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*

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The idea of the mystery is very compelling , even if it's more of a mystery to the protagonist and not so much the reader, and I feel it is a good jumping off point for someone who maybe trying out the dark academia genre for the very first time. It is still pretty flawed. I feel the focus should've been on more of the side characters and their struggles than the protagonist herself. It was fun piecing together their roles within this mystery and wish to have been able to see more of their characterization fleshed out. And a lot of the choices the protagonist makes throughout the novel doesn't exactly make a lot of sense. It is obvious it only serves to prolong the mystery and there's a lot of flat out references that I'm sure helped inspire this novel but otherwise took me out of the book as a reader.

This book had a creepy and eerie plot to it. It’s ask LGBTQ friendly. Any thriller that adds a paranormal element is a bonus for me. The whole atmosphere was very spooky. If you’re a fan of secret cult like societies TBR. This is the book for you. I got more YA vibes or it would be perfect for a college student, but I still liked it all the same. I just finished binge watching Wednesday and this book had some similarities so I wasn’t mad about it!

I love this book. I love the similarities between our main character and what haunts her. This was a well written story and I was glad to see things worked out the way they were. I wish the author had done more research on concussions but that is a section that takes up maybe 2 pages of the book so no big deal.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of All that Consumes Us by Erica Waters.

Tara is a college student who is struggling in every way. She has very little support, little money, and other than her grumpy boss at her janitor job, no friends. And she is deeply envious of the neighboring school, Magni Viri. The students there are not only academically elite, but also seem borderline possessed with a haunting drive to excel in their studies. So Tara finds one of their students dead in the library, she is shocked when Magni Viri offers her a position at the school. It's not easy to replace a diseased student, but Tara would be crazy to refuse.

But it doesn't take long before Tara begins to notice that something is just not right at Magni Viri. The students look starved, they don't sleep, theyre almost zombie like. But even more upsetting, Tara is finding herself writing a whole piece of brilliant literature that she KNOWS she's not responsible for. Who is in her head, and how many other students are going through the same thing?

Man, this was the exact type of book I think I would have LOVED as a college kid. It has queer and non-binary characters, misfits, betrayal, romance, and a creepy plot, full of haunting and history. Very fun, and a great spooky read.

The premise of this work had me absolutely intrigued. I am a sucker for dark academia, cults, secret societies, ancient things, etc. So, you could understand why I would be so excited for this! I really enjoyed the setting of this--a small college. I felt like it was even more intimate and heightened the spooky feelings/atmosphere even more. I loved the little fantasy moments/paranormal encounters that were sprinkled through, and I think they were a great vehicle to push the plot and stakes along. I don't want to give away too much, because I think that going into it a little blind/without too much information was the best thing for me. If you like nonbinary and queer rep, secret societies, ancient spookiness, cults, and/or dark academia then you're probably going to really love this! I cannot recommend this enough, it was great!

All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters had an atmospheric setting that wonderfully drew me into its world of Corbin College's elite academic society, Magni Viri, and the mysterious secrets that it held. The plot was intriguing and had me turning pages, trying to unravel the mystery. However, the characters were one-dimensional and poorly developed, leaving me feeling disconnected from them. Even though the story was written in first-person present tense, there was a distant quality to the writing that prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story's action. Therefore, while I enjoyed the book's mysterious plot and atmospheric setting, the weak character development and distant writing style held me back from fully embracing the story.

This book is great for fans of dark academia, incorporating classic spooky elements while still feeling fresh. The small elite college setting captured the intensity of campus life, creating tension from the very beginning.

Two central dramatic questions stood out to me: 1) how far will the MC, Tara, go in order to find a sense of belonging? 2) what rots at the center of glamorous-seeming institutions? The fantasy elements work well to put these questions in conversation with each other, while also creating a delightfully spooky atmosphere. While some of the themes and topics are heavy, the narrative stays light on its feet.

I’d recommend this book to readers who like fantasy elements in a grounded setting, queer friend groups, and dark secrets around every corner.

Secret, cult-like societies in a dark academia setting, where paranormal encounters and death-defying mysteries are basically a given? Erica Waters’ ALL THAT CONSUMES US had me at hello.

Admittedly, the story has a laboriously slow start. It takes about ten chapters before converging plot lines start to clarify, and the ghostly energy at the heart of the story really begins to rile up to more than occasional jump-scares. But once you’re locked into what’s at stake in ALL THAT CONSUMES US, you’re hooked, and Waters doesn’t let you go until the very last cicada screams.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

I cannot recommend this book ENOUGH! Please pre-order it/buy it when it releases because... Oh my goodness. 5/5 stars completely I love this book so much. We got secret societies, we got a sapphic/queer MC, we got NONBINARY rep and... supernatural happenings? My goodness I completely soared through this book and I just loved it so much! I know I already read it, but when the physical copies hit stores, I'm going to speed to the bookstore to pick up a copy! :) (NetGalley Review!!)

