Locus Amoenus: All By My Shelf

Okay, I'm definitely on board with this story, because I really want to know what's really going on, and the book has fairly good pacing so far. At the same time, it feels like the author is sitting across from me, winking furiously to let me know she's got something up her sleeve, and is dying to let me know but just can't yet. :D

My one big complaint so far is that I'm not really into the utter naiveté of our heroine; it's just not a trait I like in characters. She's led a very sheltered life (and I'm sure I'll learn more about that eventually), and is constantly asking herself whether it's normal for her new "friends" to behave in certain ways. She's a prime candidate for gaslighting, and the first-person POV just reinforces this sense of isolation. On one level, it works at creating tension (because we know there's something off about the boys); but it's not the kind of personality I enjoy reading about.

But onwards, brave reader!