Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
Okay, so again I feel I'm in the minority here-maybe I just don't gel with dark academia type books. I found it quite slow and felt that the story could have been about 100 pages shorter!
The Four tells the story of Marta, Rose, Sami and Lloyd, all of which are on a very prestigious scholarship to the hoity toity private school, High Realms. They are deemed as a bit of an experiment, as the school requires more funding and to appear more charitable. The Four are immediately deemed as outsiders. Bullying, name calling and jealousy soon develops between the four and the elite. When Marta seriously injures one of those elite, Genevieve, all hell breaks loose.
Now, this is where my interest started and stopped. What Marta was asking of her friends was absolutely ridiculous. There was something very obviously wrong with the girl and she needed help. It just seemed like an overreaction to the situation. I couldn't fathom why they were all doing what she asked of them? Teenagers are obviously very different to what they were when I was in school.
I did enjoy the close knit relationship between them all. I liked that they all had a hard time in their personal lives and came together to support, love and care for one another.
The Four tells the story of Marta, Rose, Sami and Lloyd, all of which are on a very prestigious scholarship to the hoity toity private school, High Realms. They are deemed as a bit of an experiment, as the school requires more funding and to appear more charitable. The Four are immediately deemed as outsiders. Bullying, name calling and jealousy soon develops between the four and the elite. When Marta seriously injures one of those elite, Genevieve, all hell breaks loose.
Now, this is where my interest started and stopped. What Marta was asking of her friends was absolutely ridiculous. There was something very obviously wrong with the girl and she needed help. It just seemed like an overreaction to the situation. I couldn't fathom why they were all doing what she asked of them? Teenagers are obviously very different to what they were when I was in school.
I did enjoy the close knit relationship between them all. I liked that they all had a hard time in their personal lives and came together to support, love and care for one another.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death of parent
Emotionally charged and more than one gut punch.
As the low income scholarship kid from a British private school, the accuracy in the cruelty was chilling.
Really enjoyed the book as evidenced by the fact it took me almost no time to finish!
As the low income scholarship kid from a British private school, the accuracy in the cruelty was chilling.
Really enjoyed the book as evidenced by the fact it took me almost no time to finish!
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really keen to read this book as I love a good dark academia setting and this book was just ok! I wasn’t too impressed with it and was left somewhat disappointed.
I will start with the parts I liked! The characters were pretty well developed and I liked that they were all flawed in some ways. It made them much more realistic and more easily relatable. Everyone has flaws, and I like to see this reflected in books. It also makes you question yourself, your values and what decisions you would make in the same circumstances of the characters. I liked the character whose POV we got, and how she rationalised her decisions. She had the most depth and I liked how we saw her grow up in a sense by having to face such horrendous events.
On the other hand, having more POVs would have definitely deepened the connection to the other characters. I didn’t feel strongly towards the other characters and I felt that could have been helped with looking inside the minds of the other characters.
The writing flowed well and was addictive in some parts, and the shock and horror of the events was definitely felt and resonated in the reader. But there were also parts where I felt like the author was just writing for the sake of it. There was nothing substantial happening or no character development and these chapters just felt useless. It felt the author just kept them to make the book longer. In saying that, the book was just really slow paced and way too long, with parts where literally nothing happens and the writing did nothing to keep the shock value. There was just too much writing! It definitely needed to be shortened and refined more.
Lastly, the ending just wasn’t satisfying. It felt like the author just chose the most convenient and easy way to tie the story together. The events that took place felt contrary to what the character was saying, but also was somewhat predictable. It was just too easy and left too many questions that I felt the author could have answered way better.
Overall, this book was decent in parts, but the overall story and writing was lacking.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I will start with the parts I liked! The characters were pretty well developed and I liked that they were all flawed in some ways. It made them much more realistic and more easily relatable. Everyone has flaws, and I like to see this reflected in books. It also makes you question yourself, your values and what decisions you would make in the same circumstances of the characters. I liked the character whose POV we got, and how she rationalised her decisions. She had the most depth and I liked how we saw her grow up in a sense by having to face such horrendous events.
On the other hand, having more POVs would have definitely deepened the connection to the other characters. I didn’t feel strongly towards the other characters and I felt that could have been helped with looking inside the minds of the other characters.
The writing flowed well and was addictive in some parts, and the shock and horror of the events was definitely felt and resonated in the reader. But there were also parts where I felt like the author was just writing for the sake of it. There was nothing substantial happening or no character development and these chapters just felt useless. It felt the author just kept them to make the book longer. In saying that, the book was just really slow paced and way too long, with parts where literally nothing happens and the writing did nothing to keep the shock value. There was just too much writing! It definitely needed to be shortened and refined more.
Lastly, the ending just wasn’t satisfying. It felt like the author just chose the most convenient and easy way to tie the story together. The events that took place felt contrary to what the character was saying, but also was somewhat predictable. It was just too easy and left too many questions that I felt the author could have answered way better.
Overall, this book was decent in parts, but the overall story and writing was lacking.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bullying, unlovable characters, and too slow to get anywhere.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There's something deeply unsettling about returning to the world of boarding schools through fiction when you've lived that reality yourself. As I cracked open The Four by Ellie Keel, memories of my own three years at Hadlow from 1997-1999 came flooding back. I had won a scholarship too, just like the protagonists Rose, Sami, Lloyd, and Marta, and that shared experience made every page feel intensely personal.
This YA academic thriller had been sitting on my physical bookshelf for months, practically calling to me. My friend Liv Royal had recommended it, and I'm grateful she did. The story follows four scholarship students whose dreams materialize when they're accepted into an exclusive boarding school, but their bond is forged through something far darker than academic achievement.
What struck me most powerfully was how Ellie Keel captures the unique dynamics of scholarship students in elite institutions. Having lived that experience, I recognized the mixture of gratitude, imposter syndrome, and fierce loyalty that develops among those who've earned their place through merit rather than privilege. The author understands that scholarships don't just pay for education—they create a different category of student entirely.
The pivotal moment when Marta suffers her accident and retreats to the stables resonated deeply. Boarding schools have these hidden corners, these sanctuary spaces where students can disappear when the pressure becomes overwhelming. I remember my own refuge spots at Hadlow during particularly challenging moments. The stables in Ellie Keel's narrative become more than just a hiding place—they're where the foursome's bond transforms from friendship into something unbreakable and potentially dangerous.
While clearly targeted at the 13-18 age range, this novel doesn't condescend to its young audience. The psychological depth and moral ambiguity rival any adult thriller, making it equally compelling for older readers who appreciate sophisticated YA fiction.
The Four by Ellie Keel succeeds because it understands that boarding schools aren't just educational institutions—they're pressure cookers where intense relationships form under extraordinary circumstances. For anyone who's lived that reality, or simply enjoys a well-crafted academic thriller, this book delivers on every level.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s tricky to rate this book because the plot has potential but I found the writing clunky. The ideas were there but it was a bit paint-by-numbers.
It also threw out sensitive topics as plot-lines but didn’t have depth to deal with them and they felt like they’d been included for the shock value.
I both enjoyed it and was frustrated by it.
It also threw out sensitive topics as plot-lines but didn’t have depth to deal with them and they felt like they’d been included for the shock value.
I both enjoyed it and was frustrated by it.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes