Week Nineteen - May 7th - May 13th
Title: The Book of Miranda
Author: SmokeAndOranges
Genre: Horror
Number of Chapters: 11 (As of reading)
Completed? No
Link (Added as an in-line comment):
Blurb:
Desdemona ''Des'' Winchester wants nothing to do with Melliford Academy. In fact, she's pretty sure her parents shipped her off to boarding school just to get her out of their hair. It's a move they'll come to regret if she has any say in the matter. Nothing humiliates posh folk like having a daughter sent home from the country's most esteemed educational institution.
Just flunking class isn't dramatic enough, though. Des plans to get booted in the most spectacular manner possible, just to make sure her parents' social circle will never let them live it down. Her scheming, unfortunately, encounters three roadblocks within the first week of class.
The first: Exie Quinnell, teacher's pet, whip-smart, and unreasonably attractive. Neither girl intended to end up on a project together, but their teacher deemed Des in need of a little... remediation.
The second: There are things about Melliford Academy that none of the teachers will talk about, even when pressed. Things that should be easy answers.
The third: The first student found dead with a folded paper bird perched on their chest.
Goose's Thoughts:
It's another week, and is it just me, or are things starting to get a little spooky up in here?
As someone who has read several of August's work in the past, I was very excited to dive into this one and the spooky goings on at Melliford Academy. Right off the bat, things are a little unnerving about this school and it was fun to follow Des as she tries to figure out what it is. There is always something sinister hanging in the background which allows the creepy atmosphere to build really easily.
Des makes for an interesting main character to follow throughout the story. She offers funny, snarky commentary to an otherwise strange and unnerving situation. There's a chaos about her and her willingness to cause as much chaos as possible only makes her a more interesting character. We get a sense of who she is right off the bat and she doesn't shy away from speaking her mind or breaking a few windows.
Our main character makes for a stark contrast to Exie who, on the surface seems worlds away from Des, but is a lot similar than either of them notice. The two characters juxtapose each other really well and I'm excited to see the two of them working together to uncover more of the schools mystery.
The story moves really smoothly as little details about the school are revealed to us alongside Des' discovery of them. August's descriptions of even the smallest of details help with this and I just love how this story is written. There's a natural flow to each word chosen and it paints some beautiful, yet hauntingly creepy imagery along the way.
One thing I have always loved, and will continue to love, about August's work is just how easily the representation is placed into the story. The casual representation really adds to the story in such a subtle way and I just love it.
If you're looking for a spooky read, I would definitely recommend this one. I've read a lot of August's work in the past and he doesn't disappoint, neither does this story. This story will definitely leave you on the edge of your seat, desperate for more.
Thank you for writing such an amazing story, August!
-Goose
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Goose Reads 2023! (Closed)
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