Lovely Dark and Deep by. Elisa A. Bonnin | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lovely Dark and Deep

Author: Elisa A. Bonnin

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 3/25/25

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Categories: Dark Academia, Magic, LGBT+, Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary Fantasy, Horror

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From author Elisa A. Bonnin comes Lovely Dark and Deep, a YA dark academia novel exploring magic, loneliness, and the power of found family.

Hidden off the coast of Washington, veiled in mist, there is an island that does not appear on any map. And on that island is Ellery West.

Ellery West has always been home for Faith. After an international move and a childhood spent adjusting to a new culture and a new language, the acclaimed school for magic feels like the only place she can be herself. That is, until Faith and another student walk into the forest, and only Faith walks out.

Marked with the red stripe across her uniform that designates all students deemed too dangerous to attend regular classes, Faith becomes a social pariah, an exile of Ellery West. But all she has to do is keep her head down for one more year to graduate, and she gets to keep her magic. Because when students fail out of Ellery West, they have their magic taken away. Forever. And Faith can’t let that happen.

Except terrifying things are still happening to students, and the dark magic that was unleashed in the forest still seems to be at work. To stop it, Faith and the other Red Stripes will have to work together, risking expulsion from the magical world altogether.

Content Warning: some horror

+ Ellery West is a boarding school for magic users and Faith has been there awhile, but something happened and she gets blamed for the death of her friend, Sydney. Now she’s back but she’s an outcast and lives with the other outcasts. They call themselves the Red Stripes and I did enjoy the found family that they created.

+ Faith is Filipino which is awesome (representation) and she’s going through some things with school and not wanting to disappoint her family again. She’s haunted by what happened in the forest that time she and Sydney went in but is someone now trying to send her a message? She’s having nightmares, and thinks someone is watching her. I love the diverse characters of the Red Stripes and how they welcome Faith as one of their own. They help her try to figure what is going on and has her back.

+ The setting of the school Ellery West is perfect for dark academia. There is a forest at the school where something is not right. The magic system is cool – students have magical powers with different affinities.

~ There are flashbacks in this story that didn’t always work for me. I kind of wish we got a book before this one that explored this friendship that Faith had with Sydney and what happened in the woods.

~ I wanted it darker. But that’s just my preference – I actually think young adult and teens are the perfect audience for this book.

Final Thoughts:

This story has magic, some light horror, mystery, diversity and a found family. For me I wanted it to be a bit darker and it might have been a bit too young for me but I think fans of YA Dark Academia will enjoy this one a lot. It is definitely more for teens and younger young adults.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Unhallowed Halls by. Lili Wilkinson | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Unhallowed Halls

Author: Lili Wilkinson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 2/18/25

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Dark Academia, Young Adult, Gothic, Urban Fantasy, Romance, LGBT+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Delacorte Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A teen girl travels to an exclusive boarding school located deep within the Scottish moorlands after a deadly incident at her old school, but the wood-paneled halls of Agathion are built over centuries of secrets—including an ancient society which may have ties to demonic magic—in this dark academia fantasy perfect for fans of Curious Tides.

Page Whittaker has always been an outcast. And after the deadly incident that destroyed her single friendship at her old school, she needs a fresh start. Which is why when she receives a scholarship offer from Agathion College, an elite boarding school folded deep within the moors of Scotland, she doesn’t even consider turning it down.

Agathion is everything Page has ever wanted: a safe haven full of dusty books, steaming cups of tea and rigorous intellectual debate. And for the first time in her life, Page has even managed to become part of a close group of friends. Cyrus, Ren, Gideon, Lacey and Oak help her feel at home in Agathion’s halls–the only problem is, they’re all keeping secrets from her.

Page doesn’t know it yet, but her perfect new school has dark roots–roots that stretch back to its crooked foundation, and an ancient clandestine society with rumored ties to demonic magic. Soon, Page will be forced to learn that not everyone at Agathion is who they say they are. Least of all, her friends.

Agathion claims to teach its students history…but some histories should stay buried.

Content Warning: self-harm, violence, demon possession

This book definitely got the gothic, dark academia part down with it being set in Scotland. The setting is perfect for a boarding school filled with misfits. It’s dark, gloomy, always raining and cold, and surrounded by moors.

