Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I like everything Erica Waters writes. The River Has Teeth is my favorite book of hers - full of swampy sapphic horror that kept you engrossed from the first page to the last. All That Consumes Us gave me a very similar feeling, if you throw in some ivy-covered mausoleums and a creepy gothic campus.

All That Consumes Us is a story about a girl with no friends, no family, and no money trying to make it as a college student. When a mysterious (and rich) secret society enters the picture and offers her all her dreams and more, for just a tiny price, how can she say no?

I loved a lot of this story. I loved the setting, in particular. It was extremely spooky at times, and I loved the feeling of fear and confusion that permeated the book. The campus was a big star of the show, and really did provide an incredibly disturbing background. I loved a lot of the side characters - Wren, Dr. Hendrix, bless you - and was ultimately really happy with the book.

If you like sapphic gothic horror, this book is for you.

Anything Erica writes is perfection! Hands down. 🙌🏻
I can’t wait for this book to be on my shelves.
10/10 would definitely recommend

This was such a fun read for me! The author has a way of writing that just sucks you in to the world. I found myself saying "five more minutes," just to find it's 30 minutes later because of how entranced I was with the writing. The characters are all so unique and fun in their own way; Wren is seriously the sweetest little bean and I will defend them to my last breath.
I enjoyed the gothic/spooky tones, the language and the descriptions really made this story. I remember holding my breath during the more intense moments, I really felt what the characters were experiencing.
I definitely want to read more from this author, Erica's style just gives me that desire for more!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
This book was atmospheric and filled with tense moments that really put a focus on the dark academia and mystery surrounding secret societies. I thought the story was well-paced and the loneliness of the main character relatable as she was by herself at college. It was a overall good young adult horror coming of age novel that was suspenseful and enjoyable to read.

The opening of this book caught me off guard, deviating from my expectations. However, many other aspects of the plot were quite predictable, making it easy to anticipate the unfolding events from the moment the initial threads were introduced. It surprised me that Tara didn't piece things together immediately.

Nevertheless, the author, Waters, excels at creating an atmospheric setting, which was evident in this book. Even before entering Magni Viri, the world of Corbin College is established with an aura of fog, prestige, and tradition. Magni Viri adds an extra layer to this ambiance, with its Victorian mansion that exudes both elegance and creepiness. The natural surroundings also play a role, with cicadas, bats, forests, and fog contributing to the mood and setting. Personally, I enjoy eco-horror and Southern Gothic themes, so I would have appreciated a more pronounced incorporation of nature as a character. However, considering the book's genre of dark academia, the existing elements are fitting.

Magni Viri, as previously mentioned, is steeped in secrecy and tradition. Only inducted individuals have set foot inside the dormitory, and rumors circulate around Corbin College that Magni Viri students engage in dark rituals. There is a good balance between the academically and artistically intense aspects and the supernaturally strange elements within Magni Viri. The students are talented and devoted to their fields of study, sometimes to an unhealthy extent, which contributes to the story's atmosphere.

Our protagonist, Tara, is fortunate enough to be inducted into Magni Viri with a focus on writing. It should be everything she desires since her dream is to become a writer. However, imposter syndrome and peculiar occurrences plague her as the semester progresses. It bothered me how insecure Tara was. She applied to a prestigious academic group and wanted it desperately, yet she constantly doubts her own worth and questions her place. You either believe you are worthy of prestige or you don't—there's no room for wavering. Fortunately, others offer her this advice, although she struggles to follow it. It is good to see Tara gain some confidence by the end of the book, but it would have been preferable to witness this development earlier.

Although there is an ensemble cast, the main characters are Penny, Tara's sort-of girlfriend, and Wren, her roommate. Jordan, Neil, and Azar are other freshmen in Magni Viri, while senior Quigg appears several times as well. Most people are welcoming to Tara from the start, except for Neil, who initially keeps his distance. Wren, a music major in Magni Viri, is a supportive roommate and friend, but it becomes apparent that she has her own secrets. Wren acts as one of the catalysts for the plot's progression.

Penny, studying bats in Magni Viri, quickly becomes close to Tara. She helps Tara realize that she is not the only one from a disadvantaged background in their prestigious program, becoming both a stabilizing force and a source of increased self-confidence.

I must admit that Tara's anger at people for keeping things from her was justified, despite the overall difficult situation. Nevertheless, I believe they could have made a greater effort to inform her of what was happening.

One downside of this book is that the characters remain somewhat one-dimensional. While they possess distinct personalities and quirks, we do not delve beyond the surface level with any of them. Having completed the entire book, I find myself with little to say about the characters, which is disappointing considering the ensemble cast's involvement in the plot.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this arc!
HELLO, attention my Dark Academia bbies—boy oh boy do I have something for youuuu 🥰
This is YA (our MC is 17 but she’s in college), dark academia, horror…thriller. Soooooooo good.
This genre is super hit or miss for me but this story really gripped me—I was so intrigued by the setting (I got really invested in Tara’s gothic lit class? Sign me up)!
I was a little off put by Tara’s obsession with Meredith—she idolized her and hated her and then I realized that’s just like. Normal 17 year old behavior? So just try to give her a little grace 😂
Her friends in Magni Viri (the super secret fcked up society of brilliant students) were so wonderful and I’m so so glad she made those connections (& Penny🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺).
In the end I feel the book was tied up well, it doesn’t feel like anything was left out of place, and this is simply a fantastic Halloween read and I can’t wait to see it on everyone’s October reading lists 🥰

I was terrified for half of this book. Erica Waters pulls you deep into the psyche of 17 year old Tara who is fresh into college and all alone. With no friends and no family Tara longs for nothing more than to belong. A dark academia through and through this brought all the right energy (or maybe wrong because I’m a coward).

4.5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: ghosts, dark academia, light horror, college settings, mystery, LGBTQ+ characters

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 6/27 and will be posted to my review blog 6/28 and to Instagram 7/5.

This book actually surprised me with the opening, which was different than what I'd expected. That being said, a lot of the other plot points in the book were very predictable and it wasn't hard to figure out what was going to happen/going on as soon as the first threads were laid. I was actually kind of surprised Tara didn't put it together immediately.

That being said, Waters does a good job with atmospheric writing and that really came through here. Before we're even inducted into Magni Viri, the world of Corbin College is set with fog and prestige and tradition. Magni Viri adds an additional layer to this, and the Victorian mansion is both elegant and creepy. The natural surroundings come into play somewhat too, with cicadas, bats, forest, and fog all playing at least somewhat of a role in creating the mood and setting. I'm personally a fan of eco-horror and Southern Gothic, so I would've liked a bit more of nature/setting as a character, but the genre of this book is dark academia, so what's here fits the bill.

Magni Viri is, as mentioned, steeped in secrecy and tradition. Only people who have been inducted have set foot inside the dormitory and there are whispers around Corbin College that students in Magni Viri perform dark rituals. There's a good balance in Magni Viri of the academically/artistically intense and the supernaturally strange. The students are talented and are dedicated to their fields of study, sometimes to an unhealthy level, which contributes to the vibes of the story.

Our main character Tara has the fortune of being inducted into Magni Viri with a concentration in writing. Her dream is to become a writer and so being able to join should be everything she wants, but imposter syndrome and strange goings-on plague her as the semester progresses. It kind of bothered me how insecure Tara was. She applied to a prestigious academic group and wanted it with everything she had....but then she constantly doubts her own worth and questions her place. Like, you either think you're good enough for prestige or you don't, you can't waffle in the middle. Luckily, this is also kind of the advice Tara gets from other people, though she isn't too good at following (or trying to follow) it. Tara seems at least a little more confident by the end of the book, which is good, but it would've been nice to see it a bit earlier.

There's a bit of an ensemble cast, but the main people are Penny, Tara's kind-of girlfriend, and Wren, Tara's roommate. Jordan, Neil, and Azar are other members of the freshman Magni Viri class, and senior Quigg comes up a few times we well. Most everyone is immediately inviting to Tara, though Neil is a bit standoffish at first. Wren is a music major in Magni Viri and is a good roommate/friend, but clearly has something else going on. Wren is one of the catalysts for things getting started plot-wise.

Penny is in Magni Viri studying bats and she and Tara are almost immediately close. Penny helps Tara to understand that she isn't the only one in their prestigious program to have a disadvantaged background and she acts as somewhat of a stabilizing influence on Tara while also helping to increase her self-confidence.

