (The Merciful Crow), with the following authors contributing individual chapters: Cam Montgomery, Darcie Little Badger, Hafsah Faizal, Jessica Lewis, Julian Winters, Karuna Riazi, Kat Cho, Kayla Whaley, Kwame Mbalia, L. L. McKinney, Marieke Nijkamp, Mason Deaver, Natasha Díaz, Preeti Chhibber, Randy Ribay, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Victoria Lee, and Yamile Saied Méndez.✨ Read the publication announcement here!
I didn't know I needed it until this moment, but I NEED IT AND I NEED IT NOW. Fall 2022 won't come soon enough.
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Shelved as 'on-hold'
April 12, 2024murder mystery set at a magic school
MURDER MYSTERY SET AT A MAGICAL SCHOOL !!
look at those authors !
MURDER MYSTERY SET AT A MAGICAL SCHOOL !!
look at those authors !
November 21, 2022
This is the coolest book, well, anthology, ever!!!
What a fantastic idea! Editors Owen and Alkaf worked with 18 well known authors to create a story from multiple writers, characters and perspectives! Each chapters flows into the next seamlessly leading the reader to the murderer!
In Grimoire, we are introduced to the Galileo Academy - a campus of magic that has recently changed its focus to reflect our changing times. One professor, Septimus Dropwork, did not welcome these changes and he continues to disrespect the new diverse groups of student identities and cultures attending school. When he turns up murdered, there are plenty of suspects
Follow all of your favorite authors and root for your new favorite magicians as we hurtle to the end of the book. If you like unique stories, magic and fantasy or just want a murder mystery on a campus, The Grimoire of Grave Fates is magically for you! #RandomHouse
What a fantastic idea! Editors Owen and Alkaf worked with 18 well known authors to create a story from multiple writers, characters and perspectives! Each chapters flows into the next seamlessly leading the reader to the murderer!
In Grimoire, we are introduced to the Galileo Academy - a campus of magic that has recently changed its focus to reflect our changing times. One professor, Septimus Dropwork, did not welcome these changes and he continues to disrespect the new diverse groups of student identities and cultures attending school. When he turns up murdered, there are plenty of suspects
Follow all of your favorite authors and root for your new favorite magicians as we hurtle to the end of the book. If you like unique stories, magic and fantasy or just want a murder mystery on a campus, The Grimoire of Grave Fates is magically for you! #RandomHouse
Shelved as 'dnf-2023'
March 29, 2023i changed my mind LOL 2023 is the year i actually dnf books so 🫡🫡🫡
June 11, 2023
I received an ARC from Netgalley
TW: slight gore, racism & references to colonization, casual ableism, hallucinations/delusions, casual transphobia
4
Intertwining short story collections are always a lot of fun, and it's exciting to see more of them coming out! I think that this concept in particular is really unique, and will be able to grab quite a few readers who otherwise don't tend to read short stories.
The way almost every short story allowed for cross overs and hints at the other characters, and the way they build off of each other to pass along clues and information like a relay race was well done and definitely keeps you invested!
I thought the transitions between the stories were really unique too and gave the whole thing more depth. It was cool to get info outside of these specific POVs, and in different formats than the stories themselves. It definitely helped make the school feel more expansive and demonstrated well how the murder was actually effecting everyone there, even characters we don't hear from personally.
There are also a lot of cool ideas in this! Some of the characters were really amazing, and I would've loved to have stuck with longer, but all had me convinced they could've been legitimate main characters in their own full-length stories.
The myriad of magical cultures and abilities were great, and I was really impressed by these totally new feelings ideas, like magic channeled through incense, embroidery focused magic, and the new takes on necromancy.
As in all anthologies, some stories are weaker than others, and that also meant that while my attention waned from that itself, there were also some moments that seemed at odds in the flow of the over arching story or just totally unnecessary.
Also, though it's a feat to really herd all these many stories, characters, and styles into one solid direction and I commend it being done, I was hoping the mystery itself would have the room to be given some more payoff. The reveal didn't really feel built up to, it was much more back and forth, being led around the room, and while I do think there could've been a good ending that would have made that journey feel wrapped up, I don't think it was the one we're actually left with.
TW: slight gore, racism & references to colonization, casual ableism, hallucinations/delusions, casual transphobia
4
Intertwining short story collections are always a lot of fun, and it's exciting to see more of them coming out! I think that this concept in particular is really unique, and will be able to grab quite a few readers who otherwise don't tend to read short stories.
The way almost every short story allowed for cross overs and hints at the other characters, and the way they build off of each other to pass along clues and information like a relay race was well done and definitely keeps you invested!
I thought the transitions between the stories were really unique too and gave the whole thing more depth. It was cool to get info outside of these specific POVs, and in different formats than the stories themselves. It definitely helped make the school feel more expansive and demonstrated well how the murder was actually effecting everyone there, even characters we don't hear from personally.
There are also a lot of cool ideas in this! Some of the characters were really amazing, and I would've loved to have stuck with longer, but all had me convinced they could've been legitimate main characters in their own full-length stories.
The myriad of magical cultures and abilities were great, and I was really impressed by these totally new feelings ideas, like magic channeled through incense, embroidery focused magic, and the new takes on necromancy.
As in all anthologies, some stories are weaker than others, and that also meant that while my attention waned from that itself, there were also some moments that seemed at odds in the flow of the over arching story or just totally unnecessary.
Also, though it's a feat to really herd all these many stories, characters, and styles into one solid direction and I commend it being done, I was hoping the mystery itself would have the room to be given some more payoff. The reveal didn't really feel built up to, it was much more back and forth, being led around the room, and while I do think there could've been a good ending that would have made that journey feel wrapped up, I don't think it was the one we're actually left with.
April 28, 2023
2 Stars, unfortunately rounded up
Potentially my most disappointing read of 2023 (though not the worst so far). This book had so much potential. This book has so much potential. The layers of magic, the bright diversity, the flashy characters (and under-the-radar, existing-in-the-shadows) characters are all exceptional. This is a magic school full of nooks and crannies that are just begging to be explored. I wish that this group project was more of a springboard than an end result. I would love to read books set at this school, written by these different authors and focusing on their different characters. I wanted to really dig into the people, the relationships, the magics... But this project, for what it is, isn't very good. Because it doesn't come together. There are too many people, too many moving parts, and the big picture gets lost in all of that. Great bones, but no meat here. And that makes me so, so sad because I have been looking forward to this project forever.
