A fascinatingly dark and twisting take on dark academia and secret societies - secrets both personal and historical abound, and the balance between which ones have to be brought to light and learned by whom and which are better left untouched tips back and forth as Cal is pulled deeper into Society and Essex.

I loved the take on Society on the surface (and for many of the members) being about exploration and about uncovering the secrets of the past (though having gone to a university with a flourishing urbanex community, I found it odd to have just /so/ many abandoned and unused buildings, especially just on the campus), obviously, though, being a secret society, also doing its fair share of manipulation and covering up of secrets (if at times the reach and caliber of the secrets felt more aligned with a college than a high school, but).It really spoke to the slippery slope of morality from "social engineering" and lockpicking just to uncover the school's secrets to using those skills for personal use or at the request of those more powerful.

Like the secrets uncovered, the writing takes a jagged pace, jumping from topic to topic and scene to scene until everything finally fits together at the end. Cal, who has had more than enough trauma in his life already, desperately wants to belong, dismissing red flags to the point of becoming an unreliable narrator. There are moments where you aren't sure what is a dream and what is real, who is saying what out loud and what is imagined. At times, this makes conversations and the point needlessly difficult to follow, but overall I did enjoy piecing everything together slowly, flipping back and forth as new nuances were revealed.

Almost everyone here is damaged, vulnerable in some way - early on, someone states that Society has a type they like to tap, and Cal thinks it's a certain socioeconomic, physical type, but we quickly learn there's two types: those with secrets to protect or traumas that make them easy to manipulate, and those with secrets to protect or traumas who will do anything to not be manipulated. And the line between who is who isn't as stark as any of them would like.

It's a page-turner for sure, and while not perfect by any means (though that cover comes close), its jagged edges get under your skin.

I love secret societies. Whenever I read a book set in a school, that is one of my biggest hopes – that there is some sort of secret society involved in the plot. Well, with A Darker Mischief, that hope is definitely fulfilled.

This book is definitely a slow-burn type of book. It will take a while to fully get into the story. It will also take a while to start understanding the characters presented A Darker Mischief. This is not one of those books where you get the characters’ life story at the beginning. Even our main character, Cal, largely remains a mystery until later in the book. And if someone’s story isn’t important to the plot? Well, their story remains untold.

I have to say that I actually liked Luke more than I liked Cal. He seemed more genuine than Cal did. But Cal had his moments. Now for some reason, I’d suspected one of the secrets Cal held, but when it was revealed, I was still surprised. And no, I won’t tell you what it is, you’ll have to read the book to find out.


I loved the Society of Seven Eyes. For me, it is what made A Darker Mischief a four-star read. I loved the parties, the mystery, and the fact that the society’s main “raison d’être” is to explore the grounds of Essex and dig up all of the history about the school. Including, perhaps, some secrets that pertain to Society.

The ending for A Darker Mischief was great. It perfectly closed out the book – and even left the book open for something of a sequel if perhaps a certain character wanted revenge on those who’d “wronged” him. I mean, the book ends perfectly as is, but a sequel could be fun as well.

If you are a fan of books that contain secret societies, I guarantee you’ll want to read this book. Society of Seven Eyes features prominently in this story but so do the characters, which is important. I gave this one four-stars and hope to read more books from Derek Milman in the future.

Thank you Colored Pages Book Tours, Derek Milman, and IRead YA for a copy of A Darker Side of Mischief in exchange for an honest review. The story follows Cal Ware, a queer teen from Mississippi, as he navigates a world of old money and privilege at Essex Academy. Cal’s initial excitement about reinventing himself is quickly dashed by his classmates’ cruelty, but the discovery of a secret society offers him a chance to belong. With the help of the enigmatic Luke Kim, Cal is drawn into the society’s dangerous allure. As initiation rituals become increasingly sinister, Cal must confront the limits of his ambition and the cost of his desires. The book deftly explores themes of identity, love, and sacrifice, creating a suspenseful and emotional journey. The character development is rich and engaging, making the reader deeply invested in Cal’s fate. Derek Milman’s masterful storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat, blending mystery, romance, and a critique of privilege into a compelling narrative. This novel is a must-read for fans of YA, dark academia, and LGBTQ+ fiction.

