The Devil Makes Three is the perfect dark academia novel for fans of this literary genre and would function well as a gateway novel for readers who have yet to set toe in these murky waters. For the uninitiated, dark academia revolves around a narrative steeped in mystery and Gothic gloom in a university or boarding school setting, often involving secret societies or a dark ominous campus history heretofore unknown to its modern day crop of students—until disturbing events start to take place, perhaps someone disappears or a body turns up, prompting our intrepid protagonist to investigate! Or it may be that they have a secret personal connection to the unnerving incidents taking place…

In this debut novel by Tori Bovalino, who launches herself into the YA book market with self-assured style and polished prose, our heroine is the sharp and spiky Tess Matheson. She has a chip on her shoulder and isn’t afraid to show it, even when putting on an amiable face would help smooth the way. Her path to a part-scholarship at Falk University and job at its library was a rocky one paved with a blindside that rocked her family dynamics, noble self-sacrifice and the charity of a distant great aunt which secures a place on campus for herself and her beloved younger sister, Nat.

The reader isn’t privy right away to the circumstances that led to Tess being at Falk, and she comes off as a trifle off-putting with her anger and resentment, but once the background is revealed, her character becomes more sympathetic. It’s an interesting tactic introducing her to us in this manner, almost as though we’re being encouraged to view her through one slightly negative lens before the author refocuses it to show her in another light. Female protagonists in YA are often a combination of various positive attributes, with flaws being something acceptable like ‘feisty’ or ‘impulsive’, so it’s interesting when a bookish heroine is more notable for being antagonistic, daring us to like her despite herself.

And liking Tess is certainly a challenge for our other main character, Eliot Birch, son of Falk’s headmaster. Due to an unfortunate case of mistaken identity and some regrettable passive-aggressive venting on sticky notes affixed to a large pile of requested books, she and Eliot don’t exactly start off on the right foot! But luckily for the audience, this potential blackmail allows Eliot to take advantage of Tess’s full library access to sneak him into a restricted area where they wind up discovering a secret passage to a mysterious grimoire tucked away in a remote corner…and that’s just the start to their misadventures involving demons, creepy ink magic, possession and a lot of gruesome gore!

This book isn’t for the squeamish as the author doesn’t hold back on visceral descriptions of decaying bodies and violent attacks, making it more intense than your average YA novel (content warnings are available here and here) However rest assured that this isn’t dabbling in torture porn as the focus is mainly on how these graphic scenes impact on the main characters so it doesn’t ever feel gratuitous, plus the grisly visuals are spaced out at regular intervals to give the reader a bit of breathing space in between confronting scenes. For horror fans, there is a lot to enjoy here with deliciously dark and twisted moments that will set your head reeling, and a huge part of the thrill is watching our leads embark on a misguided course of action just knowing it will lead nowhere good and waiting on tenterhooks for the trap to be sprung. There’s also the literary equivalent of jump scares which the author confidently executes to great effect, sure to lead to sharp gasps and frantically pounding hearts!

In between moments of horror, there is a slow-burn romance unfolding between Tess and Eliot which is a pleasure to read as their initially hostile dynamic warms into something closer to an alliance, then a friendship and hints of more. It’s beautifully measured and restrained, giving the reader time to invest in both characters and their individual journeys before strengthening their connection and willing us to yearn for more along with them. The romantic tension isn’t the only relationship dynamic developed in this book as there is also a large focus on platonic and familial bonds as well. While Nat doesn’t feature as heavily in the action despite how much she fuels Tess’s drive to succeed at Falk, the sisterly relationship is a constant feature in the background and Tess’s roommate also pops up now and then, showing a warm supportive female friendship that is welcome in the midst of all the angst and gloom! Eliot’s family background is explored in greater depth than expected, providing a great deal of character nuance and fleshing him out as we witness his closeness to an ill mother who taught him magic and his strained, toxic relationship with his father who abhors any hint of the supernatural.

Intriguingly dark and macabre, The Devil Makes Three is a perfectly chilling YA horror that delivers in spades on the delicious premise of dark academia set in a formidably vast library with a creepy basement, ancient grimoires, and secret passages. Its spooky atmosphere is expertly drawn by accomplished, captivating writing that amps up the reader’s breathless anticipation with each unsettling new chapter. The charismatic lead characters are easy to emotionally invest in and will have you praying for their safety as they desperately face off against demons, possession, and dark magic. And the final brilliant closing line will linger in your head long after finishing this eerily haunting and unexpectedly emotional story.

