I enjoyed the start of the book, I loved the intrigue of a secret society trying to find all the schools secrets. But then the book took a bit of a turn and the plot started feeling a little muddled. I wish we would have had more focus on them finding the secret rooms and all that at the school since that's what I found the most interesting. It's not my favorite dark academia book I've read but it was still entertaining. It read really quick.

I did find some dialogue to be a little cringe but they are teens so I suppose it makes some sense lol The narrator was really good. I enjoyed the way they set the tone for the book!

Updated this review and added the link to myTiktok release day review post. No spoilers.
New YA Dark Academia: A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman, audiobook, narrated by Charles Linshaw
My thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC via NetGalley for consideration. These are my unbiased opinions.
I liked the outsider characters and Gothic atmosphere,  Overall, I enjoyed it, but it took many chapters to become fully engaged. I’m glad I listened to the audiobook. The voice acting helped me stick with it through the slow parts. The narrator gives a good performance with distinct character voices and a strong emotional range. My comments on the pacing below refer to the writing, not the narration.

Strengths:
Some good writing with beautiful moments
Imaginative, and includes diversity–refreshingly free of stereotypes
Cal’s struggle with confidence, temptations, guilt, and morality feel authentic
Good coming of age arc with character growth and change
The romantic subplot was refreshingly and realistically gay
Good depictions of attraction, sexuality, falling in love, and conflicts between damaged guys
Atmosphere and setting: Gothic vibes, plus strong use of symbols and the campus architecture and history
Poetic passages and haunting, gritty imagery
The ending pays off with gratifying complexity

Challenges:
For me, the author relied too much on withholding information–the weakest and most annoying  suspense trick.
The pacing felt slow until the last 25%.

Once the action accelerated, it turned darker than I expected–in good ways. Ultimately, although there are implausible plot points, I enjoyed it. The various dark excesses and details of damage, including in relationship dynamics, were my favorite parts.

I rounded up my rating to 3.5 stars because the layers of complexity in the final chapters and epilogue elevated the book and made me glad I chose it. I recommend this book for readers who enjoy #OwnVoices LGBT+ books, Dark Academia, novels with Gothic vibes, or Achillean coming of age fiction with YA love. This is a good pick for your--or your favorite darkling's--Samhain, Halloween, or Day of the Dead treat list. You've been good, haven't you?

DNF at 38%

SPOILERS: I could live with hilariously 'edgy' teens and so called secret society, but branding gives uncomfortable cult vibes that I cannot deal with.

3.5 stars

I was so excited for this book, but it ultimately didn't live up to my excitement. Maybe that's on me. I mean, queer dark academia? I was so pumped for that kind of story. This story leans more towards thriller territory. There is a romance arc, but not at all a romance. The story moved super slow for almost two-thirds of the story, and then everything felt rushed to get to the end. I liked the characters, and the premise of the story had so much promise, but ultimately, the pacing just didn't fit to keep me engaged. I wanted to love this so badly, but it just fell kind of flat for me. I don't think this will be the end for me with this author, though. Like I said, the story has promised, and the characters were intriguing (like Luke), and Cal, especially, was easily likable. I think a lot of people could like this easily, but this story just didn't end up being for me.

Now, I listened to the audiobook for this one, and overall, it was a great experience. My only qualm is that Cal is from Mississippi, and his accent is mentioned frequently, yet the narrator never used one for either the internal monologues or the external dialogue. It just didn't feel right. Cal tries to suppress his accent, so it may not be a heavy one, but it's still there in the story, yet we didn't see it in the narration.

This sounded right up my alley but omg, the narrator was horrendous. He has the worst fake southern accept and 30% in, i was so annoyed with the protagonist i couldn’t take it anymore. DNF for poor writing and narration, no discernible plot

e-ARC from NetGalley.

4.5

This was the most chaotic monstrosity of a story I've ever read. I'm not sure why I even picked it up since I don't like dark academia. I spent the entire story screaming at our protagonist about the choices he was making, praying he would kick Luke in the knee and run away, and wanting this kid to just open his damn eyes!

Obviously, I loved it.

It was so sinister and sad with an unexpected element of sweetness. I was so anxious, always suspecting what was to come, but never knowing for sure. There was nothing about this book that should have worked for me, but it did anyway.

