Twisted and overly prosy
Mix elite founding families with cult, secrets and ritual, and a harrowing tale of turmoil, deception, and power is cast. Even the progenies of that society are bound, caught up in duty and exclusivity, the obligation requires of them. And besides those, the plot complexity is further enriched with a revenge plot and stalker, gradually unfolding with the unexpected just to keep the reader questioning.
Sklar, despite a privileged child of one of the elite, is closed, maintaining distance from others, and very obviously emotionally traumatized. She is both sweet and feisty. And she experiences an immediate connection to new student, Ash. Ash is broody, sardonic and by appearances detached, and also has his demons. Their connection is electric.
The character development in this story paints unique, tangible personalities where the strength is the feelings they inspire and their presence, and less about their physical traits. Every character's contribution has significance and is integrated, puppeteered in the story's disturbing canvas and shrouded in mystery.
Definitely a dark story -- psychologically dark -- arising from its grittiness and what is hidden, some taboo subject matter, and copious adaptation (i.e., "vices") techniques. It is delivered at a slow to medium burn pace, eliciting a heavy degree of angst.
The gradual pealing away of the plot is tense and alluring, but at times, the story falters with too much inner expression and thoughts, personal commentary and wisdom to the point of feeling repetitious and undeservedly hampering the pace. Also, it was generally prosy, lots of telling with too little balance of dialogue.
Spice level is low (1/5) and works to the degree that story gives more the vibe of being centered around intrigue, relationships (caustic or not), and dark pretense. Still, the chemistry between the two main characters can be felt.
Overall, the beauty of this book is dual: the creative and unique storyline and the feelings it evokes -- sorrow, disquiet with flashes of character connectedness. It is twisted and worthy of a read, but stylistically not as engaging as it could have been. The weak writing is a detractor to a potentially good story.