Well, I had goosebumps at the end. It is the kind of fae or faerie story I appreciate. We have a magical academy, found family, sacrifice, and love of friends and family.
I guess this is a stand-alone book, but I would love to see more in this world where magic now lives for anyone and everyone.
I enjoyed the camaraderie of Clover, Alden, Eddie, and Hero. Each had his or her special skill and distinct personality.
I enjoy Parry’s writing style very much.
This is another hit for her.
Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy.

Thank you to Redhook for the e-arc on Netgally! This book comes out on October 22nd.

This fae-centered fantasy novel reminds me of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries meets Babel, with just a dash of Divine Rivals.
We're in England in the 1920s, and our main character Clover lives on a farm with her family. Her brother has survived fighting The Great War, but he's not unscathed; he's been cursed by a faerie. (fairy??) Clover and her family learn that magic exists, practiced by elite, aristocratic families. Clover is determined to earn a spot at Camford, a magical university where few "common folk" are admitted, in order to find a cure for the curse that is eating away at her brother. At Camford, she bonds with three other students, all from the magical Families, and the four of them get into mischief in the pursuit of their magical studies.

I had a good time with this novel!! It's definitely not cozy fantasy, but the atmosphere that the author creates certainly feels cozy for most of the book. It's a mix of so many great things: historical fantasy, the 1920s, a magical school, light academia, friendship, a dash of romance, fae, magical government. The writing style was descriptive without being overly flowery--which suited me fine, because flowery writing tends to exhaust me. I think my problem with this book is that it's too long. I think that we could've spent less time building to the action at the end. So, the pacing wasn't perfect, which is why this didn't end up being a five star for me. But I really did have hopes for a five star at the beginning, which tells you how much I immediately vibed with it.

Camford is a secret magical academy attended by the distinguished, wealthy members of magical society - and Clover, an ordinary teenager who grew up working her family's sheep farm. While Clover may not be wealthy or generationally magical, she is clever, hard-working, and extremely determined to help her brother break a dark curse sustained on the battlefield during WW1.

H.G. Parry is a master craftswoman at building a magnificent world without forcing readers to suffer through the world building slug that often comes along with this experience. The story is rich with depictions of tricky dark faerie lore, a ward magically bound to the library (yes, please), and everything that is wonderful about dark academia. Many scenes hung heavy with a sense of foreboding and ill portent. The pacing perfectly suits a book that's meant to be savored, not inhaled in one sitting. As the story unfolds through Clover's eyes, the readers are treated to many twists and discoveries as we learn more about this magical world and all that it's capable of.

Look for elements of found family plus the dark faerie lore of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries series by Heather Fawcett, and the magical school elements of A Discovery of Witches series by Deborah Harkness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read this book prior to its publication in exchange for my honest review.

Clover Hill did not know magic was real until her brother came back from the war injured by a faerie curse. The curse was taking over his body inch by inch, and when it reached his heart, he would succumb to it. But not if Clover can help it. For hundreds of years magic had been for the elite only, the rich and powerful Family, whose members attended Camford, a school of magic, to hone their power. Against all odds Clover is admitted to Camford on a full scholarship and it is there she meets Alden Lennox-Fontaine, the charming aristocrat who shares her love of magic, and her fascination with the fae. The two decide to open a faerie door, but it will not be easy for all the faerie doors had been closed after the event of the war. Will Clover and Alden break the laws of magic to save the ones they love, or to satisfy their own curiosity.
I absolutely loved The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a gothic dark academia that is a combination between Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and R.F. Kuang's Babel.

I loved H. G. Parry's atmospheric writing but found it difficult to get hooked to the story due to the slow pacing and simple characterization.

In “The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door,” Clover must gain entrance into a magical school in order to save her brother from a faerie curse. After the war, faerie magic is forbidden and there is no easy way to find archived information. Clover meets three other like-minded students who also have their reasons to uncover the secrets of faerie magic. The world-building came together really well in this story. I loved the juxtaposition of the different characters in their friend group.

For those who enjoy:
🎓Dark Academia
🎓Forbidden Magic
🎓Faeries
🎓Found family friendships
🎓Historical Fantasy
🎓Political Intrigue

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door
By H.G. Parry
4.75⭐️

This was an insane journey and I have no idea how to sort my thoughts because I am just trying to absorb it all. This does start a little slow but after the 50% mark I could not let this go. I stayed up late and angled my kindle just right this morning to finish reading during a 2 hour zoom work call. The plot twists just came coming and I don’t think I can comment on much without spoilers.

At the beginning it felt a little like a darker Emily Wilde meets The Atlas Six but in a magical college way. Clover is flawed and real and so committed to succeeding in a world where women and non “magical” folk had zero ways to succeed. The subtext on society, education and women tied in perfectly. H.G. Parry pulled zero punches at the end, I was not ready for the emotional effect it would have on me. I’m pretty sure I’ll be thinking about this book and magical world for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and RedHook Books for this gifted arc!

Dark academia with a great main character. I want to be friends with Eddie and Hero, and even with Arden.

Babel meets Emily Wilde with a skillful blend of historical fantasy and dark academia, and I must say this book is what all dark academia lovers have been waiting for! I absolutely loved every second of it! Once I started reading The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, I could not put it down. It has well-developed characters, a captivating plot, and engaging prose; it's suspenseful but also heartwarming, maybe a little slow at times, but definitely worth reading. I always have a hard time when I must review a book that I truly enjoyed and this one really hit the mark on a chilly, rainy day. I would recommend this to fans of Babel, Emily Wilde and even Cruel Prince.

Set in post-WWI England and following first-generation magic scholar, Clover, The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is a beautiful, poignant, and heartbreaking exploration of the imperialism and elitism at the heart of higher education. For me, this is magic academia at top form. Clover’s conflicted love/hate relationship with academia, her complicated and shifting family relationships and friendships, and her attempts to build a life in a system bent on maintaining her precarity all rang so true. If you loved Downton Abbey but wish it had magic, this is the book for you.

This was a very solid, dark academia book. I really enjoyed the sort of mashup of Babel’s higher learning criticism and Emily Wilde’s encyclopedia faeries vibe. Clover was a great protagonist, and I really felt connected to each one of the friend group. I think it suffered from some uneven pacing, particularly given the significant time jumps between each part of the book, but overall, I thought it was a really unique concept and I enjoyed spending time in the world of Camford

I received this book as an eARC from NetGalley. I really enjoyed it! It would’ve easily been 5* but it rambled a little. There were times where there was too much detail and it detracted from the story. There was a lot of extra details that added to the story building but slowed the pacing of the story. I feel like I’m only listing negatives aside from the fact that I really liked it.

This uses the historical fantasy element in a way that was everything that I was hoping for. I was engaged with the first page and thoroughly enjoyed getting to read about this world. The characters had that element that I enjoyed from the time-period and glad everything worked with the characters. H. G. Parry has a strong way of telling a story and left me wanting more.

4.5/5
Wonderful twist on fairies and magical schools. If you want "dark academia" vibes but less intense. It has character growth, interesting magic, wonderful world building and a plot to keep you interested. It is a very character driven story and Clover is clever, a little self centered but loveable. The group together is very balanced and has strong personalities with found family vibes. Parry's writing sucks you into the world she has created with characters that have depth and start to care for. Very happy with the story
Thank you NetGalley and Redhook for the opportunity to read this e-arc. This is my honest opinion

For some reason I'm terrible at writing reviews for books I enjoy, but this book had me hooked from the first chapter. I adore fantasy academia novels, and this one had engaging prose that instantly drew me in and kept me glued to the pages.

Perfect for dark academia season!

Clover is a young girl when her brother goes off to fight in The Great War and returns having barely survived a fae curse that leaves him possessed during fae holidays and slowly turning into a tree. Determined to save her brother Clover fights to learn magic, something not common for those not born into a Family (historically magic families) and a girl at that.

However with support of a local witch and the wizard who saved her brother she learns, and learns well enough to gain entrance to Camford, and a full scholarship. There she's faced with derision for being from a non-magical family, a woman, and a scholarship student. Regardless she continues her research into fae magic and learns that fae doors were locked following the incident that cursed her brother and killed hundreds of others on a battlefield. But she also learns she's not the only one interested in fae magic and finds a family of sorts in her new friends.

Everything takes a twist when the quartet open a fairy door after which the four go their separate ways for the next several years. Their reunion is not all positive and make shake the foundation of the magical world as they know it.

I love the trope of found family, strong women, magic, etc so this was right up my alley. It's a pleasure to sink into a story that spans the years as it allows you to get to know the characters, flaws and all, in a way that pulls me into the story.

Farm girl Clover Hill discovers that magic is real after her brother, Matthew, returns from World War I cursed by a faerie. Determined to break the enchantment, she enrolls in Camford, a prestigious university of magic, and falls in with a group of posh classmates who are also interested in the fae. But studying faerie magic was forbidden after the war for good reason, and in attempting to summon one, Clover and her friends unleash terrible consequences that upend the entire magical world.

Parry turns her particular brand of charming alternative history on the magical academia trope. All of the usual elements are present - days of study and discovery, the plain but clever outsider girl, overt discussions of classism and equality - but Parry builds her characters and setting with care and balance so they feel familiar without falling into cliche. Additionally, she explores themes of trauma and PTSD, acknowledging the massive impact World War I had on soldiers and their families. Refreshingly, there is no romance; instead, the bonds of family and friendship form the heart of the narrative, and Parry is an expert at digging into the many complicated nuances that hold people together. Warm and adventurous, this book is a treat.

Fans of Parry's The Magician's Daughter will be utterly delighted with The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door. Don't hesitate to give it to adult and older teens who wished Babel wasn't so bleak or need something more grown-up to fill the Harry Potter void.

I simultaneously have too many and not enough words about this book. The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is my first H.G. Parry read, but… how?? What a complex, fascinating story with absolutely beautiful characters. I love them all. And the writing is gorgeous. Some may find the story slow, but the details to paint the world drew me into the story so deeply. I don’t think anything I say can capture the depth and beauty of her writing.

Following Clover Hill post Great War (with faeries!) to the magical school in Britain has elements of Harry Potter and Emily Wilde. I loved this book and highly recommend it!

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry is the kind of enchanting read that feels like stepping into a secret world of magic and betrayal. The novel effortlessly blends the allure of a 1920s magical academy with the timeless intrigue of faerie curses and hidden agendas. Clover’s journey from an outsider to a pivotal player in a world brimming with aristocratic magic is both captivating and heartbreaking. Parry’s portrayal of the intoxicating mix of friendship and treachery among the magical elite adds layers of complexity that keep you hooked. With its lush world-building and the dramatic stakes of unearthing old secrets, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves their fantasy with a dose of mythic intensity and intricate relationships.

I was very fortuanate to get an arc of this book. I wanted to read an dark academia book amd obessed with the cover. I couldn't get into it and felt it was lacking in some ways.