YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.

I'm on chapter 2 and already so impressed with this - (view spoiler)[i love the concept that stories like the Inferno are actual texts used to help Alice and Peter make their way into hell. Alice might not be Peter's biggest fan but I love them both! (hide spoiler)]

I've also just started, chapter 2 (view spoiler)[ WOW what an opening! I feel like these characters are already compelling from so early on.

The description of the Professor dying is so intense, and Alice being right in the middle of it! Absolutely can't wait to see where it goes from here. (hide spoiler)]

Lara wrote: "I've also just started, chapter 2 WOW what an opening! I feel like these characters are already compelling from so early on.

The description of the Professor dying is so intense, and Alice being..."

That was such a graphic description!!

Up to chapter 7 - (view spoiler)[Hell has a campus with academics trying to craft a paper to pass into another part of hell, and that is just too funny to me. (hide spoiler)]

11%

(view spoiler)["Alice awoke to Peter’s arm slung over her chest."


I know this is supposed to be a book about their rivalry and working together for a common goal to get Professor Grimes again but I am hoping that the two of them wouldn't revert back to being rivals again after this mission ends. They'd make a great duo and with their intelligences, they can achieve anything! (hide spoiler)]

Dannii wrote: "I'm on chapter 2 and already so impressed with this - [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yess! Both of them are great characterss, and it actually made me learn about some texts about hell too on the side 😆 (hide spoiler)]

Gohnar23 wrote: "Dannii wrote: "I'm on chapter 2 and already so impressed with this - [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Haha! Same. There have been some referenced that I'd like to read but doubt I'll ever get to in this lifetime. Dante's Inferno is so intimidating to me!

Gohnar23 wrote: "11%

..."

(view spoiler)[There have also been hints to them being a lot closer in the past so I'm keen to see them align together, either in friendship or a relationship. Academic friends to enemies to lovers? Yes, please! (hide spoiler)]

25%

(view spoiler)[i love that even though they are currently in this super duper ultra life or death mission, they still managed to have witty and fun csual conversations such as this ne where they talk about The Beatles' songs. It takes a break from all the severe action scenes and the intellectual discussions on the inner working of thes 8 staged circular hellscape. (hide spoiler)]

36%

(view spoiler)[oh my god they are now pretending to "love" each other 😭😭😭🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 i will wonder when that "pretend" will stop being just pretend anymore (hide spoiler)]

56%

(view spoiler)[wow Helen is being extremely unhinged to making Professor Grimes serve justice. (hide spoiler)]

Gohnar23 wrote: "25%

[spoilers removed]"

I thought this book would feel more tense for being literally set in hell! It does have a light tone though. It hasn't gripped me like her other books but I am enjoying it, however. I'm eager to see if darkness will come the further they venture in.

Chapter 10 - (view spoiler)[NO WAY! That can't be Peter's plan! I'm really hoping Alice has read his notes wrongly because this was not how I anticipated their adventure going, with him trapping her in hell and saving their professor. I truly thought they were working together! (hide spoiler)]

Just finished chapter 10 oh my gosh!!! (view spoiler)[ I cannot believe Alice’s pentagram tattoo that is absolutely wild!! And just when I’m recovering from that insane reveal she reads Peter’s notes about soul exchange and realises he wants to trap her in hell - insane work!!

This is probably a huge mistake knowing RF Kuang’s other work BUT I really have faith in Peter’s good intentions and don’t think he would do that to her! I would absolutely love a wholesome romance between both of them where Grimes gets left behind even though I know that’s incredibly unlikely (hide spoiler)]

Lara wrote: "Just finished chapter 10 oh my gosh!!! I cannot believe Alice’s pentagram tattoo that is absolutely wild!! And just when I’m recovering from that insane reveal she reads Peter’s notes about soul e..."

(view spoiler)[Absolutely! They are literally perfect for each other. I don't want any 'surprise, im actually the villain' twist that would happen for Peter in the future. (hide spoiler)]

64%

(view spoiler)[Peter's backstory is heartbreaking 😢. It's like the Make-a-with foundation is about to be there since I'm having a thought that maybe they'd think that Peter might not mkae it past like any single digit year after that phenomenon currently affecting his body. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 15: (view spoiler)[ I was so sad when Alice took the green apple, and now Peter is (understandably) very upset with her - I feel like it may be very difficult to come back from this!! I'm glad that both of you are rooting for Peter and Alice just as much as I am, I'm actually obsessed!! (hide spoiler)]

81%

(view spoiler)["But that moment, all Alice knew was that she desperately wanted to kill something."

