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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some of the stories in this book were more interesting than others; some also felt more “dark academia” to me. Rated 4 stars overall because I really enjoyed the stories that worked for me.
1000 Ships (3/5 stars): I honestly didn’t find this story super interesting on its own, but once I got to the end and learned that it’s a prequel to another novel I found myself interested in that. The main character was clever and a bit ruthless, which I appreciated.
Pythia (5/5 stars): This was one of my favorite stories in the book. The way the story was unveiled absolutely had me hooked. I loved the side remarks and the format that the story was written in. It took me a while to realize that the Q&A took place separately from the narrative, but when I realized it I was twice as invested in figuring out what was going on. This is such an interesting way of combining magic and technology, and I absolutely did not see the ending coming.
Sabbatical (3/5 stars): I found this story a bit boring, in all honesty. The “somewhere under the rainbow” bit was well done and I liked the main character, but the story itself didn’t do much for me. Added an extra star because several of Cowlishaw’s thoughts or comments made me laugh out loud.
The Hare and the Hound (5/5 stars): I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs. That being said, none of the women in this story did anything wrong and I stand by that. Every time I thought I knew what was going on in this story, another twist happened and I second-guessed myself. One of my first theories actually wound up correct, but this story intentionally misled the reader alongside the main character so many times that I still didn’t know where the plot was going until the end. I was honestly amazed this was only 40 pages long because I felt like such an interesting and immersive story was told in such a small amount of time.
X House (4/5 stars): I really liked this one, but I thought that it was a bit rushed, even for a short story. At the end I was left wanting more of an explanation and storyline. I think this would have worked better as a full-length novel, and I would absolutely buy one in a heartbeat if the author ever decided to re-explore this idea.
The Ravages (4.5/5 stars): This was so good. I loved the parallels between the way that the reader experienced the story and the way that the main character experienced the events occurring in it. The ending was perfect. Once again, I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.
Four Funerals (1/5 stars): There is genuinely nothing wrong with this story. The writing is excellent, the characters are well-fleshed out, and the plot is interesting and moves at a good speed. This is just not the story for me. From the first few pages I knew that this isn’t a story I’d have ever picked up on its own. As someone who works in education, I like my fiction to be a form of escapism, and the concept of and commentary made in this one didn’t really manage that for me. If this were a novel I had picked up, I’d have DNFed it as opposed to giving it one star because my review isn’t a reflection of the story itself, but rather of me not being its intended audience. I will also say that I didn’t really get dark academia from this one, but that could just be because I have a very specific opinion on what constitutes the genre.
The Unknowable Pleasures (3/5 stars): This story is written to be uncomfortable, and it does a good job of it because I was uncomfortable reading it. The choice of narrator was an interesting one. I think I’d have enjoyed the story more if it were told from Elliot or Lawrence’s perspective, but I do think that the choice in narrator allowed for a very excellent criticism of parasocial relationships and people’s inability to distinguish people that they only know through celebrity (regardless of how widespread or localized that fame may be) from fictional characters whom can exist within someone’s head as any version of themself that pleases that person, regardless of how separate that version may be from reality. This story had an interesting blend of obsession, fetishization, and something darker mixed into it. I will say that this didn’t especially seem “dark academia” to me, however. There are a few scenes that focus on actual academia, but mostly the collegiate aspect felt like a background setting rather than a focal point of the plot.
Weekend at Bertie’s (3/5 stars): The parts of this story that were good were great, but I was honestly a bit bored at times. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I just felt like not a lot happened in it.
The Professor of Ontography (3/5 stars): This was another one where I felt like not a whole lot happened. The reveal at the end was good, but I felt like the plot dragged for such a significant portion of the story that I wasn’t nearly as shocked as I could have been by it. I just wasn’t really invested in this. It was a great idea, but the execution left something to be desired for me.
Phobos (5/5 stars): I LOVED Phobos. It’s not just that I would read a full-length novel about this idea, but that I very much so want one. I’m almost always a fan of academia-based secret organizations in books, and this was no exception. The ending to this story was so good. The characters all felt fleshed-out and I could clearly see the personalities of those mentioned even only for a line or two. Again, I would love to see a full novel about this story.
Playing (3.5/5 stars): This was creepy and the twists were well done. I appreciated that the motive absolutely made sense and the thought put into how, why, where, and to whom the murders were being done. The murderer in this one had a quiet intellect that shone through clearly, which was the highlight of the story for me.
The idea of having these authors write short stories that are set in the same sub-genre, but that otherwise share no connections, was a good one and I’d happily read another book like this one.
1000 Ships (3/5 stars): I honestly didn’t find this story super interesting on its own, but once I got to the end and learned that it’s a prequel to another novel I found myself interested in that. The main character was clever and a bit ruthless, which I appreciated.
