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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This is a great way to find new authors, especially if you're a dark academia lover.
My favorite stories were:
- Pythia by Olivie Blake
- The Hare and the Hound by Kelly Andrew
- Phobos by Tori Bovalino
- The Ravages by Layne Fargo
Graphic: Death, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Classism
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!
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
daydreamsofbooks's review against another edition
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
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.
• <b>1000 Ships by Kate Weinberg</b> ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-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.
• <b>Pythia by Olivie Blake</b> ⭐️
-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.
• <b>Sabbatical by James Tate Hill</b> ⭐️
-A professor finds himself involved in searching for another professor who’s been missing for years.
-Comically bad!
• <b>The Hare and the Hound by Kelly Andrews</b> ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-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.
• <b>X House by J. T. Ellison</b> ⭐️⭐️💫
-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..
• <b>The Ravages by Layne Fargo</b> ⭐️
-Sapphic relationship where one person is cheating and the other finds out and seeks revenge.
-Zero dark academia! It felt like a parody.
• <b>Four Funerals by David Bell</b> ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
-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.
• <b>The Unknowable Pleasures by Susie Yang</b> ⭐️⭐️💫
-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?
• <b>Weekend at Bertie’s by M. L. Rio</b> ⭐️
-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?
-<i>M. L. Rio’s novel If We Were Villains is amazing, though.</i>
• <b>The Professor of Ontography</b> ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Best going into this one knowing nothing. Very spooky, intriguing, and heartbreaking.
• <b>Phobos by Tori Bovalino</b> ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Secret society trials that get more and more horrific.
-Reminded me of <i>The Secret History</i> in its depiction of pretentiousness and academic privilege.
• <b>Playing by Phoebe Wynne</b> ⭐️
-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??
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, and Toxic friendship
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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