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A review by 1221cass
In These Hallowed Halls by Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Usually anthologies are pretty hit or miss for me but I'm happy to report that this one had more hits than misses! I don't know if it's because I like the dark academia aesthetic or if it's just because I like a lot of the contributing authors but I enjoyed reading this collection and seeing how each author interpreted the concept of dark academia. Here are my brief thoughts on each of the stories.
-1000 Ships (2 stars): not the strongest start to the anthology and it was a pretty basic and straightforward story. I didn't hate it but it left a little to be desired.
-Pythia (4 stars): not exactly dark academia but a great black mirror esque sci-fi story that explores a sentient oracle AI. Olivie Blake does it again
-Sabbatical (1 star): the main character was so unlikable and annoying. It was also a little hard to follow the descriptions of people and things that were happening.
-The Hare and the Hound (5 stars): one of my favorites in the collection. Super surreal and spooky with a lot of neat mythological ties and a fun character arc. Need to check out more Kelly Andrew
-X House (4 stars): the pacing was a little odd but I loved the way the author described the world and the characters in such a detailed way in a very short amount of time. Also the twist was unexpected and very entertaining.
-The Ravages (5 stars): probably the most fun interpretation of dark academia I've seen. The story is very cute and funny and the twist was excellent. A very unexpected and surprising revenge story.
-Four Funerals (2 stars): I don't think this was the best way to address a very difficult and sensitive subject matter but I will say the depiction of survivor's guilt was done very well.
-The Unknowable Pleasures (1 star): this one just annoyed me. Not dark academia at all and the main character was extremely insufferable. I get that it was supposed to call out the fetishization of gay relationships but it was just so gross to hear about how obsessed she was with them and then the ending was anticlimactic.
-Weekend at Bertie's (5 stars): I might be a little biased because If We Were Villains is one of my all time favorite books but this was such a fun story. M.L. Rio is such a versatile writer and is so good at writing realistic, interesting characters.
-The Professor of Ontography (3 stars): the central mystery was fantastic and the ending was chilling but I can't help but think that this would have been better if it was a little shorter or if the time skip didn't happen. It messed with the pacing and created a bit of a plot hole.
-Phobos (5 stars): another one of my favorites in the collection! The secret society was so neat and the story was very engaging. I would read a whole book about these characters and this initiation.
-Playing (1 star): a very weak one to end on, honestly I skimmed most of it and saw the end reveal coming from a mile away. Phobos would have been a stronger story to end on.
-1000 Ships (2 stars): not the strongest start to the anthology and it was a pretty basic and straightforward story. I didn't hate it but it left a little to be desired.
-Pythia (4 stars): not exactly dark academia but a great black mirror esque sci-fi story that explores a sentient oracle AI. Olivie Blake does it again
-Sabbatical (1 star): the main character was so unlikable and annoying. It was also a little hard to follow the descriptions of people and things that were happening.
-The Hare and the Hound (5 stars): one of my favorites in the collection. Super surreal and spooky with a lot of neat mythological ties and a fun character arc. Need to check out more Kelly Andrew
-X House (4 stars): the pacing was a little odd but I loved the way the author described the world and the characters in such a detailed way in a very short amount of time. Also the twist was unexpected and very entertaining.
-The Ravages (5 stars): probably the most fun interpretation of dark academia I've seen. The story is very cute and funny and the twist was excellent. A very unexpected and surprising revenge story.
-Four Funerals (2 stars): I don't think this was the best way to address a very difficult and sensitive subject matter but I will say the depiction of survivor's guilt was done very well.
-The Unknowable Pleasures (1 star): this one just annoyed me. Not dark academia at all and the main character was extremely insufferable. I get that it was supposed to call out the fetishization of gay relationships but it was just so gross to hear about how obsessed she was with them and then the ending was anticlimactic.
-Weekend at Bertie's (5 stars): I might be a little biased because If We Were Villains is one of my all time favorite books but this was such a fun story. M.L. Rio is such a versatile writer and is so good at writing realistic, interesting characters.
-The Professor of Ontography (3 stars): the central mystery was fantastic and the ending was chilling but I can't help but think that this would have been better if it was a little shorter or if the time skip didn't happen. It messed with the pacing and created a bit of a plot hole.
-Phobos (5 stars): another one of my favorites in the collection! The secret society was so neat and the story was very engaging. I would read a whole book about these characters and this initiation.
-Playing (1 star): a very weak one to end on, honestly I skimmed most of it and saw the end reveal coming from a mile away. Phobos would have been a stronger story to end on.