An enchanting and grown up version of Harry Potter, without hanky-panky. This is what Harry Potter would have been -Camford/Hogwarts and all with the feel of the Great Gatsby.

Babel but make it for Faeries.

Parry creates a world to be savored, not binged.

This is my third Parry book and I feel like she’s one of those authors that keeps getting better and better. I love that she’s able to create nerdy FMCs that are easy to love, and her latest is no exception (Pub Date 22 Oct 2024). I would categorize it as cozy fantasy with a little dialogue zest.

For fans of Hannah Nicole Maehrer & Heather Fawcett, H. G. Parry will feel like a TBR win.

My thanks to @netgalley & Orbit Books for the ARC. This was very faerie delight.

4/5

Set in post-World War I England, the story transports readers to Camford, a glittering yet exclusive magical academy where the lines between privilege and peril blur ominously. Clover is a commoner thrust into a world where she does not belong. Families with a history of magic and elite social standing dominate Camford. She is there to find a cure for her brother, Matthew, who bears the scars of a horrific faerie attack on the battlefields of the Great War. His world is irrevocably altered, with the doors to the faerie realm sealed and its magic forbidden. She captures the attention of Alden Lennox-Fontaine, the academy's "golden boy." Alden and his circle of friends offer Clover a tantalizing glimpse into a world that had previously been closed to her. She has the lines of friendship blur to something else. Is she their friend, or is she there to pursue knowledge that will change their lives to cross dangerous thresholds? Once thought impenetrable, the faerie seals are now broken, and the chaos results directly from the experiments and secrets from her time at Camford.

The narrative examines the effects of guilt, responsibility, and the lingering impact of friendships. It is a masterful blend of dark academia, historical fantasy, and the consequences of ambition. As Clover's world teeters on the brink of destruction, it leaves the reader questioning what price is too high and what sacrifices one is willing to make for those one loves. The middle of the book was a chore to get through. The beginning and end had a good pace and enough action to keep the reader engaged. If you love the allure of magic with the dark undercurrents of human ambition, you should not miss this one.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Redhook Books.

I really liked this book. I would consider it a cross between The Magicians and Harry Potter (although heavier on the Magicians) and the 1920s setting evokes how countries survive and build back after a horrible event (e.g. WW1). I loved the character of Clover and the Camford school was vividly drawn. I'm not a huge fantasy person but this one was one of the most realistic fantasies I've ever read (and that is a huge positive). Highly recommend.

DNF at ~44%

Thank you to NetGalley and RedHook books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for that dark academia feel, complete with vintage English college settings, ivy covered walls and cozy libraries, with the allure of mysterious faerie magic, then this may be worth checking out. As a scholar myself, I enjoyed the way the introverted, bookish vibes and unrelenting desire to learn and experiment shown by the main character. The lore and the wroldbuilding for this story is clearly very well thought out and well done, casually blending real world settings into a more fantasy based story.

All that said, this story just really dragged on for me. The story is portrayed as a retelling - I can imagine sitting in a room with the main character, fire blazing and all of us in rocking chairs as she recounts her tale as a young researcher. However, the level of detail and overall pace of the story is hurt by this approach (in my opinion). Despite being nearly halfway through the book, I don't feel like much has happened in terms of plot or in terms of character development. The relationships between the main group of characters also feel a little shallow to me, making it hard to feel invested in the outcomes.

While this is DNF for now, I may still come back to it in the future, in which I case I will update this review.

Historical fantasy is a genre that is specific for sense of time, sense of place and then some imagination thrown in for something different. The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door delivers as a historical fantasy novel which is loaded with feelings of time, place and gorgeous characters. Clover Hill is a farm girl living in the sadness of England following World War I. When her brother comes home from war with a supernatural injury, she is desperate for a way to help him. This search for help causes Clover to go out of her comfort zone and far away from home. The novel is the story of her journey, her friends and a whole different world that she never knew existed. I absolutely loved the characters, the setting, and the writing. Author H.G. Parry has written a book encompassing early 1900’s English life, a bit of magic school, an English country manor and a thrilling chase. Her characters are very well written and deep, showing a lifetime worth of adventures together make a strong bond. I love that Parry releases bits of the mystery of what is behind this yarn all throughout it. This book just sets you in a nice long comfortable story that has it all. The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door would make a great movie, or series of movies. It is an appropriate novel for teens and up, although it is not at all immature in its writing. I would love to see a prequel or a sequel! Thank you to NetGalley for the ability to read this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to netgalley for trading an ARC for an honest review!

