J's Musings

What would you do if after the supposed death of your twin, you were called to ‘take their place’ at the odd and well reputed boarding school they went to. What if they have not died how they told you either; what if behind a big, ‘chest puffed’ school there lays dark business and secrets one must not unearth. And what if your dead sister helps you through it all?

If that sounded interesting to you at all, then I have a recommendation for you. Scarlet and Ivy is a spine-tingling series of cruelty, love and even murder.

Content warning: torture, cruelty, murder, death of family, asylum mentions, parental trauma and starvation/ abuse.

Personally, I would not recommend this for anyone under the age of 12. I did read this when I was 9, but keep in mind I was a very-rough- child. One hardly affected by violence. It is not for anyone with trauma and/ or zero tolerances towards violence.

The story goes on in an utterly captivating and chilling manner. When rowdy Scarlet dies from a certain illness; her twin is called to ‘take her place’ in more ways than one. Being identical, Ivy must pretend to be her sister. During her time there, she discovers some things one would rather hush up. Something worse than illness is at hand for Scarlet’s death; and she has it all written down for Ivy to discover. As she and her new friend read the pages left for her to find; Ivy discovers things about her sister, the school, it’s people and un imaginable secrets.

I can only tell you this much, for the rest is suspense. Although I might spare you a character introduction:

Scarlet: The dead sister, who went to the boarding school. A rowdy, street smart and rough child. The more popular twin, the smarter one [I guess because she passed the exams for Rookwood and Ivy didn’t?]

Ivy: The replacement twin, who only went to replace her twin. The over shadowed one. Kind, timid and soft; she was her sister’s opposite.

Miss Fox: The headmistress; who would cane a girl for eating too loud. Lot of superiority complex and unnecessary attitude. A bad temper, but good scheming skills.

These are some of the characters I would like you to know before hand, the others are a delight to figure out as you read.

This book was a 10/10 for me. I loved the vibe that is maintained throughout the series. The chills, thrill and dark academia lovers must read this. It may not have a lot of intellectual and emotional sensitivity in this book, but it gets better with each one. I absolutely couldn’t sleep after I read this, but if that is your favourite genre. This is the book for you.

Wishing you a good read…

Janhavi B.