Modern Divination isn’t at all what I imagined. And, while it took me a bit to get into, is actually even better. I had heard so much of the hype for this, but besides knowing dark academia I had no clue what it was about. Keep reading this book review of Modern Divination for my full thoughts.
Summary
Twenty-three-year-old witch Aurelia Schwartz has always had to carefully balance her human life with her secret magical one. With a place at an elite Cambridge university college, she almost has everything she could possibly want within her grasp. Just so long as she follows the rules: Make no promises. Tell no one what you are. And never stay the night.
Except Aurelia’s gift of green magic has begun to fade. Worse still, someone is hunting witches – and stealing their powers. Reluctantly, Aurelia needs the help of fellow witch – and dreadfully arrogant classmate – Theodore Ingram. Together, they seek refuge among his family in the remote corners of an already-desolate town. But as she grows closer to Theodore, the power-hungry witch-killer, too, draws nearer. And they threaten to destroy everything Aurelia holds dear . . .
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Modern Divination is driven by characters. While you’ll hear this on dark academia lists, while the vibe and the aesthetics might match, the actual core of the subgenre isn’t really here. Which isn’t a bad thing! If you like country homes, sweaters, and armchairs, that’s more where this is. Based on the synopsis, you might be expecting this high paced action about what is hunting them. But stop there. It’s important you re-evaluate because what Modern Divination really is, is a story about characters, found family, and love. It’s about being afraid of what it would be like to let someone in.
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And realizing that love is worth the fear of loss, the ways it tears into our heart, and the comfort at the end of the day. Aurelia and Theodore may have once been rivals, but now they find solace and kinship in the remoteness. There they realize all the misconceptions they had of each other. The success they thought was so easily won and the benchmarks they held each other up to. Modern Divination aches. It captivated me in fits and bursts and you get lost in the progression of their relationship. In the ways that Modern Divination explores what home is. And what it is to leave it.
Find Modern Divination on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.