A PhD student with a troubled past arrived in Scotland to work on her dissertation. Soon she is embroiled in a plot of betrayal and murder that spans from the 16th century to her own department. This book is a great example of a Gothic dark academia novel. While some might find the story a bit drawn out, I truly enjoyed all of the research porn and archival descriptions. Thank you to net galley for the advanced readers copy.

The premise of this book sounded super promising. Gothic, dark, mysterious and sadly for me the book delivered on none of these promises. The characters were flat, the story plodding, the mystery rather obvious. So yeah, sadly not for me.

Meh, this one didn't work for me. At the onset, there was not nearly enough character development and lists of names kept appearing at meetings. The entire I-was-involved-with-a-married-man from Isabel's past was unnecessary and didn't contribute to the story line. Minor details (like paying a bill in cafe when leaving - you pay before giving the barista your order, based on your receipt) that were inaccurate, unbelievable personal interactions of plot twists. Hard pass.

I was really excited to read this book and I did enjoy it - it was dark, atmospheric and definitely ticks the box for dark academia fans for that microscopic detail focussed writing style. The Bequest gave me gothic vibes but I really liked the mystery element and I love in any book set in Scotland- it's a weakness!

I did find the pacing a little off and struggled to stay with it at times because it was so slow- 100% would recommend for a spooky season/autumnal read, overall I did enjoy but I wasn't that invested in the characters so it fell a little short for me.

3.75 stars

I LOVE a good gothic thriller! Which does have its downfall of having a slow pace that sure takes it time. If you enjoy this style, this will definitely be an enjoyable read.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

In this story, Isabel Henley, an American PhD student, leaves behind a complicated life in Boston to commence graduate school at the Scottish college of St. Stephen’s. When her thesis mentor tragically dies prior to her arrival (in suspicious circumstances), and then one of her friends from undergrad who is also attending St Stephen’s disappears, Isabel is thrust into a complex mish-mashed world touching on 16th century Renaissance politics, an ancient feuding family, and a supposedly cursed emerald which disappeared into history. She is forced to dive head-on into this ancient scholarly world to not only save her own life, but also those of who she cares about.

This is a head-scratching book for me. Firstly, the good bits: I enjoyed the first half of the story, and got vibes of Donna Tartt’s *The Secret History*, fans of which the book purports to appeal to. Having a PhD myself, I can also strongly relate to a lot of the intricacies this academic endeavor brings about and it was cool to read about them in a different field to my own, and how others (even fictional characters) approach this mammoth task. The early character development is ok, though I didn’t quite feel particularly enthralled by any of the characters. I did note early on that the writing was, well, awkward at times. The transitions (particularly when characters were speaking) were a bit strange, but I kind of shrugged and moved on.

Right, the not-so-good bits now. Towards the 70% mark of the book, I started to get somewhat annoyed. When the plot was really developing and twists were supposedly emerging, I found the way the characters reacted to these changing circumstances, both in their actions and words, unbelievable and just, at times, plain weird. Let me give an example – at one point, Isabel is described as “stepping out of the room holding hands” with a character – a character which she interacted with once previously, wasn’t mentioned for several chapters, and now seemingly is best friends with. Another example arises towards the end of the book when one character is seemingly confessing to another (and filling in the plot backstory to the reader) – the sequence of events just don’t make sense to me, and I can’t imagine people acting this way. So, again, a confusing book for me. I think I like it, and reckon the epilogue was an ok wrap to the story – but the events leading to it just irked me. I’d give this 3/5 stars. The book is due out in October 2022. Many thanks to Penzler Publishers/Scarlet and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the premise of this one a PhD students gets sucked into a mystery after her professors death. However the follow through fell flat or at least it did for me. But others might like it.

GOTHIC SCOTTISH MYSTERY THRILLER ALERT!

Ph.D student Isabel has up and fled her life in America to pursue her doctoral work with a famous feminist professor in Scotland, When she arrives, she finds the the professor has recently died under suspicious circumstances. Fortunately a college friend is in the program and the top scholar in the program, Rose takes her under her wing and shows her the ropes. Rose presents as a potential bipolar character who arrives in a frenzy and disappears for days. She then tells Isabel that she needs her help with important research - that her very life, and Isables as well, is at stake!

