I love fairie books and this was no exception! Clover and Alden's story is wonderful and I wish I could read this book again for the first time!

I loved this book and the slow way it unfolded. Sure it was predictable that the Families would have done something to anger the fae to act against them, but it didn’t take from the story. I liked that it ended with a cloud of sadness. I liked all the characters, but Clover was definitely my least favourite. Her self righteousness became irritating. The one thing I wished was that there were other points of view so it wasn’t just her all the time. There were no villains only flawed people.

This book was a HUGE surprise that I wasnt prepared for. I loved the blending of a fantasy academia genre with the added dynamic of friendship. Ultimately this is the kind of book im looking for. My only issue with this book is that parts of the ending felt convenient and the first part of the book was slow and bogged down with information. Other than that, read this is you love any of those genres and also if you love historical fiction. This fits in so well with that genre.

The Scholar and the Last Fairie Door is an intriguing book full of twists and turns. The story is compelling at times but the pacing felt off at other times. The story itself is solid but I found it hard to continue reading at times as things slowed to a snail's pace and found myself setting the book down and picking it back up a few days later to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A secret university set in the early 20th century with a dash of faerie magic!!! And yet, a perfect autumn read about a girl obsessed with academia and magic in the most endearing way. I felt like I needed to light a candle and finally crack open my textbooks...I graduated a year ago. Camford almost made me romanticize my own university experience!

I absolutely adored the character of Clover, and my favourite part of this story is its narrative style—it felt like I was reading the journal of a girl who truly lived a thousand lives. I think it’s also important to understand that while there is an element of ‘found family’ and light romance, there are a lot of complex characters and that their differences only go to strengthen the relationships and various character arcs in this story. Safe to say though, I had a great deal of sorrow and devastation for some of these characters.

I also really liked the magic system and how it fit into ‘modern’ society and governance; the ministry structure became relevant near the end but still provided a pretty interesting dynamic throughout the story. I found that I still had a lot of questions as the ending wrapped up and I believe that the first half of the book was slower-paced than the last 20-30% or so. However, I very much enjoyed this story and the character of Clover—it was my first time reading anything by H.G. Parry, but I absolutely love their narrative style and can’t wait to look into their other works!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am heartbroken, but this book is everything to me. divine rivals meets the secret history which is a story i didn't know i needed, but cannot fathom how i went without for so long.

Clover Hill is not magical, and she does not have the privileges of being from one of the Families, or those who are able to cast spells with little thought. But, that does not stop her from finding herself enrolled in one of the premier schools of magic known as Camford, where she is determined to not only to master her control over magic, but to find a way to cure the faerie curse that threatens her brother's life.

This is fantasy dark academia done right, where magic has consequence, the elitism of academia is critiqued, and perhaps not all our heroes make it out unscathed. I cannot recommend this book enough, and five stars does it an injustice.

This was a lot of fun and interesting. I liked clover and her relationship with Matthew and the rest of her family a lot she was very relatable. I too would be desperate to escape farm life especially once I learned about Magic. I also likes how magic was introduced Faeries are everywhere these days so but I feel like like this was a fun and more unique take on fae and the magic and human interact. The school was interesting and I loved that she got her own friend gang. Eddie was definitely my favorite and his and clovers friendship seem to grow the most organically. I also really like Hero and her little arc I was definitely surprised by her little twist but I loved it and her relationship with Clover, and Alden, she seemed to be the only one really willing to test him. Alden I too am a little bit in love with him despite everything and maybe Thomas as well I wish we got to see more of him after everything. Overall it was a fun faerie story.

4.5 stars, rounding down. Another historical fantasy from H.G. Parry, this time set immediately after the Great War. Teenage girl Clover Hill is abruptly plunged into the secret parallel magical society of Britain after her brother comes home from the War, not a casualty of mundane arms but of a faerie curse after a spell goes wrong and lets a malevolent faerie loose amidst the Battle of Amiens. Clover sets out to batter her way into the magical world in order to look for ways to help her brother heal from the lingering effects of the curse, and becomes enmeshed in a group of like-minded students who won't be stopped by the post-war ban on research into faerie summoning. It's a grand old time.

