All That Consumes Us is the perfect spooky dark academia read! Corbin College has an elite student society, Magni Viri, with all the connections, prestige and benefits you can imagine - but it is also mysterious and secretive. When struggling, first-gen Freshman Tara gets the opportunity to join she jumps at the chance. So what if the only reason she gets in is because another student mysteriously dies? This is her chance and she is going to take it! But when dark and chilling things start to happen will she be able to get out?

Overall, I loved this dark story. It had everything that the synopsis promised: it is dark, full of mystery, creepy, and chilling. This story is such an original take on dark academia! The story is eerie and moody, it is a slow-burn creepy. Anyone that loves a good "light" horror story will love this book. It is very atmospheric and you will not be able to put it down!

The only reasons that you may not want to read this is if you like scary stories, but not creepy crawly ones. There are some things that happen that could be considered slightly grotesque, it is not over the top but is present. As always, make sure to check the author and publishers trigger warnings.

I really enjoyed this YA horror. It was just what I wanted during this spooky season. I love dark academia and this was no exception. So moody and creepy, the writing is spectacular and really builds the story. This author never fails to impress me with the way they build atmosphere within a story. I think that all YA horror, thriller lovers should read this one. I will definitely be recommending this wide and far!

Book Report for All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters

Cover Story: Back to Nature
BFF Charm: Big Sister
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: Dark and Dreary
Bonus Factor: Kickass Gramps
Anti-Bonus Factors: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting, Awful Grown-Ups
Relationship Status: Hopeful

Cover Story: Back to Nature
This is the second book in a row I’ve reviewed with hands, vines, and moths. It. too, is applicable to the story within, and I love the added gothic nature of one hand being just bones. I also love the juxtaposition of the sweet-looking plants (can plants look sweet?) with the ominous title.

The Deal:
Tara Boone works two jobs to make it possible for her to attend Corbin College. And although she’d love to be a novelist, she’s on the English to teach track, since she knows she’ll have to make money to pay off all of her student loans after she graduates. So when she’s given an opportunity to join Magni Viri, Corbin’s most elite (and mysterious) academic society—meaning that her entire tuition, plus books, plus room and board, plus a personal stipend, will be paid for—she jumps at the chance. She doesn’t think the rumors about the society are true, but sometimes there are worse things than a little devil worship.

BFF Charm: Big Sister
Tara’s an interesting person who’s overcome a lot of crappy life situations. Her mother is only a mother in the biological sense and she feels like she can’t do what she really wants to do in life because she doesn’t have any money to spare. She’s looked down on by other students at Corbin thanks to her upbringing and scholarship status, even though she worked twice (or more) as hard as any of them to get into such a prestigious school, and early at that. I liked her gumption and passion. But she has a lot of confidence issues and frequently turned morose and nearly gave up when things got hard. I get that she’s only 17—I likely would have given up for reals were I in her place—but it made her a bit of an unreliable narrator and not someone I’d really want to be friends with until she did a bit more maturing.

That said, she’s someone I would love to be an adult in her life for, someone who could be a grounding presence and give her the love she’s been missing out on.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Tara’s immediately taken with Penny, another Magni Viri Freshman, and it seems like Penny likes her, too. But the many secrets Penny (and Magni Viri) are keeping cause Tara to pull away, and rightly so. There are some sweet moments between the two, but for the most part, there’s an underlying current of untruth that really dampens the swoon.

Talky Talk: Dark and Dreary
Have you ever watched a TV show and wondered why/how it is always dark in that location? All That Consumes Us gives off that kind of vibe, even when the characters are in the sunshine. There’s a dark pall that hangs over the Corbin College campus, but in the case of this book, that’s a good and fitting thing. Waters excels at writing suspenseful novels with an otherworldly flair, and All That Consumes Us is no exception.

I also love her descriptions, which are detailed and extremely visual.

Bonus Factor: Kickass Gramps
Tara’s boss at her janitorial job, Mr. Hanks, is a gruff older gentleman that Tara initially thinks hates her. But she quickly realizes that it’s only his exterior that’s mean, and he actually has a wonderful heart. He warms to Tara when she needs him the most, and it made me so glad to see that she had at least one adult in her life that was there when she needed him.