I considered not rating this book at all, as I had to dnf at 82%, but since I got the majority of the way through, I settled on 2 stars. Mostly, I read this for the comparisons to Babel, but ultimately, the writing lacked. For instance, the pacing was weirdly slow, and as someone who’s favorite book is the Starless sea, I don’t mind lyrical writing, but the sentences were unnecessarily wordy. Some things seemed repetitive, while other things seemed to have lose strings (like why did she get accepted in the school if it was so secretive and she doesn’t meet the social standards? What precisely is the magic based on?). The characters are okay, but nothing you haven’t seen before. The story itself was enjoyable, but it just lagged on for so long because of the writing. Btw, I can confirm: this absolutely reads like YA rather than adult, not just because of the age rage of the characters, but their personalities too.

The fae aspects of the story were interesting, and it had my favorite trope: found family! But, once again, because the story was so slow, I just really couldn’t enjoy it. I would avoid if you are in a reading slump, but if you want a book while you wait for Emily Wilde Book 3, maybe pick this one up.

I received an ARC for my honest review. I was not previously familiar with this author though they’ve had some other popular works.

We follow Clover Hill as she learns about magic, goes to university, and grows up. The story is split into four parts and is told looking back from the present.
Clover is intelligent and ambitious and lonely and manipulative. I related with her desire to do better for herself even potentially at the cost of other relationships.

The story is about finding family. About how people, even those we love, can surprise us. For better and worse. It’s about growing up and making mistakes. The characters do grow as people and both “good guys” and “bad guys” feel like their motives support their actions .

The author does a great job of leaving breadcrumbs but also of surprising the reader. Surprised and happy about it even if the surprise wasn’t good news.
Overall I highly recommend you read this!

Firstly, I want to say thank you to Redhook and Orbit for allowing me to review the ARC of “The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door.” I was drawn to this title for a few reasons. The first was because I am a fiend for stories that include faerie lore from around the world, especially in a fantasy setting. Secondly, because I am a Scholar main in the MMORPG called Final Fantasy Online, which involves creating a pact with a fairy to utilize their healing magics. Overall, I was very pleased with this read!

This story is written in a structure that is unlike many of the fantasy books I’ve read because of the foreboding nature in which it starts. Fairly early on, the reader is told that things are going to go wrong, and thus the story is told in such a way to tell how that thing happens and the aftermath. We follow a character named Clover Hill who lives in rural England during a period that covers about ten years (before and after) World War 1.
Clover’s brother, Matthew, joins the war effort but is injured in combat. But before he can come home to fully recover, the Hill family is visited by a stranger to explain the nature of his injury. Not one caused by weapons of man, but by magic. Faerie magic. The family learns that magicians exist in secret, and that one fighting for Germany opened a faerie door, leading to the deaths of hundreds. Matthew was cursed during this attack, and only lived due to quick thinking of a magician at his side.

Clover, having learned of this magical world, wants to study magic in the hopes of curing her favorite sibling. Thus, we join her as she enters a magical academy, interacts with some of the aristocratic elite of the country, and inevitably has an experiment go incredibly awry.
This is a story of secrets, a glamourous world, unique magic, family and friendship. As someone who particularly enjoys traditional fae retellings, I am happy to report that you will find a lot of that here: hidden doors, tricky bargains, and creepy faerie creatures. And while I would say this will be a perfect cozy read for fall and winter, there are plenty of curve balls and plot twists to keep you thrilled and on your toes.

Keeping to my usual Goodreads ratings, I would give this somewhere between 4 and 5 stars. I had a great time in the world H.G. Perry created for her readers! I highly recommend that fans of Heather Fawcett, Olivia Atwater, Allison Saft, and Rebecca Ross pick this up come its release in October 2024.

(3.75 rounded up)

Dark academia, a magical academy, England, faeries, faerie doors, the 1920's...need I say more? Sign me up!

This had so many things that I just LOVE to read about. And it combined them all to make such a cool environment that I really enjoyed being in.

The world is still dealing with the aftermath of WWI and what's the best way to handle that? Faeries.

I really enjoyed the depiction of the faeries in this book. They're those classic bargaining tricksters, where you have to be so careful about your word choice or things could get messy. I don't see that type of faerie in books much anymore, so that was refreshing and fun. And I feel like it heightened the stakes a bit for the characters that were interacting with the faeries. I also think that gives the reader a lot of insight on those humans - you get to see more of their intentions and flaws with that. MANY of these characters seem morally grey but that makes them more human, especially in these situations. Humans CAN be selfish and flawed.

I do think that it takes a bit of time to really get invested in this world and story, the pacing at the beginning was a bit slow. But once you get into it, you're into it and that pace speeds right up!

Overall, I had fun with this unique faerie-centered story! Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review! My review is already up on Goodreads. And my TikTok review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly wrap-up.

