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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
solid anthology! some I loved, some I felt disappointed, most were appreciatively neutral. here's the long and weird "full" ratings of each
yeah i liked it, interesting!! pretty average tho idk. 7/10
hahah this one was spooky, I love a good sentient ai/computer!! very very interesting 9/10
yeah what the fuck I did not get this one lmao. 5/10
okay yooo this was was creepy cool man!!! 7/10
damn, same review as the one before. 8/10
iconic, pretty cool. idk I still dont think straight mysteries are for me, unless they have computers in them ig. 8/10
yeah pretty good idk, not my favourite style but good. 7/10
OOf ok another favourite, I was invested (obsessed?) an embarrassing amount and I think Yang knew all the readers would be, so the ending is so smart for that. it feels dark and weird to admit how much I liked this one, am I a creep??? 9/10
i didn't mind this one, I think Lou's attitude was really interesting. good plot. 7.5/10
YEAHHH i really liked this one, i think i like horror/mystery if it’s not just real world stuff, like this one had frankenstein-esque monsters i love it so much more. so good dude. 8/10
HELL YEAH I loved this one, so spooky so dark so cool I love it. 8.9/10
ok ok solid! just unnerving. a little confused. but very interesting. 7/10
yeah i liked it, interesting!! pretty average tho idk. 7/10
hahah this one was spooky, I love a good sentient ai/computer!! very very interesting 9/10
yeah what the fuck I did not get this one lmao. 5/10
okay yooo this was was creepy cool man!!! 7/10
damn, same review as the one before. 8/10
iconic, pretty cool. idk I still dont think straight mysteries are for me, unless they have computers in them ig. 8/10
yeah pretty good idk, not my favourite style but good. 7/10
OOf ok another favourite, I was invested (obsessed?) an embarrassing amount and I think Yang knew all the readers would be, so the ending is so smart for that. it feels dark and weird to admit how much I liked this one, am I a creep??? 9/10
i didn't mind this one, I think Lou's attitude was really interesting. good plot. 7.5/10
YEAHHH i really liked this one, i think i like horror/mystery if it’s not just real world stuff, like this one had frankenstein-esque monsters i love it so much more. so good dude. 8/10
HELL YEAH I loved this one, so spooky so dark so cool I love it. 8.9/10
ok ok solid! just unnerving. a little confused. but very interesting. 7/10
Average Rating: 3.14/5 ⭐️
I don't think the subgenre of Dark Academia easily lends itself to the format of a short story. Dark Academia seems to succeed most when a story can take it's time to establish a mood, atmosphere, cast of characters, and (usually) some type of commentary. I think this collection is fine (with a few truly great short stories) but I wouldn't recommend it to someone just starting in the genre. Stick to The Secret History or Bunny, watch Dead Poet's Society (1989) or Saltburn (2023) - and then maybe get around to this.
A few of these stories I loved but many of them were just okay, and some of them made me wonder why the editors included them? Or why the authors would think they qualify as Dark Academia?
For this reason I'll also be adding an "Is it Dark Academia" rating between 1-5.
I don't think the subgenre of Dark Academia easily lends itself to the format of a short story. Dark Academia seems to succeed most when a story can take it's time to establish a mood, atmosphere, cast of characters, and (usually) some type of commentary. I think this collection is fine (with a few truly great short stories) but I wouldn't recommend it to someone just starting in the genre. Stick to The Secret History or Bunny, watch Dead Poet's Society (1989) or Saltburn (2023) - and then maybe get around to this.
A few of these stories I loved but many of them were just okay, and some of them made me wonder why the editors included them? Or why the authors would think they qualify as Dark Academia?
For this reason I'll also be adding an "Is it Dark Academia" rating between 1-5.
"1000 Ships" by Kate Weinberg - 2.75/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 3/5 📚
- This is the shortest story in the collection and it's a prequel to the author's novel, The Truants, so I was disappointed with how thin this one felt. The writing lacked the rich quality I want from the subgenre. Made feel less enthusiastic about The Truants.