(I actually don’t know how old he is, but he gave off more grandpa vibes than father-type ones.)

Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting
Although Tara’s mom isn’t a character so much as a presence that affects Tara’s life, she’s a horrible mother who deserves none of Tara’s concern. She not only stops talking to Tara after Tara “leaves her” to attend Corbin, but—SPOILER ALERT—up and moves away, without leaving a forwarded address and disconnects her phone so that Tara has absolutely no way of getting in touch.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-Ups
Pretty much all of the other adults in the book are terrible, out for their own power or fame, and using Tara and her friends for their own gain. I really don’t get how people can be so vain and heartless, but I suppose humanity’s filled with all kinds.

Relationship Status: Hopeful
While the time we spent together was fraught with suspense, Book, I have a feeling that you’re going to be OK in the long run. I’d love to continue to be in your life to be a solid adult presence. (As much as I am a solid adult …)

All That Consumes Us is about a first-generation college student, Tara, who is in way over her head. But when she is offered a spot in a prestigious academic society, she jumps at the chance… even if that means replacing a girl who was recently found dead in the library! Filled with spooky hauntings, atmospheric settings, and a queer found family ensemble cast, this book is sure to delight dark academia readers!

This book should definitely be at the top of your spooky reads list! It's my new fave YA dark academia novel. I absolutely love the small college setting - an elite college nestled in the hills of Tennessee and removed from the rest of the world by it's remote location and isolation. There the students are joined in a true liberal arts community where gender and sexuality are expressed openly without fear. However it's not a perfect place: there's classism, snobbery, and - while several of the supporting characters are POC - the campus is less diverse. Tara feels out of place; she's from a small nowhere town in Florida, she's poor, and she doesn't have a family or home to go back to. That's why her unexpected admission to the renowned society of Magni Viri is such a shock. Surely she doesn't have the same level of genius as the other students, especially the brilliant and recently deceased Meredith, whose spot she's taking.

I loved every minute of this southern gothic tale, It's full of desperation, horror, betrayal, tragedy, literature, and ghosts. It's also a great found family story as the six freshmen band together to unravel the mysteries of Magni Viri and fight for their futures. Chilling and beautifully told, this is a story I'll be thinking about for a long time.

I’m teetering on the edge of giving this five stars, because after a bumpy start, this book sunk its teeth into me. A bit like the situation our protagonist, Tara, finds herself in.

When we’re introduced to her, Tara is a shy, deeply insecure, and pretty jealous person. This is what initially made it hard for me to connect with her. But as the book went on, I grew a fondness for her. Her connection to other people made her more likable, and her history made her much a much more sympathetic character. I’ll admit that sometimes her choices baffled me, but in the end I admired and was proud of her.

This book is deliciously creepy, and the more we unwind this tangled mess, the more fraught it becomes. Even though I predicted the crux of the mystery early on, I still found myself engrossed and eagerly moving to the next chapter. The author had a way of creating such a compelling psychological horror interspersed with great characters that it hardly mattered what I had guessed—I had to know every detail of how and why this was happening.

The book also had decent representation—in addition to Tara coming from a poor, rural upbringing, there were several three dimensional characters of color that didn’t fall into the usual stereotypes, as well as many queer characters (covering every letter of the alphabet), and a love interest with an auto-immune disease. I thought the author handled these identities well, highlighting realities without attempting to write their experiences firsthand. As an occasional cane user with an autoimmune condition, I really felt seen by Penny and the way she was written. She’s probably my favorite character of the whole novel, as well as Wren.

Really though, all of the characters left an impression on me. Even when they weren’t present on the page, the core six made themselves known. They felt as if the had a life beyond just their appearances in Tara’s life, and I loved every moment we got with them. I already miss them :’)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so good! All That Consumes Us is my first book by this author and I flew through it in a day. This gothic, dark academia style YA really worked for me. The writing was beautiful and flowed well, and I devoured it easily. I loved how the descriptions of Tara's loneliness were so vivid and real.

There were a few parts in the middle that pulled me out of the story with how quickly Tara's personality and choices seemed to change back and forth. I really enjoyed the side characters but wish that the romance, while I did enjoy it, had a bit more of a build up.

