I have been a fan of Melissa de la Cruz from when I stumbled on her Cinder and Glass Cinderella retelling. It was whimsical and a beautiful read. This book had me going based on the premise - three magically gifted friends from various spectrums, rejected by the elite magical institute and worm their way into the institution to solve a mystery.
The opening prologue has you hooked, but what follows could have been better executed. Dorian and Atticus have families depending on them but other than Raven, neither contacts or mentions their family at all. Dorian's having never touched anything also seems unfaithful to the narrative. The tale suffered because the nature of the magic system is not explained in detail. There is umbrage around the institution's less than stellar bookish acquisitions and a secret society (i was soo excited by this) - neither of which was fully explored.
On the plus side, the book was a quick read, I managed to complete it in a day and the FMC is imperfect - with proper pride in her capabilities and sometimes blind to the effect it has on the other 2. The friendship and heartache themes are explored as well.
My thank yous to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing the ARC!
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