Alright, I can vibe with this book. When I saw a YA queer dark academia I just had to give it a try. It had its ups and downs, but overall I did like this one. To start off, I loved the spooky old boarding school. It gave off the best eerie vibes. The secret society plot was interesting although I do think some parts were either needlessly complicated or a little dull. The duller moments did break my immersion and make me struggle to stay focused but when the plot was moving it was easy to disappear into the world again. I didn't enjoy many of the moral choices that were made throughout the story but I did find them interesting. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. While it did wrap things up well, it didn't end the way I was hoping it would. But oh my gosh, I loved the main character. He was very complex and I felt like I could really relate to him and his anxieties. The audiobook was really well done. Charles Linshaw's voice was perfect for how I imagined the main character would sound. He really brought more emotion to the book. I recommend giving this one a try if you're a fan of YA dark academia, queer romance, or secret societies.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am so torn about how to rate/review this audiobook.

Let's start with the easy stuff: I thought the narration was good. I'm not an expert on US Southern accents (or any other accents), but I found the voice very listenable.

In terms of the story... hmm. It was interesting, I can say that. And I can mostly buy the MC setup, outlandish as it is: High school is an incredibly difficult time, and teens will do a lot to fit in (even without the additional stressors Cal is dealing with). I don't think I ever entirely believed in the whole all-powerful Society—not because I don't believe wealth buys power, but because it's hard to imagine something like that not getting exposed somewhere along the way.

Spoilers ahead: I wasn't sure I should be okay with Cal ending up happy(-ish) and successful. Understandable as his behavior was, he participated in a kidnapping, etc. I might change my mind about that if I listened to the book again, but I don't think I care enough one way or the other to bother..

I'm dithering between three and four stars for this. It's probably higher than three, but I'm not sure it makes it to four. The fact that I ended up liking almost no one in the entire story makes me not round up.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this audiobook.

Pretty dark, some uncomfortable violence. If you know that going it’s a mesmerizing read.

Dark academia indeed. What different do you expect from the wealthy and privileged that join secret societies?

The homophobia can get hard to take. It’s hard not to love main character, Cal.

Just mesmerizing.

I desperately wanted to love this book, and the premise was fantastic, but unfortunately it seemed to drag and a lot of the book was wildly illogical in a way that simply did not work.

Thank you for NetGalley for the ARC Audiobook.

I didn't love this story , but I don't think it was my vibe.

This follows the MMC Cal who has started at Esexx Boarding school. He comes from South and Gay and really struggles to fit in. Soon he starts to rush for a secret society. He soon meets Luke , who he finds daring and intriguing and they start and hot and cold 'situationship'. There is a lot of mystery and darker turns in this story.

I found this a lot darker than I originally anticipated, I thought there would be a bigger love story and feeling of finally finding yourself when in reality the ending left me feeling unresolved.

A Darker Mischief was a foray into the walls of Essex Academy, and the interrelationships of the student body and the secret organization that resides within its walls. The overall ambiance and pacing carefully crafted by Milman is continued thread from beginning to end and overall contributed to a very enjoyable reading experience, for me.

Calixte “Cal” Ware, is southerner who doesn’t have the extensive background and pedigree that his contemporaries do. And this becomes wildly evident when he’s actively judged, excluded and overall looked down upon by the average student at Essex. Through Cal, the everyday individual is capable of garnering a taste of what circumstances can lead to when a nobody manages to be noticed by a somebody, and thus begins Cal’s journey into uncovering the secrets of a society that he was never meant to discover, and was only invited to because he happened upon them and did his due diligence to earn his way into their circle.

It’s difficult to discuss A Darker Mischief without truly unveiling the aspects of the plot that made it most compelling, but I am going to abstain, as the discovering of the twits and turns is part of the allure. The pacing of this book in particular is dynamic to the story that it’s trying to tell, and further, maintains that hook from the first few pages as we are introduced to Cal, his “friends” and other peerage, and the academy itself.

The book also left more questions than answers, a cornerstone to a successful dark academia novel, in my opinion. It’s the mystery and allure of what’s truly going on that cates to an insidious undertone that grips a read and compels them to read more. And once Essex’s talons are sunk into flesh, it’s difficult to escape, not that you would want to.