I'm so happy that I enjoyed this and that cover is amazing! Will be picking up more from his author!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

first off, the vibes of this book were truly immaculate. from the haunting dark academia setting to the mysterious secret society, I felt truly immersed in the story.

it’s the perfect book to read this time of year because it takes place entirely during the season of autumn. the graveyard parties, spirits, and rituals add such a nice spooky touch to the story. the entire concept of this book felt so intriguing and original to me which I loved!

i really liked the disability and queer representation in this book. there is a character in Tara’s friend group with an autoimmune disease as well as multiple queer characters including Tara herself. although there were several characters to learn about and get to know, I felt like they were all interesting facets of the story. I do love a found family trope and this book definitely had that!

my only issue was the pacing. it lagged in some areas and overall the plot was pretty slow. I don’t always mind a slower plot but near the end I became a bit impatient and wanted to see how the story would unfold!

overall, I highly recommend to readers who enjoy dark academia and YA horror.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperTeen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest reviews.

I am not a big fan of books on the darker side but dark academia will always be the exception. I don’t know what it is but they always draw me in. It is an interesting experience being in an academic world I know I wouldn’t survive two seconds in.

I really tried to enjoy all that consumes us and I thought for sure I would because it has everything I like. There were the unsettling themes, obsessive academics, and mystery but the execution wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be. I was honestly uninterested in most of the characters because it felt impossible to connect with them.

Tara would have inner monologues but then her actions would contradict her thoughts. For me this made me feel like she was either an unreliable narrator or Erica was going in a direction with Tara but decided against it. Her connections with everyone felt off, barely developed and typically in dark academia you get the possessive behaviors but I barely saw that. The Magni Viri students are described as close knit but I never really felt that. And one can say that’s because there’s obviously inner tension and that creates cracks but typically in dark academia you still have the possessive/close knit behavior despite the cracks. They’re usually all dysfunctional but still morbidly close. But I didn’t feel this at all.

I hope others enjoy this novel especially for this fall season. The creepy and eerie moments were what kept my attention which I think others will enjoy those aspects.

Gothic dark academia heck yeah!

Dark academia, to me, are those books set in a collegiate atmosphere (they don’t even have to necessarily be set in a college, but the atmosphere needs to be collegiate in nature) where the plot of the book is centered around the darker and more predatory aspects of academia: publish or perish, predatory lending practices, racism, secret societies, homophobia, corrupt officials, and so on. All That Consumes Us is gothic in nature due to the isolated setting of not only the liberal arts college it takes place in (fictional Corbin College), but also because the secret society at the heart of the plot, Magni Viri, lives in an isolated Victorian dorm building on the oldest and most isolated reaches of the campus. The students of Magni Viri really are set above and apart from the rest in more ways than one.

As for the dark academia aspect of the book, the dark and predatory side of college here is in how each student of Magna Viri is recruited: They all have dreams, skill, and ambition, but they need a little more push to get them to the top. Magna Viri dangles a carrot in their faces and usually warns them that there will be a stick. They just don’t know how hard that stick will whack them until it’s too late. By then, they’re stuck. The director of Magna Viri dangled the carrot in front of Tara, our protagonist, but never bothered to tell her about the stick. Telling you anything more than that would make this review spoileriffic.

This is an enjoyable book, and a great fall read. I loved the creepy, New England vibe to the book. Did it feel like a college book? Not really. Did it feel like Waters was trying to drive the dark academia vibe down my throat? Yes. Did I need The Secret History mentioned so many times in one book? No. Did I enjoy the plot itself? Yes.

I’m going to go ahead and recommend it because it was fun and I liked the way the plot was approached, even though I felt it was a little immature in its approach. It’s also well-trodden territory. But it was a tasty treat anyway.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Dark Academia/Ghost Story/Gothic/LGBTQ Romance/Occult Fiction/Secret Society/YA Fiction/YA Mystery/YA Suspense/YA Thriller

All That Consumes Us is a haunting, stunning and truly special dark academia tale.

Erica Waters is one of those authors that just never fails to totally captivate me. Her stories have such original concepts with this murky mix of fantasy and reality, with almost a folk tale gloss over all the events. These slices of something slightly off-kilter from our world are just something else.

