A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman, narrated by Charle Linshaw, was an enjoyable audiobook to listen to. I really appreciated the urban exploration aspects of the novel, though I feel these settings could have been brought to life a little more. I was provided with an advanced audio copy of this book from NetGalley.

A Darker Magic was just not the book for me. I was intrigued by the boarding school and secret society, but the story just fell flat. It was both confusing and felt like the story developed very slowly.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was enjoyable but couldn’t make up for the underwhelming plot.

2 stars

This was an interesting YA dark academia title. It takes place at an elite boarding school, where transfer and scholarship Cal must try to fit in with a bunch of rich kids who can't see past his Mississippi accent. When he learns about a secret society on campus, he decides that joining it is his ticket to finally fitting in, or maybe even something better. He teams up with mysterious bad boy Luke Kim to unravel the mysteries of campus and the society, no matter how dark those mysteries get.
The society is weird. They're very fixated on campus history in a way that very well may be realistic for an elite prep school, but as someone who's only ever been associated with public school, needing to know the details of every notable alum was downright creepy. They were also fixated on the very large number of off-limits, dilapidated campus buildings. Why on earth would a school with so much money and prestige allow half the campus to fall to ruin?? It makes no sense. Luke was a certainly a character. Aside from being the hot bad boy, there's not really much behind that façade. Cal could do better. Also, it starts with the reveal that Cal has kidnapped the vice president's daughter. Baffling choice. Baffling direction to go in. Finally, Cal is short for Calixte. That's silly.
It was an okay listen, but nothing spectacular.

This is a really fun read, especially as an audiobook. It's perfect for folks who loved Ace of Spades or The Inheritance Games. Students at an elite private high school have long heard rumors of a secret society. Our main character, a kid from a small southern town with a complicated past starts to see signs of something strange and enters the dark underbelly of the school.

I was given the opportunity to listen to an audio ARC by Dreamscape Media, and am so glad I did! I thought the narration was phenomenal, it gave the story the perfect dark academia vibes and I appreciated the soft southern accent!

A young adult dark academia book, with a touch of queer tragedy and secret society. The story was engaging and held my attention throughout. However, the characters were not always convincing, and the plot felt forced at times.

A Darker Mischief is perfect for fans of If We Were Villains and YA.

The narrator was astounding. I absolutely adored the narration, it was excellent.

Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This sounded like my ideal read however I felt it slow moving and list my interest in it. I dnf it at 63%

3.5/5☆

⭐️⭐️⭐️I love a queer dark academia with a secret society. It’s hard to tell who you should be rooting for in this book.

Cal has to decide how much he is willing to risk and sacrifice to join a secret society in a school he already doesn’t really fit in to.

There were some parts that were quite confusing and the ending felt very rushed. But overall a really solid fall read!

The audio of this was… fine. I think it’s more a me problem than anything actually wrong. Some of the intonation was way to overdone.

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!

I am, however, homosexually disappointed.

Man, this book was a mess. There were lots of things that annoyed me (The Wikipedia articles about every building on campus, Luke being horrifically unlikable, the million stupid nicknames, Cal being a trusting idiot who's somehow a genius when it comes to puzzles that make no sense), but the worst one was: WHY DOES CAL TALK LIKE THAT? Slay? Legit? I cringed so hard so many times. My God, I don't think I've ever come across a more annoying character voice.

At least the narrator did a decent job with the material he was given, though it took him a few chapters to realize Cal has an accent, even though Cal himself has said so a hundred times by that point.

I hate rating ARCs so low, but one star out of five for A Darker Mischief.

3.75 stars.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The atmosphere, the pacing, the introduction and description of the characters and the environment. It had the perfect vibe of a dark academy story.
Towards the end it felt rushed and Im not sure I understood what happens in the last chapter. But overall, it was a good read.
The narrator was excellent. Not just his voice, but the pace.

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
3 🌟
-
The cover art and the premise of this story is what caught my attention. I wish the storyline held my attention but it didn't. I don't know what to say about this book. I think it just wasn't for me.
The narrator I can say, did a good job with this audiobook.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•M|M Relationship
•Dark Academic
•Secret Society
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Sept.10
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and give dark academia another try. This was not terrible but I definitely did not love it. My biggest pet peeve in a main character is them being pathetic/weak and Cal came off a little pathetic at times. I wanted to root for him and Luke but Luke was such a douche that I could not get on board.

A few spoilers coming up! 2 deal breakers for me in a book are cheating and no HEA so once that happened I knew this was not for me! I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone who also needs a HEA.

loved this dark academia young adult book !
there's so much representation I really enjoyed it
sometimes the pacing wasn't quite right, too fast or slow
I would have enjoyed more details and depth but overall it was good

thank you netgalley for the copy

This book is about a world of secrets and self-discovery through the eyes of Cal, a young man who’s recently earned a scholarship to an elite boarding school. For Cal, who has never quite felt like he belongs, this new environment presents both an opportunity and a challenge. As he navigates the complexities of his new life, he stumbles upon a secret society within the school, which promises to offer solutions to his problems—but at what cost?

From the outset, Cal is a compelling protagonist. His struggle to fit in and find his place in a world that seems so foreign to him is portrayed with authenticity and depth. Milman’s character development shines as Cal evolves from an outsider into someone who begins to understand the power dynamics at play in his new environment.

The secret society is a particularly engaging element of the story. Its mysterious nature and the adventures that unfold provide a thrilling backdrop to Cal's personal journey. The intrigue surrounding the society adds layers of excitement and suspense, making for an enjoyable and immersive reading experience.

However, the predictability of the plot slightly detracts from the overall impact. it’s still engaging to see how the narrative unfolds and reaches its conclusions. The journey to the climax is as important as the destination, and Milman’s writing keeps readers invested despite the familiar path.

3.5/5

Thank you so much to Scholastic Press and NetGalley for providing me with this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The comparison to The Honeys is spot on, although I do with there was more of a horror aspect here. Although the kidnapping plot is disturbing, I feel that adding a horror element would have complemented both the tone of the writing and the dark academia atmosphere.

That said, the core of this is fantastic. Cal is a genuinely lovable lead character, and I enjoyed being in his POV. In contrast, Luke is immensely unlovable and more often than not - just plain annoying. However, I can understand the attraction there, which is great character building.

Overall this was an entertaining, enjoyable and mysterious read.

I don’t really know what to say… I’ll always pick up a queer book, especially dark academia and thriller. This one just fell a little short for me. While I love the concept there was just a lot to unpack