As for the story – something mysterious is happening at Agathion and it’s not only all the Greek philosophy being studied at the school. Something dark and sinister. That also was done very well in the book I feel, the whole atmosphere of impending doom.

Page is trying to find where she fits in at Agathion and she thought she finally found her place until she figures out what is happening at the school. Who can she really trust? Even with her new found friends, I didn’t feel like she could trust anyone until the very end. As a character, I didn’t really connect to her but I thought she had a lot of growth as the story went on. There is a little romance which I found to be kind of sweet.

I did like the chaos of everything happening in the book, there are a few twists and turns but I think there were times where too much was happening and at times it got confusing. It may just be a pacing issue for me and it being just a tad bit too long.

Final Thoughts:

I thought overall this was an entertaining read. It did take me a few days to read because of the pacing issues but I did push through even when things got confusing because a lot was going on. It’s got all the gothic vibes, a little romance, a little magic, some fantasy, and some demon possession. If you like dark academia, demons and Scottish mores, you might enjoy this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

A Hunger of Thorns by. Lili Wilkinson | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stranger Skies by. Pascale Lacelle | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Stranger Skies (Drowned Gods, #2)

Author: Pascale Lacelle

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 608

Publication Date: 11/5/24

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Categories: Young Adult, Series, Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, LGBT+, Dark Academia

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ninth House meets The Hazel Wood in this riveting sequel to the New York Times bestselling dark academia fantasy Curious Tides, following Emory, Baz, Romie, and Kai on their desperate quests through space and time!

Opening locked doors has a price—even for those who hold a key. After going through the door that called to them both in dreams, Emory and Romie find themselves in the the same verdant world written of in Song of the Drowned Gods, albeit a twisted, rotting version of it. A sinister force has awoken with their arrival, intent on destruction as it spills across realms, and now Emory and Romie must stop it before it reaches their own shores.

Meanwhile, Baz and Kai are desperate to follow their friends through the door to other worlds, but a mishap pulls them back in time instead—where they come face to face with Cornus Clover himself, famed author of Song of the Drowned Gods. Stuck together in the past, they must navigate a very different Aldryn as they unravel the school’s darkest secrets. Across time and worlds, Emory, Romie, Baz, and Kai find their fates eerily interwoven with the heroes from Clover’s book. But when stories can’t be trusted, friendships are put to the test, and deadly enemies are not always as they seem, they must decide who gets to be a hero—and who is desperate enough to see themselves become a villain.

Content Warning: violence

I enjoyed Curious Tides, which is the first book in this series so I was very curious to see where this story went. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ I like the dual stories going with Romie and Emory in one place and Kai and Baz in another. I think it worked well seeing both worlds happening at the same time. I thought the world building was really good and expanded.

+ There was a little romance stirring in this book between two people that was hinted in book one. I love to see it, but it definitely comes at the end of the book and we’ll see what happens in book three. It’s definitely a slow burn. On the other hand where Emory had all the romance in book one, her relationship with Romie is what needs to be fixed and I liked to see their friendship journey.

+ There is magic, lots of action and so much going on in both worlds. Baz as a Timespinner even gets to go into the past with Kai to the point where I’d say things really changed for these magic wielders. I thought that part was very interesting and realized how large this world building is.

Dislikes:

~ I found this one a little too long and the pacing was off and there were parts that dragged. I do think it’s long because there was so much happening with the story, and lots more characters being introduced. But I did take a few weeks to finish this one.

Final Thoughts:

I did like how this world opens up in this book. There is so much going on and different worlds to explore. There is also a lot more characters introduced but at times I felt it dragged and was a bit too long for me. I think people who love fantasy though will love this one.

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read By This Author:

Curious Tides by. Pascale Lacelle | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Curious Tides by. Pascale Lacelle | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Curious Tides (Drowned Gods, #1)

Author: Pascale Lacelle

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 544

Publication Date: 10/3/23

Categories: Academia, Romance, LGBT+, Witches, Series, Fantasy, Young Adult

Ninth House meets A Deadly Education in this gorgeous dark academia fantasy following a teen mage who must unravel the truth behind the secret society that may have been involved in her classmates’ deaths.