I also found it hard to believe that a professor with a PhD would steal the work of a first year college student. If the main character had done anything brilliant in the story I might have bought it (or if she'd been a masters student, or getting her own PhD). But a supposed expert taking an 18 year old's work and submitting it to an academic journal? Unlikely.
“Pythia” by Olivie Blake - 3.75/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 2/5 📚
- “Pythia” pushes the concept of dark academia to its very edge and steps completely into science fiction (or science fantasy, maybe). Part of me wonders if it truly belongs in this anthology. I think yes, if only to inspire others to mix genres. I had a bumpy experience reading this; some parts worked, some didn't. I didn't like the ethos either, felt a little too 'millenial, reddit philosophy' for my taste.
“Sabbatical” by James Tate Hill - 0.5/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 0/5 📚
Is it Dark Academia? - 0/5 📚
- A lot of reviews for "Sabbatical" just say 'this isn't dark academia' (true) but it actually reads more like 50s pulp. Seedy motels, corrupted people and institutions, a missing person. The main character seems to be a self-insert for the author (no comment). I think it's either a prequel or condensed version of the author's novel Academy Gothic. I didn't care for the writing at all. A total miss for the anthology.
“The Hare and the Hound” by Kelly Andrew - 4/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 4/5 📚
- Loved the writing - not overwrought but still evocative during key moments. The author also managed to pack in a lot of story into 20ish pages. I think this is just in the realm of dark academia. There’s not really enough page space to allow it, but I think if the author wanted to they could expand it into a novella and have the main character study
Norse mythology himself (instead of being delivered info by his roommate). That would fully plant this work in the subgenre.
“X House” by J. T. Ellison - 3/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 2/5 📚
- This one certainly has the dark academia setting down - remote, rainy all girls school surrounded by woods and cliffs. But I think the reveal of the teacher being
a private security guard hired by one of the girls fathers steered this almost directly out of dark academia territory. Honestly, it felt kind of goofy. The ending also felt Steven King-eque, which made the mood more like a standard horror/thriller rather than a work of Dark Academia.
"The Ravages" by Layne Fargo - 4/5⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 4/5 📚
- Very different from my usual reads (sapphic revenge story is not something I’d normally pick up) but I really enjoyed this and would pick up another story by this author. I bought into every moment of the story except the resolution - I thought some of it was a bit convenient.
The other woman is a very talented immersive theater designer AND she ends up dating the main character? I dunno, wraps up a little too neatly.
"Four Funerals" by David Bell - 2/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 0/5 📚
- I don’t think there was any chance for me to rate this piece highly. I can appreciate that it’s difficult to write about such a serious topic but I don’t think this really offered anything? The subject matter is inherently tragic but the way the author wrote about it didn’t move me or challenge me (which I think was what Bell was trying to do by
having the professor and the mother mourn a shooter ).
“The Unknowable Pleasures” by Susie Yang - 3.75/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 1/5 📚
- I was going to give this a 5 (even though it's not very Dark Academia) but the ending really disappointed me. The main character exhibits the obsessiveness that's common in Dark Academia, but the ending doesn't commit to the insanity the rest of the story had been building up to. I also feel like this story would work better in anthology about fannish culture - the themes seem more relevant to shipping discourse of that world than to academia.
"Weekend at Bertie’s" by M. L. Rio - 4/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 3/5 📚
- Having just finished If We We’re Villains a week ago I feel confident saying that I really like the way M. L. Rio writes. I also feel like, even though this piece is so much shorter, I can see how her work has gotten stronger. She’s great at crafting characters and putting them in situations and different relationship dynamics. Not exactly sure if I’d call this one dark academia, but it’s not as distant from the subgenre as other entries in this anthology.
"The Professor of Ontography" by Helen Grant - 5/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 5/5 📚
- Part of me is worried that this score is a little inflated simply because there hadn't been any 5 star reads in this collection yet. But at the same time, this is such a me-coded story - truly dark academia, decent into madness,
immortality , and horror. Love and obsession andgross human experiments !
"Phobos" by Tori Bovalino - 4/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 5/5 📚
- This is another one that feels very dark academia - secret societies, classism and elitism, morality vs amorality. The aesthetic is there also - secret meeting houses with fireplaces and study rooms, cream stationary with wax seals. I loved the build up to the ending but not the ending itself. I could see this story getting expanded into a bigger concept for a novel or novella. I would read from this author again.
"Playing" by Phoebe Wynn - 1/5 ⭐️
Is it Dark Academia? - 0/5 📚
Is it Dark Academia? - 0/5 📚
- Really frustrated to end the anthology on a low note (music joke?). This was boring. Obsessive, yes, but lacking the flourishing atmospheric and environmental details that might sell it as dark academia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, Murder
It just wasn’t the right time to read it, I’m sure I’ll pick it up again at some point.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Real rating 3.5 rounded down to 3 stars
This was a very interesting read. I was intrigued and really wanted to dive into this dark academia anthology novel, the descriptions of the different stories peaked my interest. It had lots of amazing authors that most people are familiar with, and I got introduced to many new authors that I will definitely be checking out their other works in the future. My favorite story was probably "The Professor of Ontography" by Helen Grant, a very dark, disturbing story that left me wanting more. There was good LGBTQIA+ representation that I really enjoyed too throughout this book.
Dark Academia is a genre that is one of my favorites, and a lot of the stories were disturbing, dark and gave off those dark academia vibes, and unfortunately a few of the stories did not. A lot of them felt like a "dark" story just loosely tied to school, and unfortunately fell a little bit flat for me personally. I did not enjoy some of the way certain topics were being handled or the language used for certain stories, but there were a lot of good reads to even it out.
Overall, it was a very decent read and if you like Anthology and Dark Academia stories you should definitely try this book out.
Thank you Titan Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review
Links to all my socials
Some really good stories, a few meh. Definitely got me interested in a few of the authors.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
This anthology wants to be a good introduction to the Dark Academia genre... And sorry to disappoint but this is clearly not it. Following the story or an university student or professor doesn't make it automatically dark academia. A story which sometimes happens in a library doesn't make it automatically dark academia. There is I believe not even half of these 12 stories that truly has Dark Academia vibes ; I've completly lost my time, don't lose yours, read your author's novella only.
• 1000 Ships - Kate Weinberg [0/5]
A prequel to the author's book but... where's the dark academia, except a small talk about Shakespeare? This is the story of a (married) teacher having sex with a student, raping her, and stealing her essay. See from the student. Please let me go puke.
(this is pretty spoilery but honestly I don't care this is more like dark romance than dark academia wtf)
• Pythia - Olivie Blake [3/5]
This is the kind of short story that lacks from its shortness: it was pretty confusing, with a good worldbuilding that misses space to develope itself to be truly understood. It's interesting and intriguing, but it could have been better as a full novel.
• Sabbatical - James Tate Hill [1.5/5]
Here again, don't see the dark academia side except some part happening in a college, but we're basically following teachers and some murder mystery. It's pointless. And starting from here I'm really afraid to dislike this anthology lol
• The Hare and the Hound - Kelly Andrew [3.5/5]
Here again, being in a library doesn't make it dark academia... But overall the idea was interesting and I would have loved a full novel on this! The unfolding of the story is good and not that quick even as a short story, and you totally get the MC's getting crazy.
• X House - J. T. Ellison [5/5]
Finally! Dark Academia at its peak, in a cool school setting with its rumors and myths and ghosts and secrets! I loved it and would have loved it to be longer as the ending is pretty abrupt and I felt like wanting more, a full book on the X House.
• The Ravages - Layne Fargo [4/5]
I really liked the vibes, the relationship and the vengeance that happened. It was shorter but still really gripping!
