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yoongivenn · 8 months

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In These Hallowed Halls - A Dark Academia Anthology

Ever since it was announced both by Titan Books and by some of the authors in it which I follow, I’ve wanted to read this Dark Academia anthology. I am currently writing my master thesis on DA as a literary genre, and so I’m always looking for new books to add to my ever growing list of DA titles. This anthology also features some authors that I love so I wanted to read their stories as well.Now…

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libertyreads · 7 months

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Book Review #116 of 2023--

In These Hallowed Halls edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane. Rating: 3.17 stars averaged.

Read from September 19th to 22nd.

We all knew as soon as we had an announcement for this one that I would be preordering it and reading it ASAP. I've discovered that I love Dark Academia when it's done well so buying this was a no brainer. This is an anthology of 12 Dark Academia stories from 12 well loved authors. The genres go from purely contemporary/dark academia to horror/dark academia to mystery/dark academia to sci-fi/dark academia. So we had plenty to read and hopefully discover some favorites from. My four favorite stories (I was going to list three but we had a couple with the same rating): 1. 1,000 Ships by Kate Weinberg--4.25 stars. 2. Pythia by Olivie Blake--4 stars. 3. Weekend at Bertie's by M.L. Rio--3.75 stars. 4. Phobos by Tori Bovalino--3.75 stars. I've noticed a trend for these favorite reads in the anthology: a darkness, a willingness to go there in the story. It felt like some of the authors in this anthology weren't really willing to make the Dark in Dark Academia stand out, but these four really dove deep which I enjoyed so much. I've only ever read from M.L. Rio before so I was surprised at how much I truly enjoyed the other stories. With Phobos, we get a dark side to Dark Academia that's derived from secret societies and the things we do to achieve. With Weekend at Bertie's, we see the worked to the absolute bone TAs and what they're willing to do to get ahead in both life and academia. Pythia by Olivie Blake was such a surprise for me. I was never planning on reading anything by this author purely based on the hype, but she actually wrote a pretty good story. We got some Sci-Fi/Tech Dark Academia which just really worked for me. But the highlight for me was the first story in the entire collection, 1,000 Ships by Kate Weinberg. I found the narration and the main character so compelling. We saw some truly dark and twisted aspects of academia and the way some use their power over others. But then we got a moment at the end that just turned everything on its head. I really enjoyed it.

My least favorite stories in the collection: 1. The Unknowable Pleasures by Susie Yang--2 stars. 2. The Hare and the Hound by Kelly Andrew--2 stars. 3. Sabbatical by James Tate Hill--2.5 stars. The main thing I found for these three stories that really got under my skin is how on the outside looking in they were. We follow characters who would be side characters in a traditionally written novel about Dark Academia. Their stories felt so bland and so outside the scope of what would be the actual story if this were a traditionally published novel. But that's not what I want in a novel. Especially a Dark Academia novel. I was to be right there in the depths of it with these characters and we just don't ever get there. The Unknowable Pleasures was also my least favorite because this girl is watching a Dark Academia/Student-Professor romance unfold right in front of her face and getting so emotionally tied to their romance. She has a relationship with a pretty patient boyfriend but at one point she's having sex with her boyfriend and imagining the other student and professor sexually. It was just odd. The Hare and the Hound at least had some Dark to the Dark Academia. I would have loved to get the other main character's perspective instead of the guy who revenge is foisted upon. It would have been such a good short story if it were told that way. But instead we watch as this boy has no clue what is happening and the Dark stuff really hits the reader on the final page of the story. Sabbatical is more of the same. Just following a character who barely exists as they watch Dark Academia things happen around them. There wasn't a ton of depth here, but it wasn't so bad that it was difficult to read.

Overall, I gave the anthology a 3.17 star rating averaged out across all of the stories. I found a few I really loved but a lot of them fell short for me. I think if you're a fan of the genre then you should definitely grab a copy. But if you just dip in and out of Dark Academia then maybe grab it from the library instead.

