Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really good. The beginning was amazing, I just wish that the pacing was more consistent (I found myself getting bored at times in the middle of the book).

This book is a solid dark academia story. Secret society at college, blood oaths, possession for the sake of art and advancement. This book was fast paced, somewhat atmospheric but mostly plot/character development focused. Our main character Tara is a bit insufferable, but it’s part of her charm? I know teens will enjoy this story, find the characters relatable and the things they do realistic,

All That Consumes us is a spooky, dark read that hit just what I was hoping for. The out-of-place-at-her-bougie-college main character gave definitely Ninth House vibes which I’m always a fan of. But the plot also felt original, and I enjoyed the story and overall dark vibes.

All That Consumes Us gave me all the dark academia, gothic feels and it was a good read for the fall season. The story revolves around Tara (great name by the way!) who attends a prestigious college where she studies creative writing. Tara is lured into the college’s mysterious academic society of gifted students, but she soon learns that nothing is as it seems.

I was excited to read this book because the synopsis sounded interesting and I loved the cover. This is the first book I’ve read by Erica Waters and I really enjoyed her writing. I loved the creepy atmosphere and gothic vibes in this book. This story has murder, mystery, romance, and paranormal elements. I definitely recommend this book to fans of dark academia.

3.5/5 stars

I love Erica Waters' writing. Her stories are always clever and creepy. This one did not disappoint. I loved the premise, and the spooky mystery.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄
🧾 Dark academia
💖 Sapphic romance
👻 Ghosts
🙌 Diverse characters
🦇 Gothic horror
🗝 Secret societies

- 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓
This was so good?????

Tara is in college, working multiple jobs, and barely making it. She dreams of being a writer and joining an elite society at her college, Magni Viri, but was rejected when she applied. After a member of the society suddenly dies, Tara is given the opportunity of a lifetime and is invited to join. Everyone knows how secretive Magni Viri is, and some even think it’s a satanic cult, but nobody actually knows what is going on behind closed doors.

All That Consumes Us is a beautiful story full of diverse characters, autoimmune disorder representation, ghosts, gay longing, and gothic vibes.

- 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒
I absolutely loved this book and would read a sequel if there was one. It does touch on some heavy topics, so read the content warnings beforehand. Overall, I gave this a 4.25/5⭐.

4.25/5
Devoured (or should I say consumed) this excellent book in a day! It's the type that once you get sucked in, you won't want to put it down until you're done. Perfect for fans of dark academia and paranormal mysteries.

Tara is struggling to juggle college and finances when she gets her dream offer to join a prestigious academic society. But is it too good to be true?

While I wouldn't say it's on par with The Secret History (which is mentioned a weird amount of times) or Babel, this is still an interesting critique of academia and the lengths we will go to leave a lasting impact.

All That Consumes Us is a gothic, dark academia novel with nightmares, secret societies, and malevolent spirits!

I always love gothic novels AND dark academia novels, so this book was right up my alley! The atmosphere was intriguing, the mysterious aspects of the book kept me guessing (though I am happy to say I figured it out!), and I absolutely loved the academic discussions that took place in the novel!

But I did have some complaints as well. For one, it was too long. It could’ve been 50-100 pages shorter. I don’t think that there were a lot of unnecessary scenes, but I do think that the author is too descriptive. A lot of scenes could’ve been shorter. Being over-descriptive made the book drag at times. Another complaint of mine is that the main character kept saying certain things like they were a revelation, but they were quite obvious to the reader. I found myself saying “duhh” to her a lot😬 And my last complaint is that I wish that the main character’s dark thoughts had been explored beyond a certain point. In the beginning of the book, there was a lot of emphasis placed on dark and jealous thoughts had by the main character, but the dark depths of her personality weren’t explored as much as I think they could’ve been.

But overall, I did enjoy this book and it is a great read for anyone who, like me, loves dark academia and gothic vibes!

I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you HarperTeen and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

Trigger Warning: parental abandonment

Tara’s adventure at Corbin College should be on everyone’s TBR this fall! Get ready for queer gothic spooks set in the Appalachian Mountains. This dark academia novel follows Tara’s freshman year of college. When the elite organization of Magni Viri loses a member, Tara is offered the dead girl’s place and her scholarship. An offer impossible to refuse, Tara starts living the life that Meredith used to have. But is Meredith really gone? With time to finally write and become the author she’s always dreamed of; Tara wakes up to work she can’t remember scribbling down.

Erica Waters’ prose will suck you in, her setting will charm you, and her atmosphere will captivate you. If you’re looking for the lines of reality to blur in an old Victorian dormitory, I’d highly recommend this new YA horror book.

We still have two months left in the year, but I think this might be my favorite book of 2023! All That Consumes us has got it all: old Appalachian college grounds, an MC who dreams of being an author, a secretive academic society that parties in a cemetery, possession by ghosts, and queer characters galore. What more could a reader want?