I will say, as annoying as it was, Tara was justified in being angry at people for hiding things from her. Obviously it was a bad situation all around, but I still kind of think they should've tried harder to tell her what was going on.

One of the downsides of this book is that all the characters are just sort of there. They each have their own personalities and quirks and what not, but I didn't really feel like we got much past the surface level for any of them. Having read the entire book, I don't really have a ton to say about anyone, which is kind of disappointing for a book with an ensemble cast who all end up caught up in the plot.

5 out of 5 stars!

**HUGE thank you to HarperTeen for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!**

When a student unexpectedly dies, freshman English major Tara is offered her place in a prestigious academic society -- one that's rumored to be a cult. But when she starts receiving disturbing phone calls, dreaming of being buried alive, and writing dark tales in her sleep, Tara starts thinking there may be something even more sinister at work.

Rep: bisexual main character; sapphic love interest with unspecified disability/autoimmune disease; side characters include a Black man, non-binary person, trans man, and Iranian lesbian

Content warnings: death of a teenager, bullying, aneurysm, neglectful parent, underage drinking, abandonment, self harm, blood, knife wounds, and murder. Cancer, medical debt, transphobia, getting kicked out, historical misogyny, suicidal ideation, and abortion are all briefly mentioned.

Each book Erica Waters writes gets better and better, and this is her at her finest. I genuinely couldn't put this down. "All That Consumes Us" is the sapphic, dark-academia ghost story I've been longing for for years.
Waters created the spookiest autumnal atmosphere and I wish I could transport myself there. Despite the gothic vibes, it reminded me of my own time at college. I related a LOT to Tara’s fear of not being good enough, to her anxiety about making friends, to her struggle to keep up with course work. Somehow I found myself nostalgic for the late nights and incredibly niche research projects. And like Tara, I was also a first-generation college student! I really appreciated that representation.
This book is everything I’ve ever wanted, and I can’t wait for it to be published so I can grab a physical copy.

This book absolutely scared me and I loved it. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time reading this one and I didn't want to put it down. I am always skeptical of dark academia as a genre because it usually feels like it's trying to be too smart, but this one was perfect. I think it's a great intro into dark academia or for fans of "Bunny" or "A Lesson in Vengeance".

I adored Erica Waters first two novels and was a bit more lukewarm on her third, and unfortunately this one has more in common with the third than her earlier efforts, for me. I was not the biggest fan of the main character's voice, so it was hard to get into the novel. All of that being said, I'm a hard sell on dark academia more generally, so it was always going to be an uphill battle with me and this book. I know it will be perfect for so many other readers.

Thank you so much Netgalley for approving me to read this arc in exchange for a review.
There were so many creepy factors that I loved about this! Absolutely devoured this book.

Whenever a mediocre YA take on "dark academia" gets compared to the Secret History, I lose another one of my nine lives like a bedraggled cat. Once again, someone has tried to take on the genre without understanding that the story that created this trend is beautiful but fundamentally farcical, and the characters intentionally unlikeable. I wasn't especially fond of Tara, but this is mostly because of her terminal diagnosis of "not like other girls" syndrome. I could understand and relate to her feeling isolated from the more privileged sectors of the queer community at the school, but ALL of the characters Tara does not like are cast as one-dimensional mean kids, all of whom we are meant to see as worse than Tara because they have not struggled in the same way that she has. It never sits well with me when YA novels intentionally or unintentionally press home the idea that trauma and misery must be visible in order to be salient. Tara does some learning on this front, but the execution felt clumsy. If you are looking for a better examination of class and privilege at elite liberal arts colleges, just read Ninth house.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc,
All that consumes us by erica waters is a solid 3.5; with a slow start, the dark novel struggles to draw me in from the early pages. This lasted up until I was around a quarter way through until the action started to pick up and gave a wonderful depiction of grief and a perfectly eerie atmosphere. All that consumes us shines brightest when it's the romance between Tara and Penny. I would have loved for the novel to delve deeper into the group dynamics, but overall this novel is a pretty good southern gothic romance.

An incredibly solid book overall by Erica Waters that did in fact include great love, great art, and great evil! All that greatness only got greater in relation to itself to create this incredibly thrilling fantasy novel that kept me up for hours.

Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about this one. After glomming Erica Waters’ backlist and loving them all. I was really excited for her upcoming novel. I think, though, it made me realize dark academia may not be the subgenre for me. I love a lot of the themes, especially owning your own identity and finding the strength inside and the power of chosen family, but in some ways this was hard for me to get through. I did love the latter half as things were being by revealed and things were really picking up. I also really enjoyed picking up the clues and hints about what was going on, and seeing all the puzzle pieces came together. This is also delightfully queer in so many ways, and I love how much that played into the built community without being an overt Thing, if that makes sense. All around, I love Erica’s writing and will definitely be keeping my eye for what she’ll write next, but this was not my favorite and I think it was mainly the academic setting - I have no desire to be back in college or school lol.

I have some mixed feelings about this book, but overall it was entertaining and I enjoyed reading it.

All That Consumes Us is about a girl, Tara, joining a secretive academic society that ends up being more sinister than it appears. She starts getting strange phone calls and waking up more exhausted than normal, and the stories she writes have turned dark, eerie, vengeful.

To be honest, I was pretty hesitant after reading the first few chapters of this book. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish it. The story starts with Tara wallowing in depths of self pity and being a rather flat character. Even after finding the body of a student in the library, her reactions didn’t quite make sense to me—the obsession with Meredith came out of nowhere and was a bit creepy.

After that, though, the plot began to pick up and I was hooked by the mystery. It was well-paced, creepy, and intriguing. The way history was woven into the story was absolutely fascinating, and I loved the unique supernatural elements. (Isabella’s story was so cool, and the whole thing with Cicada… I loved it.) The ending wrapped everything up nicely, too.

Overall, this definitely wasn’t my favorite book. I didn’t love most of the characters, and some elements of the plot didn’t really make sense. But I did enjoy it, especially as I got further into the story. If you enjoyed books like A Lesson in Vengeance or other supernatural-feeling dark academia mysteries, this one’s for you!

Overall this book was fun read with lots of twists and turns. It is short and sweet with strikingly beautiful descriptions. The writing style is the perfect blend of modern language and Shakespearean metaphors. The complex romance echoed the real confusion of human emotions and betrayal. On the other hand the main character Tara at times felt a bit “I’m not like other girls” especially at the beginning in relation to her roommate Helena. However the sentiment does make sense because of how ostracized she is by her classmates. Towards the middle of the book Tara changes her mind quite literally every 2 pages. However I would still recommend this book to people who like gothic and spooky vibes. (It also gave me some good gothic literature recommendations)

True Rating: 4.75 stars

Erica Waters dedicates this book to those on lonely paths. This is the perfect way to begin.

All That Consumes Us is a Dark Academia novel centring around Tara Boone, a freshman student at Corbin College, home to the Magni Viri, the school’s very own secret academic society, shrouded in a level of mystery and judgement from the rest of the students. Tara is originally not accepted into the elusive secret society, but upon the death of Meredith, a creative writing major. Being a part of Magni Siri meant free room and board, tuition, and a stipend— something they give to ensure that the students can focus on what they’re working on— and nothing else. She finally has the time to write and have real friends in the loneliness of Corbin College, but she quickly finds that there is more happening at Magni Viri than she could have ever believed.

Waters’ writing is unbelievable in this novel— each sentence had me wanting to read more. Like other novels in the Dark Academia genre/trope, I loved the atmosphere that Waters was able to capture in her storytelling. That being said, the best part of the book was the cast. I know that Tara is the type of main character who would get critiqued, but I genuinely find her actions relatable despite us being so different. Every character was incredibly important to me, and the representation that this book achieved was stellar.

I truly also loved the way Waters was able to keep me guessing— the plot twist was not what I was expecting out of this work. At all. I had to stop for a minute when something quite major was revealed. Additionally, I am a fan of the way the author discussed Dark Academia, a genre that glorifies academic burnout, pushing yourself and heaps of ambition, whilst also discussing the notion of privilege in academia.

This is by far one of the best books I have read this year. It needs to be on everyone’s TBR. Immediately.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A queer, dark academic gem that also dips into a suspenseful horror novel. I was immediately drawn into this world, and like any good ghost story, It just wouldn't let me go. Filled to the brim with wonderful world building, magic, mayhem, madness and a healthy dose of gothic horror. *chef's kiss*