Review by megatza - The Library at Hellebore

megatza 's review for:

The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw

4.0

dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Hellebore is a school for the darkest horrors: anti-Christs, Ragnaroks, world-eaters and apocalypse-makers. Alessa wakes up there one day, after her magic manifested and she not-so-accidentally committed murder. The school is as dark as the creatures and faculty who inhabit it, and when the graduation ceremony turns gory and cannibalistic, Alessa and her classmates have the fight their way through.

Cassandra Khaw does body horror like no other writer I've picked up. I went into this expecting dark (or "deeply dark" as the blurb says) and I got it: faculty noshing on students, blood sacrifices, and a main character who doesn't give a f*** how unlikeable she is. There is a dual timeline plot that carries the narrative, but it's primarily a vibes-only book of gore and death. I picked it up when I knew I wanted that, and you pick it up if that's what you want too. It is full length, rather than novella, so again, gear up for a ride.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for an eARC and MacMillan Audio for an ALC. The Library at Hellebore is out 7/22/25.

Content Warnings