The Devil Makes Three is an extraordinary goth and demonic debut casting the perfect blend of the contemporary, horror, and fantasy genres. The setup is perfect a library that is home to an array of magical grimoires, a human who works their pulling books from the stacks for patrons, and a witch trying to use his witching abilities to save his dying mother. The angst relationship between Eliot Birch and Tess Matheson drips with romance waiting to bloom. The intrigued of the ink bleeding from the books and the demon/devil trying to make a bargain with Tess was deliciously creepy. I did have an issue believing this was a high school library. It would have been more believable if Tess attended a college with a high school boarding school nearby for her sister. Overall the plot kept me reading as I had to know how our witch and human would put the demon/devil back in the book.

Synopsis:
Tess Matheson only wants three things: time to practice her cello, for her sister to be happy, and for everyone else to leave her alone.

Instead, Tess finds herself working all summer at her boarding school library, shelving books and dealing with the intolerable patrons. The worst of them is Eliot Birch: snide, privileged, and constantly requesting forbidden grimoires. After a bargain with Eliot leads to the discovery of an ancient book in the library's grimoire collection, the pair accidentally unleash a book-bound demon.

The demon will stop at nothing to stay free, manipulating ink to threaten those Tess loves and dismantling Eliot’s strange magic. Tess is plagued by terrible dreams of the devil and haunting memories of a boy who wears Eliot's face. All she knows is to stay free, the demon needs her... and he'll have her, dead or alive.

Review:

Thank you so much to Page Street Kids for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review! Thank you also to Netgalley for the digital ARC :)

What a crazy, gory wild ride of a book! I was scared, nauseous, emotionally drained and anxious by the end of this book, but somehow I loved it?

Tess and Eliot are the main characters of 'The Devil Makes Three'. Tess is a teenager working at Jessop Library, which is located on the grounds of Falk private school. She is depicted as being a very generous and loving person to her sister, Nat. She is a cello player and got a scholarship for the music school of her dreams but she turned it down, because she thought that Falk would be a better fit for her sister. Her entire life goal is to make sure that Nat has a future, and ignore her own opportunities. Generally, I thought she was a likable, if a little unrealistic of a main character.

Eliot has to be one of my favorite main characters from a book that I've ever read. I related to him so much, and thought he was a very kind and sensitive character. He had an abusive dad, and a dying mother, and I thought he was such a likable character because he never took out his pain on other people.

The story and setup is what initially drew me to this. There's a reason why this was my most anticipated release of the year: Books, Demons and most importantly DARK ACADEMIA?! This is the perfect plot for someone like me, and I was so pumped when I received a copy.

The writing style was very interesting. The third person duo perspective really worked for me, and even though it started out very dense with rich language, the atmospheric and lovely writing drew me into the story. I also enjoyed how every so often, there would be a chapter from the 'second person' (you) perspective. What made this doubly cool was that the implied second person was actually the Devil in the book! Talk about imaginative and unique.

This probably would have been a 5 stars/4.5 star read for me, if not for the ending. I liked the epilogue, and was so happy with the closing, but the last sentence ruined it for me. It felt very frustrating, and without spoiling anything, I just want to say that it made the reading of the book feel very: 'why did I read all of this, if it's going to end like THAT'?

But, despite that, I loved this very much, the relationships and gore kept me well entertained at a boring week of summer camp, which is all you can really ask for from a great book :)

Anticipation: 5: DARK ACADEMIA DARK ACADEMIA DARK ACADEMIA DARK ACADEMIA DARK ACADEMIA
Enjoyment: 4: so good!

--> 4.3 stars (the overly specific reviewer strikes again)

Recommended for ages 15 and up! (Self-harm, child abuse, parental illness, blood/gore, explicit violence, possession leading to degradation of mental state!)

Pre-order from Blackwell's (UK):https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Pre-order from Mrs. Dalloway's (US):https://www.mrsdalloways.com/book/978...

4.5. This is deliciously scary! I won't give away too much, but the way Bovalino describes the way the Devil works actually made me shudder. Unlike some authors, Bovalino doesn't let the YA label stop her from including a healthy amount of gore. I usually read these NetGalley eARCs before bed, and I had to stop doing that with this one because it was too frightening. There were a couple of plot points that made me pause (again, don't want to give too much away), but for the most part the plot speeds along like a train about to collide with the side of a mountain.

If you like dark academia but want it in YA form, this is for you.

