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What I Read This Week (Sept 10 - Sept 16)

Fell a bit behind on my 30 Books in 30 Days reading challenge due to feeling unwell, but I think I'll manage to catch up before month end!

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In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology by multiple Authors

As all anthologies must, this one had its ups and downs (though only one of the “downs” was particularly bad). I’ve seen some other reviewers that didn’t think that most of the stories truly encompassed “dark academia” as a concept, and I disagree. As a subgenre, dark academia is a bit hard to define, and I think almost all of the stories featured in this collection included at least some facet of it. Several felt “dark academia” due to their overall atmosphere, others because of their focus on deadly ambition, and still others highlighted feelings of obsession - all in an academic setting.

Several of the stories in the middling range of my enjoyment were simply hindered by the anthological format, and would have done much better if they had more pages to work with. However, that comes with the territory and therefore I can’t judge them too harshly for that. They were definitely enjoyable, they just left me wanting more!

My favorite was probably “1000 Ships,” a prequel to the full novel “The Truants,” which is jumping up to the top of my TBR after this. I also enjoyed “The Hare and the Hound,” “Phobos,” “Playing,” and “The Unknowable Pleasures.” “Weekend at Bertie’s” wasn’t one of my favorite plots, but I have to acknowledge the brilliance and economy of M.L. Rio’s writing style.

The one that I disliked the most was definitely “Sabbatical.” I have no idea what the author was trying to accomplish with that one, apart from creating a cast of dislikeable characters and treating the mentally ill (and the institutionalization thereof) in a way that left a very poor taste in my mouth.

Apart from “Sabbatical”, my only other problem with this book was the lack of content warnings, especially for “Four Funerals” which is about the aftermath of a school shooting. It was well written but jarring, and it’s the one story that I don’t think fits the “dark academia” theme. If you think you might be triggered, I would recommend skipping it.

Overall this wasn’t the wondrous 5-star read I was hoping it would be, but I still place it at 4-stars and recommend it to other dark academia fans (as long as you keep in mind that the short-story format inevitably means you won’t get all of your questions answered and you may be left wanting more).

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Nobody understands the bond between a girl and the mediocre book she read when she was 13 years old.

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A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick

This was such a sweet, cozy read! I knew to expect the rivals-to-lovers trope from the summary, but I wasn’t expecting to love the involved characters quite so much. Eli and Ambrose are truly the epitome of three of my favorite romance tropes: grumpy/sunshine pairing, book-smart/street-smart pairing, and queer people being oblivious (I say this as a fellow oblivious queer person).

Both characters were immensely relatable to me, with Eli obviously having fantasy ADHD and Ambrose obviously having fantasy social anxiety. There was more depth than I was expecting to both of them, especially Ambrose, and I really appreciated the character backstory and development that they both got.

Probably my favorite part of the book is the focus on family. Eli’s is so supportive and loving in a way that is refreshing to read, and Ambrose’s whole arc culminates with him discovering that he’s had an equally loving family this whole time - he just never realized it.

I love fantasy, I love the cozy genre, I love found family, and I love queer relationships so this really hit the spot and left me smiling.

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A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

I really enjoyed this book, even though it wasn’t exactly as I expected based on the summary I read beforehand (not in a bad way - just different).

The setting - a pastoral (and fantastical) island with a clan-centric culture obviously inspired by historical Scotland - was a bit of a surprise, as the summary didn’t paint the most detailed picture of it. However, the surprise was pleasant, as the environment was welcoming and comfortable to sink into. It felt home-y and cozy in a way, and was incredibly easy to picture as I read.

Another unexpected feature was the alternating POVs (between 4 characters). My feelings can go really back and forth on this, but in this instance I feel that it was done extremely well. Each character, already interesting in their own right, is fleshed out further during their POV scenes, without halting the momentum of the story. Two of these POV characters aren’t even mentioned in the summary, and yet they are integral to the very heart of the tale.

The actual writing of the characters is incredible. They are each complex, dynamic people with flaws and strengths, fears and desires. Any one of them would make a fantastic protagonist on their own - as a collective group they paint an incredibly compelling picture of family, love, duty, and bravery. Truly, this first book in the duology is much more about mortality than it is about magic.

When it comes to the romances, both couples had moments that made my heart ache for them - some of tenderness and some of uncertainty. Both of them face relationship hurdles internal and external, but they choose to dedicate themselves to love over and over again, even at its hardest. They feel so organic and natural - like the couple you meet in real life that tells you the secret to a happy and healthy relationship is simply to choose each other every day. Suffice to say, my heart-strings were repeatedly tugged at.