Pythia (5/5 stars): This was one of my favorite stories in the book. The way the story was unveiled absolutely had me hooked. I loved the side remarks and the format that the story was written in. It took me a while to realize that the Q&A took place separately from the narrative, but when I realized it I was twice as invested in figuring out what was going on. This is such an interesting way of combining magic and technology, and I absolutely did not see the ending coming.
Sabbatical (3/5 stars): I found this story a bit boring, in all honesty. The “somewhere under the rainbow” bit was well done and I liked the main character, but the story itself didn’t do much for me. Added an extra star because several of Cowlishaw’s thoughts or comments made me laugh out loud.
The Hare and the Hound (5/5 stars): I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs. That being said, none of the women in this story did anything wrong and I stand by that. Every time I thought I knew what was going on in this story, another twist happened and I second-guessed myself. One of my first theories actually wound up correct, but this story intentionally misled the reader alongside the main character so many times that I still didn’t know where the plot was going until the end. I was honestly amazed this was only 40 pages long because I felt like such an interesting and immersive story was told in such a small amount of time.
X House (4/5 stars): I really liked this one, but I thought that it was a bit rushed, even for a short story. At the end I was left wanting more of an explanation and storyline. I think this would have worked better as a full-length novel, and I would absolutely buy one in a heartbeat if the author ever decided to re-explore this idea.
The Ravages (4.5/5 stars): This was so good. I loved the parallels between the way that the reader experienced the story and the way that the main character experienced the events occurring in it. The ending was perfect. Once again, I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.
Four Funerals (1/5 stars): There is genuinely nothing wrong with this story. The writing is excellent, the characters are well-fleshed out, and the plot is interesting and moves at a good speed. This is just not the story for me. From the first few pages I knew that this isn’t a story I’d have ever picked up on its own. As someone who works in education, I like my fiction to be a form of escapism, and the concept of and commentary made in this one didn’t really manage that for me. If this were a novel I had picked up, I’d have DNFed it as opposed to giving it one star because my review isn’t a reflection of the story itself, but rather of me not being its intended audience. I will also say that I didn’t really get dark academia from this one, but that could just be because I have a very specific opinion on what constitutes the genre.
The Unknowable Pleasures (3/5 stars): This story is written to be uncomfortable, and it does a good job of it because I was uncomfortable reading it. The choice of narrator was an interesting one. I think I’d have enjoyed the story more if it were told from Elliot or Lawrence’s perspective, but I do think that the choice in narrator allowed for a very excellent criticism of parasocial relationships and people’s inability to distinguish people that they only know through celebrity (regardless of how widespread or localized that fame may be) from fictional characters whom can exist within someone’s head as any version of themself that pleases that person, regardless of how separate that version may be from reality. This story had an interesting blend of obsession, fetishization, and something darker mixed into it. I will say that this didn’t especially seem “dark academia” to me, however. There are a few scenes that focus on actual academia, but mostly the collegiate aspect felt like a background setting rather than a focal point of the plot.
Weekend at Bertie’s (3/5 stars): The parts of this story that were good were great, but I was honestly a bit bored at times. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I just felt like not a lot happened in it.
The Professor of Ontography (3/5 stars): This was another one where I felt like not a whole lot happened. The reveal at the end was good, but I felt like the plot dragged for such a significant portion of the story that I wasn’t nearly as shocked as I could have been by it. I just wasn’t really invested in this. It was a great idea, but the execution left something to be desired for me.
Phobos (5/5 stars): I LOVED Phobos. It’s not just that I would read a full-length novel about this idea, but that I very much so want one. I’m almost always a fan of academia-based secret organizations in books, and this was no exception. The ending to this story was so good. The characters all felt fleshed-out and I could clearly see the personalities of those mentioned even only for a line or two. Again, I would love to see a full novel about this story.
Playing (3.5/5 stars): This was creepy and the twists were well done. I appreciated that the motive absolutely made sense and the thought put into how, why, where, and to whom the murders were being done. The murderer in this one had a quiet intellect that shone through clearly, which was the highlight of the story for me.
The idea of having these authors write short stories that are set in the same sub-genre, but that otherwise share no connections, was a good one and I’d happily read another book like this one.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A brilliant collection of perfectly gothic short stories that not only introduced me to some new authors but also made for great reading throughout the week. A great starting point into the world of dark academia, The Ravages and Pythia were particular favourites of mine from this collection. I highly recommend picking this up!
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my eARC
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my eARC
Most of these stories did not work for me at all. I wasn’t enjoying the read so I called it about halfway through.
**4,5/5**
My favorite stories are:
-Phobos by Tori Bovalino
-The Professor of Ontography by Helen Grant
-X House by J.T. Ellison
-Phytia by Olivie Blake
My favorite stories are:
-Phobos by Tori Bovalino
-The Professor of Ontography by Helen Grant
-X House by J.T. Ellison
-Phytia by Olivie Blake
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes