This book is perfect for spooky season!

It's a queer dark academia Gothic story. That's not usually my genre, but lately I've been reading more of these spooky reads and finding that I'm enjoying them. All that Consumes Us is especially great. The prose pull you in and doesn't let go. The author did a great job of creating suspense and building the mystery around this elite academic society.

I found that I really related to Tara's first Gen insecurities since I was also a first Gen lot major with major imposter syndrome. All of the characters were so well written and had depth. She made me love all of them. There isn't anything I enjoy more than lovable characters and this book delivers.

If you're on the lookout for a spooky book to read this spooky season definitely check this one out. Especially if you're a fan of dark academia, found family, and ghosts.

Out October 17th

Thanks netgalley for the E-arc!

Thank you HarperTeen and Netgalley for this eARC. This opinions are my own. Perfect for spooky season! When Tara discovers a body at school she ends up being invited into a secret society. Their responsible for creating artists, authors, etc. all of import. Plus they’ll help Tara with financials. Soon she’s writing things that she can’t recall writing. Why doesn’t she remember? Is it really her writings? What’s going on? This book kept me hooked and I couldn’t put it down! I loved that it had ghosts and possession mixed with students trying to achieve their passions. Erica Waters world building really puts the readers in the story and you can feel all the spooky things happening! A perfect Fall read that will keep readers captivated! Can’t wait to read it again!

The moment I started this book I was sucked into the academic atmosphere, and as the plot and relationships progressed I was HOOKED. This is the absolute perfect combo of plot/horror and the dark academia ~vibes~ - I find a lot of books only do one of those things successfully.

Great queer rep! I would say this was pretty light horror, but a few scenes definitely would have terrified me if I was alone in the dark.

Deeply atmospheric, this Southern Gothic ghost story will give you chills.

First-generation college student Tara Boone has sacrificed everything to get to Corbin College, but she still feels like she's struggling to keep her head above water. All she wants is to be able to write. After a tragedy opens up a spot in the elite secret society Magni Viri, Tara finally feels like she has a chance: free tuition, academic mentoring, guaranteed success after graduation, and a close knit group of peers who are also driven to achieve greatness. But of course, nothing comes without a cost. But the farther she descends into Magni Viri, the more she suspects that the price is even higher and darker than she could have imagined...

I think this is a phenomenal example of YA dark academia. The setting here really is its own character - old Tennessee school, intimidatingly old and dark buildings, and graveyards. There's a steady feeling of paranoia buzzing in the background as Tara struggles to discover the truth and survive.

One of the aspects that elevates this ghost story is the care that Waters takes in developing interesting, well-rounded, and diverse characters. Several of the characters, including Tara, are explicitly queer. Although this is definitely not a romance overall, I enjoyed the sapphic relationship between Tara and her love interest. There is a side character who is non-binary, and the conversation around pronouns is simple but well done, as well as a side character with an autoimmune disease who uses a mobility aid. Classism is also discussed and important throughout the story - Tara struggles with feeling like she belongs at an elite institution and importantly doesn't have a safety net to fall back on.

If you're looking for something spooky to kick off this fall reading season that will give you chills but not nightmares, All That Consumes Us is a great pick for you! In general, I'd recommend Erica Waters' books to anyone who's interested in sapphic Southern gothic ghost stories (a subgenre you perhaps didn't realize you needed in your life, but you do).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was not my usual read. It was a tad too creepy for me, but I had to finish. It is beautifully written! Dark Academia with a gothic undertone. Highly recommended this for anyone who loves this type of story.

A perfect spooky fall read! All That Consumes Us follows Tara, a first-ten college student who gets accepted into an elite academic society, believed by outsiders to be a satantic cult. As Tara settles into her new life as a Magni Viri student, she begins having odd, frightening dreams, and when she wakes, she finds she's written stories she doesn't remember writing.

