Not just another Dark Academy where one who doesn't fit among wealthy kids and ancient classic texts joins and unravels more. She is more than can handle and they want her there for a reason. A secret society, plot twists and demons are unveiled. Makes for an interesting dark academy read. I was surprised by some plot twists.

Thank you to TBR & Beyond and Delacorte Press for providing me with a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars)

I absolutely loved this book! Unhallowed Halls perfectly captures the dark academia aesthetic with its eerie boarding school setting, a deeply immersive atmosphere, and a mystery that slowly unfurls into something far more sinister.

The book starts off a bit slow, but I didn’t mind because the writing was so evocative and atmospheric that I was happy to just soak it all in. As we follow Page’s arrival at Agathion, the unsettling nature of the school is evident from the start. The creeping sense of unease, the strange history of the institution, and the tightly-knit yet secretive group of friends she falls in with all build toward a deeply compelling mystery.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters, though I do wish we got a little more development for Lacey and Gideon. However, Page’s perspective is engaging, and watching her try to piece together the secrets of Agathion was so satisfying. By the halfway mark, the mystery begins unraveling rapidly, and the pacing picks up significantly. The last half of the book was impossible to put down—I flew through it in one sitting!

While the first half is steeped in moody, gothic atmosphere, the second half leans away from the dark academia vibes and hurtles straight into Lovecraftian horror. The sense of creeping dread turns into full-blown cosmic terror, and the transformation is absolutely gripping. The twists, the tension, and the unfolding of dark secrets kept me absolutely hooked.

Final Thoughts:
Unhallowed Halls is a perfect read for fans of Curious Tides and dark academia mysteries that blend atmospheric writing with sinister secrets. It delivers everything I hoped for—moody aesthetics, morally gray characters, eerie history, and a slow-burning but rewarding mystery that builds into something truly terrifying. I highly recommend this one and can’t wait to see what Lili Wilkinson writes next!

This book gave me the vibes and the atmosphere I wanted for a dark academia set in an old castle in England.
I was intrigued by the beginning when we first met Paige and got glimpses of the reason she's headed to this remote school. The school itself, and the group of students Paige wants to be friends with are certainly interesting. However, during the parts where she was actually in class, I felt like what they were learning was definitely over my head and I did lose a bit of interest during these moments. But once the plot starts moving forward and we get some clues about what is to come the interest and came back and I was sucked in unit the end.

There are plenty of twists and turns, and I loved the supernatural turn. The ending had action-packed and emotional moments that had me needing to see how everything was going to play out.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lili Wilkinson for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Unhallowed Halls coming out February 18, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love dark academia and creepy boarding schools. I think there was a lot of mystery in the beginning. Page and her friends were interesting. As the story progressed, I lost some interest. There were just a lot of things going on for me. I was hoping it would stick more to one genre. I would definitely read another book by this author, but I don’t think this book was for me.

I think that this book had a really compelling start which drew me into the story right away. Unfortunately (and I don't know if this was just a pacing thing, or a character thing, or something) I just slowly stopped vibing with the story as it went on. I think that the relationships between the characters didn't feel developed enough for what the story required of them. I didn't dislike this, but I think the relationships and the ending just made this a book that was not for me. I do think that a lot of people will love this, though, and I am excited to get our physical copies in at the branch!

Thank you met galley and Lili Wilkinson for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review’ I enjoyed this book and gave it 3.5 stars .. what an atmospheric and mysterious read!

A thought provoking young adult dark academia full of philosophy, mystery & intrigue. If you love novels based at boarding schools with found family, a little love interest and touch of magical mystery this is certainly for you. LGBTQ+ inclusive, no spice.

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Delacorte Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars!

TL;DR: Unhallowed Halls is a book that I had a very fun time reading! I came for the dark academia and mild supernatural horror vibes and Wilkinson delivered on both. The intimidating structure and cold halls of Agathion combined with the fog-enshrouded moor surrounding the campus created a wonderfully gothic and eerie atmosphere that set the tone well for the story. Page was an easy MC to root for and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the found family vibes with the "elite clique" that she finds herself taken into. While the second half of the story was a fairly large departure from the first half, I went with the vibes and found myself enjoying the tonally different and slightly ludicrous unfolding of events. It's batty but if you can just roll with it and suspend your disbelief, it's a fun time (at least, it was for me)! 😂

From the beginning, Wilkinson does a great job of setting the tone that "something just isn't quite right here" without readers being able to pinpoint what exactly that is. From the foggy moors to the austere halls of Agathion to the isolating school rules and strict Magisters to the demonic pig that almost kills our MC in one of the early scenes... There's a profound sense of wrongness that lingers around this boarding school castle set in the Scottish moors. This book was very much outside of my comfort zone although I'm glad that it was still at the level of supernatural horror/creepy that I could handle. That said, the author does a great job in not only maintaining that bone-deep feeling of wrongness but also creating grotesque and horrifying scenes through imagery that sticks with you long after you turn the final page—at least, that's how it worked for me.

Our MC, Page, was an interesting character who I found easy to empathise with. There's a sense of mystery that surrounds her character as we begin to get glimpses of things that happened in her previous schools that seem like inexplicable supernatural events, and we learn that her parents kind of see her as this ticking time bomb that could go off at any minute. She has spent her life feeling out of place for being too smart and feeling like there was something profoundly wrong deep inside of her which she hopes Agathion can fix, only to realise she's a different kind of oddity in this school of poor little rich kids. Despite experiencing quite an awkward start with the friend group she eventually became a part of, and who came to play a significant role in this/her story, she slowly finds her place with them. I appreciated the growth that Page experiences and how she comes to embrace what makes her different and most importantly, learns to forgive herself for her past. She got the healing she deserved and I was happy for her!

I have to admit that the academic aspect of this story was slightly overwhelming with its philosophical discussions about the great dead Greeks—it straight up just made me feel dumb AF, haha. If you love the "studying" aspect of dark academia, I think you'll enjoy how it's done here! I did love the Celtic mythology that's woven in as these are stories that I've not heard of before but looking it up led me down a mini-rabbit hole of internet searching to learn more. There were some great plot twists, some I (proudly) saw coming and a few others that took me by surprise! The unfolding of events picks up in pace as Page uncovers sinister secrets the more she hangs out with the clique. Now, while the first half of the story is perfectly mood-appropriate dark academia, the second half is where you'll really have to suspend your disbelief. If the first half is a slow and steady build, the second half is an unexpected explosion and while such a big tonal shift would normally irritate me, going with the flow ended up making this an intense yet oddly fun (and funny) supernatural romp! Let's just say that as the supernatural and mythological aspects get more intense, the wilder the events that happen in quick succession. I can fully understand why some readers might not like this and how it might not work for many.

That all being said, I wish that certain elements had been better explored. The 'found family' vibes from the friendship group were great but I wanted to learn so much more about them individually and to have seen more growth in their interactions and relationships with Page firsthand. They felt too much like simple plot devices for how central they are to this story! There is also a romance which, I didn't mind all too much but I would've liked to see more of that progress organically. I wouldn't necessarily say it's instalove but there were interactions between them that I think needed proper unpacking before they got to where they were emotionally in the end.

Overall though, I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did because it's so far outside of my comfort zone. Wilkinson does a fantastic job with setting the scene and creating an immersive atmosphere and while I don't know what her intention was with making the second half so drastically different, I'm glad that I found myself not minding it too much. 😂 I would say that if you like gothic dark academia vibes + mythology + demonology, I think you could enjoy this too!

This book started off really good. I was into it and enjoying it all, but slowly it started to lose its appeal. Overall it was a satisfying read but it fell just a little short for me.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I really loved this one, it reminded me of Curious Tides as promised, but also Devil Makes Three and Ninth House. I loved the mystery, the cults and the entanglement of all of the characters.

I enjoyed the concept of Unhallowed Halls, the remote and secretive boarding school, a protagonist with a mysterious past, and a scrappy group of friends fighting the system. I enjoyed all the student characters, so different and interesting, but I feel like the relationships between them could have been more developed. Apart from one previously established, very sweet relationship, I didn't really see how they grew from dislike to love. It happened a bit too abruptly. The creeping evil in the school is appropriately scary, and its true nature remains a mystery for a good long time, something I think helped the suspense of the novel. I was a bit dissatisfied with the ending, just a few too many twists for my tastes, and things go from pretty dire and hopeless to a magical solution too easily for my taste. I think young horror fans will like Unhallowed Halls, it has all the fun boarding school vibes with good scares along the way.

God i love when a Dark Academia hits ALL the correct notes. This one hit every. single. thing. i love about dark academia.

Magic? yup.
Demons? yup.
Cults? yup.
Questionable authority? yup
Draws inspiration from location's culture and mythology? yup.
Makes me wish I could forget the books so I could read it for the first time again? Yup yup YUP.

This book is Ninth Hell and Curious Tides good and I desperately need more.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Absolutely fantastic. While this story does take place in our world, the author does a brilliant job bringing magic and mythology to life within our world.

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: There honestly wasn't a character I hated. The cast of characters incredibly pertinent to the story were beautifully diverse and full of positive representation across the board, especially for the Queer characters.

𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: Once this story's plot gets going, it does not let up. Which made it impossible to put down. Well thought out, The build up to the final confrontation was delicious and the ending is incredibly magical.

𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗦: Gothic. Wonderfully so.

𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒:
☆ Castle on the Scottish Moors
☆ Ancient Gods and Ancient Cults
☆ LGBTQIA+ Representation
☆ Journey of Self-Acceptance
☆ Greek Philosophy and Celtic Lore

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this!

Unhallowed Halls had a slow and confusing start, with Page moving to a secluded boarding school in the Scottish moors and discovering that everything she was going to learn revolved around Greek philosophy. If there is one thing I know for certain, it’s that a school that says it is above class dynamics is absolutely not above class dynamics and this was no exception. Page was just as adrift as I was as she was trying to figure out what was going on, while simultaneously not wanting to fit in but desperately longing to belong.

I feel like the first half of the book fell prey to a lot of “not like other girls” mentality, but once the secrets about the school, the instructors, her new friends, and even herself began to spill, she became a lot more tolerable.

Overall, had a really great time with this. Super glad my parents never sent me off to boarding school.

When being transferred to a mysterious boarding school, one teen girl finds herself discovering the dark secrets of the school as well as the fact that there might be demonic magic involved. The book started off strong but kind of lost steam for me by the 40% mark. I did love the rep and the fact that this had a bi female lead but other than that I just found myself getting bored with it. The story follows Paige Whittaker who went through a deadly incident that now has her transferring to Agathion College, an elite boarding school deep in the moors of Scotland. Page thinks this is a great new start but just as she makes a group of new friends... she realizes that they all have secrets from her and that the school itself has a secret society tied to demonic magic. Page finds friendship, romance, and secrets in this dark academia novel with touches of paranormal. I normally afore gothic fantasy and dark academia books but this one just felt too slow for me and I just didn't find myself investing in any of the characters or caring for them the way I wish I could. While this one didn't work for me I do think that other fans of slow gothic dark academia stories will have fun with this.

Release Date: February 18, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I loved the sound of this book, and it was the setting that prompted me to request it. The atmosphere is done to perfection - a chilly castle with secret rooms and corridors, unusual classes, mysterious classmates, and an unusual staff. While I initially didn't care for most of the other students and the way they treated Page, I grew to like them better as the story progressed. But it did make me wonder why she'd want to be friends with that particular group since there were plenty of other students, and probably nicer ones, to choose from. I appreciated the diversity of the cast and the slow progression of Paige's and Oak's relationship instead of taking the insta-love route. What I didn't expect were the heavy and frequent philosophical discussions in and out of the classroom. For me, that weighed down the story and considerably slowed the pacing.

While I wasn't the biggest fan of this novel, I can certainly see how it would appear to other fantasy/dark academia readers, and I'll look for future releases by this author.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson is a first person-POV Queer YA dark academia. When American Page enters Agathion Academy, an isolated academy in Scotland, she’s greatly interested in the focus on classics and educational methods different from the ones back home. But Agathion Academy is hiding a lot of secrets and no one is truly safe.