For the most part, I really, really enjoyed this. There's heavy dark academia vibes--especially in the first half of the book--and a sense of foreboding underneath the summer-tinged air. The various themes present throughout the book I also felt were mostly done pretty well. Particularly the theme of knowledge and how the rich and powerful hoard it.

I do wish the magic were fleshed out a little more. I realize it's not the entire focus of the book--the relationship between Clover and the trio who let her into their world is--but it felt like there were moments where magic was used and I didn't quite understand how/why it worked that way. Especially because there's a reveal towards the end that pulled into question the way people worked magic in general that I felt didn't get fully explained.

I think I liked the first half of the book more than the second (and there was a reveal towards the end that didn't entirely work for me), but I overall enjoyed this a lot. Definitely recommend it if you like dark academia books and historical fantasy.

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door
🌕🌕🌕🌕/5 Releases Oct. 22/2024

Clover Hill lives a simple life near Pendle Hill but when World War I breaks out and her brother comes home she discovers he has been cursed by a faerie during battle with no cure and she is determined to save him.
Clover has dreamed of becoming a teacher and now that she knows there is a hidden world of magic she is intent on getting accepted into Camford; a magical university secreted away for the elite “Families”.

Once there she is on a mission, researching faerie lore. Her and her three friends head down a dangerous path that once started with curiosity. What they unlock is pure bedlam.

Unthinkable revelations come to light and Clover must convince her friends to right their wrongs. With the government and Board on their tails do they stand a chance and what are they willing to sacrifice to complete their mission?

🪄 I enjoyed how the narrative was written in the past tense as Clover brings her compelling story to life.
🪄 The plot is creative, complex and full of surprising twists.
🪄Alden, the MMC is a handsome, rich mortally grey character who follows his ambitions above all. He is a driving force behind the story.
🪄 I enjoy reading magical realism with fantastical elements.

What Could be Improved:
🪄 I found the novel slow at times, the wordiness took away a rather engaging story but the events and characters saved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Saltburn meets The Scholomance trilogy. I couldn't put this one down, no seriously, I finished it at 1 AM.

What did I like so much about this book? I loved how balanced it was. The characters all managed to have individual personalities, and while they always stayed true to those personalities, they still surprised me in different ways. On the topic of surprises, there were quite a few! There were a few major ones (one is evident from early on) and many more minor twists. What I loved about that was that most of them weren't ones I had anticipated; they kept me invested and made me want more. I also really liked that while the book had faeries, it wasn't just about faeries; there was a very human-centered plot that just happened to take place in a world where magic and faeries existed. I always appreciate when books have a message that extends past themselves, and the focus on themes of elitism, class, and privilege resonated with me.

What didn't I like? This book was almost perfect for me. There were a few minor nitpicky things. Without spoilers, I will say that some of the plot wrap-ups were just slightly too convenient for me. And I do mean very slightly. The book was closer to a 4.5 for me, but the writing is just so good that I cannot justify knocking this down to a 4 for such small issues.

I have seen people suggest this is more YA than an adult, and while I get that because, for most of the book, the characters are 17/18 ish, I also disagree. The political themes and the deliberate pacing felt fitting for an adult audience. While this wouldn't be an inappropriate read for a YA audience, I'm not sure it would necessarily hold appeal.

Who's this for? I chose this because it shared similar descriptors as Emily Wilde, and while I loved this book and Emily Wildes, they aren't good comparisons. Emily is more whimsical and has more romance; at the heart, this is more political and has very little romance. I'd recommend this to fans of dark academia fantasy who enjoy historical fiction or political themes and do not need a romance or spice.

Thank you to NetGalley, H.G. Parry, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.5 stars

This was my first book by H.G. Parry and it blew me away. It was such an intriguing and engaging story that gripped you from the beginning. It’s a dark academia, history, found family, and faeries. They get into so much mischief by trying to open a faerie door. I would highly recommend it!

This book felt more like a young adult read than I was anticipating, but I still really enjoyed it!

I liked the plot and the characterization was pretty good. H.G. Parry writes super well in my opinion, and I always have a blast with her books. This may be my least favorite from her, but that's because I so much enjoyed A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians.

Definitely an author I'm excited for!

I can count the times I've skipped ahead and read the last pages of a book on the fingers of one hand. It's usually a bad sign when I do, but every once in a while it's because I'm so wholly invested, so emotionally entangled, that I simply need to know for better or worse, so I can prepare myself.

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door was one of these times. Exquisitely plotted and brilliantly executed. The old, glittering, exclusive world of Camford is such an excellent metaphor, and the book is full of so many familiar strokes placed in inventive ways. The judicious use of time gaps was really impressive with how well they served the story, and the tension played off the melancholy foreshadowing in such an amazing way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion!

