This book was compelling but also highly frustrating. It just lacked a lot of sense to me and I kept feeling like I had somehow skipped whole explanatory sentences or paragraphs, I think it needs a really good edit before it can really be a plausible offering. There’s a lot to interest in the storyline and the characters, including a very believable love-hate relationship between the main characters, rivals at Cambridge who find out that they are both witches at the same time as they find out they are both in mortal peril. But nothing is properly fleshed out and really key scenes are just sort of glossed over, frequently. Other characters such as a supposed best friend of the protagonist, who is not mentioned at all until murdered, are one dimensional; the ‘danger’ is done away with in a very confusingly described scene about 70% of the way through the book and then the rest of it is dedicated to the will-they won’t-they relationship; statements are often almost straight away contradicted. So much just did not make sense. There are some good bare bones that reminded me of A Discovery of Witches, but in reality nowhere near in the same league and I would say that it needs to be almost completely rewritten. It’s annoying because there were things I liked about it but I just can’t overlook that the delivery is very poor.

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher, Tor, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I didn't realize this was a PDF format when I requested the title, and like other PDFs, it won't properly format on my Kindle. I'm still looking forward to reading it, and I'll just have to wait for its release!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pa Macmillan for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for sending me this ebook. All thoughts are my own.

Modern Divination truly has my heart. What a gorgeous and magical book. You follow two rivals at Cambridge who have to work together after disaster strikes, taking them to a hidden town filled with magic. I honestly can’t think of a better premise.

I adored both Aurelia and Teddy. So often when reading fantasy romances, I end up frustrated because the main couple don’t actually talk to each other enough or spend enough time together. But this book was perfect because they practically couldn’t shut their mouths, nor did they separate for long at all (if ever really?). I genuinely feel like we get such a sense of their personalities individually and their longing for one another. Don’t get me started on Teddy’s “Rory darling”.

This was wonderfully written. There are so many parts of this book I could pick out and quote here, but I’d probably end up just posting the whole book. So I’ll settle for one – “Looking at each other and seeing each other were two very different things. Be it her relief or her downfall, she and Ingham could do both.”

I have had my eye on this book for months, even before it got picked up by the publishers. So I was thrilled to get my hands on it. Truly truly truly, this was an easy five stars for me and I cannot wait for the next one.

I really tried to like this one, but I found this book a bit of a struggle to read.

After a really strong start, the first 15% or so of the book was great. The characters interested me. As did the magic. But it all seemed to just… fizzle out. I usually don’t vibe well with books that are more character driven over plot, and unfortunately that is what this book very quickly became.

This is most probably a me thing, and I’ve seen so many people rave about this book (one of the reasons why I applied - along with my love for dark academia and fantasy rivals x lovers) but unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me.

4.5 stars
This was so dark and magical and deeply romantic. I loved the magic system from the very beginning. Witchy books do it for me every time and this one had such unique twists on witches and magic. The prose was very lyrical and poetic. It created such a dark and whimsical atmosphere that felt like I was actually there. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Ninth House and A Study in Drowning for the moody, gothic vibes. The romance was my favorite part to no one’s surprise. Rivals to reluctant allies to lovers and so much banter and tension you could cut with a knife. These characters were so down bad for each other that I was mentally screaming at them to kiss. Teddy is my favorite type of book boyfriend: protective, yearning, and tortured. I don’t want to spoil anything but this had one of my favorite tropes ever and without giving anything away I will say just say dreams. I’ve wanted to read Modern Divination for a long time and I’m so glad I waited for the newly revamped version to finally dive into this story. I absolutely loved this as much as I thought I would and I’m so excited for the next one.

As someone who is not usually a fan of romance books at all, I enjoyed this one - the narrative still kept me interested overall. This is a character-driven, romance-focused story within a magical realism setting, rather than a plot-driven fantasy novel; I wouldn't personally call it dark academia, it is romantasy that happens to be between university students. The plot is relatively secondary to the relationship development, and it also contains a moderate amount of sexual content during a few different chapters in the second half, so heads up if that's not your bag.

I liked the two MCs a lot, and felt they were well-developed, by the end of the book. They were both flawed, and at times frustratingly introspective but with no real self-awareness, spending a lot of time pendulum-ing between their obsessive love & hate for each other with seemingly no cause (almost that they just suddenly remembered they were still bitter about their past rivalry, then suddenly forgot again) - but they both grew on me during the second half as their views of each other matured. The secondary characters were likable, and although not developed in any great depth, it left a lot of room for them to hopefully build more in the future instalments in this book series.

