I've just finished reading In These Hallowed Halls and while the dark academia theme was quite intriguing, I only liked three out of the 12 stories. Disappointing, but I'm gonna check out the other books by the authors I did like.

I've loved dark academia as an aesthetic since the first moodboard I saw on Tumblr, but the actual execution of it in literature can be dodgy. Sometimes, novels that call themselves "dark academia" try too hard to be The Secret History, and sometimes they just ape the trends of the genre without any of the literary substance; ie, "this takes place at a boarding school, so it's dark academia". No, no.

Luckily, "In These Hallowed Halls" as a short story collection has more hits than misses. Part of that is due to the care with which the authors were selected: ML Rio, Layne Fargo, Olivie Blake, and Phoebe Wynne are all greats in the genre who know what they're doing. Consequently, their stories linger longer than others - there's a good marriage there of aesthetic and substance. Some of the authors unfamiliar to me also did great work - I can't wait to read Susie Yang's White Ivy now that I've read her short story.

As with any collection, some works just don't land. For the most part, though, this collection is a good representation of the 'dark academia' genre with a solid more-than-half of the selections being worth reading.

Eh, this was ok. I wouldn't say any of the stories were particularly groundbreaking. It was fine but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it.

I am a fan of the Dark Academia aesthetic. I love the gothic undertones combined with an academic backdrop. And was super excited to hear about an anthology dedicated to it. Some of the authors work I was familiar with, but many of the authors were new to me. Perhaps this is why some of the stories did not resonate with me. Some of the highlights in this collection for me would have to be M.L Rio's "Weekend at Bertie's", J.T Ellison's "X House", and Helen Grant's "The Professor of Ontography". The other stories just fell a little flat for me and did not necessarily feel like Dark Academia. I think that some of these stories have a lot of promise and could potentially make good full-length novels but felt a bit abrupt as short stories. I think that fans of the Dark Academia aesthetic should give this a try, especially if they are looking for a quick read to satisfy the Dark Academia craving. Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"In These Hallowed Halls" is one of those books I was eagerly anticipating in 2023, and I was fortunate enough to read it in advance thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books, to whom I extend my gratitude for the ARC copy. The book lived up to my expectations. ✨

It's a collection of novellas that showcases stories with the dark academia aesthetic, written by some of the most skilled authors in employing this aesthetic in their works.

I must say that some of the novellas were simply marvelous; I wished I could read entire books based on those stories, and one of my favorites was definitely the one written by Olive Blake, the author of "The Atlas Six."

However, I found some other stories to be a bit subpar, preventing me from fully immersing myself in the book. Despite that, some novellas contributed to my overall four-star rating of the book.

#summerreadingchallenge #diveintobooks
#underhyped

1000 SHIPS details an affair between a student and a professor where he is being investigated for another student’s suicide.
This gives My Dark Vanessa vibes. Deeply uncomfortable, dark, and vengeful.

PYTHIA is part deposition, part explanation from a clinical psychologist who’s being questioned after a suicide of a student involved in a cult of technomancers who believed that their supercomputer knew all and predicted all.
I found it funny that the computer was basically diagnosed with anxiety and got better because the psychologist basically treated it as if there was nothing wrong (virus etc.) with it.

THE HARE AND THE HOUND is a magical realism psychological horror.

”One day, a white rabbit will appear to you. For most, the hare is a symbol of blessing and renewal, but for you it is to be a harbinger of great misfortune. On the tail of the rabbit's arrival, you will meet a girl. Should you give chase, you will pursue her into the mouth of the wolf, and you will be consumed by the madness that follows."

Now, Mason, nicknamed Bunny, is at college and haunted by an innocent biking accident where he injured a rabbit and a girl called Arlen who suddenly appears with an injured arm and the same coloured eyes and hair as the rabbit.

This was delightfully creepily terrifying! I loved it!

SABBATICAL was probably my least favourite. A former professor fired for being a nut case reappears looking for another old professor who has disappeared without a trace.
This just felt fairly pointless and boring sadly.

