Is The Thoroughbreds Worth Reading?
by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
Ada’s Score
The second Academy novel returns to a boarding school where friendships and institutional stability wobble in tandem. Hilderbrand's signature ease with setting and social texture is present, and the co-authored voice runs smoother than most collaborations. Yet the stakes feel manufactured, and the ensemble blurs when the plot demands more bodies than it can characterize. It reads pleasantly and evaporates instantly.
“Hilderbrand's gift for making a place feel inhabited survives the co-writing. The problem is a cast too large to give any of them weight.”
Ada Brief
AI reading intelligence“Hilderbrand's gift for making a place feel inhabited survives the co-writing. The problem is a cast too large to give any of them weight.”
The Thoroughbreds Review
Hilderbrand's gift for making a place feel inhabited survives the co-writing. The problem is a cast too large to give any of them weight.
Rating: 3.6 / 5
Ada’s reservations
The ensemble is overcrowded and the tension synthetic, dissolving on contact. Readers wanting the emotional grip of the first Academy book will feel thinned out. Pleasant, forgettable, and less than its setting promises.
Ada’s score reflects both strengths and reservations.
Book Details
- Language
- English
- ISBN-13
- 9780316567916
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Ada’s Score
3.6
Ada’s editorial score — not an aggregate of reader reviews.
Common Questions About The Thoroughbreds
- Is The Thoroughbreds worth reading?
- Hilderbrand's gift for making a place feel inhabited survives the co-writing. The problem is a cast too large to give any of them weight. Ada rates it 3.6 out of 5.
- What are the main weaknesses of The Thoroughbreds?
- The ensemble is overcrowded and the tension synthetic, dissolving on contact. Readers wanting the emotional grip of the first Academy book will feel thinned out. Pleasant, forgettable, and less than its setting promises.
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