All that Consumes Us is a young adult, fantasy, horror, that packs in the paranormal with the unsure, loner college student vibe. Tara is a 1st gen college student who is an aspriing writer, but her collge dreams are being crushed by her loan and payment responsibilities. She works multiple jobs to get by and she is barely hanging on. It was her hope to be selected as one of the 6 students inducted to Magni Viri, an elite acaedmic society that covers all college expenses and is it's own internal friend group.

Tara isn't initially let into Magni Viri but a freak accident has now pushed her in, but it is too good to be true and there are secrets and weird things happening to her.

Tara was a great representation of a 1st year college student trying to get through her new life and support herself. There is a lot of self doubt and loathing of her time and effort, and it all comes to a head when she is chosen for the academic group. This is her answer to everything. She is a bit stubborn but is willing to overlook the quirkiness to progress her abilty while in college - I don't blame her.

The book does a great job setting the tone and the horror elements. It is not too scary but enough so give shivers. The overall theme was super interesting and I though it was well put together, but don't want to go into more detail - I don't want to spoil it for readers.

I think that former Goosebumps readers will enjoy this one, and anyone looking for a more YA speeed style horror will also enjoy. Overall a great spooomy read for October.

Thank you SO MUCH to Netgalley and HarperTeen for granting me access to the e-arc of this book. The review is entirely my own and has my honest thoughts and opinions!

It might be past Halloween, but I’m still not done with my spooky vibes and dark academia reads. And this was deliciously one of them. All That Consumes Us is a fantastic tale of coming into your own power, your own self, and realizing your self worth and owning it. It’s fantastically written and I enjoyed every second of being immersed in this tale.

Writing: I adored the author’s writing in this book. She has a talent for creating different atmospheres to match the location of the main character. Her writing is so descriptive and real that its almost easy to believe she’s writing this tale from personal experience.

Characters: I greatly enjoyed our main character. Tara is incredibly relatable and I think that’s what makes this story so spooky. It’s very, VERY easy to place yourself into her shoes and see yourself as the main character, making the choices Tara makes and suffering the same way that Tara does.

Additionally, this story hosts a fantastic range of characters with representations from all over. BIPOC, Disabled, Gender Queer, LGBTQIA+, Trans - honestly, you name it. This book was written so that anyone could pick it up and find someone who represents them, and I LOVE seeing that in stories.

All the side characters are fully developed and have their own struggles and growing pains that they also go through along side our main hero, Tara. Every single member of Magni Viri are completely fleshed out. They all come alive brilliantly on the pages.

Plot: The plot starts out slow, but about 50% through it picks up. The author is very talented at keeping her secrets while giving incredibly teasing hints of foreshadowing, and then once the ball drops and the truth is revealed, the plot train takes off and doesn’t stop until you’re breathless at the last page. It’s seriously fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat for a good deal of the story once the curtain was lifted on the truth about Magni Viri.

Enjoyment: I LOVED THIS. 100% would read again. And absolutely do recommend!

4.5 stars.

Really enjoyed this one. Will definitely add it to the Dark Academia Instagram post I'm working on.

Now, this is the type of Dark Academia that I love. A lot of the ones I have been reading lately were either too full of drama or didn't have enough of the DA atmosphere. I like my DA with a side of supernatural or murder/mystery, and this has BOTH. It also mixed in queer characters and found family. This was just -chefs kiss- a lovely dark little story.

Will add a link once I make an Instagram post.

the atmosphere all throughout this was the best part of this entire read, it was eerie and perfect to be read on a foggy/rainy day. it was a bit slow at times but that didn't change my overall enjoyment while reading! I'm a sucker for a dark academia vibe, especially when it's sapphic!

Atmospheric, tense, and eerie. This book’s strong point is definitely its vibe; the author perfectly captured that dark academia feeling. However, the atmosphere was probably the only thing that kept me from putting this book away. The plot did not vary much from other books in this genre, and the characters felt flat. Overall this book had potential and many positive factors but was ultimately disappointing.

ALL THAT CONSUMES US nailed the spooky, dark academia atmosphere, even if the pacing and reveals were a bit clunky. It was still a fun spooky season read with and I would definitely recommend to YA readers. At first I thought the characters acted way young, but then I remembered they were only freshmen in college! That's still young af.

This dark academia book follows Tara Boone as she joins the mysterious academic society on campus, Magni Viri. It seems like a dream come true: free tuition, built-in friends, and a guaranteed future. However, there is a cost to joining Magni Viri that no one seems to want to share with Tara. She eventually finds out what she has had to give up in order to belong to the society, and she decides that the cost is too high. She finds a way to break herself free of the chains she never asked to wear. The book is definitely ghost-y and dark and has a diverse cast of characters. While at times formulaic, it is a great spooky season read.

Erica Waters has been one of my favorite authors since I read The River Has Teeth a couple years ago, and this spooky dark academia novel did not disappoint!

Secret society, ghostly possession, and strange rituals combine in this story about an aspiring writing at Corbin College who gets tangled up in the mysterious Magni Viri, an exclusive group of students chosen because of their academic excellence. But what exactly is the price of that excellence…?