Emory might be a student at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, but her healing abilities have always been mediocre at best—until a treacherous night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of her classmates dead and her as the only survivor. Now Emory is plagued by strange, impossible powers that no healer should possess.

Powers that would ruin her life if the wrong person were to discover them.

To gain control of these new abilities, Emory enlists the help of the school’s most reclusive student, Baz—a boy already well-versed in the deadly nature of darker magic, whose sister happened to be one of the drowned students and Emory’s best friend. Determined to find the truth behind the drownings and the cult-like secret society she’s convinced her classmates were involved in, Emory is faced with even more questions when the supposedly drowned students start washing ashore— alive —only for them each immediately to die horrible, magical deaths.

And Emory is not the only one seeking answers. When her new magic captures the society’s attention, she finds herself drawn into their world of privilege and power, all while wondering if the truth she’s searching for might lead her right back to Dovermere…to face the fate she was never meant to escape.

Content Warning: grief, violence

This one has a slow start but I didn’t give up on and I’m glad I didn’t.

I love the world-building where magic is based on when a person is born and under what moon. It had the dark, gloomy academia vibes which was nice. I love the secret societies intrigue. We have two POVs from Emory and Baz. Emory survived a ritual that killed a bunch of her classmates, but she wasn’t even supposed to be there. Baz is the older brother of her best friend, Romie, who was lost in the ritual. They are both back at Aldryn College – a college for magic users, but this time Emory has new powers and she and Baz are trying to figure what went wrong during the ritual that went bad and they uncover so many things about magic, lies they were told, and secrets about other worlds.

My favorite characters so far are Baz, Kai, and Vera. Emory, I didn’t love because she kept making mistakes and trusting the wrong people. I didn’t see her as a good person, especially with how she treated Baz! She leads him on for her benefit and he deserves better. I hope there is growth for her in book two – there was some at the end of this one, but she really needs to do much more to win me over.

The beginning was too slow and repetitive at times but it picks up at the halfway mark and from then on it gets good mostly because of Kai, who I love but it just moves faster and has more action. There is a love triangle which infuriated me because I could tell from the start that Keiran wasn’t trustworthy but Emory had to learn the hard way I suppose, because she is so stubborn.

My Final Thoughts:

I definitely wanted to read this one because of the beautiful cover and I love the whole moon magic concept. It’s also an academia book and I was in the mood for it. I didn’t love Emory, the love triangle, or the slow beginning and the repetitiveness of some things that could have probably been cut to shorten this 544 page book. But once it picks up in the middle, I really couldn’t put it down! I love Baz, Kai, and Vera. I love the world building and magic system. I do hope there is growth for Emory in book two because I do not think she deserves Baz at all. I am looking forward to reading book two because of how this one ended. I’m curious to see these other worlds that have been hinted at!

Quotes From the Book

“The dead move on and so must we.”
Curious Tides by. Pascale Lacelle

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All That Consumes Us by. Erica Waters | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: All That Consumes Us

Author: Erica Waters

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 10/17/23

Publisher: HarperTeen

Categories: Young Adult, Horror, Suspense, Mystery, Secret Society, Dark Academia, LGBT+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to HarperTeen for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Everyone knows the students in Corbin College’s elite academic society, Magni Viri, have it all—free tuition, inspirational professors, and dream jobs once they graduate. So when Tara is offered a chance to enroll, she takes it.

But once she’s settled into the gorgeous Victorian dormitory the academy calls home, something strange starts to happen. She finally has the chance to write, but her stories are dark and twisted. When she’s not sleepwalking, she’s dreaming about being trapped in a coffin, buried alive. And she’s starting to feel an unseen presence stalking her through the halls of her dorm.

As Tara slowly loses her grip on everything she’s ever known, she discovers a terrible secret at the heart of Magni Viri, one that just might turn her dreams into nightmares, one that might destroy her before she has a chance to escape.

All That Consumes Us will pull readers into a hypnotizing, utterly lush and gothic reverie that blurs the lines of reality and shows that the addictive nature of ambition, and its inevitable price, always claim their due.