All That Consumes Us is yet another example of this. It is Dark Academia in a unique spin, or at least one that I have never seen explicitly before. Waters’ distinctive use of atmosphere so thick that it feels like it may start choking you is heightened here. This genre thrives on claustrophobia and paranoia, which is delivered here in next level territory. We really ruminate on the cost of ambition and success, leaving the question of what may be sacrificed for greatness. There is a real undercurrent of exploitation within the central conceit. Nothing here is quite as it seems, making that atmosphere that much more threatening and thick.

Tara was an excellent way in for us. Her narrative voice was so entrancing, full of heart and pulling you to become endeared to her so quickly. She is smart, driven and just wanting to find a place where she feels like she can truly belong. With that, you may be pushed to extreme circumstances in the right situations. This place is one that is designed to drive people to that exact point. It really centres what you would do in order to achieve perfection and speaks to that corrosive exploitation often at the heart of academic institutions. Waters delves deep into questions of legacy and what that truly means for us in the present. It is excellent.

All That Consumes Us is a Dark Academia tale like no other - sleep on Waters at your peril.

This was fantastic! Scholars at a prestigious university want to be admitted into an even more prestigious society called Magni Viri. Tara is rejected until one of their members dies in the library, and she is asked to take her spot. The society is like a family, they study late together, have parties on Sunday and are incredibly smart, they are all desperate to be the best. Once Tara moves into Magni Viri she starts writing like she never has before but the story is unfamiliar and dark, she doesn't recognize it. This was a fantastic horror story with a great setting and a unique concept. I love Erica Waters!

Magni animi numquam moriuntur. Great minds never die. A girl who is an outsider finds herself joining an exclusive society but begins seeing the ghost and feels herself losing time while being possessed by someone, the question is who. Tara goes to Corbin College, and dreams about being accepted into the elite academic society, Magni Viri and get a chance to experience free tuition, inspirational professors and the dream job when she graduates. When she finds the dead body of a girl who was part of the Magni Viri society, a girl that she envied and wish she could be, the last thing she expects is to be invited into the society to replace said girl. Yet once she is there her writing is suddenly better and she feels as if she's losing herself, literally, as she begins losing time and her writing is no longer her own and that someone is possessing her while she feels like she is being haunted by the dead girl she replaced. Can she figure out what is happening in this secret society before it's too late? This book was driving me crazy because I recognized the plot and couldn't place it and then realized it was literally Down A Dark Hall by Lois Duncan (and there was a film version too). Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me, it had a nice dark academia/gothic mystery with a sapphic romance in it too however it just felt kind of lacking and since I already knew where the plot was going I wasn't exactly surprised. The story felt kind of slow and I was hoping for something more but that's just me. I feel like if I didn't already know Down a Dark Hall, I would have enjoyed this more. If you enjoy dark academia/gothic mysteries with a bit of a haunting and a tiny bit of romance give this a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A great new addition to the dark academia space, All That Consumes Us is as atmospheric as it is suspenseful. Tara dreams of escaping her ordinary life and becoming ‘great’. What she uncovers as she enters the academic society Magni Viri will have you absorbed in her world at Corbin College.

Erica Waters did a fabulous job at building the spooky environment at Denfeld Hall, and Tara’s paranoia is palpable as she loses herself to what she thinks is the ghost of a dead girl, Meredith. What’s truly at play is much worse.

I absolutely loved this novel and I owe a huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the review copy.

This book is a dark academia that follows Tara as she is accepted into the elite club of Magni Vri after one of its members is found dead. Magni Vri is everything she has ever wanted, and when she is accepted it seems too good to be true, but she can't pass up the offer. Tara looks forward to becoming part of a group and making some friends but there are downsides to Magni Vri while no one has told her what they are Tara is getting glimpses of some weird things going on.. especially all the time they spend in the graveyard, and that initiation ceremony?!? While it made Tara feel like she had been accepted there was all that chanting and the blood. not something that you would expect from an academic club.

I enjoyed the story, and seeing Tara slowly mentally and physically slide downward along with the rest of the members of Magni Vri and desperately trying to figure out what the heck was happening. I loved the twists and turns along with the reveal of what was rotten in Magni Vri. All That Consumes Us kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat, and I think this is a great book for the spooky season. I can't wait to see what Erica Waters is going to come out with next.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing both an eARC and an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really just need to stop reading dark academia.