I'm not going to say this book does anything really groundbreaking. It's more a case of, H.G. Parry has a basically simple but appealing premise and executes it to perfection, a compulsively readable historical-fantasy-cum-campus-novel with good characters, good plotting, good worldbuilding, and no real weak points.

#TwoforTuesday
Fantasy Recs

📖 if your current read was an ice cream flavor, what would it be? I’m reading Nightmare at Kissmas & I think maybe Campfire Trail Mix or something with very colorful swirls.

A big shout-out to @orbit for sending me these amazing fantasy books. I am such a goner for fantasy & Orbit consistently comes out with fantastic stories.

🚪 HG Parry’s The Scholar & the Last Faerie Door is another immersive read by the author. Their way with words is stunning & as soon as I saw “Faerie” in the title I was all-in. This fantasy has dark academia a la The Secret History vibes—the protagonist’s friendships are consuming & possibly dangerous & secrets abound. The ending lost a bit of the magic for me but overall, a great, atmospheric read. 4.5 ⭐️, out 10/22. (Thanks to @orbit for the complimentary ARC & hardcopy. All opinions provided are my own.)

🌟 Georgia Summers’s The City of Stardust. This book was one of my faves of last year. Absolutely beautiful writing & it’s used to tell a story with lots of secrets that are slowly & intriguingly revealed. This book has the emotional overtones I love in a weighty fantasy, too. I’m so excited to see what this author writes next. 5 ⭐️, out now. (Thanks to @orbit for the complimentary ARC & hardcopy. All opinions provided are my own.)

[ID: Jess holds the books over a group of white, orange, & mint pumpkins.]

It's a great fall for well-crafted fantasy fiction with a literary bent. 'The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door' is a must for any adult who still yearns to open a door and find themselves in Narnia (or some other fantastical world. Or had ever dreamed of other lands among the dreaming spires of Oxford like CS Lewis and JRRR Tolkein.
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I'm right there with The Scholar every step of her journey from the struggling family farm - struggling because her older brother was gravely wounded in WW1 and their father died in the Spanish Flu - to the dreamy spires of a fictional Camford: the magical university accessible through a door in the Bodleian library in Oxford or its Cambridge equivalent. The world of post-WW1 England, the language, the relationships between students, all feel real and complex and totally immersive even before Clover and her coterie get serious about opening the titular Door.
In time and in literary space.

Think 'The Magicians' meets 'Jonathan Strange' by way of Hogwarts with a grim undercurrent from CL Polk's 'The Midnight Bargain' (which also deals with magical post-war trauma of a similar-feeling era).

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is my first H.G. Parry book. This book is like dark academia but makes it fae and it includes all the elements that I enjoy reading. It's safe to say I really liked this book. The author has created an amazing world with very complex characters. I appreciate the nostalgic feeling that this book gives me. Overall, I think this book is perfect, especially for the fall time. I highly recommend it. I will definitely check the author's other works too. Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

This is dark academia done right. It follows the more traditional dark academia formula that The Secret History sets out - a main character that's offered a glimpse into world of the elite, told from the future, and a central mystery that we vaguely know but don't understand. The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is kind of like that, but with magic, set in 1920s England, and with a group of very compelling characters. Not all of them are likable, but they're all complex and distinct. I don't think the book does anything new in the genre, but it's very well executed.

My main complaint with a lot of dark academia books being published these days is that they're dark academia in aesthetic only, and never dive into the actual critiques of academic institutions and the elite. This is not the case here - these themes are central to the book, though it does sometimes fall into the trap of having discussions about colonialism and discrimination with regards to the fantasy side of the world, but not really touching much the mundane side of the world. It's not completely skipped over, but I do come out of this book with many questions about the intersection of magical racism/colonialism and the very real-world racism that would have been present in 1920s England.

This was my first H.G. Parry book, and it won't be my last. Again, I don't think this book reinvents the wheel in any way, so if you're looking for that, I don't know if this is going to satisfy you. However, I personally really enjoy the classic dark academia formula, and I think that this is one of the better executed ones I've read in the last few years. I kind of wish the book was a duology, as I do think there's enough content here that could easily have been expanded on, but I think standalone fantasy lovers will be pleased with this one. The pacing of this book is excellent - it's just slow paced enough for you to get to know the characters and the world, but balances that perfectly with the intrigue, so you're never bored.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, and I think that anyone who enjoys dark academia should definitely have this one on their radar.

A great read for fall! I loved the academic setting, but I wish we had been given more of school. More of classes and interactions with teachers/other students, and more on the actual theory in the magic of this world. I liked how the story was told, as Clover is an older woman reflecting on her youth. Some good twists, but nothing that really had me totally surprised. I did catch a few grammatical errors, so hopefully those will be fixed before the final release. It reminded me a lot of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries and I LOVED the depiction of fairies in this world. I always like it when the fairies are something other than hot, pointy eared immortals. Overall, it was an easy, enjoyable read. Not one I'm likely to reread, but I would definitely recommend it as a semi-cozy fantasy read.

This was utter PERFECTION! Honestly I think I have a new favorite book, and I must immediately go read all of her other books.

This is dark academia with faeries and secrets; it’s kind of like if you mashed up Emily Wilde and The Secret History/If We Were Villains, set it around WWI, and what came out was even better than all the parts individually. I was sucked in from the very first page. The characters, the setting, the magic—they all had me in an absolute chokehold. And the writing is just *chef’s kiss*.

To be honest, I’m actually teary about how much I loved this book. Vibes immaculate, writing on point, characters took over my heart, and there’s an ache in me now that can only be filled by finding Camford myself.

READ IT!!!

Many thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.5

This story follows Clover Hill, who works on the family farm with her siblings. Clover dreams of more and her love of learning has the potential to give her opportunities to reach her dreams. Her older brother Matthew enlists in the military during WWI and is grievously wounded at the end of the war. Clover's family is informed that the wound was caused by faerie magic. As Clover and her family were unaware that magic existed, this news comes at a bit of a shock. Clover is bound and determined to help save her brother and she believes learning magic will help her do so, however with the discovery of a new magical world and the politics surrounding faerie magic, Clover finds this endeavor harder than she could have ever imagined.

There are so many things about this book that I absolutely love starting with the nostalgic feeling I get while I'm reading it. This book immortalizes the feeling of being in college. Those heartbreaking moments when you miss your family, the bonds formed during late night study sessions, and the growing pains of fitting into a world whose mold wasn't meant for you are all things that were explored within The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door.

I also enjoy how the story is told. We have Clover narrating events from her past. I realize that not all readers will enjoy this format as it does stymie the stakes a bit in intense situations. However, I think it adds a layer of foreboding when done well. It is not overused in this story, but there are moments when Clover warns us of outcomes of certain decisions not being what she hoped for.

The magical world and the politics surrounding who gets to know about magic and who doesn't was also very engaging. We get all different levels of privilege with our main cast of characters. While this isn't entirely eye opening, because we are only in Clover's mind, we do get a well-rounded view of the injustices within this magical world.

One of the things I enjoy about another H.G. Parry, The Magicians Daughter, is the main characters love of books. This must be a trend within her work as it is very much apparent within The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door. As an avid book lover, I love a book about books. This story starts with what the author deems as the most important words ever uttered, "What are you reading?" I was hooked on page 1.

I also have to state that Lady Winter and Eddie are my favorite characters of the story. Lady Winter is tenacious and not willing to conform to societal norms. Eddie is fiercely loyal and loves plants. Every page I got to spend time with these individuals was an absolute delight.

If there were any criticisms to speak of it would be with the lack of shown magic learning and the time jump which perhaps distanced me from the characters. I would have liked to see more learning of magic on page. We get to see it once in detail and then the rest is just "watching" the characters study and grow. I wanted to be able to envision the hand movements and see the failures of learning in progress. Also, the time jump, while I believe to be necessary, allows for the reader to lose touch with the characters. I felt much more connected to the characters in their college days as opposed to their adult lives. Some of this is due to the events occurring within the story, but I think some of it is also due to the reader not living those moments with our characters.

Overall, this is an amazing story that had me fully immersed. I laughed, I cried, and it left me with that bittersweet feeling of knowing the world isn't perfect, but that doesn't mean it can't change.

My thanks to NetGalley, Redhook and Orbit for generously providing me with an early copy of this book. Their willingness to share the digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts is truly appreciated.