#new release #In These Hallowed Halls #Dark Academia #anthology #books read in 2023 #2023 reading challenge #goodreads challenge #goodreads #bookish #booklr #bookblr #bookstagram

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just-a-bookish-reader · 9 months

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In These Hallowed Halls - Full Review

disclaimer: I did not post the full review on my instagram, only the ending overview

⭐⭐⭐

1000 Ships by Kate Weinberg ⭐⭐⭐

While finely and well told, I don't believe that this story was the right choice for the first story post the foreword by the editors. Early on I had certain expectations for the story to come full circle in a specific way, and when it didn't, I was left extremely disappointed. Mind you, I didn't need a specific ending, there were a couple different ways that the story could have been brought full circle but I won't list those here as there would be no way to avoid spoilers.

There's also the fact that this short story - as stated in the author's note at the end - acts as a prequel to The Truants by the same author. There are ways that one can write a short story that takes place within the same story or even with the same characters as a series - or as this one is, a prequel, without relying on the reader to know anything about the main story, but this short story does not do that well enough. I felt as though I was missing something so when I came across the author's note it made sense, but sadly didn't clear anything up about the story itself.

Pythia by Olivie Blake ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Out of all twelve of these stories, Blake's ranked among my absolute favorites. With a unique and honestly terrifying take on our future - whether near or far off - in regards to artificial intelligence and super computers, I enjoyed the easy back and forth snippets of unconventional dialogue and the main character's own recollection of events revolving around the sudden death of a girl, one suspiciously close to the disappearance of another.

So many wonderful yet unnerving ideas filled the 30+ pages - from cults around technology, a type of magic that links both technology and magic together, making technology mimic humans. A few lines of binary, a few softly muttered spells would then complete such tasks. But the most horrifying element of Olivie Blake's story is the idea of being able to - in a way - resurrect a person's soul, and insert it into AI, much less more than one someone's soul. Blake's writing style oddly reminds me of Veronica Roth's in the Chosen Ones, which only made this more enjoyable to read. To wrap it all up, there was an unsettling undertone throughout and I felt uneasy the rest of the work day.

Sabbatical by James Tate Hill ⭐

Sadly, this story was incredibly boring (I kept stating so to my coworkers while reading even), that I found myself trying to hurry through the story and honestly I don't think I retained much of anything from my reading of this story.

The Hare and The Hound by Kelly Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was pleasantly surprised by the execution of this story, and how the writing kept my attention and hoping that the stories to come would be just as good if not even somehow better for the rest of the anthology. While most of my thoughts contain many spoilers and I try to not spoil ARCs, I will say that I was so happy that my own theories that I began to have quite quickly after Arlen was introduced weren't just revealed as correct, but merely implied, suggested that I had been right through my reading and analysis of the story.

I would love to see more to this story from Andrews in the future, maybe even in Arlen's point of view, and then picking up after the short story ended or even before. This story left me with so many questions and so many thoughts - and in the best way possible.

X House by JT Ellison ⭐⭐

This one was alright. I did find the idea of hazing so extreme that both a student and teacher ended up dead to be interesting though. I do wish that there had been more to this story than what almost felt like a "don't do drugs" PSA but for hazing.

The Ravages by Layne Fargo ⭐

So I genuinely remember nothing about this story.

Four Funerals by David Bell ⭐⭐

While the writing was fine, the topic didn't feel particularly dark academia. This is just something that can happen at any time, any school, for any reason, in any class. It happens frequently. If school shootings were more rare in the US then maybe I could consider the topic more dark academia. Otherwise it feels like it's just a dark real life topic. I also wasn't really a fan of the point of view it took, and there were too many things left unanswered and I really disliked our POV character.

The Unknowable Pleasures by Susie Yang ⭐⭐

The writing was actually really good here but the story felt pointless. It didn't even feel specifically dark academia - though I suppose a mystery and an academic setting is really all that's needed for something to be considered. I think the only thing that really made this an interesting story was the main character's mental health and I wish there was actually more discussion about that, instead of the story ending the way it did.

Weekend at Berties by ML Rio ⭐

This is so distantly related to academia - with the murdered person being related to the characters academically, this was boring and odd.

