2 stars

Thank you to Derek Milman and Scholastic Press for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

First and foremost, in terms of sheer entertainment value this book is fantastic, at least for the first half. If you want more YA thrillers with the audacity and horniness of Riverdale, this might be for you! However, for me, it was like watching a convoluted yet hilarious train wreck. This book throws so many random curveballs, many of which are just hardly relevant. I really puzzled over my star rating because I was truly having fun just being along for the mess for a good chunk of the book, but even as a fantasy reader there comes a point when a book is simply too ridiculous.

Other than being wildly entertaining for half the book, there are a few things I enjoyed despite their insanity. Cal and Luke's relationship is the kind of over-dramatic, toxic teenage codependency that I like because I thrive on drama. There are some moments in the writing that are actually really beautiful, though entirely misplaced. I also have to commend the commitment to ridiculousness because genuinely I could not have been prepared for a single plot event in this book.

Now for the unfortunately numerous pitfalls. First, I mentioned that I enjoyed the first half but after that point the story becomes so incredible convoluted and hard to follow that I was totally lost. There were jumps in time and changes in location at points that were not at all indicated and I kept having to look back to figure out how we got where we were. I could list facts we know about most of the characters, Cal and Luke in particular, but I struggle to actually characterize them because they're just kind of...strange. The dialog is insane in a way that is occasionally funny but usually is just cryptic and kind of grating because it adds to nothing. There are a few spoiler-y things that happen and I could not tell you for the life of me why those things happen. They kidnap the vice president's daughter (not a spoiler, it's revealed in the first section), and maybe I just missed it but I still don't really get why. It's mentioned afterward that someone was tryin to prevent the VP from passing some law but I don't really understand why it makes sense for them to exhort him in that way when the society supposedly has so much power otherwise. Most of the big plot events are genuinely shoved into the last thirty pages and I can't say I cared much about any of them at that point. Also, I'm not against sex in YA books but this one is toeing the line with the sheer volume, especially against the backdrop of a toxic relationship. There are a few serious/triggering topics that get brought momentarily for shock value and have no otherwise bearing on the plot, nor are they explored in a way I felt was healthy or interesting. The epilogue was a hot mess, again throwing curveballs with literally no weight to them.

Sorry for being a hater, but I really can only suspend my disbelief so much. I always hesitate to say "don't read this book," especially when there were parts of this one that I really liked, but just go in knowing that this is not to be taken too seriously and that you won't be missing much if you DNF or skip it.

Happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic publishing for giving me an arc of this book! This was one of those rare books that instantly had me hooked. Usually, it takes me a little bit to get into the book and fully enjoy it, but I was committed to this book right off the bat. It has been a long time since I have been unable to put down a book… and this was one of those books. It captivated me, I just could not stop thinking about it until I finished it! This was also one of those books where I wished it could have gone on for longer.

I do not know much about dark academia as a genre, but I am instantly intrigued. The cover was beautiful and the writing and story were well done. Something I think this book does great with is pacing! The pacing of this story is excellent and keeps you on your toes, I literally could not book this book down. Some of the characters were unlikable, even the characters that you were supposed to like, but I almost feel like that was the point. This novel shows that everybody is flawed in someway, but in the end, people will still try to do the right thing. The book also lives up to its name, it goes get kind of dark (for a YA novel). Lastly, I just want to mention the setting. Old mysterious boarding school with a long history? Loved it. I was very, very impressed with this story.

i was intrigued by the beginning but the rest was such a let down. this writing style was not good in my opinion. lots of telling instead of showing, especially with the facts about the school none of that blended into the story or stayed with me. there wasn’t enough world building, have no idea what the school really looks like or even the town that they are in. the dialogue was really bad. it’s like the author was never a teenager and has no idea how people speak. And there were some weird lines, like when cal is talking about the queer clique in the school it’s really icky to me.
This could have been better if the author had a more developed writing style and had some more advice for the plot and character development.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book!

