Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee is a standalone young adult fiction/fantasy novel.
Felicity Morrow has returned to Dalloway School and Godwin House after a leave of absence, brought on by the death of her best friend and secret girlfriend. And after a year of "healing," she is back to get her diploma and move on with her life. But that's easier said than done.
Though plagued by guilt and drawn to the power of witchcraft, Felicity is determined to put the past behind her. But when Ellis Haley, a famous young writer, comes to stay at Godwin House, Felicity can't help but be drawn back into the mystery and dark magic that is the Dalloway Five.
Will Felicity be able to fight the pull she feels toward the darkness and the brilliantly eccentric, Ellis, or will history repeat itself... again.
Guys, with the holidays and Covid, it's been a while since I posted and even longer since I've read this book and yet, I still have no idea what really happened by the end. A large part of me, thinks that Felicity made a bunch of things up in her head, but then how does that explain the ending with Ellis? It's all a little boggled in my mind right now.
That being said, A Lesson in Vengeance wasn't a bad read. I found myself wanting to get to the bottom of things and was a little disappointed when I felt like I didn't. The book has this dark vibe, which I did love and I also enjoyed the lack of overtly male character in the book... at least not one that sticks out. This was an interesting point to reflect on.
Felicity's decent into "madness" was probably the best part of this book. Seeing her spiral and teeter-totter on the edge of losing it, was a fun ride. But that was pretty much the only highlight for me. It didn't really work as a thriller, nor did it work as fantasy and though it had elements of a mystery, I just couldn't get totally behind it.
While not a bad read, this one gets a low 3 stars from me.
That's all for now!
-M-