Isabel begins untangling the threads of Rose's research and we travel to Genoa and Paris as she tries to track down answers before time runs out. There is plenty of espionage, history and thrills! This might not be for everyone, as you will definitely learn much more about the Renaissance and old customs. Personally, I enjoyed every minute! If you love dark academia, historical mysteries, and atmospheric reads, the Bequest is for you!
#PenzlerPublishing #TheBequest #JoannaMargaret #NetGalley

This book was to hard for me to keep up with the pacing was just so weird. It just jumps right into the action and I feel like I was missing something. I had such a hard time following the story I just didn't finish it. I just don't think this writing style was for me.

After her professor’s suspicious death, a PhD student uncovers dark machinations among her academic associates in this "richly atmospheric and irresistibly readable book. The evocative details and impeccable research make for a delightful reading experience.

Gothic, mysterious, and ideal for dark academia fans. I really enjoyed this! Maybe a little predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.

The Bequest by Joanna Margaret has an interesting mystery but never really engaged me as a reader. I've put off writing a review for this one because writing like art is subjective and there may be people who really enjoy this book. I mean, "After her professor’s suspicious death, a PhD student uncovers dark machinations among her academic associates in this "richly atmospheric and irresistibly readable" (Joyce Carol Oates) Gothic mystery set between Scotland, Italy, and France. " It sounds promising. And the book does the mystery and atmospheric gothic feel really well.
For some reason though I just couldn't get invested in the characters. At about 3/4 of the way through the book I realized I didn't really care what happened to any of them.
As I say, I can see where others may really love this book.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #PenzlerPublishing and Joanna Margaret for the ARC copy of #TheBequest.

I was excited to read this book based on the description, but I had a hard time staying invested in it. I thought the pacing was off but enjoyed the mystery.

The bequest is a book about Isabel who heads to St Stephens University to do some historical research. Her world is flipped upside down when she finds out her friend is missing and if is Isabela responsibility to save her. People start to disappear left and right and she no longer knows who to trust. Will she be able to complete all the research she needs to save her friend?

This book was a very interesting read. I enjoy historical fiction from time to time, but I kept getting lost in the details. I had a hard time feeling connected to the characters, who just kept popping up here and there. The romance that starts to blossom also didn't feel real.

I am waiting for permission from heyitscarlyrae to post on my Instagram and add it to good reads.

I love dark academia and was thrilled to receive an arc of The Bequest from NetGalley. Sadly, I had to DNF this book at 40%, and I probably only made it that far because I was stuck on a plane with nothing else to do.

This book is a story about a woman who moves to Scotland for her graduate work in history and finds herself caught in the middle of multiple mysteries spanning continents and centuries.

This book is super atmospheric. It definitely gives me cozy, rainy, low-key gothic vibes. It also has a very academic setting and the studies of the characters are integral to the plot. In both of those senses, it delivers on the promise of dark academia.

My biggest issue is the lack of character development, as well as relationship development between the characters. When a character died or went missing or had an affair, I honestly didn’t care that much because I had no attachment to them and there was too little info to go on to even make me interested in the “mystery” of it. It also felt like the author tried to tell instead of show. For example, we’re supposed to accept that someone would risk their life to help find and save a friend when the only thing we know about their relationship is they went to the same high school and hang out sometimes.

Lastly, I found the subplot with the emerald convoluted and a bit boring. Maybe I didn’t read far enough for it to make sense with the other parts of the plot, but it mostly felt like a hint of National Treasure sprinkled in to an otherwise flat story.

i am not sure if it was that i have read a lot of these style books lately, or if it was the pacing of this book, I enjoyed the basic mystery of it , but felt bogged down in the details.

Fans of Dark Academia will love this book. For me, it was a little too hard to get into and I found myself missing paragraphs and daydreaming instead. The vivid atmosphere (gorgeous European libraries and architecture) was lovely, but maybe this was a little too overwhelming to me as I'm one to love a fast-paced page turner. While the rich world building made me feel like being embraced by a fuzzy blanket, the plot didn't grab me as a mystery / thriller should.

Loved the world building, the atmosphere, dark academia vibes but the plot didn't grab me.

My rating is 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this advanced copy prior to release.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Joanna Margaret's The Bequest. A compelling book set in academia. Exceptional!

This one took me a bit to get into. I actually contemplated DNF but, pushed a little further and then I got wicked invested in the story.

Any dark academia fans will really appreciate the visuals. This was National Treasure meets dark academia meets cat and mouse who done it mystery, all swirled into one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishing team for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so unlike what I typically read but I enjoyed it very much! Isabel is an American working on her PhD in Scotland. All she wants to do is put her personal past behind her while studying others’ past - like 16th century past! Who would guess that it would all lead to lies, betrayal, and death?