No cohesive thoughts. Just the acknowledgment that this was amazing, my mental health is deteriorating, and I will never willingly read this again.

Definitely recommend!

I think I expected more dark academia paranormal and I did not receive that. There is not a single character I would wanna be alone in a room with. Not very likeable high school kids? ....Surprise Suprise. The ending could of been a little more fulfilling. Kind of wrapped it up quick and the a flash forward.

If you enjoy dark academia, trust me – it doesn’t get much darker than this.

After an “incident” at home, Cal receives a scholarship to the exclusive Essex Academy in New England. It’s best he accept the scholarship and leave town – his financially strapped family would never be able to afford the tuition, and opportunities are limited in small town Mississippi. Cal also struggles with identity and belonging and hopes to find friends at Essex. The students aren’t exactly welcoming, but when Cal’s asked to join a secret society he’s thrilled to have found his place. He longs to feel a part of something, but SoSE may be more than Cal bargained for.

Cal is an easy character to like, and I wanted to wrap him in a big hug and tell him everything would be alright. Besides school, he has other issues at home to worry about. Other than a couple minor characters, he’s the only one I cared about. Most of them don’t have any redeeming qualities. With secrets upon secrets, questionable actions, and outright lies, it’s hard for Cal or the reader to completely trust anyone. You may have to suspend your disbelief when the truth rolls out near the end.

Judging by other reviews I’m in the minority on this, but I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between Cal and Luke. Luke didn’t come across as genuine to me and is less than truthful with Cal about aspects of his life. I thought Cal could do better.

The prologue set six months in the future immediately intrigued me, and I needed to know how the characters get to that point. The epilogue set ten years in the future was also appreciated. In some novels I love a glimpse that allows you to see what becomes of the characters.

Recommended for readers who enjoy boarding school mysteries, secret societies, and darker academia stories.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I will not post feedback for a while since I don't think the book was for me. I did not finish the audiobook.
Students taking this society thing far too serious and being dramatic about breaking into school buildings is just too ridiculous for me. Especially since I work as a teacher and constantly picture the self-important games, dressing up, burning letters.... I cannot take the book seriously at all!
The narrator did a good job though

A Darker Mischief is an exciting and unnerving dark academia story. Cal is offered a scholarship to Essex Academy, moving from his home in Mississippi to a boarding school in New England. Cal never really fit in in Mississippi and he feels particularly out of place at his new school, surrounded by wealth and suave, athletic classmates. While exploring the campus one evening, he stumbles across a masquerade party held in one of the abandoned buildings on campus, where he is handed a card with an eye design on it and promptly kicked out. Cal becomes obsessed with learning more about the secret society on campus and becoming a part of it. The story is filled with riddles, romance, history, and dangerous explorations in abandoned buildings. Cal learns more about Society and its secrets, getting more and more tangled in a dangerous web.

I found the story to be really gripping and I wanted to keep listening to know what was going to happen next. At times the dialogue was a bit dramatic, but the characters are teenagers at an elite boarding school, so what can you expect. Cal and Luke's relationship was a real rollercoaster, but I never really understood what it was that Cal saw in Luke. I thought that all of the characters were quite well developed and the setting was incredibly detailed as well. The narrator did a good job, although at times it was difficult for me to figure out who was doing the talking. This will be a good book for fans of dark academia, complex characters, and toxic relationships.

I'll start his review by saying I am not a huge fan for Dark Academia books. I requested this book to give it a chance and see if I can read more books like these. Overall the story was very interesting and I was so intrigued to see how it was gonna play out with the secret society.

Like there were a little details of this book, I just felt it was long, for me. Overall I do recommend.

I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the early audiobook of A Darker Mischief!

Well, the idea was there and it was interesting in theory buuuuuut this is gonna be a no from me.

My main complaint are the characters, especially Cal & Luke. There was absolutely nothing that made me want to root for either one of them. And together? Absolutely not. + the dialogue is very cringe. The plot was a bit of a Mess, and the way certain things were handle was just weird.

This just didn’t work for me, which is a bummer because the prologue really had me believing this was gonna be a good time.

I would like to add on though that narrator of the audiobook did bring Cal to life really well, so it does have that going for it.

