BOOK NOOK: The Scholars by MacKenzie Common

 "It was mid-morning and overcast, but Oxford still shimmered in its gothic splendor, the ancient stones bristling against another gray day. Even as a historian, Hadley found it unbelievable that Oxford was older than the Aztec empire, older than the belief that the world was round, older than almost all the knowledge people organized their life around. She was standing in an eight-hundred-year-old college, immersed in history, and yet all she could think about was December 5th..."

I passed my course in History of Folklore at Oxford University in the summer and so I will not be taking up my studies again this academic year. I do miss the academic routine of classes and common room, lectures and seminars though, especially during September when the academic frenzy gets under way, so I was thrilled when Headline Publishing sent me an ARC of The Scholars by MacKenzie Common back in the summertime.

As you might guess from the title, this is a dark academia novel set at the University of Oxford, so it is just my cup of tea. I was very eager to read it and I have been immersed in the bloody history of Oxford for the past couple of days. Oxford University has a dark past of its own, namely the St Scholastica Day Riots in the 1300s, which feature in this novel. 

Amid this backdrop, five modern day students arrive at Oxford to take up their place on the Shepard Scholarship. All the students are highly intelligent and very successful in their chosen fields, as influencers, entrepreneurs, charity organizers and the odd nepo-baby.  To begin with, they are excited about the scholarship and eager to meet their like-minded peers, but soon enough they discover that each of them has a dark secret they are trying desperately to protect, secrets that could prove deadly.

As the students get better acquainted, their trust in one another is tested and broken, particularly when one of them turns up dead.  Now suddenly they are all suspicious and they are all suspects! As more and more information gradually comes to light, the Shepard Scholars find themselves forming unlikely alliances as they try to uncover who murdered their fellow student. 

This novel is narrated through multiple viewpoints as each of the scholars tries to unravel the mystery, at the same time as keeping their own past hidden. There are lots of twists and turns, all the characters are equally damaged and equally capable of resorting to extreme measures to protect their own reputations, so the book does keep you guessing. I was thoroughly engaged right up to the last, when the real killer is finally caught out. I have read a lot of dark academia novels, but even I wasn't expecting the final plot twist!

If you enjoy reading dark academia or murder mysteries then you might like The Scholars. It is quite fast paced, the chapter hooks keep you turning the pages and it has a very surprising and satisfying ending. I loved every page of this one!  It is the perfect novel for the new scholastic year and the autumn season. If you only buy one dark academia novel this year, make it The Scholars. It will hold you in its grip until the very last sentence. Enjoy!

Serene Blessings,

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher prior to its release for the purposes of review. It drops on 24th September 2026 and is up for Pre-Order now.