In the midst of my missing Oxford due to my summer study abroad program from last year, "The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door" by H.G. Parry seemed like the perfect book for me. "The Scholar..." is very similar to books like "Harry Potter" and "A Discovery of Witches." We follow Clover Hill who steps into a prestigious magical university in order to find a cure for her older brother who suffers from a faerie curse. Unfortunately for Clover, the study of faerie magic has been banned ever since a faerie attack, the same faerie attack that has left her brother cursed.

That's the gist of it! I really enjoyed this book. It starts off when Clover's 12-ish I think and her brother leaves for war. From there, we follow her to Camford and to her befriendment of three gifted mages. What I enjoyed most was the descriptions of Camford and the library. I know Clover speaks pretty poorly of Oxford, but even just reading about the Bod being near a bridge to Camford was fun and reminded me a lot of how much magic I found in Oxford. Generally, I had a lot of fun reading this and binged it pretty quickly.

I would definitely recommend!

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry was Harry Potter meets A Discovery of Witches with its dark academia and magical world building.

I loved everything about this story. It was ultimately about a young girl from a poor family who desperately searches for a way to cure her brother of his faerie curse. She enrolls in a prestigious university of magic that she doesn't belong to and studies her way to learning the truth about the curse and magical world she becomes a part of. Aristocratic bloodlines and ancient magic flow through the pages of this story which was perfectly balanced with young adult desires of acceptance and belonging. The world building was sublime, it wasn't overly fantastical yet descriptive enough so that I could imagine it as a cross between Hogwarts and the magical Oxford world of All Souls by Deborah Harkness. I loved the characters and found them likeable and relatable in so many ways. The sacrifices they were willing to endure for their loved ones were admirable and their chemistry angsty and realistic. The pursuit of knowledge in the face of adversity is not something I have read much of in fiction, how often do characters resort to education to finding the answers they seek? The passion for learning and books glittered throughout the story and bibliophiles and witches and scholars everywhere will find a cozy comfort in this tale. The magic was fascinating and featured one of the most original explanations for magical blood that I have ever read. There was so much cinematic potential with this world and it was one of the best books I have read about faeries.

I resonated with the message about endings and beginnings and how traumatic and utterly bewildering transitional times can be. We often pine for the future and hope things will get better, but do we honour and respect the mystery of what's to come? Do we spend more time worrying about the past and its long forgotten memories or do we wield our magic in building a better tomorrow, a stronger world, one that actually learns from the past? These are the might questions asked in this story, and perhaps we don't have faerie doors in our world that can offer those insights, but we do have the ability to learn, educate, and start over.

With its arcane books and precarious doors, set amidst a magical post world war one Europe, and ancient universities, The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry is the door that when opened will introduce the reader to an enchanting world full of love, vengeance, promises made and promises broken.

I loved The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry. When I saw that they were coming out with a dark(ish) academia novel with faeries, I knew I couldn’t wait to read it. It did not disappoint my friends. H.G. Parry has built an atmospheric and intriguing world of scholarship and faerie lore. I am itching to return to this world even though the story wrapped up nicely. I would love if the author wrote from this world again/did a spin off. There are so many amazingly flawed characters in this story and I loved them all, even the ones I really shouldn’t have. The story is told through first person POV which worked so well with the storytelling. Our FMC is writing directly to the reader who is assumed to be from the fictional world. This lends a mysterious a foreboding tone because we are unfortunately not in the world HG Parry created. She hints at something catastrophic going wrong in her story but only she knows what it is. I was eager for every twist, turn, and betrayal in the story. At times toward the middle, the story was slow. That maybe be an issue for some, but not for me. The slow parts were necessary for our characters and their relationships. I had such a good time getting lost in this world. I am eager to read more of this author’s work! Highly recommend if you enjoyed the academia aspect in Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries!

I thought 'The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door' by H.G. Parry was an exceptional read, perfect for anyone who loves a research arc and the academic allure of dark academia. Set in the 1920s, the story follows Clover Hill, a thoughtful and introspective protagonist who solves her problems through rigorous scholarship. The narrative is rich with magical realism and fae myths, making you feel like you're learning the magic system alongside Clover. Her journey to help her brother, cursed by a faerie during WWI, leads her to Camford, a secret magical academy. There, she forms deep friendships with Alden, Hero, and Eddie, only to face a catastrophic event that forces them apart and later reunites them under dire circumstances. The writing is lush and evocative, making every scene come alive. The book's structure, divided into four distinct parts, keeps the story fresh and engaging, with incredible plot twists that kept me hooked. This beautifully crafted tale of friendship, magic, and self-discovery is a must-read for fans of 'Emily Wilde,' 5/5 stars.