The ending - which I wouldn’t quite call a cliffhanger but something close to it - left me feeling bereft, and I can’t wait to see how the fates of the island and the characters resolve in the second book. I have some ideas - there is some obvious foreshadowing and the general vibe of the book makes me think there will be a happy ending - but we’ll see if I’m anywhere close to right once I finish the duology!

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The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

This was a really interesting story, mixing a beautifully fantastical setting with humble depictions of humanity’s resilience and bravery. Many reviews I’ve seen for this book compare it to the movie Spirited Away - which is understandable and valid - but I think its important to look at it on its own terms.

This novel is beautifully written, and the setting is incredibly easy to imagine in your head. As the reader, you feel the same as Mina - both awed and trepidatious. Mina is a strong protagonist, both in personality and in writing quality. She is scared but selfless, willing to do whatever is needed to help the people she loves. The other featured characters are just as compelling, even ones that get little page-time (ex. The Goddess of Moon and Memory).

At it’s core, this is a tale about love and what one is willing to do for it. Mina’s love for her family and her family’s love for her; the people’s love for the Gods; Shin’s love for Mina; Shim-Cheong and Joon’s love for each other; the list goes on. It’s a story that starts with many hearts distanced from that which they love, only waiting for the Red String of Fate to connect them again. With Mina’s first act, it becomes a story about those who would take fate into their own hands and weave that string themself.

That string forms a web, connecting multiple plot points in ways that feel satisfying each time the connection becomes clear. Everything feels “full-circle” and resolved at the end, and finishing this book left me with the sensation of contentment.

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Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills

This was a cute and humorous book that certainly fulfilled the brief of “cozy fantasy.” The stakes weren’t incredibly high, the characters were likeable and it was a relatively quick read. Like most cozy fantasy, especially of the YA variety, there wasn’t a lot of complexity or depth to be found, but that’s to be expected going in.

Probably the strongest element of this book was the character writing. The found family vibe between the main cast was very sweet, and the side characters really shined both individually and as part of the group - particularly the sapphic bounty hunter. The romance felt organic and believable, utilizing several common tropes without feeling over-done.

I enjoyed that the approach to magic in this book is more unique than I’ve seen portrayed in other genre works. I did find myself wanting more exposition on this because the concepts were interesting, but that’s because I generally adore complex fantasy lore and rich magic systems. Cozy fantasy is not typically the place to find that - it’s much more of a “yes and” system of just accepting what little is given as the reality of the world in which the story is being told and then moving forward.

If cozy fantasy is your thing already or if you’re looking for an introduction to the genre, I think this would be a fine addition to your TBR list.

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Scents + Stories: Part 1

(pairing books with fragrances that match their vibes)

I’ve been doing this series on my bookstagram where I pair the book I’ve just read with a fragrance from my collection (usually from alkemia perfumes) that best matches it’s atmosphere, themes, and overall vibes.

I also take requests if there’s a specific book you’d like me to find a matching scent for! I find it super fun to do 💕

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The Cloisters by Katy Hays

This was an interesting read that I was originally going to rate four stars based on the atmosphere, writing style, concept, and most of the characterization. However, the more thought I put into it, the more I realized that there were some issues with the ending of the plot that were really getting stuck in my teeth.

This is the second book I’ve read recently that utilized a POV-character-is-unreliable-due-to-repression-as-a-trauma-response reveal, and likewise it is the second that has left me scratching my head. It was completely glossed over and really didn’t add anything to the plot or characterization - it seemed like it was just there so that it could be said that there was a twist.

Additionally, the climax of the story was odd. Leading up to it there was a well-done building of genuine tension, and then when it happened I just went “...wait, what?” The plot events themselves weren’t necessarily confusing - the “who” and the “how” were foreshadowed and clear enough. It was the “why” that was lacking. The motivations of the antagonistic character kept moving between reasonably explained for one event, and completely non-existent for others. For a book that I was really enjoying for its first 3/4, the ending left me confused and underwhelmed.

On the positive side, I will say that I really enjoyed the setting, the conceptual vibes, and the genuinely interesting knowledge and interpretation given by the author through the characters regarding art and tarot. If you’re looking to have fun in a dark academia atmosphere with a unique twist and don’t necessarily care if the plot is stellar, I’d give this a go.

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Big Fish by Daniel Wallace

This book was so hard to write a review for because unfortunately I don’t think I “got it” the way I was supposed to. I guess I understand what it is trying to be - a commentary on how we never really know our parents, on how we often only ever see them through the lens of hero or failure, but rarely through the eyes of the youths they were before us. To this end, the book is told almost completely in myths and tall tales - the fantastical, larger-than-life stories that the protagonist was told by his father about his own life.

I don’t mind unreliable narration typically, or even endings that are left ambiguous. I think in the case however, the combination of those things plus the unique formatting and the layers of metaphor and allegory made it so that I genuinely couldn’t tell if there was a single scene set in “reality” or not, even towards the end. To be clear, I think that is part of the author’s point, its just that I don’t know that I’m the right kind of “thinker” to be this book’s intended audience.