Content Warning: death, self-harm

I’ve read only one other book from this author called The River Has Teeth and I enjoyed it a lot. When I read the synopsis for this book it sounded so intriguing I had to request it.

I like that this book is set in college because I feel like there isn’t many young adult books set in college, but so many things happens to a young adult after high school. And we see it in this case with Tara who is trying her best to do good in her classes, hoping one day to be a novelist but she is a young woman who has to pay her own tuition and make things meet. Tara doesn’t have a wealthy family to help her pay for school so when she is invited to the secret society, Magni Viri, she feels this is her one chance to realize her big dreams.

The secret society gives the whole story its mystery. There is a backstory with the founding fathers of Magni Viri and we learn about it with Tara who is new to it all. The twist in the story is a good one and so unexpected. I found it creative and definitely gave all the dark academia vibes! Tara lives in a Victorian dormitory, there are woods around her and a graveyard. She also feels like she’s being haunted and obsessed with writing this novel – she feels like she’s becoming someone else which becomes really creepy.

I like the diverse cast of characters but I wish I felt like I could connect to them but I didn’t. I do like how each student had lofty ambitions and being part of Magni Viri was a chance to reach those goals – but at what cost? And was it all worth it to be so consumed by their passions that they would do anything to make their dreams come true.

Tropes: secret society

Why you should read it:

you want to read a modern gothic horror story
good twist in the story, dark academia vibes with ghosts, obsessions, strange things happening

Why you might not want to read it:

not into horror

My Thoughts:

I thought this one was fairly entertaining but maybe a little too slow for me in the beginning and I wish I could’ve connected to the characters. Once everything starts unraveling for Tara is when I got more engaged and I was trying to figure what was going on with these Magni Viri kids. I like that it’s a college setting and it has a diverse cast. I thought the twist in the story was good and I like how the characters question if everything they are doing to achieve their goals are worth it.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The River Has Teeth by. Erica Waters | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Atlas Six by. Olivie Blake | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Atlas Six

Author: Olivie Blake

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 383

Publication Date: 1/30/20

Publisher: Tor Books

Categories: Dark Academia, Mystery, Fantasy, LGBT+

The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few…

– Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds.
– Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself.
– Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched.
– Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe.
– Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they must spend one year together to qualify for initiation. During this time, they will be permitted access to the Society’s archives and judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. If they can prove themselves to be the best, they will survive. Most of them.

Content Warning: violence

I have finally read The Atlas Six even though it was sitting on my shelf for the past 3 months or so. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get to it before the sequel came out but I did! Yay! So I can see why this book had so much hype. Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ This story is told between six POV’s. We have:

Libby – she’s a physicist who loves science and is a bit awkward, has a hard time making friends.
Nick (Varona) – Libby’s rival and reluctant partner in crime. They hate one another are better together.
Reina – lots of natural power involving plants. She DGAF a lot of times.
Tristan – son of a witch crime lord, he feels he is never enough for anyone. Power to do with time.
Parisa – dangerous, gorgeous, a telepath.
Callum – another dangerous telepath who really DGAF.

Throughout the story I realized none of them are actually likable – all their flaws are on display and their hunger for power and knowledge (whatever The Society is offering) is pretty much their biggest flaw. The one who grew on me the most I think is Nick. Especially because he has this friend Gideon who maybe he feels something for? I’m not even sure…I was even thinking Nick and Libby would make a great enemies to lovers kind of storyline. But now I don’t know!

+ World building is fascinating. There is a secret society, with access to the Library of Alexandria, who is offering a place for 6 potential recruits. These recruits are the best of the best and have certain abilities the Society is looking for. Their task? To protect the Library and basically learn and study until they are initiated. Learning about their abilities is interesting. I don’t know that I understand a lot about the time traveling – it always takes me awhile for me to grasp things like that – but Libby and Nico’s powers are cool and very useful. Reina’s is cool because come on…plants! The telepaths of course are good but scary. But there is so much more to learn about this world.

