secret society – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

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 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Luminaries

Author: Susan Dennard

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 10/31/22

Publisher: Tor Teen

Categories: Secret Society, Fantasy, Contemporary, Mystery

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

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

Hemlock Falls isn’t like other towns. You won’t find it on a map, your phone won’t work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you.

Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie’s town—and the rest of humanity—from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night.

Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal—and restore her family’s good name. Or die trying.

But in order to survive, Winnie enlists the help of the one person who can help her train: Jay Friday, resident bad boy and Winnie’s ex-best friend. While Jay might be the most promising new hunter in Hemlock Falls, he also seems to know more about the nightmares of the forest than he should. Together, he and Winnie will discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for.

Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark.

Content Warning: violence, bullying

I’ve only read two books from Susan Dennards Witchland series and I didn’t stop because it wasn’t good. I just think I forgot about the series because there were just so many other books I was reading at the time. So I was curious about the blurb from this book, The Luminaries – a forest that could kill you? Sounds perfect for fall reading and I was right! This is what I liked and didn’t like about the book:

+ I love all the tropes in this story: a mysterious, dark forest that filled with monsters or nightmares as they are called, a girl trying to redeem the scandalized family name, a girl lacking in skills who wears ill fitting glasses but filled with passion and drive, a boy who was a best-friend and first crush who shunned her and is now training her, a secret…I loved the intensity and the action that moved that story.

+ The world-building is fascinating and creative. There is a secret society called The Luminaries and they are monster hunters. Monsters are called Nightmares in this story though and basically they are the stuff of nightmares like werewolves, vampira, melusine, kelpies, banshees – every monster of myth and legend but there is something new in the forest. The Luminaries go into the forest each night and kill Nightmares. Winnie interestingly enough is assigned to clean-up duty, she picks up what’s left in the forest when it’s morning and the mist is gone. The hunter clans are interesting and their last names correspond with a day of the week (Monday, Tuesday…etc…) they all have their own niche and expertise.

+ Winnie Wednesday is that kind of heroine that you can easily cheer on. Her appearance sounds mousy because she’s not wealthy, she wears glasses that need to be updated, she never sounds put-together and yet she is brave and a natural hunter instinct even with a lack of training. She is determined to get back into the Luminaries good graces and don’t underestimate this girl, she can kick butt when she needs to! There is a lot of growth in character and I look forward to seeing what happens to her in book two.

+ The friends to enemies to lovers trope is teasing us in this book. I want more of Winnie and Jay. I love their interactions and the spark between them, the intense emotions that’s going on under the surface. I’m invested!

+ There are a lot of interesting characters in this book, like Mario the lab guy and Erica, Winne’s ex best friend. There is so much more to uncover in this world, that I’m looking forward to the next book.

~ This is just the beginning of the world building and it sounds like there is so much more to learn about The Luminaries and the different families. I did have some questions about the forest and how it works all over the world with different Luminaries – there is mention of international Luminaries. We need more information about the Dianas who are witches and Luminaries enemy.

~ It ends with a cliffhanger where many things are revealed but nothing resolved…but makes me want book two ASAP. It’s definitely not a bad thing, I just need more info!

Tropes: secret society, girl trying to redeem her family reputation, friends to enemies to lovers, monsters in the forest, a trial,

Spice Level: (there is no kiss, there is no romance…but there is intensity!)

Why you should read it:

world building, story with scandal, redemption, secret society, monsters and a girl who has a desire to belong again
budding romance between Winnie and Jay
diverse characters, lots of action, mystery

Why you might not want to read it:

I feel like the world-building for this series is going to be huge, but we are only getting the tip of the iceberg for now. So much more to learn about the Luminaries, the Dianas, what happened to Winnie’s dad and Erica’s sister, what is up with the daywalker, what is the Whisperer… so with that said…you may want to wait until more books are out to binge it?

My Thoughts:

This story is fun and exactly what I was kind of looking for in a contemporary with fantasy elements. I love the scary forest and the mist and monsters that come in the night. There was lots of action because Winnie is taking part in trials to become a hunter and that was fun because we get to see her fight or try to monsters. Winnie is a heroine I can root for as she tries to redeem the family name, but there is more to the story – a mystery about her father and some other characters in the book. I love the intense interactions between Winnie and Jay and I just want to learn more about this world about Luminaries! The only issue I had was that I wanted more information about everything and now I have to wait for book two. This is a great start to what seems like an exciting new series.