X HOUSE follows a professor named Mia who has a new job in a place where madness is rumoured to call.

Six girls to teach. Six girls to keep safe. Six girls to keep alive for the rest of term. Someone is trying to murder the young women of Xavier House, and Mia is here to stop them.

Think extreme hazing. Short and pretty predictable.

Their attentions hurt, but they also feel good. They make Lily feel special in ways she never has before.

THE RAVAGES is what happens when you catch your witchy and seance-obsessed girlfriend making out with someone else in the aisles of the archives.

Even after we are both in our graves, I hope the ravages of your betrayal torment your withered soul.

A fun lil revenge story.

FOUR FUNERALS is about a teacher who travels to four funerals for his students who died in a mass shooting by a classmate which he planned out in a creative writing workshop.
This was pretty forgettable as it was so short and straight forward, but the emphasis on survivors guilt was poignant.

THE UNKNOWABLE PLEASURES is about a girl who becomes obsessed with a relationship between a fellow student and professor which turns into an almost fantasy for her to make her own life more interesting.

She often wondered if she'd been born in the wrong century. People seemed to live so differently in the past, with real purpose and romance - true romance - born of suffering and sacrifice and courage, not this modern-day idea of romance made up of cheap words, alcohol, and trivial gestures. Perhaps the problem with her and Alan's relationship was that they had never done any thing to earn their love, like survive a war or fight through insurmountable obstacles (disapproving parents, societal judgment, physical separation) to be together.

Honestly, a relatable outlook for any reader who feels inadequate on the face of unachievable romance and stakes.

WEEKEND AT BERTIES finds a dead body in the basement and a plan hatched between the two people who find her to take her life savings for themselves - a victimless crime as she has no dependents.
I don’t know if I misread this of what, but I didn’t really understand the point of it.

THE PROFESSOR OF ONTOGRAPHY is about a student who is one of the first girls to be admitted to study at a college who discovers the mysterious and unknowable Department of Ontology with her boyfriend.
This was creeeepyyy. Yes, it was predictable but this was definitely the most horrifying.

PHOBUS is about the Initiation into the Order of Prometheus which requires the completion of nine challenges.
Fairly predictable with a dark look on what humans will do to feel like we belong.

PLAYING is an ode for musicians. The pure, goody-two-shoes, above-everyone-else organ player spotting a link between a string of funerals she’s asked to play at.

Tonight she would play barefoot, barehanded and barefaced, as close to herself as she could get inside the music.

Normally I’m not a huge short story fan. I can’t connect to the characters, there’s not enough time to develop a coherent story, there’s not enough world-building or connection.
However, this was enjoyable. A nice break from the long books and sagas I’ve been reading.

I think if dark academia is your jam - you’ll love this!

In These Hallowed Halls is an anthology of twelve dark academia stories. I have previously read from six of the twelve authors and enjoyed them so I was excited for this anthology and I’m happy to say that this was such a good time! All of these stories are very different and like any collection, some work more than others but I think they are all strong in their own way!

My favorite was definitely the Olivie Blake story. Unsurprising to anyone because she is my very favorite author but her story just had its own unique style. I do think her story was probably the least traditional dark academia story though. I also loved the story by Kelly Andrew, a new to me author.

All in all, I think this collection has something for any dark academia fan. Some stories are a little more spooky while some just have an academia vibe that will make you think about stepping on crunchy leaves. I can’t wait to pick up a physical copy of this when it releases this fall!

In These Hallowed Halls is a fun, varied, dark ride through many different avenues and genres of dark academia fiction.
While some of the stories worked more for me than others, I enjoyed them all, and found some new authors I want to check out in the future.
Would recommend to any fans of the genre.

You can find my more detailed, but still spoiler free review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqG89StQFsA

3.5 rounded down to 3

This is a dark academia anthology with 12 short stories. Some of these I loved, others not so much.

1000 Ships - Kate Weinberg (2)
— didn’t get interesting until the end, very little plot. It is a prequel to a book I’ve never read, so maybe if I had read it, it would be more interesting to me.

Pythia - Olivie Blake (3.5)
— she’s the only author here I’ve read, so I had high expectations going into this. I enjoyed the story! I liked the interview format along with some flashbacks. I would love to see Pythia and Delphi explored more in a longer novel. It was a little confusing though.

Sabbatical - James Tate Hill (4.5)
— this was really good!! Super intriguing and I liked the plot a lot!

The Hare and the Hound - Kelly Andrew (4.5)
— this was incredible. I don’t even know how to explain it, but everything tied together at the end of the story in a way that made me not want to stop reading!

X House - J. T. Ellison (4.5)
— very different from the ones before this, it’s dual pov from a student and a teacher. Almost all the previous ones had cliffhangers and this one had an ending, which I loved

The Ravages - Layne Fargo (4)
— this was enjoyable! I liked the revenge plot a lot

Four Funerals - David Bell (3)
— good story, I liked this story a ton, but the ending was a letdown. Once the other character got introduced, I thought I predicted this cool ending I was anticipating… but it kinda just ended normally which was a little disappointing to me

The Unknowable Pleasures - Susie Yang (2.5)
— I enjoyed this, but I didn’t like the ending. It also felt like more of a romance, which I wasn’t expecting here.

Weekend at Bertie’s - M. L. Rio (2.5)
— I wasn’t really interested in this story. I was also a little confused, as it switched povs a few times without warning.

The Professor of Ontography - Helen Grant (3)
— the story got better at the end, but there were still a lot of questions unanswered.

Phobos - Tori Bovalino (4.5)
— the title intrigued me so much because it means “fear”, and the actual story was super good! I couldn’t put the book down because I enjoyed it so much

Playing - Phoebe Wynne (2)
— I was confused and I didn’t really enjoy reading this story.

Stories I loved: Pythia, Sabbatical, The Hare and the Hound, X House, The Ravages, Phobos
Stories I didn't love: 1000 Ships, Four Funerals, The Unknowable Pleasures, Weekend at Bertie's, The Professor of Ontography, Playing

i had the BEST time reading this. i found some new authors to discover and my fave stories were pythia and the rabbit and the hare!! so so fun and made my dark academia heart very happy <3 i need MORE

This was ok. I liked a couple of the stories but a couple fell flat for me. I did like that it introduced me to a couple of new authors that I would have otherwise not read though!

I have been waiting for a book like this! I was extremely excited to receive an ARC of it from Titan publishers and I have been engrossed in it ever since. In These Hallowed Halls is a Dark Academia anthology of short stories and I'm sure I'm not the only Reader who couldn't wait to get their hands on it!

Dark Academia is a relatively new genre of fiction, being part dystopian, part thriller, with a heavy Gothic influence, set in traditional academic surroundings. Think prestigious seats of learning such as Oxford, Edinburgh or Cambridge Universities, lost in swathes of autumn mist and mystery and you get the idea of what this genre is all about. I have been reading DA books for a while now and they are usually fairly long novels, so I was intrigued to see how this trope would play out in a short fiction format. It works beautifully and I couldn't stop turning the pages, reading late into the night, until I had finished the book.

I always loved school stories as a child, so the adult DA genre is right up my street. This collection has everything that my scholarly heart years for - Gothic buildings, dusty old books, cosy common rooms, glowing fire-lit libraries on stormy winter afternoons, hot buttered toast, copious amount of tea and coffee and of course, mysteries to unravel and solve. It transports the reader to the very epicenter of elite education and top drawer universities, where wealth and intellect are the only currencies that count. It is a book that makes you want to step into that world, as new teacher, Mia, discovers in X House;

"Miss Tavish opens a door, and Mia steps inside her new world. It is surprisingly cosy; A fire in the grate crackles merrily, a thick, warm rug covers the wide plank floors, a sofa with a cushion that sags towards the left arm offers a welcoming embrace for evening reading and tea."

