I was super excited to get a chance to read this early as everything about it seemed to hit my niche, but unfortunately it didn’t land for me as well as I wanted it to.

I love the frame of the story. I’m never going to turn down a spooky old boarding school, and when you throw in a secret society and a healthy dose of gay? I’m in. The Skulls is one of my favorite guilty pleasure early 2000s movies and this seemed to be along those lines.

Ultimately though, some of the pieces of the book just didn’t come together for me. I wasn’t a fan of some of the characters or the dialogue, and was mostly let down by the ending.

I did really enjoy the main character though, and the cover is swoon worthy. The atmosphere of the book is amazing, along with the world building.

A lot of the things I didn’t enough just come down to my preference though, and there is a good story in the book so my suggestion is to read it for yourself and see if you enjoy it.

A lot of people do seem to love it from their early reviews, which I’m so happy about!

I remember joining a live quite a few years back when Derek Milman was talking about a new book idea about a secret society at a school.

As soon as I saw Derek’s post saying that A Darker Mischief was on NetGalley, I immediately scooped it up. I will read anything he writes!

I haven’t read too many books like this and wow, this one really took you on a ride. I always forgot how old these characters were because of Society. There was crime, lavish parties, meetings, sleepless nights and secrets.

I really enjoyed this read. Every time I had a minute to read, I’d pick it up. Half the time I couldn’t trust anyone except for Cal. Still unsure how trustworthy everyone is though.

How far would you go to get a chance at joining Society? Out July 2, 2024!

A perfect read. This book has a classic feel in the very best way. It reminds me of some of my favorite books, including The Secret History, but it also is completely original in its plotting and deep characterizations. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that A Darker Mischief will make you flip pages late into the night, wondering so many things about what might happen to Cal Ware, the lovable but damaged main character. There's a secret society that at first seems to be all fun and games, and that it might hold the solution to Cal's problems adjusting to a new school. There's Luke Kim, a golden boy who Cal finds himself falling for, and there's danger at every turn. Once you allow yourself to go on this journey, you'll find yourself walking a dark, twisted path that leads you through conspiracy, romance, and tragedy.

DNF at 22% (after skim reading 10% or so). I liked the prologue …

Ughhh! I hate myself! Throwing the towel in the ring again (I’m sorry authors, I don’t know what’s the matter with me lately). Love the cover and the blurb, but like the execution way less …

Another DNF for one of my most anticipated reads. There are hardly any dialogues and I found the story childish, the bullying (a bin with water when Cal entered his room), and solving the puzzles and the clues (I didn’t even understand how Cal found the solutions time and again). But let’s face it, this is my third DNF this year of a story I thought I’d love. So it’s probably me. I’m the problem. It’s me. Therefore, please check out other reviews!