"well, don't look so homosexually disappointed"

thank you to net galley for the uncorrected e-arc!

this was a fascinating read, one that certainly left me feeling many conflicting emotions. milman came up with an exciting concept for a novel that could thematically and aesthetically align itself with books of the dark-academia-boarding-school-secret-society variety, such as the secret history and if we were villains. unfortunately, this may have just missed the mark for me.

in terms of strengths, I found that the world-building, exposition, and intricacies of the setting were thoroughly described. the details surrounding the secret society and campus history were written with complexity and exceptionally well-thought-out precision. these descriptions were my favorite bits of the novel, in all honesty. milman painted vivid, rich depictions of the history and tradition of the setting that will transport readers into Essex. I also found that the discussions on old academic prestige, privilege, and elitism, specifically in the form of old-money legacies were well done.

I do have a couple of qualms, however. I found myself longing for the same attention to detail given to the setting to have also been paid to the pacing of the plot and the characters themselves. often it felt as if we were told rather than shown the complexities and nuances of our leading characters. both cal and luke felt somewhat one-dimensional and devoid of fully flushed character arcs. the readers are told how intricate of people these characters are, but their conversations, both with one another and the supporting characters, can feel disjointed and sometimes unnatural. on the other hand, certain characters such as pinky were fascinating and multi-faceted.

the story contains twists and revelations that are interesting and earn a few well-earned gasps, but it would have been nice to have seen these moments contain further exploration.

the sexual content, in my opinion, tiptoed on the line between appropriate for YA and better suited for adult fiction. this could be subjective, but if you are sensitive to the level of sexual content discussed, it's just something to consider.

overall, my opinion is that the concept and groundwork were engaging and solid, but the execution was slightly lacking. the work just needed a little extra time to marinate in order for the characters to emerge fully flushed.

if you are looking for expertly woven tales of secret society lore and intriguing campus history, this is absolutely for you!

"A Darker Mischief" by Derek Milman is a riveting thriller that masterfully blends psychological tension with dark humor. The narrative follows the protagonist through a labyrinth of deceit and danger, making for a gripping read from start to finish. Milman’s skillful character development and sharp dialogue bring the story to life, keeping readers on edge with unexpected twists and turns. The novel's atmospheric settings and intricate plot weave together seamlessly, creating a compelling and immersive experience. Fans of suspenseful, character-driven stories will find "A Darker Mischief" a satisfying and memorable read.

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Scholastic Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 1.5 stars rounded up.

I don't know where to begin because I'm struggling to find something positive to say. I thought this would be outside my comfort zone because the spookier side of dark academia always creeps me out too much but I was willing to give it a chance. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this at all and by the 30% mark, I spent every moment reading it thinking about DNFing and wishing it was already over. I don't know if it was because this book suffered from trying to do too much or if it was simply the writing that made everything come across poorly, but I found the characters irritating, the plot underwhelming, and it wasn't a satisfying conclusion or explanation of the Society and their purpose. In the end, nothing was challenged, so much was excused away, and I found myself thoroughly confused as to what I had just finished reading.

I'm not going to spend too much time going into what didn't work for me but ultimately:

To put it plainly, the writing was bad. It was choppy and disjointed and made for such a poor reading experience. Not only do we jump from scene to scene with nothing to differentiate the breaks, but I felt the author tried too hard to make the writing poetic and mysterious only to fall short of the mark. Throughout the read, I found myself constantly confused and asking: what does this even mean?! What am I even reading? How does this even make sense? There was little atmosphere and a distinct lack of emotion which made it difficult to connect to the setting and the characters. Despite being inundated with an overabundance of historical facts and figures about Essex, from the abandoned buildings and secret locations, I would not be able to tell you how the school was laid out or what even the structures looked like as a whole. It was too much context that was not well explained.

I actively disliked the characters. There were moments I did feel for Cal because what he went through was horrifying and heartbreaking and it's not something anyone should have to experience. Despite being sent away from home, it's clear how much he loved and missed his parents. By the time he stumbles across Society, he's desperate and would do anything to find his place in this elite boarding school because he's tired of being a pariah everywhere. That said, everything that happened with him was so convenient—he so easily solves all the mysteries and puzzles and very quickly excels at everything he tries even once. I ultimately grew frustrated with the way his story was told. I think it's just that I never really understood who he was, what he stood for or what he even wanted in the end. As the story progresses he makes increasingly stupid and irritating decisions that don't make sense for his "careful" character, especially when it comes to Luke, who I'm sorry to say, I detested. There are a lot of secondary characters introduced, many of whom are insignificant and disappear after being part of the story for a section and others who remained one-dimensional and had such toxic personalities that I couldn't care less about them. In particular, Luke and Pinky were two characters I couldn't bear and I didn't understand what we were meant to think of or feel for them. I don't know if this was intentional by the author but having to endure repeated appearances of these two as the "main secondary characters" made this an even more trying reading experience.