My full review will be available June 9, 2023 at Gateway Reviews.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
Potentially my most disappointing read of 2023 (though not the worst so far). This book had so much potential. This book has so much potential. The layers of magic, the bright diversity, the flashy characters (and under-the-radar, existing-in-the-shadows) characters are all exceptional. This is a magic school full of nooks and crannies that are just begging to be explored. I wish that this group project was more of a springboard than an end result. I would love to read books set at this school, written by these different authors and focusing on their different characters. I wanted to really dig into the people, the relationships, the magics... But this project, for what it is, isn't very good. Because it doesn't come together. There are too many people, too many moving parts, and the big picture gets lost in all of that. Great bones, but no meat here. And that makes me so, so sad because I have been looking forward to this project forever.
My full review will be available June 9, 2023 at Gateway Reviews.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
July 3, 2023
The story sounded good as an idea and I was quite excited to read it as I love murder mysteries. But as the chapters went on, it was obvious that the execution of the idea fell flat.
There are too many characters in the story so we never get attached to any of them. Each character has just 1 chapter but rarely interact with other students. Also rather than focus on clues, it seems the books focused on talking about the gender/sexual orientation of each student as well as how all white men are evil.
One of the biggest problems I had is that I don't understand how an evil person such as Dropwort could still be a teacher in the school. If all the teachers/students were to work together, they could have ousted him. In our modern world now he would have been cancelled and casted out as soon as the first slur was uttered.
The identity of the killer was quite obvious too. It couldn't possibly be a student because it would paint a marginalized person as evil. It would have been better to have a mixture of students then it would have been harder to spot.
There are too many characters in the story so we never get attached to any of them. Each character has just 1 chapter but rarely interact with other students. Also rather than focus on clues, it seems the books focused on talking about the gender/sexual orientation of each student as well as how all white men are evil.
One of the biggest problems I had is that I don't understand how an evil person such as Dropwort could still be a teacher in the school. If all the teachers/students were to work together, they could have ousted him. In our modern world now he would have been cancelled and casted out as soon as the first slur was uttered.
The identity of the killer was quite obvious too. It couldn't possibly be a student because it would paint a marginalized person as evil. It would have been better to have a mixture of students then it would have been harder to spot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2023
The project of this anthology is a compelling one, and I found it interesting to read stories that are all connected through a murder mystery. It does read a bit on the younger end of the YA spectrum, which contributes to its overall readability and the speed with which I finished it; overall, kept me interested till the end.
August 30, 2024
This was like reading seventeen first chapters in a row. The idea behind this is cool in theory, but most of the authors weren't talented enough to pull off the challenge, and again, a central flaw here is that each chapter is narrated by a new "main character" and is written by a different YA author. One of the pleasures of a continuing narrative is watching the MC grow and change. That is literally impossible here. And unfortunately, the thing that could have made up for that wasn't nearly as interesting as it could have been. The "mystery" was pretty dull.
All in all, this was a bust for me. I see why it's rated so low.
All in all, this was a bust for me. I see why it's rated so low.
July 12, 2023
this was fun. i love magic schools and the people were very interesting and the problems lovely. it was a whole lot of short stories, and all of them delightful and it tried to be one story also, not sure if it really worked and helped the short stories. still a magic school and lots of interesting characters and so for me it was lovely. wished i could read more of these people and world.
June 16, 2023
ARC was given by NetGalley & Delcorte Press.
Release date: June 6, 2023
When I heard there was going to be a fantasy, murder mystery anthology released this year, I really wanted to get my hands on an early copy. Needless to say, my wish was granted! Truly, 2023 is the year that's blessing me with all the spooky reads and I'm thriving. This anthology is pretty unique to some of the other anthologies I've read. There's a lot of mixed media thrown all throughout this book to help piece together some of the evidence, but the real highlight of this anthology is the diverse cast of characters and authors. There are so many BIPOC characters, there's disability rep, queer rep, lots of discussions surrounding mental health, and so much more! However, though there is many things to love about this anthology, I want to emphasize that this is an anthology more geared towards the younger side of the ya genre than it is for those who are older. Still, this is a high three stars for this book and I even found some new authors I'm eager to read more from!
🦇 2: A.M.: Wren Willemson, 16, Swords by Marieke Nijkamp ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Bullying, mentions discrimination against lgbtqiap+, mentions abusive parent, death, graphic injuries
Necromancy, gargoyles, and a non-binary main character, what more could you possibly want? I really enjoyed this story and the determination Wren had to prove that they truly belonged at Galileo Academy. The way their magic is described and how they don't see Necromancy as being a bad kind of magic, they find comfort in it, was such a beautiful way of looking at Necromancy. Plus, their little companion was so precious!
🦇 3:00 A.M.: Diego Sakay, 17, Coins by Randy Ribay ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of murder, talk of feces, talk of colonization, brief mentions of war, mentions racism & discrimination
Ah, I was hoping to love this one a bit more, but that's okay! It's still an interesting way to tell a perspective, told in a recorded interview format. There are few discussions of racism in a school setting and we see a few scenes of a person, who's in a position of power, use that authority to be aggressive and try make things go their way. I think the only reason I didn't like this as much as I thought I would was because of the one character who is called a "glorified cop." Their whole character just wasn't the kind of tone I was looking for this this story, but I do recognize the importance of their role.
🦇 4:00 A.M.: Jameson "JB" Brig, 15, Coins by Kwame Mbalia ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Fire, mentions bigotry (in the past)
Wow, okay, I really loved this and the idea of smoke-witches! Plus, I may be assuming, but our main character, JB is either Bi or Pan, which is always lovely time to see that rep in stories. So I might be a little bias with this one. I also loved how there's a conversation of self-doubting oneself and whether or not you belong somewhere, but finding the flames in your passion to prove others wrong. The way this story concluded, it was everything, it really warmed my heart. Between JB's determination and the way it's the little things that can make all the difference in our times of doubt, it was really lovely story. Plus, secret notes, that's all I'll say.
🦇 5:00 A.M.: Taya Winter, 16, Swords & Wands by Darcie Little Badger ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of death & murder, violence
I might be a little bias with this short story because it IS Darcie Little Badger, after all. In all seriousness, I was really invested in where this story was going to go. We often see tales of following a chosen one, but this story follows Taya, as she sets on a quest to identify an important artifact and warn the chosen one, and of course everyone at Galileo Academy. There's some mixed media in this story, but also themes of a deep love for where one comes from, and the desire of following one's destiny. I also found myself chuckling to some of the moments I found humorous. It was a really fun time, one I wish we could have stayed longer in!
🦇 6:00 A.M.: Keturah Austin, 18, Wands & Swords by Cam Montgomery ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Brief mentions of generational trauma, talk of racism, talk of death
This might be the second or third story I've ever read that has a main character with vitiligo, but also, she loves true crime-podcasts! That aside, I just didn't love this story the way I thought I would. The first page or so definitely caught my attention, but the overall tone of this whole story felt like it was trying too hard to fit in with the young crowd with all the slang being thrown around. It really hindered my enjoyment and focus of the story.
🦇 7:00 A.M. Bhavna Joshi, 15, Swords by Preeti Chhibber ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of bullying, talk of loneliness
Okay, this was super wholesome in a plethora of ways. Wow, I love Bhavna so much! Not only does Bhavna read and isn't a morning person, but their magic revolves around dancing. I really want to see some fanart of that because it would be stunning! I also love how there's a side theme about how you can be in a place you want to be and feel like the biggest outcast, feeling like you don't belong somewhere. I really loved that and I loved how Nurse Smith and Bhavna had such a wholesome moment. It make my heart feel so full. I also have to note, I died cackling because Bhavna used a floating spell to escape her crush. It was amazing and I need more scenes that are like this.
🦇 8: A.M.: Jia Park 15, Undecided by Kat Cho ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of racism, mentions loss of a loved one (heart attack, in the past), talk of murder, talk of loneliness
I have really been loving Kat Cho's writing! There's just something about it that gets me excited and I know I'm going to love it. And I really enjoyed my time reading this story! I loved that we got to meet Jia's cousin, Changmin and see their relationship, while they search for Changmin's Samjogku. It was so precious and wholesome! I also like how there's a minor theme about the pressure of feeling like you have to be perfect all the time and how exhausting it can be, and how sometimes that you can feel like that's the only way you feel worthy of love or not being alone. Plus, as a side note, we meet Professor Ayala, who's a queer, non-binary sorcerer that prefers magical creatures over people. It just stole my whole heart! I wish we had more of this, but I will say it was nice to see this story end with a date!
🦇 9:00 A.M: Irene Seaver, 16, Cups/Coins by Kayla Whaley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of death, dangerous premature birth recounted (in the past), abelism recounted (in the past), talk of chronic pain
I really absolutely loved this story! Our main character, Irene is disabled and she's a freaking firecracker! I loved her so much and how she knows exactly what she wants. There's also a brief conversation about how finding places that have accessibility for those who are disabled is really hard to find, how many people treat those who are disabled poorly, how many disabled people especially youth feel like they have to shrink their needs because of their disabilities. Also, the ending with Irene's mom, chef's kiss!
🦇 10:00 A.M. (Or earlier? Maybe later): Sydney Meeks, 16, It's Complicated by L. L. McKinney ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of panic attacks, scene of abduction
I really had high hopes for this short story especially considering a lot of the stories before this one, but it just didn't work for me, and the overall vibe of this story just didn't seem to fit with the rest. The only reason this story ties in with everything else is specifically the ending. However, I did enjoy the concept of dimensional portaling, that had me excited! So if it weren't for the ending and the dimensional portaling, this story would have been two stars.
🦇 12:00 P.M.: Mariam Abidin, 16, Wands by Hafsah Faizal ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of blood, hallucinations
Out of all the stories, this is a true two star read for me. Honestly, when I saw what character we were following in this story, I thought we would be seeing Mariam racing to find Sydney or something, but what we got was entirely different. This was an okay read, I liked Mariam and Diego talking, and seeing more of Mariam as whole character. I think I was just expecting more from this story.
🦇 1:00 P.M. Xander Wilson, 15, Undecided by Julian Winters ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Verbal abuse recounted, loss of a parent (in the past)
This was such a sweet, wholesome read that holds your attention to the end! I really loved Xander's magic in this story, how his magic revolves around music, mostly lyrics and singing. I think musical magic is one of my favorite magic types to read about. To top this off, Xander is doing everything he can to solve this murder, out of love and to continue spending time with the boy he adores. It was really sweet and this story left me all warm and fuzzy inside!
🦇 2: P.M.: Nadiya Nur, 15, Wands/Arcana by Karuna Riazi ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of anxiety attacks
The premise of this story was very interesting and I was waiting for us to finally have Nadiya's point of view, but sadly, I feel a bit disappointed with this one. Our main character deals with a lot of anxieties and worries that tie in with her magic, which was a unique concept that I really liked. However, I just wanted more from this story. The ending felt predictable and I just didn't really care about Nadiya's perspective. There was one moment where Nadiya talks about her future and the uncertainty of it because of the the murder, and the worries from her parents, that I finally felt a little connected to our mc. Other than that one moment, this just felt like an okay story to help propel the bigger storyline along.
🦇 3:00 P.M.: Delores "Lola" Cortez, 16, Coins by Tehlor Kay Mejia ⭐⭐⭐
I was so excited for this short story and I'm a little salty that I didn't love this more. We've been seeing bits and pieces of Lola in all the previous stories, but she didn't have her own story till now. So I was very excited to learn more! However, I don't know it was from the clues in the previous stories or just the fact it was so obvious how this story was going to unfold, but I ended up predicting the whole "twist" of this story. It was sweet that everything unfolded in the name of love, but the biggest thing of the story was just too obvious and it dampened my reading experience.
🦇 4:00 P.M.: Maxwell Aster, 16, Cups by Mason Deaver ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of abandonment
I absolutely adored this story. Actually, this might be my favorite of the whole book because of how much I loved it. Our main character is trans and as a deep connection with the gargoyles! Oh, my heart, I loved this so much. I also loved that the sign of Gemini plays a little bit of a role in Maxwell's backstory and I really loved the bond/connection Maxwell has with Nora, his head of house and professor was so wholesome. In a way she's like a parental figure for Maxwell and learning more about their friendship and how Nora truly cares for Maxwell's well-being made me feel so soft. Plus, we get more scheming and secret letters, it's just a fun time!
🦇 5:00 P.M.: Jamie Ellison, 17, Swords by Victoria Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Transphobia, mentions of depression, mentions poisoning, deadnaming
There's so much to unpack with this short story. First off, I flew through this story. I was really captivated because we have another necromancer! You know, I love a story that has some necromancy involved. Even though this is a short story, there are some really important discussions of mental health and what trans youth deal with while their transitioning. I really appreciated that these two themes were included in this story because they're so important and I know that there will be readers who feel very connected to Jamie's character. Lastly, I loved Shivanya and how she just accepts Jaime for who they are, and they have this instant friendship. It was so wholesome and humorous at times!
🦇 6:00 P.M.: Delfina Moore, 16, Cups/Swords by Yamile Saied Méndez ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, talk of spiders, grief, mentions of PTSD, brief mentions of poverty, mentions of bullying (in the past)
I think this is the first story in this book to make me gasp so many times. Let me just say, this is a high three stars and the only reason I docked a star was due to the heavy blow at the end. Granted, it doesn't happen until the end of the story, but oh, I felt that in my bones just because this story truly doesn't end on a good note. I feel so sad and heartbroken for Delfina especially because early on you find out she truly doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere. This just ended on a very sad note and I'm hoping by the end of this book we at least get to see Delfina find a place where she belongs.