As someone who would be the exact opposite of Tess, I enjoyed The Devil Makes Three supremely - even if I had to only read it during the day. Bovalino's debut takes place in one of the most magical settings - a library - and infuses atmosphere, danger, and intrigue in every hidden corner. Reading about both Tess and Eliot grounds us in the ways they are so driven by their loyalty and love, even as they circle each other with mistrust. The pacing is fantastic, allowing us to get to know Tess and Eliot before dunking them headfirst in danger, ominous whispers, and ink.

The Devil Makes Three became a book I couldn't put down. Absolutely absorbed by the action, the intrigue, and the atmosphere. The ways that knowledge can sometimes be a curse. When we have to hide who we are from those who are supposed to love us. All the feelings of loss, of watching the ones you love disappear in front of our eyes. With truly lyrical writing in some places, The Devil Makes Three had me wrapped up in the characters and their quests, their tender love, and their woven ambition.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Page Street Publishing and Page Street Kids, for the chance to read and review this book.

TW: emotional and physical abuse, murder, gore, blood

Tess works in the Jessop library, trying to balance her two works, her cello praticise and passion and her difficult relationship with her parents, her love for her younger sister Natalie, when she meets Eliot Birch, the son's of the headmaster and their meeting will change everything for both of them. When stumbling upon an ancient book hidden beneath the school library and accidentally releasing a demon from his prison, Tess and Eliot are forced to work together to trap him before he kills...again. The demon will do anything in his power, manipulating the ink in the library books to do his bidding, possessing people, until he will achieve his own freedom. Tess and Eliot will do anything they can to escape this nightmare and protect those they love, including each other.

A dark academia set in a school library? With seductive demons and books and family problems? This book hooked me since the beginning! The setting is creepy, fascinating and lush, a school library where one of the main characters works, with books, books and books, mysterious ones, hidden tunnels, secrets, magic, spells and grimoires.

Tess and Eliot are the main characters of The devil makes three. Tess is a compelling character, stubborn, strong and determined. She's weighed down by family problems, anger, fears and desires, trying to balacing her life, her passions, worrying about her future and her sister Nat's and facing a demon wasn't exactly in her plans.
Eliot is shy, introvert and passionate, determinate to help and cure his sick mother, facing his distant and cruel father and willing to do anything in order to protect those he loves, Tess included. I loved his bond with his mother, their shared knowledge and magic, their love and what Eliot was ready to do to save her. I really enjoyed reading about his past and magic and spells. The relationship between Eliot and Tess is really good, too.
Their soft romance is really well written and it was a pleasure to read how slowly they connect and start to realize they meant more and more for one other.

The story is absolutely thrilling, dark and creepy, with the demon willing to do anything to get his freedom, to hurt and kill everyone in his path until he gets what he wants, he's also a really fascinating character, manipulating everything and everyone. The plot is full of twist, scary and intense moments, nightmares and possessions, murders and abuses and Tess and Eliot are brilliant characters, determinated and strong, but also incredibly complex in their own humanities, fears and desires. They are scared and upset, they rage and fight, they battle and run away in a wild and dark story that get me hooked since the beginning.
The author has a captivating writing style and I was left breathless and scared and curious while reading, ready to be more scared and to know what would happen next. I really related to Tess and Eliot, more to Eliot, to be honest, because we have a similar mind and I love them and their adventures.

This book is dark, creepy and magnificent. If you like dark academia in a library setting, demons, witches and spells, this one is absolutely perfect for you.

Creepy and atmospheric! I loved Tess as a strong main character who would do whatever it took to reach her goals but never lost sight of what was really important. Some of the side characters were particularly interesting to me, especially Mathilde and Lucille. This book is perfect for fans of dark academia and slow burn, soft boy/strong girl romance!

Deliciously creepy and haunting. Finally a YA not scared to hold back on the gore to provide real horror and add to the high stakes. I can't resist books set in a library. Add in a demon, likeable protagonists, and intriguing plot - I couldn't put it down.

Horrific. Romantic. Gory. Touching. Somehow this book managed to be all these things and more—a thrill ride full of beautiful moments and frightening sequences that I couldn’t read in the dark. So very well done.

Told in alternating voices between Tess and Eliot, both outsiders in their own way. Tess is a scholarship away from financial disaster for both herself and her sister. Eliot’s father is the headmaster but their relationship is tense and complicated. Together, Eliot and Tess explore the hidden collection of the school library to discover some texts of magical possibility and release the devil himself.

