Solid Read ! I do think this is a novel that would be able to appeal to large audience. I enjoyed it , and would not have a problem recommending it to readers looking for a supernatural women led teen book with themes of friendship and women's independence. I particularly liked the friendships between Frances and her friends Lena and Maxine. I found the ending plot twist a little predictable but still found the reveal enjoyable.

3.5/5 Final Rating

This book is exactly what I love to see in books about witches! It has that boarding school/academia aesthetic with a dark twist, a mysterious boy, a murder that needs to be solved and a great trio of friends. Although there were times when I thought I had what was going to happen figured out, I never actually did and still ended up being surprised by the ending! With the topic of witchcraft on the rise again in the YA genre I think this a book that people are going to love! This is going to be the perfect fall read that I will definitely be recommending!

...I don't know what to say about this book. I feel so incredibly conflicted. It starts off with the murder of Frances' brother William, she's grieving and working as a seamstress until she murders her creep of a boss with magic. She gets taken to this Sanitarium where she learns how to use her magic in a baseline way. As she's trying to figure out her powers and who killed her brother, she befriends Finn, and old friend of her brother. Things are absolutely not what they seem and things go wrong. Constantly.
On one hand, I enjoyed it, there were parts of it that were interesting, but I feel like I forced myself to read till the end. I could have put the book down and not come back to it. The book seemed to pick up about halfway or two thirds of the book. Character wise, Lena was my favourite out of all the characters, she made reading this book bearable. I can't tell if I wanted to smack Frances upside the head or wrap her in a blanket and keep her safe. Frances made me so angry and frustrated that I was literally yelling at my screen. However, she's seventeen and grieving so I tried to not judge her as much.
I'm giving this 3.5 stars for the emotions (ie. anger) it made me feel because somehow I still want to read the sequel.