Oh My My My Alice, I hope you dont turn into a villain in accidentally plan to kill someone you deeply care about! 😁😁😁😁 (hide spoiler)]

91%

(view spoiler)[ congratulations to King Yama 😭😭😭😭, he made professor Grimes just appear out of thin air. Well that was wal like anticlimactic as hell (hide spoiler)]

100%

(view spoiler)[aaaand that was a really great ride! I love how in the ending we get the 3 different maps of hell that all three characters tried to explain the environment of hell. All of those are correct and lead them to pregress—until it didn't. Each map has its own use for each of the characters and presents the characters with each of their personal hell. (hide spoiler)]

Gohnar23 wrote: "56%

[spoilers removed]"

I just got up to this bit (view spoiler)[ I feel like this absolutely fits with everything we've learnt about Grimes so far but oh my goodness it's awful! And also that really ties in with Peter's perception of Alice which is so sad! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 25: (view spoiler)[ I was already obsessed with Peter but oh my goodness I love him even more after hearing all about his past! His backstory is so sad, but makes so many things make sense. And him caring about Alice from the start omg, this yearning is better than you get from actual romance novels!!

BUT WHAT THE HECK I can't believe he's gone now?! Him saving Alice but not himself was an absolute punch to the gut and I kept waiting for it to not be real but then it was... I'm really really hoping he comes back somehow but I really don't think that's RF Kuang's style unfortunately! (hide spoiler)]

Lara wrote: "Chapter 25: I was already obsessed with Peter but oh my goodness I love him even more after hearing all about his past! His backstory is so sad, but makes so many things make sense. And him caring..."

(view spoiler)[YESSSSSS!!!!! THE YEARNING! and also just his general naturo towards people and how even though he came from a really tough past, he never failed to be someone good, even how he interacts with other characters other than Alice is still simething to note at (hide spoiler)]

Lara wrote: "Just finished chapter 10 oh my gosh!!!..."

Your thoughts are mine exactly! (view spoiler)[ I believe in Peter's pure nature and think he may be planning to sacrafice himself, not Alice, to save Grimes. (hide spoiler)]

Gohnar23 wrote: "81%

[spoilers removed]

End of chapter 29: (view spoiler)[ Okay first of all you are WAY too excited about the idea of Alice going off the rails!

But also I do completely agree! The description of her eating and destroying the cat was actually awful and I hated every single line but also could not tear my eyes away. I am so obsessed with Alice's character development and cannot wait to see how this book wraps up! (hide spoiler)]

Finished, 5 stars from me!!! (view spoiler)[ As soon as Elspeth gave Alice the true contradiction I IMMEDIATELY thought that she was going to use it to get Peter back and I would have been so upset if she didn't! I'm so happy that they got their happy ending omg, I didn't know that RF Kuang was capable of such a thing but I'm so so happy about it!

As a PhD student myself this was my exact brand of nerd and I absolutely loved every page! I also agree @Gohnar23 that the maps of hell are so so clever! This whole book was 10/10, no notes from me! (hide spoiler)]

Lara wrote: "Finished, 5 stars from me!!! As soon as Elspeth gave Alice the true contradiction I IMMEDIATELY thought that she was going to use it to get Peter back and I would have been so upset if she didn't!..."

AHHHHHHHH GLAD U LOVED IT TOOOOOOOOOOOO 🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🙆‍♂️🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

Okay finally diving back into this. Sorry for falling so behind on the BR. Excited to catch up with all your thoughts :)

Lara wrote: "Chapter 15: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I'm actually starting to like Peter more than Alice, although I can understand her actions considering he went cold on her all those months ago without any explanation. She seems very single-minded on achieving greatness and completing tasks and he seems far more warmer and in the present than she ever game him credit for. I wonder why they fell out before? Did he start to see her for this coldly academic person and pulled away? Is she the cold and dismissive one that she deemed him to be all along? (hide spoiler)]

Lara wrote: "Chapter 25: ..."

(view spoiler)[I think this is the best case of miscommunication I have ever read. I fully believed what Alice thought of Peter as we are reading from her perspective. Instead, both liked the other and both envied the other too. She thought he breezed through life but his suffering made him the kind and good natured person he was, instead of the cold and aloof one her jealousy made him out to be. I really am holding out hope that he can somehow be saved at the end! It is too cruel that he is just gone and so quickly! (hide spoiler)]

Gohnar23 wrote: "Lara wrote: "Chapter 25: I was already obsessed with Peter but oh my goodness I love him even more after hearing all about his past! His backstory is so sad, but makes so many things make sense. An..."

He has such a good heart and I am fully obsessed with him!!