I never fully knew where this book was going, which is a good thing. I usually figured out the twists at the same time our narrator did, so this book was incredibly hard to put down. As a first gen college student and creative writer myself, I found Tara to be a very relatable character and I immediately empathized with her and her goals. I enjoyed getting to know the other characters as well, and there was a ton of diversity which to me felt very well done. The author did an amazing job developing all of these characters and it was hard to know who to trust and what was really happening.

And as a minor detail -- I usually hate when modern references are included in books as it takes me out of the story, but the few instances of this in All That Consumes Us were very well done and didn't at all feel removed from the plot. It was a breath of fresh air.

"Ninth House meets The Dead and the Dark in this Gothic dark academia novel that delves into the human capacity for great love, great art, and great evil.

Magni animi numquam moriuntur. Great minds never die.

The students in Corbin College's elite academic society, Magni Viri, have it all - free tuition, inspirational professors, and dream jobs once they graduate. When first-gen college student Tara is offered a chance to enroll, she doesn't hesitate.

Except once she's settled into the gorgeous Victorian dormitory, something strange starts to happen. She's finally writing, but her stories are dark and twisted. Her dreams feel as if they could bury her alive. An unseen presence seems to stalk her through the halls.

And a chilling secret awaits Tara at the heart of Magni Viri - one that just might turn her nightmares into reality; one that might destroy her before she has a chance to escape.

All That Consumes Us will pull readers into a hypnotizing, dark reverie that blurs the lines of reality and shows that the addictive nature of ambition - and its inevitable price - always claims its due."

Yes yes, just the right time of year to delve into some dark academia.

📚Tara is a freshman at Corbin College who was just given a once-in-a-lifetime, extremely sought-after chance to enroll in the elite academic society at the college, Magni Viri. Not letting the chance slip past her, Tara is immediately thrust into a new dorm and is finally writing again. But the stories are dark. Darker than anything she had written before. When strange things keep happening Tara learns a secret that might take her dreams and make them into nightmares.
💀I loved this gothic horror ghost story. I did find Tara a little annoying and her actions and choices a little frustrating. But the story more than made up for that and holy wow, that big reveal. I loved it!
This dark academic gothic with its amazing prose and atmospheric setting raises the question of sacrificing oneself for the sake of ambition and where we draw that line. This is not one to miss!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A deeply Gothic, atmospheric and spooky example of Dark Academia, this is the story of Tara. She is insecure and drowning in debt. Her biggest dream is to become a part of Magni Viri, a mysterious society of geniuses. When she has her shot at joining them, she realizes how sometimes it’s worse to get what you want. I really, really loved the Victorian mansion where the action is set, as well as the surrounding woods. You can almost smell the trees and hear the cicadas. I also liked the characters. Usually, these types of novels aggravate me, with teenagers thinking that writing is comparable to curing cancer. Tara is relatable and humble enough, though, that she keeps everything in perspective. I personally enjoyed the brief glimpses of the classes that Tara takes, as well as the fascinating work her housemates are conducting (yes, Penny, please show me the bats!); and the novella that Tara is writing. The final part was insanely suspenseful. Very enjoyable.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen!

This is definitely the best Erica Waters book I've read so far - you can see real growth in her writing and her characters. This book is also perfect for fall. The vibes and atmosphere are immaculate.

There's a large cast of characters with diverse backgrounds and identities. There were some twists I saw coming - but not all of them played out the way I expected them too. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the refences to other dark academia books. I know dark academia is having a moment, but it was too self-aware that it was a dark academia. I think removing those references would not hurt the story and would help the book feel less self-aware (super curious to see if they make the final cut).

Overall, I had a really great time reading this book. It's truly a perfect October book.