A story set at a boarding school in Pittsburgh featuring the power of a library and ancient, secret texts. A story where the characters talk of magic not being real yet seek its power anyway. A fun, fast, creepy “watch over your shoulder” read. It begins like a reimagining of Inkheart and feels light and breezy until the 50% mark. Once the incorporeal manifestation of the devil works to harm Tess and delivers a dead body to Eliot, things get real dark, real fast and reading becomes propulsive. Devil Makes Three provides romantic tension without being a romance novel and delivers a strong, though flawed, heroine in Tess who must ultimately save herself and those around her. This fantastically visual book reads like a movie and is the propulsive, creeptastic read you will want to have on hand for your October Horror Readfest.

A book set in a library? Yes, please. Oh, you want to add in magic? Again, yes please. And make it about a boarding school? I'm in.

Except... it did not feel like a boarding school library. Tess' reasons for moving her and her sister Nat to a school on the other side of the state, giving up her scholarship to an arts school where she can play cello, are understandable. As a second semester junior, it's understandable she finds it difficult to fit in, particularly since she has to work. And this was my first WTF moment: she's a high school junior working two jobs? living in a dorm that is essentially an apartment building, with minimal supervision? My second was when I read that the library in question has closed stacks? And those stacks include grimoires? That students could access without a Giles-figure to watch out for them? Nope. This reads more like a college experience. I could have bought the experience more if Nat had been enrolled in a Lab School attached to the college Tess attends.

Not buying the world in which this is set, however, didn't lessen my enjoyment of the ink demon and its attempts to take over Tess' life. Or of Eliot Hack's evolution from snotty British version of any 80s teen movie character played by James Spader to an updated version of Narnia's Digory, trying to save his mother by any means possible. His fraught relationship with his father and the new girlfriend also changes over the book and his snottiness is mitigated by the knowledge of what his backstory/present life includes.

Unfortunately, this also suffers from pacing issues and plot points where there could have been more, but may have been edited out.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Dark academia with a library setting? Sign me up. Atmospheric and creepy and lush and surprisingly gory.

Sadly I didn’t love this book. I think this was a little too YA for my tastes! And sadly that was my fault.

4.5 stars

what a brilliantly dark and perfectly atmospheric dark academia read! I honestly adored just about every bit of this story.

I truly love both of our main characters. Tess is a cellist who feels a lot of things and doesn’t know how to process all those feelings (which is a little trope in characters that I adore). She’s incredibly protective over her sister and ambitious and headstrong. Eliot is troubled little Brit unwilling living in the states who is, *surprise*, also a witch.
Together, they accidentally invite none other than the devil into their realm.

First of all, their dynamic was absolutely incredible. They had chemistry from the start and their banter made me smile. They also had some hilarious encounters. The author truly took the time to develop their romance which was super important to me. It was very well done and it gave you all the time to deeply care for our protagonists and to watch their feelings grow for each other.

One of the strongest parts of this book is the incredibly well depicted atmosphere. It’s dark and eerie and slightly spooky and you feel these things around you as you read.

One last thing to add, this is a YA novel that didn’t feel too young, which I can greatly appreciate. This will easily be enjoyed by older and younger readers.

I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark academia atmospheric spooky reads with a sweet romance. Add this to your tbr’s!!

A book containing an ink demon, a boy on the hunt for a way to save his mother, and the girl who he blackmailed to help him find the book. What could go wrong?!

Like 1/3 of this book, the first was so slow and dragged on that it took me a while to finish this book. And I'm not too fond of that because the premise really intrigued me originally, but it didn't meet my expectations, unfortunately.
It got excellent in the middle with more interactions with the demon and the race against time, and the finally connect between the characters; I would have just liked the beginning to have more.

I saw that this book had a dark academia theme and knew I needed to read it. I enjoyed a lot of elements of this book. The characters were well developed, the plot was interesting, and I loved the setting. I felt that the story moved too slowly and didn't keep my attention, but not enough to stop reading it.

Seductive demons, dark academia vibes, a soft boy/sharp girl romance, and a perfectly spooky atmosphere... THE DEVIL MAKES THREE has everything I've ever wanted in a book.

This is more like 3.5 stars in actuality.

The Devil Makes Three is a sorta dark academia style novel in which Tess, who works in a boarding school library, and Eliot, who heavily utilizes that library, accidentally awaken the devil by reading an old book. It’s not super easy to grasp the tone of the story from the synopsis. There’s a little comic relief here and there, but it’s mostly serious. It’s told in a very matter-of-fact way, with a strong and stubborn female main character. The devil latches onto Tess, because she read the book, and she refuses to be swayed by his attempts to buy her soul. Of course, things escalate pretty quickly, and soon Tess and Eliot are rushing to find out how to banish him.