🦇 7:00 P.M.: Ivy Barta, 16, Coins by Jessica Lewis ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions murder & death (in the past), mentions bullying, death recounted
Ah, the plot thickens, in this story! We find out some juicy secrets that had me wiggling with excitement. We find out who Ivy truly is in this story and we're even reunited with a past character. There's even a few humorous moments about Ivy wanting to marry Delfina that had me chuckling. I was full captivated with this one. However, I will say, the "twist" for this story... I predicted early on. This would have been perfect if I hadn't been right with my suspicions. I still had a fun time reading this though and the ending left me giggling, so that's a plus!
🦇 8:00 P.M.: Lupita Augratricis, 16, Coins by Natasha Díaz ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions loss of a loved one (in the past), kidnapping, forced imprisonment
I was wondering how everything was going to come to a finale and I must admit, this story took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting this to turn out the way it did, I was wondering who exactly this character was and what role they were going to play, but I really enjoyed how this turned out. This is the one story I truly can't say a lot on because this is technically the concluding story, but it was really enjoyable.
The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.
Instagram|Ko-fi|Throne
Release date: June 6, 2023
When I heard there was going to be a fantasy, murder mystery anthology released this year, I really wanted to get my hands on an early copy. Needless to say, my wish was granted! Truly, 2023 is the year that's blessing me with all the spooky reads and I'm thriving. This anthology is pretty unique to some of the other anthologies I've read. There's a lot of mixed media thrown all throughout this book to help piece together some of the evidence, but the real highlight of this anthology is the diverse cast of characters and authors. There are so many BIPOC characters, there's disability rep, queer rep, lots of discussions surrounding mental health, and so much more! However, though there is many things to love about this anthology, I want to emphasize that this is an anthology more geared towards the younger side of the ya genre than it is for those who are older. Still, this is a high three stars for this book and I even found some new authors I'm eager to read more from!
🦇 2: A.M.: Wren Willemson, 16, Swords by Marieke Nijkamp ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Bullying, mentions discrimination against lgbtqiap+, mentions abusive parent, death, graphic injuries
"Necromancy wasn't just strictly forbidden; it was considered horrifying. But Wren didn't understand how anyone could be scared of this. This was beautiful.This was where Wren wanted to belong."
Necromancy, gargoyles, and a non-binary main character, what more could you possibly want? I really enjoyed this story and the determination Wren had to prove that they truly belonged at Galileo Academy. The way their magic is described and how they don't see Necromancy as being a bad kind of magic, they find comfort in it, was such a beautiful way of looking at Necromancy. Plus, their little companion was so precious!
🦇 3:00 A.M.: Diego Sakay, 17, Coins by Randy Ribay ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of murder, talk of feces, talk of colonization, brief mentions of war, mentions racism & discrimination
Ah, I was hoping to love this one a bit more, but that's okay! It's still an interesting way to tell a perspective, told in a recorded interview format. There are few discussions of racism in a school setting and we see a few scenes of a person, who's in a position of power, use that authority to be aggressive and try make things go their way. I think the only reason I didn't like this as much as I thought I would was because of the one character who is called a "glorified cop." Their whole character just wasn't the kind of tone I was looking for this this story, but I do recognize the importance of their role.
🦇 4:00 A.M.: Jameson "JB" Brig, 15, Coins by Kwame Mbalia ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Fire, mentions bigotry (in the past)
"But just before the message completely disappeared, one last comment filtered through, filling JB's chest with pride and purpose, two things he'd never realized he wanted and needed until that moment. "Show them what a Brig can do."
Wow, okay, I really loved this and the idea of smoke-witches! Plus, I may be assuming, but our main character, JB is either Bi or Pan, which is always lovely time to see that rep in stories. So I might be a little bias with this one. I also loved how there's a conversation of self-doubting oneself and whether or not you belong somewhere, but finding the flames in your passion to prove others wrong. The way this story concluded, it was everything, it really warmed my heart. Between JB's determination and the way it's the little things that can make all the difference in our times of doubt, it was really lovely story. Plus, secret notes, that's all I'll say.
🦇 5:00 A.M.: Taya Winter, 16, Swords & Wands by Darcie Little Badger ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of death & murder, violence
"Great news: she'd identified the artifact. Terrible news: she might not survive to warn the others."
I might be a little bias with this short story because it IS Darcie Little Badger, after all. In all seriousness, I was really invested in where this story was going to go. We often see tales of following a chosen one, but this story follows Taya, as she sets on a quest to identify an important artifact and warn the chosen one, and of course everyone at Galileo Academy. There's some mixed media in this story, but also themes of a deep love for where one comes from, and the desire of following one's destiny. I also found myself chuckling to some of the moments I found humorous. It was a really fun time, one I wish we could have stayed longer in!
🦇 6:00 A.M.: Keturah Austin, 18, Wands & Swords by Cam Montgomery ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Brief mentions of generational trauma, talk of racism, talk of death
This might be the second or third story I've ever read that has a main character with vitiligo, but also, she loves true crime-podcasts! That aside, I just didn't love this story the way I thought I would. The first page or so definitely caught my attention, but the overall tone of this whole story felt like it was trying too hard to fit in with the young crowd with all the slang being thrown around. It really hindered my enjoyment and focus of the story.
🦇 7:00 A.M. Bhavna Joshi, 15, Swords by Preeti Chhibber ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of bullying, talk of loneliness
"So... I belong here, because I'm here? Nurse Smith's skeletal grin seemed to get wider. "You belong here because you belong here. Fitting in or fitting out doesn't mean you're not supposed to be somewhere. It just means there's more to come." Bhavna grinned."
Okay, this was super wholesome in a plethora of ways. Wow, I love Bhavna so much! Not only does Bhavna read and isn't a morning person, but their magic revolves around dancing. I really want to see some fanart of that because it would be stunning! I also love how there's a side theme about how you can be in a place you want to be and feel like the biggest outcast, feeling like you don't belong somewhere. I really loved that and I loved how Nurse Smith and Bhavna had such a wholesome moment. It make my heart feel so full. I also have to note, I died cackling because Bhavna used a floating spell to escape her crush. It was amazing and I need more scenes that are like this.
🦇 8: A.M.: Jia Park 15, Undecided by Kat Cho ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of racism, mentions loss of a loved one (heart attack, in the past), talk of murder, talk of loneliness
"It's not that Jia disliked Layla. It's just that whenever she was near the girl, her skin felt all itchy and her chest got all tight. It made it hard for her to think, and since Jia's brain was her pride and joy, she rejected anything that muddled it."
