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

Page Whittaker travels to an elite boarding school for troubled teens on the Scottish moors. As she slowly acclimates herself to her new school, she discovers that Agathion is hiding a terrible secret.

The initial premise of the book intrigued me as I have been especially drawn to dark academia lately. Unfortunately, as the book progressed, the execution was off. I had to push myself to get through the first half of the book and while the second half did improve, I felt like the magical elements/system were just an afterthought. Several characters should have been fleshed out more to create an impact. The love story between Oak and Page should have been further developed to make it more believable.

"Dark Academia...with Demons.

A teen girl travels to an exclusive boarding school after a deadly incident at her old school, but the wood-paneled halls of Agathion are built over centuries of secrets - including an ancient society which may have ties to demonic magic - in this dark academia fantasy perfect for fans of Curious Tides.

Page Whittaker has always been an outcast. And after the deadly incident that destroyed her single friendship at her old school, she needs a fresh start. Which is why when she receives a scholarship offer from Agathion College, an elite boarding school folded deep within the moors of Scotland, she doesn't even consider turning it down.

Agathion is everything Page has ever wanted: a safe haven full of dusty books, steaming cups of tea and rigorous intellectual debate. And for the first time in her life, Page has even managed to become part of a close group of friends. Cyrus, Ren, Gideon, Lacey and Oak help her feel at home in Agathion's halls - the only problem is, they're all keeping secrets from her.

Page doesn't know it yet, but her perfect new school has dark roots - roots that stretch back to its crooked foundation, and an ancient clandestine society with rumored ties to demonic magic. Soon, Page will be forced to learn that not everyone at Agathion is who they say they are. Least of all, her friends.

Agathion claims to teach its students history…but some histories should stay buried."

It would be heart-wrenching to find the perfect place but then have to deal with demons. But some things are worth a few demons...

A YA dark academia about troubled teens who are brought to this academy to be in order to focus their minds on studying and trying to reform them to have better behavior with a strict curriculum. But that’s at the front of the school, now the back of the school is a whole different story as there’s something even more sinister going on. Something more demonic. So a paranormal twist, it's mysterious af, dark, grim, the cover kind of gives us an idea on all the bad happenings in the story. I do wish the author had taken things a little further but still liked it overall.

No words can describe how difficult it was to finish this book.

I truly wish I had something positive to say about this book, but it was just a lot of pain and suffering. I'm seeing a lot of comparisons to Curious Tides which is honestly kind of annoying. Both books have a "Dark Academia" kind of setting but there were staggering differences that the comparison feels like the stretch of the century.

The plot of Unhallowed Halls was all over the place and while some of the characters had their moments I found all of them pretty unlikable.

Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson is a YA dark academia fantasy novel set in a school for gifted yet troubled teens in the remote moors of Scotland. The book begins rather mysteriously– the main character Page’s reason for transferring to Agathian is alluded to only in half-truths, and the true story behind the school, its students, and its faculty is as foggy as the desolate landscape the story takes place in.

From the moment Page stepped off the train and into the moor, I was entirely immersed in the atmospheric and delightfully unwelcoming world the author created. Throughout the book I felt as if I were really there, shivering in the stone halls of Agathian, or never quite able to rid myself of the damp chill from the eerie and unrelenting highland weather. Where most books take at least a few chapters for me to feel fully absorbed in a story and its world, Unhallowed Halls engulfed me almost instantly.

This book was deliciously dark, twisty, mysterious and full of surprises. For the majority of the book, I truly had no idea where the story was going or what would happen next. While the pacing in the first half of the book felt slightly delayed, the author sprinkled enough intrigue to keep my attention until the plot sped up significantly in the second half of the book.

My one critique is that the main romance plot felt somewhat rushed and underdeveloped. While I still enjoyed it and thought the love interests were a great fit for each other, I would have liked to see more moments between the two before things went from loose friendship to romance.

I saw so much of myself as a young adult in Page while reading this. Between navigating endometriosis and the physical and mental pain that comes with it, wrestling with feeling ‘other’ and struggling to fit in, to her fear of not being enough academically, socially, or romantically– it felt as if I were looking back at a version of myself who needed this character and her story. While I’m 26 now and have found who I am and where I belong, this book hit a note deep in my heart and made me ache for the girl I was at Page’s age.

While this book is categorized as YA, it never felt juvenile, making it perfect for young adult and adult audiences. Overall, I loved this book. It always feels a little weird to read what is likely to be one of your top reads of the year so early on, but you won’t find me complaining about this one.

The atmosphere!! This was like Curious Tides mixed with Netflix’s Wednesday. The writing was gorgeous, setting the creeping, gothic atmosphere as well as creating a strong narrative voice to get to know the MC, Page. This was a great dark academia mixed with fantasy and a gothic mystery vibe. I loved the incorporation of mythology, the diversity of characters, and the uniqueness of the twist-filled plot.

DNF Review (25%)

I really wanted to love this one but I just couldn’t connect with it. The premise started off intriguing and atmospheric, then leaned too heavily on the greek history angle for me. Maybe I should have read reviews first so it's partially on me - I based my choice on the blurb alone. It just wasn’t holding my interest enough to continue.

Unhallowed Halls is a story of belonging and found family. A story of accepting the darkest parts of yourself and letting others see them too. It's a story of magic and power and darkness and forgiveness. I was really drawn into this book and the mystery of Agathion. The school and setting really transport you to the moors of Scotland where it really does feel like anything can happen. And it really made me crave scones and tea!
I liked the character of Page and her fierce desire to belong. I really liked the supporting cast as well, although I wish they spent less time trying to keep Page in the dark if only so we got to know them better. They were such an interesting cast of characters and I feel like we only skimmed the surface.
The book starts out really strong, but loses its way towards the end. There were definitely points I thought it was almost over, only to see I had over an hour left according to my Kindle. However, I did like how the story wrapped up. And really this book gets all the points for a character getting stabbed and saying it's nothing compared to their cramps because honestly #truth.

This is such a captivating and twisty story. The setting was so well done and tied into the magic system perfectly. I loved the characters it was interesting learning who to trust and the bonds the main characters created solving such a deeply weird mystery. I also appreciated the characters hesitations to trust each other and to fully believe what they were uncovering. It helped the pacing of the book that they didn't all just dive into believing everything and fit well with the dark academia vibes. All around I really enjoyed this book and how everything came together in end. It was a very satisfying read.