All that Consumes Us by Erica Waters is a YA queer paranormal novel about Tara, who aspires to be a student at Corbin College. he students in Corbin College’s elite academic society, Magni Viri, have it all—free tuition, inspirational professors, and dream jobs once they graduate. When first-gen college student Tara is offered a chance to enroll, she doesn’t hesitate. Except once she’s settled into the gorgeous Victorian dormitory, something strange starts to happen. She’s finally writing, but her stories are dark and twisted. Her dreams feel as if they could bury her alive. An unseen presence seems to stalk her through the halls. And a chilling secret awaits Tara at the heart of Magni Viri—one that just might turn her nightmares into reality; one that might destroy her before she has a chance to escape.

I didn't mind most of this book, as it was a nice spooky read. But at the same time, I couldn't quite get behind Tara and the many decisions she made. Nor was the world building all that, which was dissapointing as it took away from the big plot twist. Overall, this was a good book but not one I would call a favorite.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I first found Erica Waters in a YA horror anthology last year, and wanted to read more from her. All That Consumes Us seemed to offer everything I wanted. A Gothic fantasy with dark academia vibes, it invited me in from the first pages, with its dark, gritty atmosphere. I loved the setting of Corbin College and its secret magic society, keeping me questioning everything going on.
Tara was such an interesting character to follow, because she doesn’t have the most ideal life at the beginning, working as a janitor on campus while attending school. I love how it comments on one of the issues with academia, in real life and fiction, in that those with money have easier access to education, and the working-class have to work harder with a lot more obstacles in their way. With that in mind, it’s totally understandable that she would take up the opportunity to join the Magni Viri without much hesitation. Even amid the escalating mystery and danger, I enjoyed seeing how Tara took advantage of these opportunities, especially the way she waxed lyrical about writing and literature. The comparisons she makes between her own story and several Gothic classics, with varying stages of awareness of her environment and its impact on her own work (literal and metaphorical) were particularly fun for me.
The uneasiness built slowly, but steadily, to the point where it was rather trippy in places, especially as even Tara herself feels herself struggling to discern what’s real anymore. I did feel that the way this was written did sometimes make the text feel a little disjointed in the second half, but it could also be a personal issue with how it was executed, and it might work a little better for others.
This was an engaging read, and I’m eager to read more from Erica Waters in the future. If you’re looking for an immersive Gothic fantasy with the dark academia aesthetic, I’d recommend checking this out!

All That Consumes Us is a wonderful addition of novel to the ever growing popular genre of dark academia. The dark, gothic atmosphere makes this a perfect read for spooky season. There is romance, dead bodies, ghosts and the supernatural. The storyline was excellent and the characters were well thought out. The romantic relationship and how that played out wasnt amazing for me but other than that a great story.

I was first introduced to Erica Waters in The Gathering Dark, and loved their short story that was included. Then I saw this cover and knew I needed to read this. I'm not normally a dark academia fan either, but this was more gothic fantasy and I loved it either way. Anything queer and paranormal is going to get me. This story rides the line of cozy and horrifying and was immersed through every second of it. It was perfect for October, so you should definitely preorder to ensure you read it during spooky season.

All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters paints a hauntingly gothic dark academia about possession and the lengths people will go to hone their craft.

The descriptive writing for settings? Fantastic! Waters once again proves that she is a wizard at creating eerie, dread-inducing atmosphere and there are passages in this book that are so achingly beautiful.

It’s the character writing that fell flat and felt incredibly inconsistent to me. The main character, Tara's, feelings ping pong back and forth multiple times across the span of a single conversation. In one specific instance, she also brushes of the difficulty of her English thesis despite her writer’s block being one or her central conflicts, and her overall indecisiveness became very frustrating to me.

In short, the story wasn't as compelling as Waters' debut novel, Ghost Wood Song, and I just wish the characters had felt as vivid and solid as the world they inhabited.

All that Consumes Us follows Tara a first-generation college student who enrolls in Corbin College hoping to join their elite academic society only to get rejected. When the student who was chosen in her place mysteriously dies, Tara is offered the open spot.

This book was excellent and I highly recommend that you check it out if you are a fan of dark academia. This story really looks at what people will do for power and success and I enjoyed the commentary on higher education as a whole.