From the very start of this book, I felt totally immersed in the dark academia atmosphere of the story. We have the dark and gloomy elite boarding school, perfectly pretentious characters, plenty of classical literature and philosophy references, and of course the looming feeling of something being not quite right.

Once we reach the second half of the story, the mysteries started to be revealed, and the plot got a touch chaotic with so much happening all at once. However I was totally hooked in and was desperate to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.

Overall it was a super enjoyable YA dark academia fantasy which kept me intrigued the whole way through. I would definitely recommend it if this is a genre that interests you.

YA fantasy meets dark academia in this wonderful and diverse book.
Page Whittaker has been accepted into an elite private boarding school in Scotland. She has no idea why the school offered her a scholarship, but she's all too happy to be leaving her small Florida town after 'the incident', so she won't say no.
When Page arrives at Agatheon, she feels like she's finally found somewhere that she belongs. The school prizes discipline above all, and the students are smarter than anyone Paige has met before. She hopes they didn't make a mistake inviting her here. As if catching up on her studies wasn't hard enough, she's finding it impossible to make friends amongst the elite wealthy elite that populate the school. When she manages to work her way into a close knit group with Cyrus, Ren, Gideon, Lacey and Oak, she hopes that means she belongs. But they're keeping secrets from her, and it feels like Agatheon is too.
This is a fun YA book with a slightly darker twist. Agatheon is simultaneously cosy and spooky and Wilkinson has done a wonderful job in creating a strong sense of place for the school. The cast of characters is diverse, as you would hope to see in a YA book in 2025. Page's arc over the course of the novel is very well structured and satisfying to read, however I do wish she'd been able to dismantle what she believes to be 'intelligence', as I felt she had a very narrow view of it (but you can't fit everything into one book!).
The pacing is comfortable, with things ramping up pretty swiftly and the mystery of the school and its students will keep you locked in looking for answers.
As is always the case with YA books, there's some suspension of disbelief required for older readers regarding the competencies of the characters, but that's par for the course. It's written for young adults, so of course they will be the heroes.
Overall, this was good fun and I recommend it to anyone who loves YA fantasy.

This book was intriguing from the first page. Lili Wilkinson has a way of making you wonder about her protagonists. Wonder who they are, their back stories, their motives.

The magic system in this world is unique, how it's dealt with and its acceptance is an interesting take.

I feel like this is definitely created for the younger end of the YA age bracket, I may have been a little past it to enjoy some of the humour. But I think it will be well received and well loved by its target audience.

Lili Wilkson is a wonderful Australia YA author.

Unhallowed Halls is a spooky and mysterious story that keeps readers on edge. The plot follows a group of students who find themselves at a creepy, isolated boarding school where strange things begin to happen. As the characters uncover secrets about the school, the story blends suspense wih horror and supernatural.

The writing is engaging, with plenty of twists and suspense to keep the reader interested. The characters are relatable, and the eerie atmosphere adds to the sense of tension throughout the book.

Overall, Unhallowed Halls is a fun, thrilling read for fans of mystery and supernatural stories, with just the right amount of creepy moments to keep readers hooked.

Full review to come once long covid symptoms ease. In short, Lili Wilkinson's strengths in crafting YA perfectly for teen audiences (rather than YA-reading adults) + unconventional approaches to conventional tropes + soft male leads on full display; however, line level not as strong as her usual work + atypically inconsistent line level editing (willing to give the benefit of the doubt some of this will be tidied up between ARC phase and final copy).