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with the eARC! I was very into the idea of a secret society, especially one based off of the arts and etc. I was very on board with everything until the reveal with who exactly was haunting Tara. For like a decent 20 or so chapters, we believe it's a passed on student but then it's suddenly the founder. Although I do like where she went with how all the Magni Viri students became so incredibly talented, I feel like it would have made more sense to continue with the student haunting. Also, the haunting dragged on a bit longer then it should of(at least to me), it felt sort of predictable, some parts, not all. Like oh m being haunted and OFC it's an angry student who suddenly died and we believe this for longer then we should have (at least to me). I do like how it ended though, everything got tied up

I recommend this for YA readers who are just getting into dark academia. It's moody and atmospheric with diverse rep and slow-burn mystery, but it may not satisfy upper YA and/or more die-hard dark academia fans.

I did like the intersectionality of the rep. I think students will really appreciate that. However, I personally had high hopes for the plot (maybe too high) as a reader of all things dark academia, yet this one felt rather paint-by-numbers.

In other words, ATCU definitely checked all the dark academia boxes, but in a way that left me hungry for something greater than the sum of its parts. The writing felt overly functional sometimes, and in some places it read a touch too *wink, wink did you catch that reference, reader?*, which took me out of the reading experience. For example, our MC supposedly reads The Secret History to get a sense of what studying at a liberal arts college will be like and I couldn't tell if this was meant as a joke or not. (It did make me chuckle!).

All That Consumes Us is a dark academia read that follows the main character Tara and her journey at Corbin College as she gets accepted into the secret society Magni Viri. I really loved the idea behind this book that Tara was accepted only to achieve others goals and how she fought that stigma tooth and nail and wanted to be more than what people saw. I also really liked the idea of ghosts using the students to accomplish their famous talents and unfinished business beyond the grave. However, this book just didn't feel exciting or atmospheric for me. I never felt that gothic vibe I wanted to feel and there were times where I just felt like the story kept dragging on. It was lacking that extra something I look for in a story. Overall a very original read and I think fans of dark academia will enjoy it!

This book has literally consumed me while I consumed it. This amazing cycle goes on throughout the entire book.
It’s got ghostly spirits, Latin spells, and madness to excel at their courses, the story is a maddening tale of students in pursuit of passion. It captivates the reader’s attention from the beginning. It’s scary and captivating, and the world building is so real & great. You literally can’t separate reality, imagination, hallucinations, or possessions.

Thank you to HarperTeen for sending me an arc of this my way in exchange for review.


This was such a perfect gothic ghost story that I couldn’t let go until I finished. I love the found family aspect and the writing.

Tara gets accepted into Corbin College, but because of imposter syndrome, she doesn't feel worthy. She's lonely, awkward and feels like she has no one. A month into the school year, she gets a late acceptance into Magni Viri, an exclusive secretive academic society. She gets to move into the academy dorm, which is a gorgeous Victorian building with everything she could possibly need. She finally has the chance to be a writer. However, things aren't what they seem. Her stories are dark and she doesn't quite remember writing them. She sleepwalks sometimes and other times she has terrible dreams of being trapped in a coffin. She discovers the dark secret at the center of Magni Viri and has to find a way to escape before it's too late.

This has been described as a gothic, ghostly, queer dark academia book and I'd have to agree. It was so atmospheric and spooky which is perfect since it comes out this October. I devoured this book because I couldn't look away. I was fully immersed in the Magni Viri world. I loved that the characters were complex and diverse. It was a bit predictable at times but I still fully enjoyed every beautifully written line of it. I recommend it if you love dark academia. Perfect for spooky readers who don’t like a lot of gore.

Ah, I needed that.

The atmosphere was well concocted, tense and passionate as it goes for books of this genre. It was very hard to not get sucked in; it was addictive, soothing in how different it is to reality. Which. Is escapism not what we seek?

Tara was a good protagonist to follow. Dependable and unreliable at the same time which was a great contradiction to read about. Her loneliness was palpable, she seemed real, her self awareness was refreshing. Sometimes she made decisions I struggled to understand but it all made sense for her character. All of the supporting characters were well developed and interesting, I loved reading about them. Frankly, I even missed them when they were off page.

Here's the thing. The book sort of felt like it was split in two, just a little? It's kind of like a two-in-one deal for the dark academia genre, which at the same time was what made this book stand out and also kind of detracted from it. One element especially felt like it disappeared from the narrative and I feel conflicted about it because I wasn't enjoying it but it was a major aspect of the story up to a certain point. (My crypticism is on par with the genre, no?).

The romance, though! Great stuff. I enjoyed the progression, especially as it was unusual and I loved the love interest.

Overall, honestly, it's a great dark academia novel with wonderful characters and a clear message which doesn't feel like it's being pushed on you. Definitely worth putting on your tbr.

This was a fun new take on a dark academia storyline! I really enjoyed it, my only upset is I wish it was longer or multiple books! haha I really would have loved to delve deeper into the ideas in the book as they were super fun and interesting!
Highly recommend for a nice quick standalone book especially if you love dark academia or are needing a new fun twist to the genre.