Tara Boone fought for a place at Corbin College hoping to get into the esteemed Magni Viri academic society which provides a full scholarship. However, Tara isn't accepted and is muddling through college with two jobs and a more practical academic track. When one of Magni Viri's star pupils, Meridith Brown dies unexpectedly, Tara is offered her spot. Tara readily accepts, with tuition and board fully covered, Tara no longer has to work and gets to move into Denfeld Hall with the rest of the Magni Viri students. Now, with an automatic friend group and a semi-creepy initiation ceremony, Tara finally feels accepted. She also has a lot more time to work on her writing. Tara begins writing in the middle of the night, in a haze, she barely remembers what she wrote; if it wasn't in her own handwriting, she wouldn't believe it. The writing also seems a lot more like Meredith's writing than her own. Tara begins to believe that she is being haunted by Meredith's ghost and is being forced to finish her story. As Tara learns more about Magni Viri and its members, she discovers something more disturbing about its membership and decides she must free herself from its grasp.


All That Consumes Us is an atmospheric, gothic story set within a college secret society. I was pulled in by the mystery of Magni Viri and their consistency in producing outstanding students. Tara's character is at a point where she is desperate while being resourceful and diligent, making her a perfect target for Magni Viri's deeds. The writing builds the tension slowly as a student dies and Tara finally finds her place and her goals begin to seem realistic, but things simply don't seem right with the students of Magni Viri, their accomplishments or the novella Tara is writing. As Tara continues in Magni Viri, obsession seems to overtake her and she is not herself. The feeling of wanting what you can't have along with slipping from reality permeates Tara as well as Denfield Hall. The quote "...some of the dead don't sleep. They don't rest. They rise up from their graves to steal hours from the living," summarizes the atmosphere. I was really interested in the story that Tara was writing and would have loved to have more history behind that as well as the beginning of Magni Viri. I would have also loved to see some of Tara's writing when she wasn't under the influence and how she infused the emotions she experienced into her craft. Overall, a queer, gothic, ghostly coming of age story with amazing characters.



This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
For a YA novel this was very good. I enjoyed the gothic atmosphere and the dark academia theme.
I enjoyed Tara as a character.
Great book.

I had to DNF this title (which is something that I do not like doing. This was just too clique. The first chapter barely caught my attention and it just read like a really bad Wattpad story. I believe this may be good for a younger group of people that are coming into reading YA but as someone who reads Young Adult to feel like I am twelve again, this just was not well written. I felt that the characters weren’t well rounded, and it felt like I was reading nothing. The relationships in this story didn’t feel like they gave anything to the plot. I thought I was going to enjoy this, but it just didn’t add up to me.

Loved this super creepy gothic horror. Dark academia? Check. Intriguing and diverse characters? Check. Plot twist? Check. Really excellent execution. We will be reviewing this book on an October episode of Your Rainbow Reads podcast.

“But I don’t feel like my life is changing. I feel like it’s finally beginning. Like all this time I’ve been waiting for Magni Viri to come calling.”

Set deep within the hills of rural Tennessee, All That Consumes Us blends dark academia, Southern Gothic, and a dash of queer romance as protagonist Tara Boone navigates her first year at Corbin College. When a classmate’s death opens up a spot in the secretive, highly selective Magni Viri academic society, Tara is surprised to receive an invitation to join, still unsure of her own talents and ability to fit in within the elite organization. Entering a world of free tuition, guaranteed success after graduation, and a strong focus on individual research, Tara’s worries begin to fade away, especially after bouts of late-night writing leave her with the start of a gothic novella her professors can’t help but praise. As time passes, however, Tara can’t help but feel like something is being kept from her by the society: something dark and ancient that first began to manifest through her writing.