+ During their time at the library, these people get more powerful and then they learn only 5 of them will be chosen. One person must die and they basically have to work it among themselves. This is where alliances are created and broken. There is a lot of distrust among them – even I didn’t really know who would be the best to kill off except Callum was on my list as person #1. Parisa being number 2…lol I just would hate having someone be in my head manipulating me! But the tension between all of them is good.

+ The ending was a good twist and makes me want to read book two as soon as it comes out.

~ Some parts of the book was slow and I think because there are six POV’s and I knew I was going to become more interested in certain ones over others and that’s what happened. At least each chapter is fairly short but for a time while they are at the library and just basically learning more about science and their skill…I was wondering what else was going to happen at the library because all they were doing was learning. But I was kinda there and reading it for the personal dramas 😅. Libby hates Nick, Libby wants friends, everyone hates Libby, Reina hates everyone but tolerates Nick, Callum thinks he’s better than everyone, Parisa knows she’s better than everyone, and Tristan just wants to be used.

~ There is a little bit of romance, but I can’t get a feel for what’s going to happen. Like is Libby and Nick a potential thing? I love that they are reluctant hateful besties in a way lol. What about Nick and Gideon though? I definitely want to see that develop! And then Libby and Tristan? I mean it could work…maybe? I don’t know. There were not really any romantics feelings being talked about except for Tristan and how he was feeling about Libby.

Tropes: chosen ones, rivals, alliances, dark academia, time travel, unlikable/morally gray characters, sentient library

Spice Level: 🌶 (one scene in particular but it is not graphic)

Why you should read it:

dark academia vibes – mysterious, so much learning, and characters who are kind of full of themselves (at least some of them are)
a group that needs to eliminate one person, flawed characters, a magical library, can’t trust anyone
entertaining and cool world building

Why you might not want to read it:

pacing was off, slow at times, especially getting to know 6 people and their motivations while trying to keep things mysterious
I felt like it was a contest to see who was the most loathsome character lol

My Thoughts:

I can see the hype about this book and I can also see why people didn’t like it. It definitely seems like the type of book that you either love or hate. I enjoyed it but maybe because I went in with lowered expectations and waited for the hype to die down. I found the six characters very flawed and yet fascinating. I was trying to figure out who I would kill off if I was in the group. Now as for their pursuit of knowledge – it’s slow and you really have to get to the end to find out why these people were chosen. I found the world building fascinating but I also want to know more so I’m definitely reading the second book when it comes out in two weeks.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Deadly Education by. Naomi Novik | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)

Author: Naomi Novik

Format: eBook (owned)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 9/29/20

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Categories: Series, Young Adult, Dark Academia, Romance

Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

Content Warning: Violence

This one did not work for me even though there were some parts I actually did like about the story.

I like how appropriate the title of this book is. It is a deadly education indeed! I like the tone – there are monsters everywhere, I don’t even see how these kids survive and not a lot do. El is the perfect main character for a place like this school – she is grumpy, sassy, rude, not someone you will like or relate to, definitely not a likable character but she’s smart and aware of her surroundings, she knows how to survive this school, I give her credit for that! Her relationship with Orion the hero of Scholomance is one of my favorite parts. They become reluctant friends, and eventually more than friends but that was the only time the story held onto my interest. I did think the world building is great, a school infested with monsters – sounds pretty crazy and they have to use their magic skills to stay alive and graduate.

What didn’t work for me is we are seriously in El’s head the whole time! This book is only 336 pages and took me 2 weeks or more to finish! 😳 It’s a lot of info dumping and rambling and I could not get through it fast enough. It would have been nice to have more dialogue with other characters. I skipped a lot of her rambling. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Why you should read it:

you are a fan of the author (this was my first book from her)
dark academia – these kids can’t leave the school unless they survive by killing monsters and then graduate!
El and Orion are such an unlikely pair, she’s the grump and he’s the nice guy

Why you might not want to read it:

you are in El’s head a lot, a lot of rambling

My Thoughts:

This did not work for me, I skipped a lot when all I was getting from the book was El’s thoughts. It might have been due to my mood as well because I did love the world building and concept. Also the action parts were great but the rest was just not working for me. I’m not sure if I will continue the series but I am curious to see what happens next.

📚 ~ Yolanda