Along Cal’s journey into the underbelly of Essex and the Academy’s history, he meets Luke. Luke is erratic and charming. Wholly present and aloof, simultaneously. Luke serves as the handsome love interest to Cal’s unexplored sexuality, as well as his guide into the rush process of the Society.

What I enjoyed most about Cal and Luke’s relationship was the unapologetic queerness of their attraction and flirtations on page, even the physicality of it all, despite most scenes being a fade to black. Milman did an expert job of describing circumstance without lewd detail, but still manages to encapsulate just enough that leaves little to the imagination.

There were aspects of the book that were less than enjoyable, but it was more repetition than anything else. The Academy students continuously asking Cal where is came from, to which he would always respond with his backwoods town in Mississippi, to the point of repeating himself again when the individual asking lost interest halfway through the answer to the question they themselves asked. This continued reminder, surely, was to continue highlighting the outsiderness of Cal, but beating a dead horse detracts from the appeal, to a degree.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. Partially because I’m drawn to queer and dark academia in general, but also because I have an acute special interest for secret societies and cults. This book married them all in a fantastic way.

The only thing I would like to point out, too, is that I listened to the audiobook for A Darker Mischief, and I do greatly believe that the experience would have been enjoyable if I had read the book traditionally.

I also wanted to say thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media (and, by extension, Scholastic Press) and Derek Milman for the opportunity to experience Essex Academy and A Darker Mischief for myself.

Decent concept but it missed the mark for me and comparing this to THE HONEYS really isn't accurate at all outside of them being dark novels featuring a queer character. There are a ton of dark academia/secret society books out there and at least for me, this didn't bring anything new to the table. I found Cal and Luke to lack depth and some of the dialogue between them to be just odd. Given some of the on page content (while not spicy, these are not fade to black sex scenes like the norm for books written for teens), this is an older YA novel even though Cal is only 16.

At the core of this novel is a romance that is both toxic and unbelievable, the secret society wasn't particularly secret or very interesting, and while Milman brings in some cool historical aspects of Essex Academy, there's not enough of that to save this novel. Overall this one was a struggle to get through without a payoff in the end.

Charles Linshaw does an ok job with the audiobook narration but I'm really confused on the production choice to NOT have this narrated in a Southern accent - especially when there is a moment in the text early on where Cal is being made fun of for his accent.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, different take on dark academia secret societies for fans of The Secret History, If We Were Villains, and Ninth House.

**Small town boy struggling to fit in a elite boarding school, finding his way into a secret society and all of the dark allure it holds!**

The main character is very relatable, as are the social issues in todays society. I enjoyed the authors writing style while representing representing his thorough though processes. The book moved a bit slow for my normal preference as did the narrator ( loved the narrators voice, very calming) so.... unfortunately I did not finish the book after making it to 45%.. However, do not let this discourage you from reading it, I think the story has great promise and could hit home with so many readers!

There is something about prep school boys that gets my blood boiling. Maybe it’s the privilege, maybe it’s the toxicity, maybe it’s the boys will be boys. But I hated these characters. I hated the choices they made. I hated their motivations. And maybe it’s because I am not a man, but how were the consequences for kidnapping the presidents daughter, causing your boyfriend to LOOSE HIS ARM, and potentially killing another just academic probation???

And for all of Cal’s insufferableness, you would think he could at least stand on his moral code. But no. He takes what is essentially hush money from the very family that he claims to loathe.

All in all, I will say that Derek Milman’s writing isn’t horrible. He created an atmosphere that kept you wondering what horrible thing will happen next. (Which is exactly what you want from a secret society book) but he needs to work on his characters. I don’t get their motivations, they are wholly unlikable (which I don’t think was his intention) and he drops tidbits about them from the sky. Talk about tell instead of show.

I did not like this book. I would not recommend it. But it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t give another book by this author a chance. I’m from CT. I love a secret society book. Please chat with Leigh Bardugo before attempting one ever again. That goes for all authors of CT secret society books. That’s all.

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.