The Professor of Ontography by Helen Grant ⭐⭐⭐

Not really sure what to rate this one, as it did a particularly good job of scaring the living shit out of me and leaving me uneasy for the rest of the night - but in a different way than Pythia did. Though I'm not sure that is particularly a very strong compliment as I'm very easily scared and given nightmares, plus I still had Pythia's unease running through my veins at the time of reading. I will say the writing was excellent, but I also wish that the pacing had been different, not exactly faster or slower, just… different.

Phobos by Tori Bovalino ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of my other favorites in this anthology, I found Phobos to be excellently written and felt like a true dark academic story! I really liked the discussions of class and privilege had in this story as it related to the main character, and felt that they were only "quick" due to the nature of it being a short story and I would absolutely love to see a full length novel, or even just a novella diving into the whole story before and during and after.

I also really loved how she ended up committing her murder of a lower ranking student in the end, and god I could go on and on, and while I know most of these aren't linked to a bigger work I would just die for a full length novel or novella of this one, and I will repeat that until the day I die. (I also think this should have been swapped with Playing in order to close out the anthology)

Playing by Phoebe Wynne ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The plot twist of this one was great! And to be honest the plot twist is why I'm giving this story four stars. I really liked how the main character started to think about the funerals she played at, and even had moments that made it seem like she didn't know what she was doing (ha me trying super hard not to spoil), but in the end fully knew what she was doing, and someone else at the funerals seeming to catch on as well. A delightful story, though I feel like this should not have been the closer.

Overall

With an interesting premise, and many big name authors in the genre, In These Hallowed Halls promises much, but sadly doesn't deliver on about half of it. I found only about three stories that were five stars, with the majority of the stories being three or less, mostly less and less frequently three.

I really wish that they had been able to get the five star stories first, and then take them and go "we want the rest of the collection to match these vibes" even if it meant replacing some of the three and four star stories, because if I could get stories like Pythia, The Hare and The Hound, and Phobos for the entire anthology, I can sacrifice Playing and The Professor of Ontography. I will say that while this anthology was largely disappointing (I had extremely and possibly way too high of expectations for this collection) - I would love to see more anthologies in a similar vein.

Anthologies about other trends in literature right now, maybe light academia, cottagecore, fairycore, etc. Basically I would love lighter stories but I could also accept a second volume of dark academia inspired stories, if we got more authors.

While I loved that not a lot of these authors were well known, I would also love a second volume with other authors such as Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House), Mona Awad (Bunny), Dona Tartt (The Secret History, The Goldfinch), Antonia Angress (Sirens & Muses), even Daisy Alpert Florin (yes I did just write a review for her book My Last Innocent Year).

Generally, the concept and premise was spectacular, the execution - not as much, but also not as badly as it could have gone.

#book review #advanced reader copy #dark academia #a dark academia anthology #in these hallowed halls #olivie blake #kelly andrews #tori bovalino

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withsomejam · 5 months

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Books I've Bought Lately

Back in August & September, we were a bit all over the shop for all manner of occasions. Luckily, I still managed to fit in a few bookshops here and there which has resulted in quite a few new reads ready for the autumn days ahead. Before we get into all the great reads I bought, you may be wondering what happened to my book-buying ban this year. After losing both grandfathers earlier this year,…

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shakesqueers13 · 5 months

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Working introduction to a thesis I'm trying to write about women in Dark Academia—got the idea while watching Saltburn, the main idea is that the emerging genre conventions of Dark Academia are inherently misogynistic, and that women are sidelined to prioritize gay male relationships which are seen as superior because there are no women involved. Women are cast as annoying and suffer in the narrative to uplift men. I'm interested to hear people's thoughts about this.