Finally, I didn't think there was more for me to dislike but I loathed the romance. I'm so sorry—that wasn't romance and it was completely unbelievable. Simply because Luke was such an awful one-dimensional character who didn't seem to have redeeming qualities and who treated Cal like an afterthought. There was no chemistry and quite frankly, no romantic vibes. I'm quite sure Cal also didn't understand Luke either, and he often mentioned how little they knew each other, so it was hard to believe for even a second that they were in love. It honestly made me angry and while I'm all for romance subplots, this was not it.

Overall, I'm genuinely disappointed by how much I didn't enjoy this and I'm confused by all the people who are giving it high ratings because did we even read the same book?

After an incident involving his father Cal is offered the opportunity to attend a prestigious boarding school in New England. He's pretty excited maybe this will give him a chance to start over and finally make friends. He will have the chance to be who he wants to be unfortunately things don't work out. While he is not bullied to the extent he was at his old school he feels lonely and craves to belong to something. He discovers a secret society in the school. He also meets Luke Kim a handsome jock who seems to have taken a liking to him for some reason. Now Cal feels like he has something to look forward to and puts all his efforts into making into the secret society all the while growing closer with Luke.

I quickly learned as I read the book that not everything is as it seems and I started paying closer attention to what the characters were saying and to what was going on around them. This is a fast paced book with enough descriptions to give you an image of what the setting looks like. There are so many interesting characters and you really grow to like some of them. There are others that make you not trust them from the beginning and their ending may surprise you. Another thing I want to add is the cover art gives you so many tiny details if you really look at. Not only is it a gorgeous cover there are so many hidden little messages in the artwork.

Definitely check this out if you want to read a fast paced thrilling queer YA book!

Thanks to @coloredpagesbt and @ireadya for the arc and physical copy!

***Thank you to Scholastic Press for providing a copy of A Darker Mischief via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

A Darker Mischief was a wild ride but not in a good way. I HATED the writing style. It was extremely choppy and irritated me from the first page. It felt a bit like reading a rough draft of someone's journal and largely relied on telling rather than showing. This style limited the ability of the writing to create the type of atmosphere I've come to expect from dark academia stories.

The plot of A Darker Mischief was absolutely bonkers. So many of the main events felt overly contrived, and I had a hard time suspending my disbelief enough to really care about what was happening. For example, the background of the main character's father was possibly one of the dumbest things I've ever read. The main character was also a little too good at solving seemingly nonsensical puzzles, and everything just always seemed to fall into place a little too easily.

The premise of the secret society in A Darker Mischief didn't really interest me either, which was a shocker because it is one of my favorite tropes. Their goal of uncovering the school's history and secrets was kind of cool, but I still don't get how there was that much left to discover at a school that's been around for hundreds of years. I also don't understand how the society was able to stay "secret" for so long. It seemed like pretty much everyone knew about it, and their exploits and parties were obvious. The main character stumbled onto one of their parties without even trying, and I don't know how every kid in school didn't do the same.

The world-building in A Darker Mischief also let me down a bit. I love a good boarding school setting, and this one was interesting. The story had tons of detail about the architecture of the campus. However, I had a really hard time picturing the places and found that the descriptions just didn't take me there. They were mostly focused on facts about the buildings rather than providing a good scaffolding to create them in the mind. I also found it odd that Cal spent time at the beginning of the book bemoaning all the strict rules of the school only for none of them to apply to him or lead to any real consequences for his misadventures.

I appreciated the themes and main character of A Darker Mischief, though. Cal was such an interesting protagonist. His journey was all about figuring out his place in life and deciding what he was willing to compromise to achieve his goals. He started out as an outcast, a poor, queer country kid trying to find a place to fit in at the school full of elites. He was an excellent avatar for exploring how the rich and powerful gatekeep access to their world, and his story illustrated that power is almost always gained and maintained via means that exploit others. He struggled with the morality of his choices, and it was the one thing about this book that felt authentic.

Overall, A Darker Mischief just wasn't for me despite having so many elements I usually love. The irritating writing, bonkers plot, and one-dimensional supporting characters just made this story much less enjoyable than I expected. The main character was relatable, though, and I did appreciate the themes explored in the story even if the messaging was a bit on the nose. Therefore, I give A Darker Mischief a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars.

