3.75 stars

Sideways is at a party and “plays” a little bit with magic. Three other girls from school are willing, and they recruit one more from a neighbouring school. But it’s dangerous. Sideways is not sure what happened when she wakes up the next morning. One of the girls is missing, and they find her at the bottom of an empty pool with three dead deer arranged closeby. Despite the danger and not knowing exactly what happened or how, the girls love the attention they get out of it and want to do more with magic.

I mostly liked this, though none of the characters was terribly likable (except Sideways’ two dads). It is quite graphic at times, as well (this is just an fyi… graphic doesn’t usually bother me, and it didn’t this time). Also a lot of profanity, which I disliked more than the graphic-ness. And it doesn’t quite finish, so not sure how long the series is (or will be) or if there is just one sequel or if it’s a trilogy, but I’ll read the next one. ( )

I loved this book with all my heart. It made me sweaty and giddy and it made me laugh. It made me cry and scream out in frustration. It was weird and unpredictable in the best ways, it was an experience. Sideways, Yates, Jing and Daisy were nothing but a hurricane, strange and mysterious and an aesthetic for themselves. They were interesting, they had chemistry, the fit into each other while staying unique and true for themselves.

The setting was beautifully described, Sideways room is a work of art and there was a certain, graceful spookiness without being cheesy. The writing style is nothing but beautiful, poetic and entrancing, every word pulling you further in.

I loved Mr. Scratch, I loved his history, the way he spoke about his girls, the way he was revealed, starting off as this slightly foreshadowing, creepy presence to the sweet and feeling book devil he is.

The storyline is interesting and working out, every character build up perfectly. The girls are everything I always wished people could make the teenage girl protagonist like. Soft and terrifying, mean and pretty and fierce and loving at the same time, willing to do everything for each other. All those sometimes contradicting traits, that other stories pull up as the entire personality, but here are coexisting, creating a character that simply IS. Alive and real, growing closer and closer. And of course, the representation is wonderful.

I loved this book to pieces and there are a million more things I could say, but I won't. Instead I will just recommend to read it to everyone who is ready for a little magic and wish you a wonderful day ( )

Honestly, the first half of the book was a little hard to get through. Clarke's prose is often a bit violent and visceral, which made it uncomfortable to read sometimes. I also wasn't fully sure what was going on, since some things happened very quickly (the friendship developing between the four) and other things took a while.

Once I got to the second half, it was a much easier and more enjoyable read. I'm interested in following the rest of the story. I'm especially interested in why Maurice doesn't trust Mr. Scratch.

I had expected this book to be a bit more Mean Girls/Heather's than it is, and I'm glad. I like that the girls don't tear others down just for the heck of it. ( )

3.5 rounded up to 4 because there's only one token straight girl in the book and that's the energy I'm looking for.

A fun, dumb, gay version of The Craft, with messy teen girls discovering their witch powers and generally being teenagers.

One quibble is that the entire book takes place over a single week, so there is a lot that feels quite rushed in a lot of ways. ( )

Oooh, this was very much fun.

It took me a minute to get into the flow of the novel, because the writing felt very raw, like it was just on the edge of running wild. Once I sunk in, however, it was clear that this style was exactly right for this story. I don't think I will ever stop loving a good friendship narrative, and this one was fantastic. I can't wait to read the second in the series. ( )