Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - In These Hallowed Halls

Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

In These Hallowed Halls by Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane

2 reviews

dixiecarroll's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

A little disappointing, but I’m not sure what I was expecting. Some of the stories were incredibly compelling and well done, but others were a little lacking. I am not sure each author was well suited for short stories, but I must say that a lot of these were so freaky to read right before bed. Worth the read for sure, but I wouldn’t get expectations too high!

Content Warnings

daydreamsofbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

That being said, I had extremely high hopes for this but oh well.

• 1000 Ships by Kate Weinberg ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-A very basic student-teacher affair that has a twist of revenge. It is a prologue or first chapter, I believe, in the

author’s debut novel.

-Good, just not that special.

• Pythia by Olivie Blake ⭐️

-A very wordy sci-fi story about AI called Pythia that is unnaturally humane.

-Would be a very very trashy and boring Black Mirror episode. SO boring.

• Sabbatical by James Tate Hill ⭐️

-A professor finds himself involved in searching for another professor who’s been missing for years.

-Comically bad!

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

-Follows the mc who is haunted by a past tragic mistake and a misfortunate prophecy that involves meeting a bunny, a girl, or possibly both in one body, or is there more to it?

-For fans of surrealism; I personally loved it.

• X House by J. T. Ellison ⭐️⭐️💫

-A new professor joins a school in which murders have been occurring one after the other.

- The plot twist was good, but the story lacked depth and good build-up to the end. Lost potential..

• The Ravages by Layne Fargo ⭐️

-Sapphic relationship where one person is cheating and the other finds out and seeks revenge.

-Zero dark academia! It felt like a parody.

• Four Funerals by David Bell ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

-A professor blames himself for a school shooting that resulted in four funerals, which he attends.

-Very interesting discussion on the effect professors could have on students and the blurred lines between fiction and reality in the mind of writers.

• The Unknowable Pleasures by Susie Yang ⭐️⭐️💫

-A student is obsessed with a relationship she believes is happening between a professor and a student.

-Fun read but very anticlimactic. Again, where is the dark academia?

• Weekend at Bertie’s by M. L. Rio ⭐️

-Two people find their colleague’s body at her home and plot stealing her money.

-Horrible. Horrifying. Terrible. Bad writing, bad plot, pointless narrative, and what exactly is dark academia about this?

-M. L. Rio’s novel If We Were Villains is amazing, though.

• The Professor of Ontography ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Best going into this one knowing nothing. Very spooky, intriguing, and heartbreaking.

• Phobos by Tori Bovalino ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Secret society trials that get more and more horrific.

-Reminded me of The Secret History in its depiction of pretentiousness and academic privilege.

• Playing by Phoebe Wynne ⭐️

-A church organist suspects that the church’s elder people dying of accidents are actually being murdered.

-Very predictable, monotonous, and have I asked..Where is the dark academia??

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, and Death

Minor: Classism

This is a “Dark Academia Anthology” with barely any proper dark academia. Because just because a story is set in a school/college or follows a professor or a student, doesn’t make it an automatic fit into the dark academia genre. That being said, I had extremely high hopes for this but oh well. • 1000 Ships by Kate Weinberg ⭐️⭐️⭐️ -A very basic student-teacher affair that has a twist of revenge. It is a prologue or first chapter, I believe, in the author’s debut novel. -Good, just not that special. • Pythia by Olivie Blake ⭐️ -A very wordy sci-fi story about AI called Pythia that is unnaturally humane. -Would be a very very trashy and boring Black Mirror episode. SO boring. • Sabbatical by James Tate Hill ⭐️ -A professor finds himself involved in searching for another professor who’s been missing for years. -Comically bad! • The Hare and the Hound by Kelly Andrews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Follows the mc who is haunted by a past tragic mistake and a misfortunate prophecy that involves meeting a bunny, a girl, or possibly both in one body, or is there more to it? -For fans of surrealism; I personally loved it. • X House by J. T. Ellison ⭐️⭐️💫 -A new professor joins a school in which murders have been occurring one after the other. - The plot twist was good, but the story lacked depth and good build-up to the end. Lost potential.. • The Ravages by Layne Fargo ⭐️ -Sapphic relationship where one person is cheating and the other finds out and seeks revenge. -Zero dark academia! It felt like a parody. • Four Funerals by David Bell ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 -A professor blames himself for a school shooting that resulted in four funerals, which he attends. -Very interesting discussion on the effect professors could have on students and the blurred lines between fiction and reality in the mind of writers. • The Unknowable Pleasures by Susie Yang ⭐️⭐️💫 -A student is obsessed with a relationship she believes is happening between a professor and a student. -Fun read but very anticlimactic. Again, where is the dark academia? • Weekend at Bertie’s by M. L. Rio ⭐️ -Two people find their colleague’s body at her home and plot stealing her money. -Horrible. Horrifying. Terrible. Bad writing, bad plot, pointless narrative, and what exactly is dark academia about this? -M. L. Rio’s novel If We Were Villains is amazing, though. • The Professor of Ontography ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Best going into this one knowing nothing. Very spooky, intriguing, and heartbreaking. • Phobos by Tori Bovalino ⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Secret society trials that get more and more horrific. -Reminded me of The Secret History in its depiction of pretentiousness and academic privilege. • Playing by Phoebe Wynne ⭐️ -A church organist suspects that the church’s elder people dying of accidents are actually being murdered. -Very predictable, monotonous, and have I asked..Where is the dark academia??

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