I have really been loving Kat Cho's writing! There's just something about it that gets me excited and I know I'm going to love it. And I really enjoyed my time reading this story! I loved that we got to meet Jia's cousin, Changmin and see their relationship, while they search for Changmin's Samjogku. It was so precious and wholesome! I also like how there's a minor theme about the pressure of feeling like you have to be perfect all the time and how exhausting it can be, and how sometimes that you can feel like that's the only way you feel worthy of love or not being alone. Plus, as a side note, we meet Professor Ayala, who's a queer, non-binary sorcerer that prefers magical creatures over people. It just stole my whole heart! I wish we had more of this, but I will say it was nice to see this story end with a date!
🦇 9:00 A.M: Irene Seaver, 16, Cups/Coins by Kayla Whaley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of death, dangerous premature birth recounted (in the past), abelism recounted (in the past), talk of chronic pain
"The ocean had chosen to spare her, had saved her for some reason when it should have swallowed her whole. She had a debt to repay and a mission to accomplish."
I really absolutely loved this story! Our main character, Irene is disabled and she's a freaking firecracker! I loved her so much and how she knows exactly what she wants. There's also a brief conversation about how finding places that have accessibility for those who are disabled is really hard to find, how many people treat those who are disabled poorly, how many disabled people especially youth feel like they have to shrink their needs because of their disabilities. Also, the ending with Irene's mom, chef's kiss!
🦇 10:00 A.M. (Or earlier? Maybe later): Sydney Meeks, 16, It's Complicated by L. L. McKinney ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of panic attacks, scene of abduction
I really had high hopes for this short story especially considering a lot of the stories before this one, but it just didn't work for me, and the overall vibe of this story just didn't seem to fit with the rest. The only reason this story ties in with everything else is specifically the ending. However, I did enjoy the concept of dimensional portaling, that had me excited! So if it weren't for the ending and the dimensional portaling, this story would have been two stars.
🦇 12:00 P.M.: Mariam Abidin, 16, Wands by Hafsah Faizal ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of blood, hallucinations
Out of all the stories, this is a true two star read for me. Honestly, when I saw what character we were following in this story, I thought we would be seeing Mariam racing to find Sydney or something, but what we got was entirely different. This was an okay read, I liked Mariam and Diego talking, and seeing more of Mariam as whole character. I think I was just expecting more from this story.
🦇 1:00 P.M. Xander Wilson, 15, Undecided by Julian Winters ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Verbal abuse recounted, loss of a parent (in the past)
This was such a sweet, wholesome read that holds your attention to the end! I really loved Xander's magic in this story, how his magic revolves around music, mostly lyrics and singing. I think musical magic is one of my favorite magic types to read about. To top this off, Xander is doing everything he can to solve this murder, out of love and to continue spending time with the boy he adores. It was really sweet and this story left me all warm and fuzzy inside!
🦇 2: P.M.: Nadiya Nur, 15, Wands/Arcana by Karuna Riazi ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of anxiety attacks
The premise of this story was very interesting and I was waiting for us to finally have Nadiya's point of view, but sadly, I feel a bit disappointed with this one. Our main character deals with a lot of anxieties and worries that tie in with her magic, which was a unique concept that I really liked. However, I just wanted more from this story. The ending felt predictable and I just didn't really care about Nadiya's perspective. There was one moment where Nadiya talks about her future and the uncertainty of it because of the the murder, and the worries from her parents, that I finally felt a little connected to our mc. Other than that one moment, this just felt like an okay story to help propel the bigger storyline along.
🦇 3:00 P.M.: Delores "Lola" Cortez, 16, Coins by Tehlor Kay Mejia ⭐⭐⭐
"She thought of her life, her life at home. None of it had made sense before Julietta. Loving this girl had been the key that had come along to unlock everything she'd never dared to dream of."
I was so excited for this short story and I'm a little salty that I didn't love this more. We've been seeing bits and pieces of Lola in all the previous stories, but she didn't have her own story till now. So I was very excited to learn more! However, I don't know it was from the clues in the previous stories or just the fact it was so obvious how this story was going to unfold, but I ended up predicting the whole "twist" of this story. It was sweet that everything unfolded in the name of love, but the biggest thing of the story was just too obvious and it dampened my reading experience.
🦇 4:00 P.M.: Maxwell Aster, 16, Cups by Mason Deaver ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of abandonment
I absolutely adored this story. Actually, this might be my favorite of the whole book because of how much I loved it. Our main character is trans and as a deep connection with the gargoyles! Oh, my heart, I loved this so much. I also loved that the sign of Gemini plays a little bit of a role in Maxwell's backstory and I really loved the bond/connection Maxwell has with Nora, his head of house and professor was so wholesome. In a way she's like a parental figure for Maxwell and learning more about their friendship and how Nora truly cares for Maxwell's well-being made me feel so soft. Plus, we get more scheming and secret letters, it's just a fun time!
🦇 5:00 P.M.: Jamie Ellison, 17, Swords by Victoria Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Transphobia, mentions of depression, mentions poisoning, deadnaming
There's so much to unpack with this short story. First off, I flew through this story. I was really captivated because we have another necromancer! You know, I love a story that has some necromancy involved. Even though this is a short story, there are some really important discussions of mental health and what trans youth deal with while their transitioning. I really appreciated that these two themes were included in this story because they're so important and I know that there will be readers who feel very connected to Jamie's character. Lastly, I loved Shivanya and how she just accepts Jaime for who they are, and they have this instant friendship. It was so wholesome and humorous at times!
🦇 6:00 P.M.: Delfina Moore, 16, Cups/Swords by Yamile Saied Méndez ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, talk of spiders, grief, mentions of PTSD, brief mentions of poverty, mentions of bullying (in the past)
I think this is the first story in this book to make me gasp so many times. Let me just say, this is a high three stars and the only reason I docked a star was due to the heavy blow at the end. Granted, it doesn't happen until the end of the story, but oh, I felt that in my bones just because this story truly doesn't end on a good note. I feel so sad and heartbroken for Delfina especially because early on you find out she truly doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere. This just ended on a very sad note and I'm hoping by the end of this book we at least get to see Delfina find a place where she belongs.
🦇 7:00 P.M.: Ivy Barta, 16, Coins by Jessica Lewis ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions murder & death (in the past), mentions bullying, death recounted
"No one has ever interrupted her explanation and finished her deduction. She had to convince Delfina to be her detective partner. Or maybe marry her."
Ah, the plot thickens, in this story! We find out some juicy secrets that had me wiggling with excitement. We find out who Ivy truly is in this story and we're even reunited with a past character. There's even a few humorous moments about Ivy wanting to marry Delfina that had me chuckling. I was full captivated with this one. However, I will say, the "twist" for this story... I predicted early on. This would have been perfect if I hadn't been right with my suspicions. I still had a fun time reading this though and the ending left me giggling, so that's a plus!
