Can Ivy solve the mystery before Miss Fox suspects? Or before an even greater danger presents itself? its a big fat book. Three stories about three couples enmeshed in one, because these characters are crazy about each other, make each other crazy and end up falling crazily in love. The first in a mesmerising boarding-school mystery series, with five more brilliant books to discover. There's nothing really great about it though. It seems to attempt in it's moral to promote acceptance of difference. That's a fine moral.

But as the gates of the mansion opened, I wanted to explore every corner, nook & cranny of this intriguing house haunted with terrible memories. The house is crawling with Poison Ivy, literally and metaphorically. When troublesome Scarlet mysteriously disappears from Rookwood School, terrifying Miss Fox invites her quiet twin sister Ivy to ‘take her place’. But the day Cassia bumped into Edwin Clarence who was perfection personified and drop dead gorgeous her life went upside down. she found herself wildly drawn towards him and consumed by him. The more she tried to free herself from all of it , distance herself from everything the more she found herself getting pulled into the lies and secrets of all these strangers. I'm not sure what i was expecting but I loved this book. Told in 3rd POV, we get to see the story of 3 couples in one book. The focus is on the girls aka Cassia, Ivy and Elora and the chapters alternate between each (first Cassia, then Elora and the Ivy).Then a three-legged griffin crash lands in their garden, asking for help, and a dragon appears the next day, also requesting help. Both have been driven out of the villages they reside in or near because the residents wanted to clean up the towns in advance of the new Queen’s visit. Willa has handled the trope of Bully Romance in a very refreshing way. Enough to keep me intrigued and invested, who stays miles away from this trope. Ivy lives in the tidiest town in the kingdom. Unfortunately, her grandmother’s house is, according to the villagers, an untidy eyesore. Worse, with the new queen hosting a competition for the kingdom’s best town, the villagers are placing more and more pressure on Ivy’s grandma to shape up… or get out. The competition is causing problems for more than just Ivy though. First a griffin and then a dragon show up, chased from their homes for being troublesome and untidy. Finding shelter at Ivy’s brings new excitement to the homestead, but also draws more hate from the townspeople. As the competition and the visit from the new queen draw closer, Ivy and her grandmother must decide how far they are willing to go to protect their new friends, and what they will do as irritation and contempt turns ugly. But a not-unexpected twist changes everyone’s perspective in this lighthearted, magical tale. A crazy ride into the world of young adults struggling to balance their academics, life, peers, bullies and all sorts of secrets they're hiding. Ivy is the puppet master. She knows everyone's secrets. She loves to be in control and have everyone playing the roles she set for them. Something in the past changed her making her mean and nasty. But then Tate (Zain's friend) comes around and if there is something he demands is control. He won't set for less but have Ivy wanting and obsessing over him like he's with her. He pushed her buttons, he didn't fall for her knife like tongue or her games. He wanted her, the real her and not the brat she was comfortable being. And it was good to see Ivy let go of her facade and growing up.

It does a brilliant job at making the characters very real and human who are just doing their best to survive and navigate complicated relationships . I’m glad I went in blind. You get three story lines (and three love stories) all in one book! But everything is intertwined! I loved the book, couldn't stop reading it and would've loved some more of it. Another spectacular Ivy Leaf in Willa's crown Ivy and her grandmother are healers and treat a variety of wild creatures. They live on the outskirts of the tidy village Broomsweep. One day, the mayor’s wife Mistress Peevish (pretty on the nose, huh?) comes over to find her escape artist dog. Peevish notifies them that the new Queen is touring all the villages, and will designate one village as the best. Mistress Peevish demands Grandmother and Ivy to clean up their garden, clean their house, and get rid of all the creatures they are treating for colds and injuries. This was such a treat! It’s angsty and twisty and follows three heroines/roommates who live at Clarence Manor.Cassia Collins is the latest victim who seems to have wandered in this poisonous den to be devoured by Ivy. Elora Eldorado just sits on the sidelines, munching popcorn and watches the drama unfold every time.

Cassia is running from the past and lands in a luxury manor as roommate of Ivy and Elora. Unlike the other two, she's poor and focused on finishing college and moving on. She meets Edwin Clarence (Ivy's twin brother) and their connection is instantaneous. Edwin is so cute and sweet, and while he has the tough demanding side too, he took his relationship with Cassia really slow, first becoming her friend and showing she could trust him. He gave her time and space and was always very respectful.

Safe h’s not virgins; it’s not apparent if H’s are manwhores; for the die hard safety crew, there is a time or two that some of the H’s are with ow although not sexually - on their lap or on a date, etc.; one of the h’s is with om after meeting H but it’s been a few weeks since meeting; ow drama