“A Darker Mischief” is a queer, dark academia book. The story follows Cal Ware, a teen from Mississippi, who wins a scholarship to an elite boarding school in New England. However, upon arrival, Cal finds it hard to fit in with the other students. That is until Cal learns of a secret society on campus and meets Luke Kim. But as the initiation becomes more intense, Cal begins to wonder what he will sacrifice and what is true around him.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. There were so many twists and turns. Everything that happened was so unexpected. My jaw was on the floor!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA horror/mystery!

A Darker Mischief is a suspenseful and thrilling experience with a queer romance that is as sweet as it is heartbreaking. Perfect for fans of The Secret History and The Magnus Archives!

I really didn't care for this book. I didn't think it was well-written, and the plot was incredibly strange. The cover is gorgeous and the premise is very intriguing but the execution was really lacking.

I really wanted to like this, but quickly found that this book had hollow characters, a rushed yet boring plot, and a very distanced, awkward portrayal of teenagers. The best part of this book is the opening section, which grabs your attention and sucks you in. To have such a good opening, and such an immediate plummet in quality, was wholly disappointed. Often it would include crazy plot points in the attempt to get more excitement going, but it just served to confuse me and leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. Not my favorite YA arc of this year, to say the least.

DNF at about 50% of the way through. The pacing was off for me, and I found that I couldn't connect to any of the characters because of that. I wanted so badly to like this, but I couldn't bring myself to continue reading it when I was struggling to keep up with the plot.

This one wasn't for me sadly, but I will definitely be recommending to any YA readers who are interested in a queer dark academia thriller!

This one started out so well. It has a wonderful dark academia vibe with the loner student who is just looking to find a way to fit in at his new boarding school. Unfortunately for him, he is struggling to find people who truly understand him. That is until he comes across a secret society he can pledge. They might be exactly what he is looking for, or they could continue his downfall. This book has great queer representation and it gives great YA dark academia vibes but the story got way too off track for me about midway through. The decisions being made by the characters seemed to get weirder and weirder without necessity. I wanted to love this one and I think for someone looking for a darker vibe read, this might be for them.

Overall I really enjoyed the story. The pacing was mostly good though the ending felt rushed. I feel like parts of the ending weren’t really necessary and didn’t add anything overall to the story and could maybe have been left out.

I will say that the formatting was a bit wonky especially when it came to dialogue making it a bit difficult to decipher who was speaking. Hopefully that issue is fixed with the official release.

I love dark academia and especially a gay dark academia book, so I was so excited to read this and I was not disappointed. Add in a secret society and this was so fun! This was an atmospheric read, made me feel like it was a foggy day in October as we follow our main characters in a New England boarding school.

This book feels a bit like Heathers meets A Separate Peace, but make it queer and dark academia.
I really liked the premise of this secret society that is deep rooted within the fabric of the school. There was enough mystery to keep me interested to find out Essex's secrets, just as Cal strove to. His frantic desperation to fit in was the perfect catalyst for driving the plot forward as well as having him face the consequences of getting in too deep.

I liked the beginning of Cal's romantic relationship. I did have trouble believing the romance as things continued to develop between them. I think it felt too much too fast for me. However, I really liked seeing the characters unravel, and I feel like the author did a good job of exploring that.

I also think that the author developed the villain nicely. He was just suave enough to make you sort of like him, but then you can see the darker side. I think it was a subtle villainization that worked really well.

I think Gretchen needed to be a little more prominent. I feel like she was featured consistently in the beginning of the book, but I practically forgot about her when the action began to rise. However, I do think that the latter half of the book is stronger than the beginning. It wasn't until a certain twist was revealed that I really couldn't put the book down.

The setting is really rich and is described well. You can really tell that the author knows it front and back. I did find myself getting a bit lost with all of the building names as well as the deep history of the school. I had to reread lines over and over again to understand the various structures and persons that were being written about. I also found that there were moments where it was hard to gauge who was speaking which also caused me to reread several sections that took me out of the flow of the book. I think my biggest complaint is that I did have to keep rereading sections to gain understanding.

I will say, the ending was done well. It was poignant and it did tug at my heartstrings.
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All in all, I did enjoy reading the book. I think it is one I would have purchased upon reading the premise and seeing the cover, but it is not one that I would keep to read again.