All That Consumes Us features atmospheric writing, a diverse cast of characters, and relatively unique plot points for the dark academia genre, but I am hesitant to say that I fully endorse this novel. I found the pacing of the story to be a bit odd: Tara spends half of the text convinced that she is haunted by the classmate who passed away, however, the real truth is revealed suddenly with only little foreshadowing. The narrative rapidly changes direction, and I felt Tara accepted this new truth too quickly. I also felt as if the text had to scramble to explain the intricacies of the Magni Viri at this point, and I was still left with questions about its structuring and creation at the end that may have been answered had Tara uncovered the truth sooner. However, I enjoyed watching Tara’s relationships with the Magni Viri members develop prior to her discovery, and I understand how structuring the plot in this way allowed her to spend time enjoying the society before its darkest secrets were uncovered. Especially through her interactions with roommate Wren and love interest Penny, Tara emerges as a deeply caring protagonist that is only hesitant at times due to an upbringing full of hardships. While the ending was a bit predictable, I still found it to be a satisfying conclusion and liked its optimistic tone, which indicated that Tara is still committed to her dream of becoming a writer even after the events she had to endure.

Dark academia, ghosts, graveyards, obsession, possession, paranoia. This book has it all! Tara feels like she doesn’t fit in at Corbin College. When she is offered a chance to enroll in Magni Viri, an elite academic society with free tuition, she accepts with no hesitation. Tara, who takes the place of the most recent dead girl Meredith, thinks that she is possessing her and using her body to write her novella during the night. But actually, what is happening is much worse. This book is perfect for spooky season. 4.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to Erica Waters, Harper Teen, and NetGalley for the ARC.

All That Consumes Us is the perfect blend of gothic horror and YA thriller. I was consumed by the prose from the very first page. Is great genius and legacy worth sacrificing all that you are? This story has such an interesting and unique concept! It manages to set itself apart from all the other dark academia saturating the market. Highly recommend for lovers of ghost stories, secret societies, and those looking to belong.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Teen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pitched as gothic, ghostly, and queer, where a girl joins a secretive academic society after one of its members suddenly passes away. Liberated from a life of repaying student loans and two jobs, Tara finds herself free to pursue a career as an author with the full backing of Magni Viri. However, she quickly learns that her induction into this society may not be all she imagined.

At first, ALL THAT CONSUMES US was haunting and atmospheric, but, as the mystery unraveled, I found myself increasingly annoyed. The cause of Tara's horror only made sense on a surface level because the more I pondered it, the more glaringly obvious plot holes/character logic became. And not in a gothic, deteriorating-sanity type of way (though I'm sure that was partly the author's intent), but simply a lack of deeper thinking on the author's behalf about plot implications.

A lot of this novel focuses on building suspense and dread, which was fairly believable until the big reveal, a little over halfway through. After the big reveal occurs, I had a lot of questions about Magni Viri, but 90% of them went unanswered (perhaps after publication day I will post a full, no-spoilers-barred review that explains this).

Just about the only thing I liked about this book was the author's inclusion of a wide array of representations and diversity. There are characters who are disabled, characters who are nonbinary, and, to my utter delight, a featured relationship between two female characters that weren't fetishized. That being said, I felt as though this book was lacking insight into the finer details of these supporting characters, both in terms of personality and interactions with the main character. I could have had less of Tara and more of everyone else.

All in all, this book started off strong but quickly delved into frustrating. While I was fastidiously consuming the first half of this book, I struggled to get through the last quarter of the book. If this book sounds like it would suit you for Fall, I would caution you going in that the plot is disappointing.

➫ 2.5 Stars

I've enjoyed all the Waters books I've read, and this one was no exception, although I felt like it took a while to truly get going. It's being marketed as within the dark academia genre, but as with most YA books, it takes place at a mysterious school and that's about it as far as DA goes. It's much more of a ghost story. It's a perfect pick for a lightly spooky story this fall.

The main character felt *very* freshman in college, which is a compliment as much as it was occasionally frustrating. Always good to read a YA book with characters that are believably young. The story itself was slow, but intrigue really started to kick in around the 30% mark. While I was never terribly invested in this one (Waters' other work drew me in far more), it was enjoyable overall for a breather between darker, more-adult works.

I absolutely loved this book and the main characters. I think they all were fleshed out and they stood out from one another as different from one another. I liked the touch of magic/occult in this Gothic academia book. There were times I struggled with the FMC and her decisions but maybe that's how freshman in college would act now!