"The campus is breathtakingly beautiful during the winter months much in the way gorgeous women are unapproachable and cold, though the way I first saw Delphi is how it'll always be burned in my brain - that collegiate idyll of verdant vines and Gothic spires, autumnal foliage rustling on the whisper of a temperate breeze."
from Pythia by Olivie Blake
I have been waiting for a book like this! I was extremely excited to receive an ARC of it from Titan publishers and I have been engrossed in it ever since. In These Hallowed Halls is a Dark Academia anthology of short stories and I'm sure I'm not the only Reader who couldn't wait to get their hands on it!
Dark Academia is a relatively new genre of fiction, being part dystopian, part thriller, with a heavy Gothic influence, set in traditional academic surroundings. Think prestigious seats of learning such as Oxford, Edinburgh or Cambridge Universities, lost in swathes of autumn mist and mystery and you get the idea of what this genre is all about. I have been reading DA books for a while now and they are usually fairly long novels, so I was intrigued to see how this trope would play out in a short fiction format. It works beautifully and I couldn't stop turning the pages, reading late into the night, until I had finished the book.
I always loved school stories as a child, so the adult DA genre is right up my street. This collection has everything that my scholarly heart yearns for - Gothic buildings, dusty old books, cosy common rooms, glowing fire-lit libraries on stormy winter afternoons, hot buttered toast, copious amount of tea and coffee and of course, mysteries to unravel and solve. It transports the reader to the very epicenter of elite education and top drawer universities, where wealth and intellect are the only currencies that count. It is a book that makes you want to step into that world, as new teacher, Mia, discovers in X House;
"Miss Tavish opens a door, and Mia steps inside her new world. It is surprisingly cosy; A fire in the grate crackles merrily, a thick, warm rug covers the wide plank floors, a sofa with a cushion that sags towards the left arm offers a welcoming embrace for evening reading and tea."
Written by some of the top DA authors of modern publishing such as Olivie Blake and M L Rio, the student angst rolls off the pages amid tales of sinister Artificial Intelligence, missing students and the odd murder. The collection starts off strong with 1000 Ships, a story about sexual misconduct and plagiarism, and it goes on from there, remaining strong throughout. In these pages you will find dangerous hazing rituals, initiations, secret societies, supernatural shape-shifters, school shootings and a gifted musician with a taste for greatness and murder mystery.
In These Hallowed Halls is a fantastic collection, being both sinister and cosy at the same time, as all the best Dark Academia should be. My favorite stories in the collection are 1000 Ships, The Hare and the Hound, X House, Phobos and Playing. These stories held me on the edge of my seat and they are the ones that have stayed with me upon finishing the book.
Each story features a skillful use of pathetic fallacy to build atmosphere and a strong sense of place. It is obvious that you are reading authors who are at the top of their game and who have made this genre their own. To distill all the complexities of Dark Academia into a short story is no easy task, but the authors of this collection have done just that, seemingly without effort.
It's a gripping book - one to read curled up in a cosy armchair, with a plate of hot buttered toast and a cup of tea, or a bag of sweeties - but no more than three sweets a night, or things turn sinister! If you like Dark Academia or the Gothic genre then you will probably love this book, and if you are new to DA, this is a great introduction. I highly recommend it and I am sincerely hoping that Titan publish a second volume, because this one was so much fun to read. It is ideal reading for all adults who are bitten by 'back to school' nostalgia at this time of year.
Check your doors are locked, snuggle up by the fire, and enjoy these murderous collegiate stories!
Happy Reading.
BB Marie x
AD; This book was sent to me by the publisher, Titan, for the purposes of review. It will be released on the 12th September 2023 and is available for Pre-Order now in both digital and hardcover formats.
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