A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman was a fast-paced, queer, dark academia thrill. Everything that happens is connected to another event, another person, or another place on campus. The key to making it through it all is your willingness to test all your limits.
Cal is an outsider. He struggles to find his place on campus and has fallen into hopelessness when all of a sudden, Society extends an invitation to pledge and compete in order to join their ranks.
Along the way he finds Luke. Charming, handsome, erratic Luke. The further they go into the rush process, the closer Cal and Luke become. Luke pushing Cal just a little bit further than Society seems to push him.
Luke calls Cal, Lonely Hearts and for some reason, it was a perfect nickname for Cal. He was lonely and he still is even within Society. People see him, but they see him as a means to achieving more.
It’s very clear how far the physicality of their relationship goes. Even as a YA book there are places it is spelled out to readers what these two boys are up to, but it’s very fade to black at the same time.
I found myself much more focused on each of the ‘explos’ Cal went on and his process of figuring out how to best the rest of the pledge class. I was there rooting for Cal to make it through the end, even when there were moment by heart broke for him and wanted him to just go home.
Things I did not like? For the first 120 pages, I can not tell you how many times Cal said he was from Mississippi, but I swear everyone on Essex campus had to ask him at least twice. It was that much. We got it. No need to bash us over the head with it.
The ending felt a bit abrupt, but I do think that was intentional. Especially, with the last few pages we got. Almost a where are they now update. I was glad to see just how a lot of it played out.
The pacing was spot on. Once I got into it, I did not want to put this book down.

Thank you Scholastic and NetGalley for the eARC. If you’re a fan of twisted mysteries this is for you. This is like a much more dark Natalie D Richard’s novel. Cal and Luke are truly the poet and the painter together. Every time I thought I had something figured out a small detail would add another layer and keep me guessing. I truly wasn’t expecting the ending and thoroughly enjoyed this read.

I will never say no to any dark academia, and this one is no different!

any book set in New England is an automatic yes for me, and to add in a secret society AND a spooky old boarding school, I was sold. The plot twists just kept coming too, holding my interest every chance they got.

Luke, however, gets a no from me. I loved Cal as a main character, but his love interest was not it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic for the e-arc!

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to get through, but I think that had more to do with me not being in the mood to read, as I enjoyed the story every time I would pick it up.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the dialogue. It was so blunt and there were rarely any dialogue tags. Normally, this would take away from the story, but it really helped add to the growing unease. It also made it harder to figure out other characters'intentions.
Also, while the book never felt slow, the story was definitely more of a slow burn than a fast-passed thriller. Each part gets a little darker and it makes it easy to see how Cal is able to justify his actions.
The ending is... honestly, I don't know how I feel about the ending. It isn't bad by any means and it fits the story, I just can't stop thinking about it.
Anyway, I liked this book a lot and I highly recommend it, especially if you are into dark academia.

A Darker Mischief was an intriguing book with a secret society and uncovering secrets within the school.

Cal was such an amazing and complex character. The heart of the story revolves around Cal feeling like he doesn’t belong anywhere. We see him struggle with identity and sense of belonging throughout the entire book. Society gives him the opportunity to belong, but how far will he go to fit in?

I did not love the pace of this book. Some parts were really slow and hard to get through, while others were so fast that they blended together. I was often confused during this book, which is why I gave this 3 stars. The writing style was great, especially for this type of story!

Thanks NetGalley and Scholastic for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t have words! I honestly think that this book left me with more questions than answers. I adored the main character; he was complex, and the author portrayed his angst and frustrations well. The mystery aspect of the story was significant, though most of it I didn’t get; I loved it nonetheless as you bonded with the character in his total confusion. The romance in the book was also excellently written. The tension, the nicknames, and the mystery associated with Cal and Luke’s love story made me speed through this book.

Honestly, the atmosphere that the author creates sucks you into the mystique associated with the characters and story. Though the ending didn’t match the rest of the book, it was satisfying, and I’m so happy that I could read this story—another must-read for this year!

Thank you, NetGalley and Scholastic, for allowing me to read such a remarkable story in exchange for my honest review!

First, Thank you so for the chance to read the story.
I love a dark academic ya story. It was a secret society.

I felt like it did fall flat in the end and was a slower pace than I expected but I really did enjoy the book.