It's...interesting. I'll probably review it at some point because it's not quite what I expected. It's also difficult to talk about without spoiling anything.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Greg!

I find that dark academia can go weird places, so I don't know whether to chance it or not!

Ha! For real. I'm sure there are weirder and darker books than this one. One odd thing about it is that it's pretty much a PG read until about 3/4 of the way through. Then, the Big Reveal (which isn't all that surprising) happens and suddenly, there are a couple of brief but graphic scenes (one of which made me feel physically sick) that turn the book into an R. It was a strange swerve for me and that abruptness really soured the book for me. I'm a bit of a prude, so I don't know that these bits would bother anyone else, but they did me. So...I don't know what to tell you. If you do read it, definitely let me know what you think!

"Disturbing" should probably be on my list of adjectives I overuse in my reviews, but I'm not sure how else to describe this book! "Unsettling" would also work. It's interesting that one word is enough to pique your interest :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Tanya!

I was surprised by how fast the line for I MUST BETRAY YOU moved. The library must have bought lots of copies. It's a really impactful read—not surprising with Sepetys! I hope you enjoy it when you get to read it.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Kami!

Everyone seems to like the one-word reviews, so submitting it is a good idea. I've never submitted a TTT idea before. How exciting!

"Disturbing" is an intriguing adjective. I get why you find it enticing :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Deanna!

I'm glad you do enjoy the longer ones. A few years ago, a relative told me she didn't read my reviews because I gave too much of the story away. Ever since then, I've been really trying to write succinct summaries that are enticing but not too revealing. It's tough sometimes!

Thanks for popping in, Mia!

Alright, I'm going to do it! Someone said the same thing when I posted my list of real people I wanted to read more about. I'll go ahead and submit both those ideas. Thanks for the encouragement :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Leslie!

It turned out to be a fun spin and easier than I thought it would be. I can write short and sweet reviews. Who knew??

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Leah!

Ha ha. Yes, there are! I love Sepetys. I've read all of her books and each one has been eye-opening and moving. My favorite, I think is SALT TO THE SEA. I hope you enjoy the ones you read.

Thanks for stopping in, Z!

Right? Chien never fails to make me smile :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Nicole!

I've enjoyed all three books in her Windy City saga, but this third one was my favorite. It's centered on a tragedy I'd never heard of, so I found it illuminating in lots of ways. I hope you enjoy her books when you read them!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cindy!

Oh, good! It's REALLY hard to describe a book well with only one word. On the other hand, I think you're right - sometimes one good word is all you need.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Jenni!

Ha ha. Go right ahead! A few commenters above you have suggested I submit it as a TTT topic for everyone to do, so I'm going to do that. It would be fun to read everyone's one-word reviews.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Anne!

My reviews are usually full of long strings of adjectives in an attempt to really capture a book's essence. As I've learned when creating this list, sometimes one really good one is all you need!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!

Oh, good, because I did it twice! LOL.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!

"Powerful" is the first word that came to mind for I MUST BETRAY YOU and I guess it really does convey the essence of the book. I could have also chosen "eye-opening," "riveting," "impactful," and a bunch of others. It's just a great book! Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about it :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Carol!

It's really hard for me to be brief, so I don't know if I could do a sentence or less! Sometimes that really is all you need, though. You need to check out this blog, if you haven't before: https://outofthebestbooks.blogspot.com/ She never writes more than a few sentences for her reviews.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Suey!

Thank you! I had fun with this spin on the topic.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Suzanne!

I'm glad German backs me up! LOL. I actually tend to use a lot of hyphenated words in my reviews: thought-provoking, eye-opening, gut-wrenching, etc.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commneting, Marianne!

Well, at least German is good for something. LOL

Nice! I hope you enjoy them all :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Carla!

Bummer! At least it's a book that's worth the wait - not all of them are, ha ha.

Thanks for popping in!

Sepetys' books are always buy-worthy, in my opinion, just because they're so well done. Since we're moving soon, I'm trying not to buy anything unnecessary, so I've been using the library as much as I can. Luckily, the library line moved really fast on this one!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Jen!

It was easier than I thought it would be but still not easy! I feel like I still have a lot to say about these books, so I'll review them properly at some point. This was a fun change, though.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Deb!

In most of these cases, one word isn't enough to really capture the book's essence. I'll review them all properly eventually.

Thanks for stopping in, Emma!

TIPS FOR MAGICIANS is a fast, sweet read. SCRIBBLES is just sad. Alcott's life was unstable and grim in so many ways. I'd never really read much about her before and I was saddened by how bleak it was.

Thanks for popping by, Nyx!

It's a good one. Very atmospheric and thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Helen!

Phew! I love hypenated words and actually use them ALL the time in my reviews.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Katherine!

True. In some ways, writing a one word review is harder than writing a lengthy, in-depth one. I feel like one word just doesn't do a book justice, but I guess if it's the right word...it does!

Thanks for popping in, Dedra!

Oh, good, I'm glad you're going to read ENDURANCE. It's super interesting. I was amazed at all that those men went through. So crazy.

Thanks for popping in!