KATIE MARIE

I was recently in Waterstones in Norwich and the cover of this one jumped out at me, so naturally I picked it up.

I almost instantly knew this was something I’d enjoy reading, it ticks all my boxes, it’s described as dark academia, it’s got a spooky forest, an intriguing mystery and an interesting protagonist.

I’m only three chapters in at the moment so spoilers for those chapters.

My first comment is I’m really loving the protagonist, Douglas, his voice is distinctive and unique. He’s a real fish out of water, being the only black child at a prestigious school, he’s also a part of the LGBTQ+ community and is the only child in the school who isn’t there because mummy and daddy are rich.

We’ve already been teased with several mysteries which really grab you tight. Why is Douglas in this school? His way in was very unusual and stinks of bait in a trap. What the hell was this fire? Why is the forest speaking? Who the hell was Peter and why does no one remember him? How many adults at the school know what’s happening? What the hell was the thing with too many eyes?

I’m eager to pick the book up again, which at this point can only be a good thing.

So based on the first few chapters I would recommend this.

A Lesson in Vengeance meets The Taking of Jake Livingston in this page-turning YA horror/fantasy set in dark academia about a queer Black teen who discovers the sinister history of his boarding school and the corrupt powers behind it all.

Regent Academy has a long and storied history in Winslow, Vermont, as does the forest that surrounds it. The school is known for molding teens into leaders, but its history is far more nefarious.

Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent’s king-making; he’s just trying to survive. But then a student is murdered and, for some reason, by the next day no one remembers him having ever existed, except for Douglas and the groundskeeper’s son, Everett Everley. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. A vengeful creature wants blood as payment for a debt more than 300 years in the making—or it will swallow all of Winslow in darkness.

And for the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp the one thing he’s always felt was power. But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.

A high-octane mystery of murder and magic for fans of Ace of Spades, House of Hollow, and Get Out!