Rough draft of intro:

How can the emerging sub-genre of Dark Academia Fiction (né, the Campus Novel) be unilaterally categorized? A surface level glance at the leading titles in the genre would return repeated motifs of ivy, picturesque college architecture, and a consumer base largely composed of queer college students. A 2023 anthology entitled, “In These Hallowed Halls” attempted to directly market to this fanbase, promising “A Dark Academia Anthology” but was largely rebuked, with a review by one Advanced Reader stating the collection was “Not a dark academia anthology,” but rather, “a collection of mysteries that each have some vague connection to college.” (Goodreads, Samantha, @ladybug.books). So what does qualify as Dark Academia? In reality, the conventions of the genre are incredibly clear—a white, male protagonist, usually coming from some sort of disadvantaged circumstances, comes to university to study an obscurely niche (usually archaic) topic, and falls in with a bad crowd; many years later, he recounts these unfortunate circumstances with an omnipresent tinge of melancholy and regret. Without fail, the protagonist is provided with another white, male companion who is so attractive, loyal, and desirable, readers soon begin to wonder when the two will kiss. Counterpart to this male companion is the ubiquitous, “Femme fatale,” described directly as such on page fourteen of M. L. Rio’s 2017 novel, “If We Were Villains.” This female character serves as a foil to the male counterpart, unfailingly getting in the way of his homoerotic relationship with his close friend—this girl is sexually deviant in some way, portrayed as utterly irresistible, often red haired, and by the end of the novel, she is either killed or cast aside into some unfortunate circumstance that the protagonist will try and fail to get her out of. These female characters, while archetypal, are nearly always written by female authors. The emergence of the “sexually-incontinent” —as described in Emerald Fennell’s 2023 film, Saltburn— female character in Dark Academia exists because the genre, while dominated by female authors and readers, cannot find a place for women in the true heart of academia. Instead, for female characters to exist within a male-dominated story, they must serve the role of an annoying distraction from the male protagonist’s true desire, another man, one who truly understands him and his academic pursuits.

#dark academia #academia #if we were villains #the secret history #the goldfinch #saltburn #dark academia aesthetic #donna tartt #m l rio #iwwv

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stardustandrockets · 8 months

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Do you consider September 1st the start of Spooky Season™ or do you want until October?

Personally, the season officially starts September 1st, but unofficially, it starts when stores start putting out decorations. I couldn't care less about summer, so here are some book recs that are perfect for Spooky Season™ (regardless of when it starts for you)!

This is by no means an exhaustive list or even exhaustive themes. I grouped things into broad categories and am happy to go into more detail if needed/wanted.

All books are listed below the photos.

Photo 1: Perfect Books for Spooky Season

Photo 2: Dark Academia: Vicious by V.E. Schwab, If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio, A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew, The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

Photo 3: Witches: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab, Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu, Crumbs by Danie Stirling

Photo 4: Horror: Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink, Gallant by V.E. Schwab, The Gathering Dark edited by Tori Bovalino, The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Photo 5: Middle Grade: City of Ghosts by V.E. Schwab, The Devouring Wolf by Natalie C. Parker, The Supernatural Society by Rex Ogle

Photo 6: Pre-orders: In these Hallowed Halls Anthology (out Sept. 12), A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (out Sept. 19), All that Consumes Us by Erica Waters (out Oct. 17)

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sophielovesbooks · 6 months

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I am doing sometimes super fun today. It's Sunday and I don't have any pressing responsibilities. So I've decided to do sort of a spontaneous readathon, something I have never done before!

For as long as I like, I'll stay in my little reading nook with coffee and snacks and read. 🥰📖☕️ Hopefully I'll finish In These Hallowed Halls, which is a dark academia anthology.

Would anybody like me to rate each story once I've finished the final one? 😊 (Because trust me, I've got opinions!)

#in these hallowed halls #dark academia #da #reading #readathon #books #booklr

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cosettepontmercys · 8 months

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hi friends!! i've gotten a few asks / messages about book recommendations for the new septembers readathon so i figured i'd list some here! i tried to do a range of genres & mix up YA/adult + tried to fit the autumny september vibes where i could! if anyone wants more specific recs, feel free to send me a message 🤍

a book about witches: the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna, the witch haven by sasha peyton smith, the nature of witches by rachel griffin

a murder mystery: tita rosie's kitchen mystery series by mia p. manansala, queen of the tiles by hanna alkaf, miss aldridge regrets by louise hare

a book that takes place at a private school/boarding school: every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire, if you could see the sun by ann liang, a lesson in vengeance by victoria lee

a creepy or horror book: house of hollow by krystal sutherland, the gathering dark: an anthology of folk horror, our wives under the sea by julia armfield

a book that takes place in september: answered here!