One of the things I really appreciated was the way Queerness is depicted and how it goes against the grain in some ways. Often, when I see Bisexual/Pansexual leads, I find that the character has previously been in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex or they have already come to the realization that they are Bi/Pan or it’s normalized in the world so it’s not given a label. Here, Page knows she’s attracted to women and has previously even had a girlfriend, but it’s her attraction to Oak, who uses he/him pronouns, that opens her up to the fact that she is also attracted to men (or maybe just the one man). It’s so important for us to have a variety of ways people realize their sexuality because it truly is a spectrum and we can learn new things about ourselves as we get older or sometimes someone just comes along that throws our labels out the window. We also get some trans rep with Gideon, who is a transman, and Oak discusses how their soul doesn’t have a gender, which I appreciated.

Agathion is deeply interested in Greek teachings, specifically Ancient Greek teachings. Plato, Socrates, nothing newer than the Greeks with the Roman Empire being considered new. Given how much I remember my education focusing on the Ancient Greeks, I think a lot of readers will find familiar ideas and stories, such as the allegory of the cave and Alexander and the knot, but they might also find new things they hadn’t learned before. Reading this made me realize that there is more I could know about Ancient Greek philosophy as it is the basis of so much of American culture.

The pacing is on the slower end at first and slowly builds up to a faster pace in the last third. There’s a lot of building up of atmosphere in the first couple chapters and the chapters are on the thicker side, which can make a book feel slower. If you like taking your time to get immersed in a world and learning the new rules along with the character, Unhallowed Halls will let you do just that.

Content warning for mentions of transphobia and depictions of gore

I would recommend this to fans of YA dark academia looking for something slower paced and readers looking for a dark academia that spends time on Ancient Greek teachings

The book had a really intriguing concept and dark academia vibe. However the main issues were the lack of fleshing out of the characters and the demons switching bodies. It all happened really quickly and could have been a bit clearer. Plus, Page seemed to expect to be accepted into a new group of friends immediately, even though she just arrived at the school. We spend a lot of time in the first half getting to know Cyrus, but then he’s gone until the end. There were a lot of things that happened that just seemed too convenient.

My favorite parts included all the diversity and how it was woven into the story so casually. I also enjoyed the back and forth between Page and the demon/goddess when they were cohabitating inside Page’s body.

If it had been a little longer I think it could have been fleshed out a bit more, but for a young adult book I can see why it was kept to about 300 pages. 3.25 ⭐️

A great dark academia novel with great characters and an even better prose. Will check out more from this author.

Unhallowed Halls was...okay. It was trying too hard from the outset, but I was willing to roll with it nevertheless. But once it had to start wrapping up plot, it went off the rails - and lost the gothic atmosphere that was most of what it had going for it to begin with. I'm not one to search for plot holes and pick them apart, but I had to work really, really hard not to highlight the whole book in frustrated annotations. And it suffers from what a lot of so-called dark academia suffers from these days - riding on the "these are my best friends, this place feels like home, this all matters so much" vibes without having sufficiently built them. (Not unique to dark academia, but I've definitely been noticing it a lot in this subgenre as it's trendy right now.) In short, it failed to develop enough of a foundation early on to support the plot that ends up crashing down on the reader.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for the digital ARC of “Unhallowed Halls” by Lili Wilkinson.

I have received and read her other two books “A Hunger of Thorns” and “Deep is the Fen” as ARCs - both times I was impressed, so when I saw a new book I already knew it was something I would need to read and buy.

Before Chapter 4 I was already hooked. “Unhallowed Halls” falls under YA dark academia. Our main character Page has scarred hands, and a very mysterious past that she can’t fully remember. The story begins with her journey by train to attend the elite and selective school Agathion where she has accepted a rare scholarship. There are sinister forces at work, and Page has to learn to navigate her new life, learn to accept herself... and maybe even fall in love again.

If you’re into cultist vibes, Shakespearian insults as a love language, forbidden magic, and seemingly possessed pigs… this is the book for you.
5/5