🦇 8:00 P.M.: Lupita Augratricis, 16, Coins by Natasha Díaz ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions loss of a loved one (in the past), kidnapping, forced imprisonment
I was wondering how everything was going to come to a finale and I must admit, this story took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting this to turn out the way it did, I was wondering who exactly this character was and what role they were going to play, but I really enjoyed how this turned out. This is the one story I truly can't say a lot on because this is technically the concluding story, but it was really enjoyable.
The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.
Instagram|Ko-fi|Throne
May 28, 2023
This is a great book for diverse reads, and I really loved the representation in this. A school of magic, a murder, and each story is a different classmate finding clues!
I enjoyed this. It's a bit young YA, if you know what I mean? So, I had a harder time connecting with every character. But overall, I think this concept is so unique, and I really feel like it has been executed well.
It's a fun book to pick up and read through!
Out June 6, 2023!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
I enjoyed this. It's a bit young YA, if you know what I mean? So, I had a harder time connecting with every character. But overall, I think this concept is so unique, and I really feel like it has been executed well.
It's a fun book to pick up and read through!
Out June 6, 2023!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
May 31, 2023
This was such a fun way of telling a story! There were eighteen authors who each wrote a different character and tied in with the overall murder mystery at a magical boarding school. I enjoyed the unique takes each one had and that the characters were all so different. There was ALL the representation, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ and I lived for it.
The little ways each story intertwined with the others were pretty cool and it set up the whole picture of what was happening and how each character played a role. Because there were so many points of view, it did get a bit difficult to remember everyone. I also wish we'd seen some characters again, because their parts felt unfinished.
There were a couple things that didn't get completely resolved at the end and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to assume everything was taken care of off page, but I would have liked to see things tidied up a bit more.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley.
The little ways each story intertwined with the others were pretty cool and it set up the whole picture of what was happening and how each character played a role. Because there were so many points of view, it did get a bit difficult to remember everyone. I also wish we'd seen some characters again, because their parts felt unfinished.
There were a couple things that didn't get completely resolved at the end and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to assume everything was taken care of off page, but I would have liked to see things tidied up a bit more.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley.
August 24, 2023
So i finally finished this. Not my cup of tea at all, Im sorry to say. This book is ambitious to say the least, having 18 authors created characters that centred around the Galileo Academy and them being magic students from diverse background may seems like an interesting concept. But in the end, it felt jarring, incohesive and too many POV to even wrap my head around them that I end up skimming halfway through. Im disappointed that I dont enjoy this at all and im being harsh here to say that not even one authors in here captured me to even go and read their own books 🥲🥲. Every POV felt stagnant and are there for the sake of solving the mystery but in the end, i feels like they dont contribute much to the mystery?
A collaborative magical fantasy murder mystery by 18 authors, Grimoire of Grave Fates showcased different perspectives of 18 students in the Galileo Academy as they try to unravel the mysterious death of one of the most hated Professor Septimius Dropwort. No students like him, he is vile , a big*t, white male, any labels that these students said abt him, meaning not a great character for sure. With mixed media form of recorded conversations, documentation of evidence, this book was an ambitious project to say the least.
In all honesty, I found the idea refreshing and unique but the concept execution fell flat due to too many jarring narratives that doesnt make up the story as whole. Featuring diversity and representation in the characters here where each students showcased the diversity, it was interesting but these muddled the purpose of finding the culprit as we get mostly their crushes and their trope of wanting to be Chosen One but lack depth and substance to support them. I wished we get more in depth of these characters personalities rather than this short stint of their mind and thoughts at the moment. Its both frustrating and bland to read.
In the end, i dont enjoy this one as much. But for those who loves magical academy with a set of diversr characters, then you might like this one more than me.
Thanks to Times Reads for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
A collaborative magical fantasy murder mystery by 18 authors, Grimoire of Grave Fates showcased different perspectives of 18 students in the Galileo Academy as they try to unravel the mysterious death of one of the most hated Professor Septimius Dropwort. No students like him, he is vile , a big*t, white male, any labels that these students said abt him, meaning not a great character for sure. With mixed media form of recorded conversations, documentation of evidence, this book was an ambitious project to say the least.
In all honesty, I found the idea refreshing and unique but the concept execution fell flat due to too many jarring narratives that doesnt make up the story as whole. Featuring diversity and representation in the characters here where each students showcased the diversity, it was interesting but these muddled the purpose of finding the culprit as we get mostly their crushes and their trope of wanting to be Chosen One but lack depth and substance to support them. I wished we get more in depth of these characters personalities rather than this short stint of their mind and thoughts at the moment. Its both frustrating and bland to read.
In the end, i dont enjoy this one as much. But for those who loves magical academy with a set of diversr characters, then you might like this one more than me.
Thanks to Times Reads for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 12, 2023
3.5⭐
Thank you so much to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This was a such a fun and unique YA anthology. Told from 18 different POVs all written by different YA authors, you follow a magical school and its students as they try and solve the murder of a not-so-loved professor.
One of the best aspects of this book is how diverse it was in its characters and authors. There was everything from disability to trans to queer to POC rep. And it was fantastic. It also had amazing discussions are inclusion and colonization and performative allyship.
While I personally didn't find anything about this shocking, I think this mystery is perfectly tailored to its target audience. With themes and characters that will challenge and relate to teens.
This style and setup was something I've never seen before. And while it was a lot of fun, it doesn't keep you at arms length from each of the characters. Because you only get a few pages from each, you never really get to know a single character well.
Overall, I had a good time with this. I think it accomplished exactly what it set out to do. It has great themes and messages all with an eerie dark academia vibe and unique style & voice.
Thank you so much to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This was a such a fun and unique YA anthology. Told from 18 different POVs all written by different YA authors, you follow a magical school and its students as they try and solve the murder of a not-so-loved professor.
One of the best aspects of this book is how diverse it was in its characters and authors. There was everything from disability to trans to queer to POC rep. And it was fantastic. It also had amazing discussions are inclusion and colonization and performative allyship.
While I personally didn't find anything about this shocking, I think this mystery is perfectly tailored to its target audience. With themes and characters that will challenge and relate to teens.
This style and setup was something I've never seen before. And while it was a lot of fun, it doesn't keep you at arms length from each of the characters. Because you only get a few pages from each, you never really get to know a single character well.
Overall, I had a good time with this. I think it accomplished exactly what it set out to do. It has great themes and messages all with an eerie dark academia vibe and unique style & voice.
June 28, 2023
Great idea, horrible execution.
Each student only gets one chapter so it's super easy to forget all about them. Some are barely even necessary.
I didn't feel like I could get a good sense of the world. Every student has completely different magic to every other student so none of it was described well.
A couple of the chapters just seemed focused on a really underdeveloped romance, which was not what I wanted to read when I picked this book up.