The writing style itself was really endearing. I enjoyed a lot of the metaphors and prose, though they did occasionally get a little heavy-handed and slightly cringe-worthy. I also loved the queer representation and non-traditional family dynamics at play, and I think they were handled really well which is fantastic to see!

Given my limited experience with romance books, I'm not sure whether the plot being secondary (or even tertiary) to the relationship development & repetitive rivals-to-lovers dynamic is standard for the genre, or specific to this book. Personally I would have enjoyed this more if it had more to-the-point romance and greater development/emphasis of the plot. While I understand that this is only the first book in a series so some mysteries need to be left to explore in the next books, there were a few plot points relating to the antagonist that seemed really interesting but ultimately didn't go anywhere, and it left her feeling underplayed as a character & underwhelming as a threat (after a really promising start). But perhaps that is me trying to make this book fit a different genre rather than reading it for what it is, which would be no reflection at all on the quality of the book or the excellent work of the author in writing a romance novel. As I say, I still enjoyed reading it! And there are still a lot of other great loose ends ready for book 2 which I'm sure will be equally engaging.

I really appreciate Pan MacMillan & NetGalley sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review, it's a good book and I'm very interested to see what else Isabel Agajanian does in future.

I will now include some Content Warnings for those who find them helpful, so STOP READING HERE TO AVOID MINOR SPOILERS!
-----------------

Content Warnings:
- absent parents, potentially triggering for child neglect
- alcohol use
- bereavement, including parent losing a child, and children experiencing loss of friend/parent
- biphobia (briefly mentioned, not depicted)
- murder, body horror, violence & blood
- sexual content, mildly spicy

Modern Divination is an extremely character driven rivals to lovers story with a hint of dark academia.

I really loved a lot about this especially in the first half. The writing is beautiful and lyrical. I highlighted so many quotes that really spoke to me and the author definitely has a real talent for prose.
However, there are also a lot of parts that are overwritten where I felt like I couldn’t really follow the story because of all the words. I had to go back and read a paragraph again quite a lot to actually grasp what was happening.

The development and growth of the characters is beautifully done. On the other hand, many of their conversations felt circular and repetitive. I also had trouble grasping their individual motivations but I feel that it added to making them more real and illustrated the messiness of real world relationships.

The plot feels more like a backdrop for these characters to explore their feelings and never really had me hooked. Long stretches of introspection or dialogue between the characters are interspersed with a plot point here and there.

What I really loved was the mundane and simple nature of the magic working more through intention rather than any grand spellcasting. It slotted into the story so well and I wish we had seen more of that throughout.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I wanted this to hit really badly, but unfortunately it did not. There was so much potential in this story; but i was often left confused and wanting.

The plot is meagre and meandering; secondary to the character relationships. It’s very trope-forward, which some people may enjoy, but for me it took away from the lovely lyrical writing style and the great atmosphere.
The characters themselves often go in circles with each other; which makes their ‘banter’ frustrating to read. I kind of wanted to hit both of them 90% of the time.

Overall, this just wasn’t for me; but if you love a trope-heavy rivals-to-something-more story, you might enjoy this!

I really enjoyed this. The rivals to lovers is perfect, the characters are intriguing, and the plot kept me hooked.
It’s the perfect autumnal read with all the dark academia vibes - what’s better than a magical bookstore?
Full RTC on other platforms.

I could not get through this book without having to constantly re-read passages. The writing is so wordy, like it's trying to be deep but actually is a lot of words for not a lot of information. I also really didn't like Aurelia, nor did I understand her motivations for a lot of her behaviour. Not one for me, I'm afraid.

Modern Divination has an interesting plot and a slow build up between the two main characters. Sometimes it felt like nothing was happening and the story felt a bit stagnant. I wished there was more world building in the story. Nevertheless, even when it wasn't the right book for me, I can recommend it to anyone who likes a slow build up and a character driven story.

Aurelia and Theodore are rivals, who share a common enemy.
Set in academia, we have a slow burn romance, secret societies, academic rivalry and detailed character studies.
I love long book which use the length to give more depth to the story and reward the reader with tying up all loose points.
I liked some aspects of this book, but did not love it.

Plot 2/5
Characterisation 3.5/5
Prose 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc.
I wanted to love this book so much and it had all the makings of a fantasy book. The FMC was so back and forth and there were such good plot points that weren’t put together well.

We were thrown into a world with no world building, with mobiles therefore it’s urban fantasy but it doesn’t feel like it. I grew to love Teddy he has immense character development and I wanted them to be together.

Everything about this was so muddled up. I think had it been written a whole lot better it would be an amazing read. I kept pushing on for it to get better and better because I wanted to love it so bad!