I don’t typically gravitate towards dark academia type stories, but something about two kids unleashing the devil in a library just struck a chord with me. I might not have absolutely loved it, but I don’t regret reading it at all. There were quite a few suspenseful moments in this story that had me a little scared reading in the dark, and Eliot and Tess had a really cute relationship. Eliot isn’t used to having people want to be friends with him and Tess isn’t used to having the time to have a friend. But they stick together, first with a little blackmail, then out of necessity, but of course their desires and motivations change along the way.

The romance wasn’t the best paced, but I absolutely loved the sentiment towards the end of the two of them being on equal ground and both of them seeing the other as strong. The epilogue was cute too, but then with a creepy last line that really changed the mood quick.

I think the characterization in this book was pretty good - besides Tess and Eliot, we also have their families and a roommate. And the devil, of course. Even the devil ended up having more of a character arc than I expected, even though I didn’t quite understand it.

Tess’s character was the most fleshed out. She worked two jobs to ensure that she and her sister could stay at their expensive school. She also had a passion for playing the cello and showed a lot of discipline in that arena as well. She was untrusting and sometimes cold but it just made it all the better when she warmed up to people like Eliot or her roommate Anna.

Eliot’s main motivation is his sick mom. He’s actually a witch, and the whole book thing started because he was looking for spells to help heal his mom of cancer. I almost forgot to mention his magic just because it was so normalized and that made it feel really cozy. By the end of the novel he grows to realize that goals can change, and he also grows as a witch and can harness his powers better.

The diversity of this book... well, non-existent. We only really have three characters who aren’t part of either Tess’s or Eliot’s families, but that’s 3 characters who could have been inclusive in some way. Now that I think of it, her roommate’s last name *could* have been Kim, but I don’t remember anything explicit saying she was any one race. As usual, though, correct me if I’m wrong!

Overall, though, this was an engaging story with writing that was really easy to visualize and characters who were interesting to follow. I’ll have no problem recommending this at work, especially during the spookier months! I think it would make a good movie because a lot of the scenes were already so vividly described.

I really wanted to like this as it sounds brilliant, but I found the heroine's behaviour implausible and unlikeable.

*Spoiler free*

I mean, a book bound demon getting released. A cello player, who wants everyone to leave her alone. Manipulating ink. Yes, I was very, very intrigued by this book. Plus, I had heard a whole lot of love and excitement for it online, so I was curious to see what I would think of it! Trigger warnings: grief, parental abuse (emotional and physical), self-harm, blood, gore

I just, what the heck.

The whole of this book is just "what the heck", but those what the hecks have different meanings. Nevertheless, that phrase does a good job in encompassing my feelings towards this book.

Alright, let's start off with how freaking horrifying this book got. Seriously, there was a scene towards the end that turned my stomach. This book gets GOREY. I mean, that's also just a small piece of it too. A book bound demon is released. And that brings about a whole heck of a lot of horrors. I loved the dark magical aspects of this. The ink, the dust, the grimoires, the library, the hidden nooks and crannies that are discovered. It is so incredibly well written and this book is fantastically atmospheric.

And on to Tess. I did not expect to grow to love her. But I really, truly came to love her. She's all sharp edges and hard determination, the kind that can go up against concrete and win. She is trying so hard to hold her life together, and to hold herself together. I loved how much she loved and cared for her sister. There is so much depth and angst to her story, and it was really wonderful to read.

I'm not sure if I loved Eliot as much as I loved Tess, but I still really, really liked him. He's kind of a dork, but adorable at the same time. There's a certain innocence to him, but he has also had to deal with things no teenager should have to deal with. He's awkward and invested and awkwardly kind.

The one thing that I did not completely love about this book was how the emotional journeys tied into the overarching, book bound demon plot. There is a connection between them, I just felt like it wasn't as strong as it could have been. I think I wanted them to mix a lot more than they did, and it would have made the book all the more gut wrenching. They kind of felt like two separate things, even though they kind of come together in the end. Though, I think this could just be how I connected to the book!

Speaking of the ending, LETS TALK ABOUT THEN ENDING. Because the literal last line had my eyes bulging out of my head. I can't say anything in detail, because spoilers as its the end of the book, but just know that the last line and the ending of the book is brilliance. I am in awe of how Bovalina wrapped up this story. It threw everything into a different light, and it was just downright amazing.

Overall, this was a really fantastic book. It's terrifying, emotional, and downright creepy. Like, books locked in cages with secret entrances creepy. Like, lines that send shivers down your spine creepy. So, overall fantastic! I really, really liked it.