a short story collection: eternally yours, toil & trouble: 15 tales of women & witchcraft, in these hallowed halls: a dark academia anthology

a gothic novel (classic or contemporary): a dowry of blood by s.t. gibson, all the dead lie down by kyrie mccauley, wuthering heights by emily brontë

an autumnal romance: the dead romantics by ashley poston, the ex hex by erin sterling, the night circus by erin morgenstern

a book about a haunted house: mexican gothic by silvia moreno-garcia, the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson

a book about vampires: court of the undying seasons by a.m. strickland, house of hunger by alexis henderson

a cozy fantasy: legends and lattes by travis baldree, the undertaking of hart and mercy by megan bannen, half a soul by olivia atwater, emily wilde's encyclopaedia of faeries by heather fawcett

a classic / retelling: little thieves by margaret owen, a wish in the dark by christina soontornvat, enter the body by joy mccullough

a new release (published this september): you again by kate goldbeck, the wake-up call by beth o'leary, cleat cute by meryl wilsner, a study in drowning by ava reid, if i have to be haunted by miranda sun

an autumnal classic: anne of green gables by l.m. montgomery, rebecca by daphne du maurier, northanger abbey by jane austen

a dark academia book: babel by r.f. kuang, these violent delights by micah nemerever, ace of spades by faridah àbíké-íyímídé

a graphic novel: the tea dragon society by kay o'neill, the witch boy by molly ostertag, check please by ngozi ukazu, heavy vinyl by nina vakueva & carly usdin, cheer up: love and pompoms by crystal frasier & val wise, displacement by kiku hughes

#new septembers readathon #i didn't include any classics for classics but if anyone wants my classic recs lmk!

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dark-honeyed-dreams · 7 months

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An Eccentric Bibliophile's (Yet Incomplete) Guide to Dark Academia Reading, Because Who Needs Sunlight Anyway?

Lo and behold, the inevitable moment has arrived. You find yourself engrossed in Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History' for the umpteenth occasion (it never loses its luster, does it?), and you've diligently explored the whole dark academia canon. Or have you really? I've made this post to collect the lesser-known tomes (because, you see, I'm well-acquainted with the exquisite agony of the quest). So, without further ado, let the revelry commence! Disclaimer: the current version of the list has the links that lead to Goodreads. Also, the current version of the list seriously lacks books written by non-white authors. I hope that we'll collectively gain a cultural momentum and make this list better in this sense. I, personally, would love a recommendation!

Dark Academia Canon

Photo by Giammarco Boscaro on Unsplash

The volumes that are often bestowed with the dubious honor of canonical status, or, simply put, the ones that are most recommended dark academia reads.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Bunny by Mona Awad

The Atlas by Olivie Blake

Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo

Lesser-Known Dark Academia Titles

Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

Intellect reigns supreme, arts and philosophy hold us captive, and we can't forget our undying affection for those delightfully lifeless languages. Oh, and let's not overlook the timeless charm of tweed. Simply put, less known but not less great titles that have all the canonical elements of dark academia. I've also added a few words about those that I love most.

The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte: a 15th-century painting has the key to a Renaissance murder, and the question Quis Necavit Equitem is answered by a modern-day art expert

Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies: a defrocked monk, some scholars of a university lovingly called "Spook" and a girl named Maria Magdalena Theotoky try to find out what to do with the vast estate of the recently deceased millionaire and art collector Francis Cornish

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas: a selective admission process gets Ines in an experimental liberal arts school called Catherine House. The alumni of this school became, at their own time, prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices and even presidents. But how exactly did that happen?

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee: no such thing as witchcraft exists in the world. That's probably not the case for Felicity, who is still trying to find out who killed five Dalloway students (supposedly, witches). Enter Ellis Haley, a young prodigy and a literary darling, who writes books about murders by re-enacting said murders...