I don't remember actually loving any of the stories, but I did actively hate one. There's a murderer on the loose and a girl gets taken in for questioning. Her girlfriend (Lola) then proceeds to frame herself for the murder so her girlfriend of twenty-one days, seven hours, and nine minutes will be released. Lola's then surprised that people might actually think she committed the murder. After she very intentionally made it look like she committed the murder.
I had moderately high hopes for this and they were disappointingly not even close to met.
Each student only gets one chapter so it's super easy to forget all about them. Some are barely even necessary.
I didn't feel like I could get a good sense of the world. Every student has completely different magic to every other student so none of it was described well.
A couple of the chapters just seemed focused on a really underdeveloped romance, which was not what I wanted to read when I picked this book up.
I don't remember actually loving any of the stories, but I did actively hate one. There's a murderer on the loose and a girl gets taken in for questioning. Her girlfriend (Lola) then proceeds to frame herself for the murder so her girlfriend of twenty-one days, seven hours, and nine minutes will be released. Lola's then surprised that people might actually think she committed the murder. After she very intentionally made it look like she committed the murder.
I had moderately high hopes for this and they were disappointingly not even close to met.
March 21, 2023
I really wanted to LOVE this-- I pumped myself up over the summary, but it didn't live up to what I thought it would be in my head. In the beginning, I was really enjoying the concept of each author, each hour, each chapter being a different character.. but it started to feel a bit tedious. Some characters I liked much more than others/thought were more interesting. Granted, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to create a banging, cohesive story with this many authors. I think perhaps, the diversity (which is AMAZING) took precedence over the world building and the mystery.
June 23, 2024
I think the LBTQ+ community deserves books appreciating them.
And while I can safely say this book does that it falls flat on every other point. Story, characters, worldbuilding etc... It is as a whole a very boring and sometimes aggravating read.
Let's start with the good:
The various writters are not bad at their craft, like in all anthologies some are better some are worse but overall ok. (very YA so don't expect Susanna Clarke writing)
Some of the authors worked closer together and these stories give the overarching framework some meat on the very bare bones.
I wished I could say more good things...
The not so good:
To many characters.
You had 18 chapters of hi my name is x, I am a (lesbian, trans-) woman of colour or (gay) man of colour my magic ability is this rooted in this and that backround. I have romantic/personal problems and/or a generational conflict (that in most cases got a pdeudo happy end, I would have loved to see more of the parental side of this, but oh well isn't important I guess😒)
Also did you know colonialism/racism/genocide is bad! Every one if those chapters, every single one!
This was not a murder mystery but a lecture and it bugged me so much.
It was sometimes shoehorned in, there was a chapter about an asian girl getting lost in the caves with her cousin, a teacher they have never seen before finds them and the teacher, in a conversation with them, suddenly drops that they are nonbinary and I thought why are you as a teacher telling that to students you don't know? The two kids could hate nonbinary people and spread nasty rumors about you or they are neutral and a third party with a grudge could overhear them telling their friends. And that is discounting that a teacher shouldn't tell something like that at all when at work!
Then there is the worldbuilding or let's say lack thereof. If you stop to think for two seconds you'll see holes big enough to drive a tank trough. The map at the start is pointless and gives you no direction at all. The students are walking trough hallways that could be anywhere and the authors give no directions or paint a picture of the place, which ok in twenty pages there is only so much space.
But then the communal, historical and governmental worldbuilding is a mess and there are no pretty words making this better. I couldn't find out if I am in a world were magical and nonmagical people live in peace and harmony or if there is a undercurrent of rebellion. According to the authors both! Or if the world is ok with same sex relationships as a whole (with outliers like our murder victim) or like our world. Like no clue!
As a muder mystery it doesn't hold up (I am not a crime reader but I saw the killer on page twenty-ish).
There are two main reasons for that.
One the chapters had barely anything holding them together: one character gives a piece of paper or other clues to another person at the end of their chapter for most of the book. This ended up in a lack of character development (I didn't care about any of them at all) they came over as mean, manipulative, arrogant or entitled. And a very broken and nonstrigent story. It didn't work! 18 authors writting a murder mystery sounds fun on paper but the endresult was baaad!
Two and it pains me to say:
Spoiler
If you are so inclusive of every LBTQA woman of colour you have a strong bias against white cis men and now guess who the murderer was...😒
And while I can safely say this book does that it falls flat on every other point. Story, characters, worldbuilding etc... It is as a whole a very boring and sometimes aggravating read.
Let's start with the good:
The various writters are not bad at their craft, like in all anthologies some are better some are worse but overall ok. (very YA so don't expect Susanna Clarke writing)
Some of the authors worked closer together and these stories give the overarching framework some meat on the very bare bones.
I wished I could say more good things...
The not so good:
To many characters.
You had 18 chapters of hi my name is x, I am a (lesbian, trans-) woman of colour or (gay) man of colour my magic ability is this rooted in this and that backround. I have romantic/personal problems and/or a generational conflict (that in most cases got a pdeudo happy end, I would have loved to see more of the parental side of this, but oh well isn't important I guess😒)
Also did you know colonialism/racism/genocide is bad! Every one if those chapters, every single one!
This was not a murder mystery but a lecture and it bugged me so much.
It was sometimes shoehorned in, there was a chapter about an asian girl getting lost in the caves with her cousin, a teacher they have never seen before finds them and the teacher, in a conversation with them, suddenly drops that they are nonbinary and I thought why are you as a teacher telling that to students you don't know? The two kids could hate nonbinary people and spread nasty rumors about you or they are neutral and a third party with a grudge could overhear them telling their friends. And that is discounting that a teacher shouldn't tell something like that at all when at work!
Then there is the worldbuilding or let's say lack thereof. If you stop to think for two seconds you'll see holes big enough to drive a tank trough. The map at the start is pointless and gives you no direction at all. The students are walking trough hallways that could be anywhere and the authors give no directions or paint a picture of the place, which ok in twenty pages there is only so much space.
But then the communal, historical and governmental worldbuilding is a mess and there are no pretty words making this better. I couldn't find out if I am in a world were magical and nonmagical people live in peace and harmony or if there is a undercurrent of rebellion. According to the authors both! Or if the world is ok with same sex relationships as a whole (with outliers like our murder victim) or like our world. Like no clue!
As a muder mystery it doesn't hold up (I am not a crime reader but I saw the killer on page twenty-ish).
There are two main reasons for that.
One the chapters had barely anything holding them together: one character gives a piece of paper or other clues to another person at the end of their chapter for most of the book. This ended up in a lack of character development (I didn't care about any of them at all) they came over as mean, manipulative, arrogant or entitled. And a very broken and nonstrigent story. It didn't work! 18 authors writting a murder mystery sounds fun on paper but the endresult was baaad!