Cal Ware is sent to elite Essex Academy to get him away from everything happening at home, but what he thought would be a chance to reinvent himself turns out to be a dark and isolating experience. That is until he begins to notice a strange eye symbol around campus and starts along a path that will challenge and change him forever.

I thought I was over dark academia's sameness and confess that I came into this expecting more of the same, but Milman keeps you guessing from beginning to end with twists and misdirections. It's still a lot of the typical elements of the horrors of elite boarding schools, yet there are enough differences to make it a unique and engaging read. The things Cal discovers and goes through make for one highly intense read. I don't even want to go into plot details because I worry that they'll ruin the pressure the reader feels along with Cal as the secrets of Essex Academy get revealed.

Charles Linshaw does a good job of narrating. Although there are moments when it's not super clear which character is speaking, the emotions are always crystal clear and perfect for the scene. He definitely nails Cal's Southern accent and the ups and downs of it as Carl lays it on thick with certain people.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the intense listen!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

I am rating this book five stars for its value in my library program -- this will be a very fun book to pitch to my students who love all things "dark academia!" The audio narration was solid and not distracting, and allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story. This will definitely be on some of my fall displays for Spooky Season Reads.

This is one of the most beautifully written dark academia books I have listened to to date. Derek Milman wrote characters with such depth that it was very easy to fall into this dark romance. Each character was very well placed and moved the story along perfectly. When tormented loner 16-year-old Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school named Essex Academy, he attempts to take the advice of his sick mother to reinvent himself and leave his past behind. This is easier said than done. Cal gets to the new school and is still on the outside of things; he gets teased about being from the South and his Southern accent. He is ready to give up and return home until he hears about a secret society on campus. He finds out how to join, gets accepted, and his life takes a very interestingly dark turn.

Every character in this story is broken in some way, and they will remain with me for a while, but the love story of Cal and Luke will remain in my memories for a long time. The way their story ended was gut-wrenching.

I received the ALC, and Charles Linshaw did what needed to be done in translating this piece.

The atmosphere, the writing, the storyline, and the narrator are all top marks from me!

Thank you so much Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Derek Milman for the audio ARC of this book. The review given is completely honest and voluntary.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.
The story has all the potential for a spooky, interesting dark academia, but it doesn’t really do anything new or fascinating with the premise.
The characters don’t feel fully developed and their interactions aren’t well thought out, in my opinion. They feel shallow and disjointed and they don’t feel like their age. Even Cal’s attraction to Luke feels very disingenuous and bland. Beyond that, the dialogues are extremely stilted, at least in the audio book version, and it becomes hard to follow who is saying what during conversations. Cal speaks both like an AI chatbot and a college professor. The narrator makes no effort to change inflection or tone when speaking for different characters. Overall, I was very underwhelmed by the story and anoyed by the delivery and the way the characters come off.
I really wanted to like this, but I think this book needs more work and intention put into it for it to really deliver and not feel like a collection of dark academia cliches glued together.

I really enjoyed this ARC audiobook. Southerner thrown into a dark academia set up is right up my alley. I really enjoyed the story quite a bit, but what shined was how well the narrator did. I usually like to listen to audiobooks on 1.5-2x speed and people can usually sound robotic, but he sounded great at all speeds. I will update more later, as I unfortunately was granted this book while out of the country, and haven’t had access to phone or internet until today.

This book, cover, and narrator fit “dark academia” vibes perfectly. I don’t know what it is about the narrator, but they really made it work!

I loved the drama, but the introduction was slow. Overall, this book was fun but not amazing.

4.5 ⭐️
Dark Academia, secret societies, and a sprinkle of historical riddles—what more could I ask for?
The story follows Cal, a scholarship student at the elite Essex boarding school, as he struggles to fit in. He uncovers an old secret society, considered royalty, and becomes determined to join. Caught between the pressures of initiation and a new budding romance with Luke, we’ll see how far he is willing to go

I was hooked from the first page—it's a fast-paced read that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Thank you to @Dreamscape_Media and NetGalley for the ARC 🤍

this was a good book. The concept wasn't unique but the execution was well done. The narration was well done and the story felt very grounded even as a paranormal fiction. This is definitely one I would recommend.