I can tell that for the right person, this novel would be revelatory - that there truly is something there that is important and meaningful beyond what I am already seeing. It’s just that whatever it is is stuck in my peripheral vision, and no matter how many times I crane my neck to see it, I can only catch a passing glimpse.

P.S. For those who have seen the movie adaptation - the book does not end the same way. In fact, there are several major changes in the movie - likely intended to make it less confusing and more satisfying for people like me.

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fall book haul pt. 1

first delivery from the book buying spree I went on this week! can’t wait to dive into these

together we rot is my first read from the stack - what should I prioritize after that?

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The Ultimate Dark Academia Book Recommendation Guide Ever

The title of this post is clickbait. I, unfortunately, have not read every book ever. Not all of these books are particularly “dark” either. However, these are my recommendations for your dark academia fix. The quality of each of these books varies. I have limited this list to books that are directly linked to the world of academia and/or which have a vaguely academic setting.

Dark Academia staples:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Dead Poets Society by Nancy H. Kleinbaum

Vita Nostra by Maryna Dyachenko

Dark academia litfic or contemporary:

Bunny by Mona Awad

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

White Ivy by Susie Yang

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates

Attribution by Linda Moore

Dark academia thrillers or horror:

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

Dark academia fantasy/sci-fi:

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

Dark academia romance:

Gothikana by RuNyx

Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

Dark academia YA or MG:

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Crave by Tracy Wolff

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Dark academia miscellaneous:

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip

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Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt

This book was a YA horror thriller absolutely done right. It was so engaging and tense that I blew through it - apart from the moments where I was genuinely so nervous about what was about to happen that I had to put the book down for a few minutes to breathe. The alternating POVs added to the thrill by ending several chapters on cliffhangers as the reader was taken back and forth between the two main characters. The plot felt like a race, with two different branches meeting at an inevitably grim finish line.

The only reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is that I think the fantastical horror elements could have been fleshed out just a bit more - I had some lingering questions that I think the author attempted to answer, but I’m not certain of my interpretation. As for the cult horror aspects, they were executed very well - especially in a book of shorter length. There were some reveals that could maybe be called predictable by some, but I would call them integral parts of the small-town-cult-story formula.

The characters were easy to empathize with - Wil’s obsessive grief and Elwood’s visceral feelings of fear were palpable. Even the side-characters that didn’t get a ton of page time went through tangible growth as the story completed its arc (Wil’s dad, as a particular example). In fact, perhaps I empathized with the characters TOO much because the bittersweet ending made me start crying rather unexpectedly. I’m not usually a crier when it comes to books, so I would say that this story’s ability to invoke those emotions in less than 300 pages is an impressive point in its favor.

All in all, a very strong debut novel that I would recommend to any fans of the genre, except maybe those for whom the content warnings are relevant.

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HAPPY BI VISIBILITY MONTH!!! 🩷💜💙

I wish all bi folks a very pleasant bi month!

Here are bi books of September!

Books listed:

💕 This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin 💕 In the Ring by Sierra Isley 💕 Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson 💕 The Darkest Stars (The Broken Stars #2) by Kristy Gardner 💕Daughter of Winter and Twilight (Queen of Coin and Whispers #2) by Helen Corcoran 💕 Time to Shine by Rachel Reid 💕 Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson 💕 Fly with Me by Andie Burke 💕 Everyone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni 💕 A Crown So Cursed (Nightmare-Verse, #3) by L.L. McKinney 💕 This Dark Descent (This Dark Descent, #1) by Kalyn Josephson 💕 Providence Girls by Morgan Dante 💕 Wolf, Willow, Witch (The Gideon Testaments #2) by Freydís Moon 💕 What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell 💕 Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz 💕 Cities of Women by Kathleen B. Jones 💕You, Again by Kate Goldbeck 💕 Double Exposure: A F/NBi Enemies to Lovers Romantic Suspense by Rien Gray 💕 The Fractured Dark (The Devoured Worlds, #2) by Megan E. O'Keefe 💕 Cover Story by Valerie Gomez 💕 The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White 💕 The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu 💕 Better Left Unsaid by Tufayel Ahmed 💕 Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine 💕 A Green Equinox by Elizabeth Mavor 💕 Salt Kiss (Lyonesse, #1) by Sierra Simone 💕 The Amazing Alpha Tau Boyfriend Project (Alpha Tau, #1) by Lisa Henry

Make sure to check the TWs for all books if necessary 💕

Here is the goodreads list of these books

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Return to Dark Academia.

Pov: September 1st arrives and it's your turn to go back to the Academia.