Two and it pains me to say:
Spoiler
If you are so inclusive of every LBTQA woman of colour you have a strong bias against white cis men and now guess who the murderer was...😒
October 10, 2023
Edited: The Grimoire of Grave Fates is an interconnected anthology between 18 authors about 18 students solving the same murder.
I enjoyed reading this book at the beginning until around 100 pages. After that I felt like this was so slow that I almost DNF it. It took quite long for the students to realize that someone has been murdered in the Galileo Academy.
I liked that the characters were diverse and their magical abilities were very amazing. The magic system was what intrigued me at first. Unfortunately, it kind of gave away the actual plot when I entered every story, I had to read a new introduction of the character and the magic system. No wonder this book is 500 pages.
The actual plot and the murder mystery left me feeling underwhelmed. I almost didn't care about victim. It has been a very unsatisfying experience.
Anyways I liked the book cover and it has Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary map inside. 😍 and I also thought there will be a nice story from Hanna Alkaf. I kind of had a high hope. But sadly, nope.
Thank you @times.reads @putrifariza for sending me The Grimoire of Grave Fates in return for an honest review.
I enjoyed reading this book at the beginning until around 100 pages. After that I felt like this was so slow that I almost DNF it. It took quite long for the students to realize that someone has been murdered in the Galileo Academy.
I liked that the characters were diverse and their magical abilities were very amazing. The magic system was what intrigued me at first. Unfortunately, it kind of gave away the actual plot when I entered every story, I had to read a new introduction of the character and the magic system. No wonder this book is 500 pages.
The actual plot and the murder mystery left me feeling underwhelmed. I almost didn't care about victim. It has been a very unsatisfying experience.
Anyways I liked the book cover and it has Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary map inside. 😍 and I also thought there will be a nice story from Hanna Alkaf. I kind of had a high hope. But sadly, nope.
Thank you @times.reads @putrifariza for sending me The Grimoire of Grave Fates in return for an honest review.
July 15, 2023
Zbiory opowiadań to dla mnie zawsze duża zagwostka, szczególnie przy dużej ilości osób autorskich. Zazwyczaj są w moim odczuciu za krótkie, trudno jest w nich się rozpłynąć równomiernie, gdy jest tak wiele pomysłów. Ale The Grimoire of Grave Fates jest inne, i to jej największy atut. Tutaj jest jedna historia, jedna fabuła, a każda osoba pisząca dokłada do niej swoją cegiełkę. Faktycznie, można powiedzieć, że wciąż jest za mało miejsca, by się porządnie rozsiąść, a do wielu bohaterów chciałoby się jeszcze wrócić. Zgodzę się też, że przez takie rozbicie rozwiązanie intrygi nie było aż tak zaskakujące, jak mogło, jednak czytanie tej książki było tak cholernie przyjemne. Pomysł na świat był świetny, tak samo na fabułę, ta wolność osób autorskich pod kierownictwem Margaret Owen i Hanny Alkaf pozwoliła im osiągnąć najlepszą możliwą wersję finalną.
Polecam bardzo, szczególnie jeśli lubi się takie eksperymenty z formą lub powieści-zagadki, które nie idą linearnym sposobem narracji.
Polecam bardzo, szczególnie jeśli lubi się takie eksperymenty z formą lub powieści-zagadki, które nie idą linearnym sposobem narracji.
Shelved as 'to-read-ya'
April 23, 2021"follows the untimely murder of a professor at an esteemed wizarding school and the efforts of various students to track down his killer, with each chapter portraying a different character’s perspective"
Each novel by a different author I adore? This sounds like a combination of old plots repurposed in such a new, original, that I CANNOT WAIT. I love any way that classical structure is demolished, I'll HAVE to read this.
Each novel by a different author I adore? This sounds like a combination of old plots repurposed in such a new, original, that I CANNOT WAIT. I love any way that classical structure is demolished, I'll HAVE to read this.
August 31, 2023
The Grimoire of Grave Fates is a long intense murder mystery surrounding the students at the magical world of Galileo Academy. As time is running out, 18 students that are the best and the brightest race to solve the murder of their least favorite professor, Septimius Dropwort. This book is another level of rollercoaster. The combination of 18 different authors with 18 writing styles makes me completely dizzy. On another note, these collaborations also allow readers to discover which of the authors writing style they are more comfortable with.
To be honest, I didn't expect much from this book because it was told from eighteen POVs hence I was prepared to be bored halfway. What I didn't expect is that this book put me in a slump for two weeks. All the crazy things that were supposed to happen in this book are nowhere to be found. There were too many redundant and nothing exciting really happened except for the part where the professor died.
As much as I liked the collaboration between the authors to allow readers enjoy multiple worldbuilding, the entire mystery somehow is very difficult to follow. I am upset because I've been eager to read this one and it is completely disappointing. I know at some point i should’ve dnf this book but i was too curious to find out who is the real culprit at the academy.
This was exciting at first and sadly it was not it for me. Thank you @times.reads and @putrifariza for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, I didn't expect much from this book because it was told from eighteen POVs hence I was prepared to be bored halfway. What I didn't expect is that this book put me in a slump for two weeks. All the crazy things that were supposed to happen in this book are nowhere to be found. There were too many redundant and nothing exciting really happened except for the part where the professor died.
As much as I liked the collaboration between the authors to allow readers enjoy multiple worldbuilding, the entire mystery somehow is very difficult to follow. I am upset because I've been eager to read this one and it is completely disappointing. I know at some point i should’ve dnf this book but i was too curious to find out who is the real culprit at the academy.
This was exciting at first and sadly it was not it for me. Thank you @times.reads and @putrifariza for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 30, 2023
This is easily one of the best and most unique anthologies I have ever read! My favorite chapters were the ones by Marieke Nijkamp, Darcie Little Badger, L. L. McKinney and Tehlor Kay Mejia, but every single story was so good. I really enjoyed how diverse not only the characters, but also the different types of magic were. (I mean, embroidery magic?? As a cross stitcher, I need this immediately!)
If you're looking for a unique fantasy-mystery and new magic school to dream of: welcome to the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary!
If you're looking for a unique fantasy-mystery and new magic school to dream of: welcome to the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary!
June 6, 2023
I was so excited about this story and I really wanted to love it but sadly I had to DNF it.
The story started out really well and I loved the first 2 chapters but despite the attempt at diversity, the red herrings in each chapter just dragged and lost impact.
The first 2 characters were my favorites, but the writing wasn't as intense and edgy as a story with diverse characters would have been, except for Wren and Diego - the writers did a great job portraying these two characters.
The story started out really well and I loved the first 2 chapters but despite the attempt at diversity, the red herrings in each chapter just dragged and lost impact.
The first 2 characters were my favorites, but the writing wasn't as intense and edgy as a story with diverse characters would have been, except for Wren and Diego - the writers did a great job portraying these two characters.
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