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Dark Academia Vibes

Photo by Darran Shen on Unsplash

These books might as well be the quintessential dark academia reads, but the only element that isn't bedecked in romanticism is higher education itself. Murders continue to unfold in the most peculiar manner, occult knowledge flourishes, and suddenly, the folks with a smidge of Latin under their belts are the life of the scholarly soirée. Simply put, a book that a dark academic might read and love if they are not that fond of remembering their own school days.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Magus by John Fowles

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco

The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson

All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

All's Well by Mona Awad

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson

Piranesi by Susanne Clarke

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanne Clarke

The Laundry Files series by Charles Stross

Alchemical Journeys series by Seanan McGuire

The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters

Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French

Please, by all means, feel at liberty to append additional entries to the inventory - or, simply put, feel free to add to this list.

#dark academia #books & libraries #dark #bookblr #book recommendations #light academia #dark academism #dark academic aesthetic

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aaronstveit · 8 months

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my choices for the new septembers readathon!! side-by-side with she gets the girl, i think the lesbiana's guide looks more yellow than orange but i'm keeping it anyway. i've already started hallowe'en party and i'm excited to read the rest of these books, most of which have been on my tbr for a little while!!

my choices in text form:

a book about witches: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

a murder mystery: Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

a book that takes place at a boarding school or private school: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

a creepy or horror book: These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

a book that takes place in september: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

a book with a red cover: Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

a book with a yellow cover: She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

a book with an orange cover: The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

a short story collection: Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz

a gothic novel: House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

reread an autumnal favorite: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

an autumnal romance: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

a book about a haunted house: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

a book about vampires: A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

a cozy fantasy: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

a classic or retelling: Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

a september 2023 release: In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

an autumnal classic: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

a dark academia book: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

a graphic novel: M Is for Monster by Talia Dutton

#personal post #new septembers readathon

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authoralexharvey · 5 months

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3, 12, 13, 17

Thanks for the ask!!

3. What were your top five books of the year?

I answered this one here, but I do have a slight update because I did finish a book this morning that changes things. So right now, I think my list would be:

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

Out by Natsuo Kirino

It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror edited by Joe Vallese

I finished ICftC today and I really liked a lot of the essays that were included. It gave me a lot to think about.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

There's an answer to this one here (Dangerous Women, an anthology) but I'm adding another one here because I finished it today:

In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane. Anthologies in general will be really hit or miss, I've found, and I mostly read this to find inspo for ASMLP... there were a couple of real winners in here ("Phobos" by Tori Bovalino, "The Ravages" by Layne Fargo) and I'm interested in those authors to follow their work further (M. L. Rio was in this too and I LOVED If We Were Villains but idk "Weekend At Bertie's" just wasn't my fav?)... that said, a lot of these shorts were a letdown. There was a... interesting one about a professor attending the funerals of four of his students killed in a school shooting he is directly responsible for, and another short where the MC gets really weirdly obsessive over a gay romance between her professor and a fellow classmate, for example. Others had plotlines that were fine but had other issues like the pacing being all over the place or just not being very interesting, or (to me) kinda lacking in substance.

Like I said, anthologies tend to be a mixed bag, this was just... one of the more disappointing I've read imo.

One thing that did kinda tickle me: the last three shorts had an interesting tether. The first had a character named Phoebe. The second was the aforementioned "Phobos", and the final short of the anthology was wrote by a Phoebe Wynne. I just thought it was interesting.

13. What were your least favorite books of the year?

I have a couple of answers, one of which I shared here... but another book that I didn't get along with was Medusa by Rosie Hewlett. Honestly, I figured I wouldn't get along with it from the get go, but I gave it a shot anyway. The basic premise is a retelling of Medusa's myth from "how it really happened" and hot take but this work, like a LOT of retellings, would have been a LOT better as a standalone work. But it relied a lot on the mythos and it annoyed me. It also makes some really weird choices, like making Perseus the One Good Man of the entire book... which is. A choice.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

I'm going with The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang for this one. I gave their The Black Tides of Heaven books a shot, and it was fine but nothing that really,,, gripped me and made me want to finish the series tbh, so I never did. I saw Misery in the library, though, and decided to give them a second chance. I do have a couple of Big Issues with the book as a whole, but I had a lot of fun reading it in general and it went far in redeeming this author for me so. Yeah I liked this one all things considered.