• Four Funerals - David Bell [2.5/5]
Here again, not dark academia, but a story about a professor with survivor's guilt going to student's funerals after a school mass shooting... It was ok, but not what I was expecting from a story being in this anthology.
• The Unknowable Pleasures - Susie Yang [1/5]
What was actually the point of this story? It's disturbing and obsessive, I could kind of get it but with such an ending, it totally felt useless.
• Weekend at Bertie's - M. L. Rio [3.5/5]
It was interesting, and I really liked how the morality is a huge part of this story. But there was missing something but I don't know what exactly.
• The Professor of Ontography - Helen Grant [4/5]
Oof that was such a disturbing ending but so gripping! I really liked it, and would definitely read a full length novel like this one.
• Phobos - Tori Bovalino [4.5/5]
It was pretty dark and so interesting, I would have also loved a full length novel on all the tasks they had to do (not only the last one), and more about the Prometheus and what's happening next! I do love some bad secret societies.
• Playing - Pheobe Wynne [0.5/5]
Where the hell is the dark academia? I really don't get the point of finishing this anthology with such a let down story... it wasn't good nor interesting.
• 1000 Ships - Kate Weinberg [0/5]
A prequel to the author's book but... where's the dark academia, except a small talk about Shakespeare? This is the story of a (married) teacher having sex with a student, raping her, and stealing her essay. See from the student. Please let me go puke.
(this is pretty spoilery but honestly I don't care this is more like dark romance than dark academia wtf)
• Pythia - Olivie Blake [3/5]
This is the kind of short story that lacks from its shortness: it was pretty confusing, with a good worldbuilding that misses space to develope itself to be truly understood. It's interesting and intriguing, but it could have been better as a full novel.
• Sabbatical - James Tate Hill [1.5/5]
Here again, don't see the dark academia side except some part happening in a college, but we're basically following teachers and some murder mystery. It's pointless. And starting from here I'm really afraid to dislike this anthology lol
• The Hare and the Hound - Kelly Andrew [3.5/5]
Here again, being in a library doesn't make it dark academia... But overall the idea was interesting and I would have loved a full novel on this! The unfolding of the story is good and not that quick even as a short story, and you totally get the MC's getting crazy.
• X House - J. T. Ellison [5/5]
Finally! Dark Academia at its peak, in a cool school setting with its rumors and myths and ghosts and secrets! I loved it and would have loved it to be longer as the ending is pretty abrupt and I felt like wanting more, a full book on the X House.
• The Ravages - Layne Fargo [4/5]
I really liked the vibes, the relationship and the vengeance that happened. It was shorter but still really gripping!
• Four Funerals - David Bell [2.5/5]
Here again, not dark academia, but a story about a professor with survivor's guilt going to student's funerals after a school mass shooting... It was ok, but not what I was expecting from a story being in this anthology.
• The Unknowable Pleasures - Susie Yang [1/5]
What was actually the point of this story? It's disturbing and obsessive, I could kind of get it but with such an ending, it totally felt useless.
• Weekend at Bertie's - M. L. Rio [3.5/5]
It was interesting, and I really liked how the morality is a huge part of this story. But there was missing something but I don't know what exactly.
• The Professor of Ontography - Helen Grant [4/5]
Oof that was such a disturbing ending but so gripping! I really liked it, and would definitely read a full length novel like this one.
• Phobos - Tori Bovalino [4.5/5]
It was pretty dark and so interesting, I would have also loved a full length novel on all the tasks they had to do (not only the last one), and more about the Prometheus and what's happening next! I do love some bad secret societies.
• Playing - Pheobe Wynne [0.5/5]
Where the hell is the dark academia? I really don't get the point of finishing this anthology with such a let down story... it wasn't good nor interesting.
not really compelling tbh. dont think i particularly enjoyed any of the stories
Most of the stories were pretty good but I liked the femme fatale ones the best