Godddd, I wanted this book to be SO GOOD. And annoyingly, it really could have been. It has all the jigsaw pieces of an excellent, character driven, magical dark academia book.

And yet, most of the really excellent bits of characterisation feel like we'll written paragraphs constructed in silo and then threaded together with less well written parts. It feels somehow too....wordy.

The plot is there, and it could be extremely compelling, but the plot points make barely any sense together and the magical system they are based in is never fully developed. Even the characters never seem to know what's going on.

Add to that struggling to care about any of the characters and this was just a miss for me.

i’m a little confused by this book. you are thrown into a world with little world building but a lot of donna tartt like english, then combined with a magic system regarding witches that is never really explained.

anyway, something happens and we’re whisked away and suddenly ingrams character is completely different and it’s all a bit like ok how did we logically get here? also, aurelia’s hate of ingram becomes almost unbareble. and at the same time the plot is running in the background making no sense. i will say the tension between the two MC’s is good, the author has nailed the tension but the pacing feels off and jumps to each stereotype in the enemies to lover rather than flows. once it hits the almost lovers part, the banter between the MCs is quite nice to be fair and sweet.

as for the plot it’s there, but is slow. for example at 60% of the way through the book you are no closer to knowing anything that you didn’t know before. then the focal event of the plot you’ve been building up to occurs and you’re just kind of like “oh ok”, kind of like that final battle scene against the white walkers in game of thrones that lasted an episode after seasons. that’s how i felt when this book ended too.
but as per, this is a personal preference thing.

the writing oozes dark academia style, including references to theology, psychology and history (and a bit of Shakespeare) and the old money lifestyle. the writing style is sometimes intense with its language, and i wouldn’t call it an easy read. i do feel that all dark academia books feel this way however, so maybe it is my thoughts on the genre that inevitably gave this book a 2 star.

I really enjoyed this and found the pacing to be really well done.
This is for all the academic rivals girlies and Gilmore lovers because this is a great autumn/ winter read!!

As someone who read the indie book and read again now, I cannot get over the wonderfully gothic dark academia world that is created. Often rivals in dark academia romance feels forced or unnatural but not here.
The characters so perfectly contrast one another, the plot has me begging for book 2, and the writing was a joy to read.

Aurelia has spent her entire life maintaining the equilibrium between her carefully curated human life and the magical one that she endured in secret. With a devoted best friend and a place at an elite college, she has everything one could possibly want neatly within her grasp.

Except for the fact that her gift of magic is fading. A fateful encounter with a power hungry witch with a penchant for stolen magic has threaded to unbalance her life and bring her to ruin. Cast into an unexpected alliance with her dreadfully arrogant class mate, she goes into hiding among a peculiar family of witches.

A beautiful exploration of identity and the struggle one must sometimes endure to balance two worlds. This story is deeply emotional while capturing the essence of friendship and the importance of sacrifice in your life. These characters are compelling and the complexities of magic are beautifully developed.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧 (𝐓𝐨𝐫) 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧

Thank you pan macmillan for this copy of modern divination

Unfortunately I didn’t vibe with this book. DNF at 42%
Iv given it a good chance but this could possibly be a me problem but the book is mostly character driven there’s barely a plot just two characters who apparently hate each other but I can’t understand why. I feel like there’s just too many words and not enough going on.

The first 10-15% was good and I thought I was going to like it but I can’t push myself to keep going. You may love this if you like character driven plots with lots of descriptions.

I got this from Netgalley and thought it was a new release, not a rerelease, and I think I tried reading this before when it first came out and didn't vibe with it, so didn't finish.

Well, I finished this time, and I was definitely worth finishing, but I had my own issues with it.

First of all, if you do not like character driven books, this isn't for you. There wasn't much of a plot outside of the main characters and the development of their relationship. I don't hate that personally, but it did make this feel a little shallow.

I've mentioned in reviews for other books that sometimes a book can feel too wordy. I'm not sure how else to describe it other than that. There was just a lot more than there needed to be, and while sometimes it resulted in something quite whimsical and romantic, most of the time, it just made me impatient. I was growing tired with being told everything and shown nothing. It takes the enjoyment out of a book for me, since I have a very vivid imagination when reading.

I didn't like Aurelia in the beginning, and that left a sour taste with her for most of the book, but I didn't dislike her by the end. She grew as a character, it just took a little too long. Honestly, Teddy I could have given or taken, but I did really enjoy the tension and genuine slow-burn of their romance. That was the main thing done well in this book. If not for that, I'd have DNF'd, I think. Other characters were honestly quite forgettable, though. I wasn't invested.

Aside from the issues, it was quite a cosy read for this time of year.