A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman has characters that I loved to hate. There’s a lot of telling and not showing. I never was entranced by the plot or characters. I liked how the school’s history is tied together with the secret society and I think that’s the strongest part of the book. ARC was provided by Scholastic Press via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Derek Milman's A Darker Mischief offers a fast-paced thriller with a unique premise and plenty of twists to keep readers engaged. The protagonist's voice is sharp and witty, adding a layer of humor to the dark events unfolding around him. The plot unfolds with enough suspense to maintain interest, though some elements feel overly contrived or predictable. While the characters are well-drawn, their motivations occasionally lack depth, leaving the emotional impact somewhat muted. Overall, 'A Darker Mischief' delivers an entertaining read with a refreshing blend of mystery and humor, but falls short of leaving a lasting impression.

A Darker Mischief is an excellent entry into the young adult genre. There is no doubt that this title will be successful in libraries serving young adult patrons who are looking for a dark and mysterious story.

"The Honeys meets The Secret History in a work of dark academia like no other - a boarding school thriller about a queer teen from Mississippi who finds himself swept into a world of old money, privilege, and the secret society at the heart of it all.

When Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school, he's thrilled to leave his past behind. Back home in Mississippi, he was the poor, queer kid who never fit in. But at Essex Academy, he'll be able to reinvent himself. Or so he hopes...

But at Essex, Cal's classmates only see his cheap clothes and old iPhone. They mock his accent, and can't believe he's never left the country, or heard of The Hamptons. Cal, at his breaking point, is about to give up and return to Mississippi when he learns about a secret society on campus - the key to becoming Essex royalty.

Cal knows he's not exactly secret society material, but to his surprise, he finds an unlikely champion in the handsome, charismatic, and slightly dangerous Luke Kim. As they get swept up in the mystery and glamour of the Rush process, Cal finds himself falling in love for the first time.

But as the initiation rituals grow riskier - and increasingly nefarious - Cal must decide how far he's willing to go, and how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice, to save everything and everyone he cherishes most. Because nothing at Essex - not even Cal's first love - is quite what it seems."

Wait, because until recently I had a janky old iPhone 6 would that mean I'd be looked down on? Team Cal!

I’m going to say this is a “me thing” and call it a day. The writing was pretty good and the story, as a whole, had SO MUCH POTENTIAL, but by 30% I was scratching my head. Yea, this had darkish academia vibes and hidden society vibes but then everything just went all over the place! The riddles seemed nonsensical and when you find out the truth, you’re left questioning everything.

And then the epilogue just sealed my fate. Of course this isn’t just a YA romance, but there’s ZERO HEA. What you learn in the epilogue seems to unravel any romance that may have developed which makes it all pointless.

3 stars, because the writing IS good. But that’s all I can really say.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

1 Sentence Summary: Cal—the poor, southern, queer kid—is never going to fit in at his new fancy New England boarding school, but when he learns about a secret society on campus he decides to try to join as a way to reinvent himself, and it’s the best decision he’s ever made because he meets charismatic and mysterious Luke Kim, but then the initiation rituals start to get more and more dangerous, everyone is hiding secrets, and nothing is what it seems.

My Thoughts: This was a wild ride. Like, what did I even read?! Veryyy creepy and disturbing (in a…mostly…good way I think haha).

The creepy dark academia thriller vibes were definitely there. The plot was definitely… out there. It was a rollercoaster from start to finish and I had to suspend my disbelief for most of it, but I still had a lot of fun.

I don’t think a single character in this book was mentally stable. Which made the romance interesting, to say the least.

There were some writing things that annoyed me, like random asides that were thrown in, weird dialogue, and an overabundance of exclamation marks, but I’m hoping some of that gets fixed before publishing.

Oh and the whole “10 years later” epilogue thing seemed so unnecessary (and was pretty weird too but what was I expecting at this point, definitely not a normal ending lol).

Overall though, I did enjoy reading this, and all I can say is WHAT?! (Mostly non derogatory)

Recommend to: Fans of boarding schools, secret societies, & mysterious disappearances.