Written by some of the top DA authors of modern publishing such as Olivie Blake and M L Rio, the student angst rolls off the pages amid tales of sinister Artificial Intelligence, missing students and the odd murder. The collection starts off strong with 1000 Ships, a story about sexual misconduct and plagiarism, and it goes on from there, remaining strong throughout. In these pages you will find dangerous hazing rituals, initiations, secret societies, supernatural shape-shifters, school shootings and a gifted musician with a taste for greatness and murder mystery.

In These Hallowed Halls is a fantastic collection, being both sinister and cosy at the same time, as all the best Dark Academia should be. My favorite stories in the collection are 1000 Ships, The Hare and the Hound, X House, Phobos and Playing. These stories held me on the edge of my seat and they are the ones that have stayed with me upon finishing the book.

Each story features a skillful use of pathetic fallacy to build atmosphere and a strong sense of place. It is obvious that you are reading authors who are at the top of their game and who have made this genre their own. To distill all the complexities of Dark Academia into a short story is no easy task, but the authors of this collection have done just that, seemingly without effort.

It's a gripping book - one to read curled up in a cosy armchair, with a plate of hot buttered toast and a cup of tea, or a bag of sweeties - but no more than three sweets a night, or things turn sinister! If you like Dark Academia or the Gothic genre then you will probably love this book, and if you are new to DA, this is a great introduction. I highly recommend it and I am sincerely hoping that Titan publish a second volume, because this one was so much fun to read. It is ideal reading for all adults who are bitten by 'back to school' nostalgia at this time of year.

Check your doors are locked, snuggle up by the fire, and enjoy these murderous collegiate stories!

Happy Reading.

BB Marie x

AD; This book was sent to me by the publisher, Titan, for the purposes of review. It will be released on the 12th September 2023 and is available for Pre-Order now in both digital and hardcover formats.

This whole thing really wasn’t for me… a few of the stories really didn’t feel like “dark academia” and I can’t say I was particularly gripped by any of them really.

Some of the stories were better than others and I’d definitely check out some of these authors and their other books but overall it was a struggle to get through.

Appreciate the opportunity to read it though!

I usually struggle with rating anthologies because I tend to like some stories more than others. In These Hallowed Halls was no different. Individually, none of these stories were higher than 4 stars for me and none below 3 stars. Which is not too shabby! Aside from Olivie Blake and M.L. Rio, all of these were new to me authors and I’m eager to check out several of their works. I found it interesting that a lot of these stories were lacking the elements that I enjoy and associate with dark academia. It definitely made me realize that I have a lot more to explore in the genre. Calling a couple of them ‘dark academia’ felt like a huge stretch to me, though. Blake’s for example was well written and totally up my alley, but felt much more sci-fi than anything else. Standouts for me were X House, Weekend at Bertie’s, The Professor of Ontogrophy, and Phobos. Phobos actually being probably my favorite of all (think The Atlas Six but without magic). Overall, a spooky collection with all the fall and dark academia vibes. If you like anthologies and creepy stories, I recommend.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

over time, I’ve had multiple conversations with multiple friends regarding what we consider to be the meaning of dark academia—as a genre, sub-genre or aesthetic—and while we have never come to a definite answer, I don’t think that my view aligns with these authors’ who, to me, used the concept of dark academia as an excuse to dive into pretentiousness, writing nothing of substance but getting away with it anyway because of the “vibes.”

safe to say this wasn’t my thing, though I sort of liked M.L. Rio’s story.

thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“1000 Ships" by Kate Weinberg - lacked substance, the story could have been told within a page

"Pythia" by Olivie Blake - how is this dark academia?

"Sabbatical" by James Tate Hill - forgettable

"The Hare and the Hound" by Kelly Andrew - this one was decent with the potential of being good. “Bunny”, though? There are other names, this felt too The Secret History inspired

"X House" by JT Ellison - I don’t remember anything about this story.

"The Ravages" by Layne Fargo - I don’t remember anything about this one either.

"Four Funerals" by David Bell - TW: school shooting. This didn’t really feel like an academia story and I wasn’t a fan of the choice of subject.