#ask and you shall receive #alex has the floor

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thefandomentals · 8 months

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Head back to school with Cat's review of Titan Books new Dark Academia anthology: In These Hallowed Halls.

#literature #dark academia #book review #books #horror

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dramyhsturgis · 7 months

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Halloween Countdown 2023: 31 Days of Dark Academia, October 1

So it begins! Each day of this dark and beautiful month I’ll be posting a different Dark Academia title with a haunting, atmospheric quote. I hope you’ll enjoy the recommendations!

Dark Academia story: “X House” by J.T. Ellison, from In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane (2023)

Quote:

There was a bog near the bridge, on the other side of the forest. The things that disappeared into that place… Animals. Trees. People.

Yes, it was beautiful, but it was dangerous. So many were lost over the years, women who vanished into the woods and never returned. Why someone would build a school in this desolate area was a forever unknown.

#dark academia #31DaysofDA #Gothic #In These Hallowed Halls #Halloween #Halloween 2023

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just-a-bookish-reader · 9 months

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Upcoming Posts

Review of In These Hallowed Halls (ARC) (⭐⭐⭐)

Review of Murder Your Employer (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Readathons (each will get their own dedicated post)

Up next tbr

Books I'm excited for (coming out 2023-2024)

Academia related novels/series I plan to read around August-end of September

Spooky/Gothic/Horror/Dark Fantasy/Other Halloween Vibes books I plan to read around September-end of October

Cozy books I plan to read after December 16 (I graduate my undergrad then so I probably won't have any list for November)

These posts won't necessarily come out in this order nor soon (ie: spooky gothic list will probably come out closer to september) and I will try to remember to update this post as needed with others!

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kwc-reads · 8 months

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In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology by multiple Authors

As all anthologies must, this one had its ups and downs (though only one of the “downs” was particularly bad). I’ve seen some other reviewers that didn’t think that most of the stories truly encompassed “dark academia” as a concept, and I disagree. As a subgenre, dark academia is a bit hard to define, and I think almost all of the stories featured in this collection included at least some facet of it. Several felt “dark academia” due to their overall atmosphere, others because of their focus on deadly ambition, and still others highlighted feelings of obsession - all in an academic setting.

Several of the stories in the middling range of my enjoyment were simply hindered by the anthological format, and would have done much better if they had more pages to work with. However, that comes with the territory and therefore I can’t judge them too harshly for that. They were definitely enjoyable, they just left me wanting more!

My favorite was probably “1000 Ships,” a prequel to the full novel “The Truants,” which is jumping up to the top of my TBR after this. I also enjoyed “The Hare and the Hound,” “Phobos,” “Playing,” and “The Unknowable Pleasures.” “Weekend at Bertie’s” wasn’t one of my favorite plots, but I have to acknowledge the brilliance and economy of M.L. Rio’s writing style.

The one that I disliked the most was definitely “Sabbatical.” I have no idea what the author was trying to accomplish with that one, apart from creating a cast of dislikeable characters and treating the mentally ill (and the institutionalization thereof) in a way that left a very poor taste in my mouth.

Apart from “Sabbatical”, my only other problem with this book was the lack of content warnings, especially for “Four Funerals” which is about the aftermath of a school shooting. It was well written but jarring, and it’s the one story that I don’t think fits the “dark academia” theme. If you think you might be triggered, I would recommend skipping it.

Overall this wasn’t the wondrous 5-star read I was hoping it would be, but I still place it at 4-stars and recommend it to other dark academia fans (as long as you keep in mind that the short-story format inevitably means you won’t get all of your questions answered and you may be left wanting more).

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belle-keys · 8 months

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September 2023 TBR

I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology, edited by Marie O’Regan

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Orientalism by Edward Said

#tbr #september tbr #books #books and literature #dark academia #dark academia books #sff

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