(Warnings: swearing; bullying; underage drinking; sexual content; kidnapping; violence; death)

Derek Milman is an incredibly gifted thriller writer; his mysteries are age-appropriate, but still present a challenge to the reader, in a good way. His writing is mature, elevated, but the essence and feeling of adolescence are there too. In A DARKER MISCHIEF, he sets his reader in an elite academy, the kind that smart, lonely, and/or dreamy kids everywhere dream about. What I found refreshing right from the start, though, is that our protagonist, Cal, also dreams of these things and he is every bit as mystified and enamored of his setting as the reader, making the book instantly immersive. When the "secret society" theme kicks off, the tension goes TIGHT, and every page seeps with paranoia and dread, but also the primal excitement of discovery. The blend is absolutely intoxicating, and I loved watching the protagonist solve riddles, finish challenges, and navigate his own changing social status, another age-appropriate and absorbing theme that keeps the more outlandish themes and acts grounded. If there is a single complaint, I wish that the ending had been a bit more fleshed out, less rushed, but that's a MINOR quibble, and I would still give this one five stars. I cannot WAIT for more thrillers from Derek Milman!

"Is being intimate with someone only knowing as many pieces of them as they allow you to know, the scraps of memory and dreams and trauma and aspirations that make up their core, that they're willing or able to share? Does anyone really know the whole truth of anyone?"

Firstly, thank you to Scholastic Press, Derek Milman and Netgalley for a free advance copy in return for my honest feedback. When I started this book, I was a little skeptical because the beginning was feeling somehow both rushed and too slow all at once. Looking back, I think it just took some time to get used to Milman's writing style. Once I got into the story, I was hooked. The way everything unraveled was fun and engaging, leaving me wanting more at every turn. However, parts of the end also felt a bit rushed for me, unfortunately. I think an extra 10-30 pages, or even more, to take our time with some of it would've been fine. All around a solid read, though!

Some extras just for Netgalley:
Perhaps I missed the references earlier on into the book, but I found myself surprised to find out that Cal was blind in one eye so far in. Also, while the betrayal of Luke would've been absolutely crushing otherwise, I think that whole storyline was a little overt for my taste. The many moments of mini-betrayals personally left me jaded about their relationship, which made it hard to connect to them as a couple and therefore I didn't feel much when the big reveal happened. Towards the very end, I generally liked how things wrapped up, but I also felt that more would've been more in this case. The whole book, we're bombarded with minute details about practically everything, but in the end, everything seems to just breeze by. "Okay Gretchen and Pinky are gone, run!" "Bye Luke!" "I woke up with little to no memory of how I got here." I suppose it felt like we were just being told the ending very briskly, instead of experiencing those things with Cal. However, I did appreciate the time jump 10 years into the future where we get to see how Cal turned out after all of this, Once again, a generally solid book that I enjoyed.

I flew through this one. I'm honestly not surprised. I love Derek's writing. But this was definitely hard to put down.

Cal is such a sweet kid. He doesn't fit in at school or his hometown. There was an incident that happened that made his parents send him to this school on scholarship. His dad is possibly being sued or charged with a crime and his mom is battling cancer. It's really hard for him to be a sophomore transfer but he gets along ok with him roommate. He also meets Luke and is charmed right away. Luke is bit dangerous and a loose cannon. But Cal can't stay away. They both pledge for the secret society and get to partner up. Most of the society stuff is fun exploration, but it starts to change. Cal worries about getting caught, but this society can also help him. And then there's Luke. So Cal stays in and keeps doing things that seem more dangerous as the year goes on. He makes some new friends, but he also finds that he can't trust everyone he's around.

I very much love that there was an ending that was in the future. I needed to know what happened. So thank you Derek. I gave this book 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for my earc.

3 stars for a DNF because I don't like to give much of a rating if I don't complete it.

Unfortunately this book really was not for me. The writing style threw me off immediately- I tried to push past this but found that I could not. It's very blunt with a lot of telling instead of showing. Kind of just dumping information at you without a ton of pay off or moving on from that style.

I think this book could do well with the right audience, unfortunately that's just not me this time.

4.25 - A twisty, turny dark academia book with a complicated and troubled main character. A secret society recruiting students to perform different tasks to try to become members. A sweet, endearing, but complicated male-male romance. A manic and feverdream-like feeling throughout. Lots of troubled pasts haunting these characters. A wild ride if you just go along with it.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I was super excited to read this, but unfortunately, it just didnt hold my attention. The book is pitched as a LGBTQ+ Dark Academia novel, which seemed like it was about to become one of my new favorites, but the characters and plot just did not connect with me. The prologue almost immeditely lost me as I thought it was already straying from it's premise. Honestly, I just *really* did not like the dilogue. The cover was gorgeous though!