"The Unknowable Pleasures" by Susie Yang - It felt like the academia setting was just thrown in so that the story fits into this anthology. The topic was a little weird too.

"Weekend at Berties" by ML Rio - Rio’s writing in this story felt somewhat pretentious, the story itself wasn’t overly interesting.

"The Professor of Ontography" by Helen Grant - I think the author was going for mysterious vibes her, but those didn't fully come across to me. Additionally, the story felt dragged out and too long. Finally, the word "Ontography" was mentioned 46 times, which is too much.

"Phobos" by Tori Bovalino - While the ending of the story was predictable, this was by far my favourite story in this anthology. It was well written and felt neither too long, nor too short.

"Playing" by Phoebe Wynne - While this one wasn't my favourite of the stories, I did like the overall concept and the plot twist towards the end.

Overall, most of the stories fell rather flat for me and I personally would not recommend this anthology to other readers.

I loved this! I have read books from several of the authors and was very excited to get to read this one - it definitely didn't disappoint. So happy to have finally read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of this anthology.

Dark Academia is definitely still a genre that I am exploring, and this is a fantastic way to find new material to read. I am already a big fan of Olivie Blake and M.L. Rio but have found some new authors to check out which is really exciting!

I’ll start off with my favourite stories, I really wanted to only pick three but I ended up with 4 and they are: Pythia by Olivie Blake, X House by J.T. Ellison, The Professor of Ontography by Helen Grant and Playing by Phoebe Wynne. I am very excited to check out the further works of the three authors I haven’t read before. Each story had a mystery I was trying to unravel and, even if I guessed it, I still felt gratification and excitement at the end. They were engaging, an accomplishment in short stories,and created a strong atmosphere that made them different to the others.

There were two that I didn’t particularly connect with and they were Four Funerals and The Ravages by David Bell and Layne Fargo respectively, neither felt particularly “dark academia” in the sense that I know it. Four Funerals in particular did not fit to the expected themes of Dark Academia and quite honestly should come with a trigger warning for its content. While I understand it shares similar themes to dark academia, having the main character be a teacher and have part of the context be in an academic environment is not enough. Death is very common in Dark Academia but the way it was handled in Four Funerals did not work for me. Similarly, while The Ravages felt more appropriate the Dark Academia, the plot felt weak and the ending just felt wrong for me. We know from the first line that betrayal is a major theme of the story but this kind of betrayal and how it was concluded just felt flimsy.

Overall, many of the stories were strong and I would even reread and recommend a lot of them to my friends.

Review will be published to Goodreads in September.

4.5 stars

Dark academia has become a prominent sub-genre in the book community over the last few years; however, the “aesthetic” conjures up different images unique to each reader.

In These Hallowed Halls is a remarkable collection of dark academia short stories filled with obsession, madness, and the macabre. With a wide variety of tales, readers can explore the genre through authors well-versed in the literary subculture.

My favorite short stories were The Hare and the Hound (I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland), X-House, and The Professor of Ontography. I would advise checking the trigger warnings for each story, especially those for Four Funerals, as it touches on a delicate topic.

Overall, this anthology was very easy to indulge in, and I’m sure fans of the dark academia genre will find at least one if not several, short stories that haunt them long after finishing the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for sending me an e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love dark academia books as they have a vibe like no other. They have a dark undertone of creepy and unsettling yet strangely cosy and comforting. It’s a genre that’s really come into its own in the past couple of years so I was super excited to see the release of this one!

With a stunning collection of dark academia short tales from a range of epic authors, there’s bound to be a story in here to tickle your dark fantasies and interests.

As with any book of short stories, I always find there are some that are enjoyed more than others. Some I really got into and enjoyed and others felt a bit harder to get through and engage with but it was an enjoyable book all in all. It’s hard to choose a favourite but I think Phobos was the one that topped it for me. That and the Professor of Ontology.

Many of these stories were filled with intrigue and you never quite knew what was going to happen next or what twist the author would delight you with.

They’re all fabulously written and expertly set the tone for the book. It’s a must for all lovers of this genre of book and definitely if you’re a fan of short stories.