This was the perfect creepy fall read with a side of sapphic romance! I also appreciate that one of the main characters had a chronic illness, rather than a side character that didn’t get much page time.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for this arc 🍂

Back home, Tara was the strange girl who read books at football games, who would rather study than socialize. Growing up in a trailer park, all she ever dreamed of was becoming a writer, someone whose stories mattered, Well, that’s not quite right. Tara wanted to be known. To be famous. To have her books published, read, and loved, to be admired and respected even beyond her death. She wanted to go to college and learn to write. Instead, she’s working as a janitorial assistant while she studies to become an English teacher, teaching students to admire someone else’s books. Tara’s even more alone at Corbin College than she was at home. There, at least, she had one friend. Here, it’s just … nothing. And then, Meredith dies.

Meredith was a member of Magni Viri, the secretive academic society Tara wanted to join. Magni Viri is the whole reason Tara came to Corbin College. Now, with Meredith’s death, Tara might just get everything she wanted as O’Connor, the director of Magni Viri, summons her. It turns out there’s a new opening and Tara’s just the person they’re looking to fill it.

All That Consumes Us leans heavily into atmosphere and mood; Tara’s isolation and loneliness, and her desperation to belong, to be part of something — even if just on the fringes. Tara isn’t exactly a nice person. She’s selfish, self-centered, and very reactionary. On being offered Meredith’s position, she’s delighted, with little thought for Meredith’s friends, who are now her friends, or Meredith’s roommate, who lives just down the hall. She’s constantly surprised that Meredith’s boyfriend isn’t delighted to be her friend. After all, she too was touched by Meredith, as she was one of those there when the body was found. It’s not that Tara is cruel or spiteful. She’s just in her own head (and so are we), and not overly concerned with other people until and unless they cross her path. Her flaws make her, in many ways, the perfect star of a ghost story, because she feels everything so deeply, obsesses so much over what others think of her, and makes all the plot necessary choices for perfectly selfish reasons. However, rather than change and grow as a character, Tara feels like just a leaf in the autumn wind being pulled along by the plot until the book ends.

The plot itself leans heavily on the dark academia vibe, and does it well, keeping the tension between magical realism, madness, and paranormal for much of the book. The first third is strong, the middle had some very interesting moments, and then the ending didn’t quite stick the landing for me. A lot of threads are left dangling, a lot of connections between characters are brought up and then dropped in favor of an easier path to the ending, and the ending itself felt like it belonged to a different book than what the first third was building towards.

The side characters and their reasons for being part of Magni Viri gave Meredith — and eventually Tara — a friend group with a wide array of diversity in background and sexuality. There’s Wren, who uses they/then pronouns and likes music; Azar, who is gay and excels at robotics; Jordan who is black; Neil who is straight; and Penny, Tara’s love interest, with a chronic pain condition. As a group, they mostly worked, but they felt there mostly to herd Tara along the path towards the answer.

The story had a meandering feel, for all that the pace moves along quickly and the writing flows smoothly. I was caught by the first third of the book and enjoyed the initial reveal of what was going on, but as the story continued, I found myself less invested in what was happening to Tara. It’s not that the story was poorly done, it’s just that for me the question of whether it is a ghost or madness was the fun part. The story answered that question so early on in the book that the eventual march to the end felt long and a little flat for me.

Horror has always been a tricky genre for me. When it works, it works. When it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Like comedy, I think it’s going to be very subjective for each reader. If you give this book a chance, I hope you enjoy it! It’s very well put together with a lovely gothic flair, and will make for a fun autumn read.

I did not finish this book. I think it had a good foundation but the writing felt lackluster. The main character felt flat and only some of the side characters felt real. I wish the setting if the book was high school or an early college program with high schoolers. These characters didn't act like college kids, instead they fit more into 9th or 10th graders. I don't think this was a bad book I just wish it had a setting that made more sense for its intended audience.

"An oath to live by. A dream to die for."

**4.5 stars**

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the free eARC!!

Tara is a lonely freshman at Corbin College and has her sights set on the mysterious society Magni Viri. The society is known for having great students doing advanced research and creating masterpieces in writing, art, and music. After Tara discovers the body of another student in Magni Viri, she is coincidently offered the student's place within the secret society.

When Tara arrives at Denfield Hall she starts to notice that all of the students within the society look haggard and worn. The students are doing such advanced research that Tara wonders how she was even considered for Magni Viri. However, before she realizes it, Tara starts to lose time and finds that she has started a book but it doesn't seem like it is something that she would normally write. Could this be too good to be true or is Tara really not in control of her own body?

This was a fantastic spooky little read. Erica Waters did a wonderful job at building up the dark academia atmosphere during the whole book. I felt like I was really at Corbin College with Tara and her friends and was hooked from the beginning. I could not believe where the story ended and am so glad that Erica wrapped it up the way that she did. I highly recommend this book during this spooky season!