3.5 stars
This had so many aspects I loved, and so many flaws that I’m honestly unsure how to rate this. 3 stars seems too low so I’m gonna go 3.5 for now unless I change my mind later. This is set in the 1920s at an academy, with ancient faerie lore and a society intwined with magic. I did like the way the world building began with the dark academia atmosphere and essentially learning about these faeries as if you were at the school yourself, but I quickly realized this is the pace for the entire book. I liked the prose and the writing was interesting enough to keep me reading, but I wasn’t expecting such a stagnant pace with this elaborate of a plot and world. I absolutely loved (you guessed it) the faerie door plot. I think with how many faerie books I’ve read, it’s refreshing for a new spin on these mythical beings. This had the found family trope that was done well. It wasn’t outstanding like some other books that have this trope, but it was good. This had the tiniest bit of romance but I was very apathetic to this couple. It was skimmed over very quickly and never talked about again. Even though I personally don’t read a lot of books without some sort of romance, this could’ve either used more or done away with it all together. Throwing in a kiss felt a bit random when there was zero focus on romance or chemistry prior. I think this will work for people who like interesting and atmospheric worlds with dark academia vibes, and don’t mind a slower pace that feels like you are just along for the ride.

While this story took a bit of time to get into, once the plot line started moving it was a ride you don’t want to get off. The characters are complex, unique, and wonderfully flawed. The setting is descriptive and immersive. I find myself reading a lot of science fantasy (fantasy academia?) and this fits that category well.

Wow ! This book blew me away. I could not stop reading. The writing is beautiful and captivating. I loved all the details of the magical school. It really felt like you were there on campus with the 4 scholars. If you enjoy dark academia and fantasy with fairies and magic then you should definitely give this book a try. I highly recommend it. I will for sure be rereading this one and I plan on reading anything else by this author as soon as possible.

Thank you Netgalley and Redhook books for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. All I can really say about this book is that it was excellent! The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is a charming historical fantasy set in 1920s Britain. For me, it felt like the perfect combination of folktale-esque faerie magic meets dark academia. I felt like I grew up with the FMC in the span of the novel, as we follow her through two different timelines. This book also heavily reminded me of HP, yet more mature and inclusive. I also feel that if you’re a fan of Olivia Atwater’s work, you will enjoy this. Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about this one and it may be my favorite of the year.

"The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door" explores the power of family, both found and blood. While it seems that many of the stories I have read that highlight the relationships between a group of friends do so at the exclusion of blood relations, in this tale both of these bonds drive the characters and the plot.

The story follows Clover who turns her academic ambitions to magic in hopes of healing her brother who was struck by a faerie curse during WWI. We see her as a young student in a strange world, and later as a teacher who could lose everything because of the magical experiments she and her once tight knit group of friends conducted. It is so nice to get a true "magical school story" that lets us see the characters' lives once their student days are over. We see how those dizzying college friendships can come apart and yet still keep a hold of us years after the fact. I found this a particularly realistic element and I had no trouble believing the sacrifices that the group was willing to make for each other even after not speaking for years.

Overall the book allows the characters to do reckless and downright idiotic things without ever becoming too stupid to sympathize with. The story manages this partly by showing the stakes of solving the faerie puzzle and partly by capturing the passion and confidence of youth. These are characters who very much "don't know what they don't know" and that helped keep things believable. As a middle aged reader who was a stickler for rules even when she was kid, I was impressed that I was able to keep following along even when experiments and relationships got reckless.

I think this tale could have been drawn out to a trilogy, but I really enjoyed the tighter feel. The sections of the book are very distinct and I especially liked the different settings we are able to visit. The magical school of Camford, Clover's small home farm, the luxurious estate of Ashfield all come vividly to life.

I did wish the fey would have been a bit more alien and other. While having the faerie motivations echo the human ones so precisely made for a poetic story, I still would have enjoyed more strangeness.

The book challenges readers to think about what their established orders are founded on. What do we owe those who have been wronged by others when we benefit from the order that has been established by those wrongs? While the book brings in obvious parallels to colonialism and slavery, I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of othering the colonized as magical (imaginary) creatures.


Many thanks to NetGalley and Redhook & Orbit for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.