Thrilling and brutal, this story grapples with violence, loyalty, and redemption. It left me unsettled but completely hooked.

I like a good dark academia and this one certainly lived up. An exploration of norse myths, Viking lifestyle and the connection to it. Like ML Rio, who focused on Shakespeare, this one does that with Vikings. A bunch of students, specifically the story told from the POV of a new entrance into the clan, Finn. He becomes the audience his eyes as well as we also explore along with him this bunch of students students, their drive, and their convictions.

From the onset, one could tell it would be a ride and we turned dark, considering the setting. The characters, each with their own personalities and agendas, explore within the story the themes of death, grief, revenge, faith and obsession. The novel is pacy and moves along at an interesting pace without losing its steam, thanks to the characters. The plot is tight, and effective and at times extremely moving.

The protagonist juxtaposition of studying divinity and being and having a more historical and rather agnostic perspective towards it could have been played more and leaned into, however it would not have any bearings on the main plot, which I wish it did had it been explored.

A definite good read

I was so intrigued by the cover and description, but unfortunately this one was just okay for me. Still enjoyable but not memorable.

I was really excited to get an ARC of "When We Were Killers" by C.F. Barrington, especially with its premise of a misfit student at an elite Scottish university getting pulled into a dark and obsessive group of friends. The setting of St. Andrews with its salt-scented quadrangles and ancient history promised a really atmospheric and tense read, and the idea of a group obsessed with a long-lost hallucinogen sounded intriguing.

Unfortunately, the book didn't quite live up to its promising premise for me. While the setting was definitely a highlight, I struggled to connect with any of the characters, and their rivalries and obsessions felt more chaotic than compelling. The narrative felt unfocused at times, and the constant questioning of what was real and what wasn't became more confusing than suspenseful.

Ultimately, what started as a great idea never fully came together. The strong atmosphere of the university couldn't quite save a narrative that, for me, was a bit difficult to follow and a cast of characters that I couldn't get attached to.

★★☆☆☆

#WhenWeWereKillers #CFBarrington #BookReview #Bookstagram #ARC #Mystery #Thriller #StAndrews #ScottishBook #DarkAcademia

Genre-wise, it didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be. It wasn’t dark academia, nor was it a psychological thriller. The main character studied religion but was a staunch agnostic who mocked the very idea of it. Which could’ve been an interesting juxtaposition but it didn’t quite land.

A really great thriller, which kept me hooked! Thank you so much to Netgalley for this one! wish i got to it sooner! Defiantly recommend!

I was really intrigued by the description of this book, but the plot and character development fell a little flat for me. Overall though, it was still a fun read.

Loved this book! The pace, the characters, the story line... amazing dark thriller. Brilliant Book! Dark, Fast Paced, Brilliance

I love a good dark academia novel and this didn't disappoint. Finn is a first year student at St Andrews when he's pulled into a friendship group that are looking for a drug the berserkers used to make them go mad. They do this by trying every hallucinogen they can find. Soon things take a dark turn and the safety of the friends is tested.

This starts slow but soon picks up and I flew through it. I didn't want to put it down. This deals with heavy topics drug addiction, death, grief. This had me shedding tears by the end. The darkness around the group and watching them spiral into obsession was eye opening. Highly recommend

I really wanted to love this one. The title and premise sounded like it would be right up my alley. I didn't really connect with the characters or story unfortunately. I wouldn't say it was a bad book though. It just never fully pulled me in. I mainly coasted through it on the vibes alone. They were fun in a dark academic way and I can easily see how other readers would find the story more enjoyable than I did.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This book just was not for me. I was not a fan of the characters, the writing, or really the plot.

Not my favorite at all.

Real Rating: 3.25 🖤

I’m still working through my book + review slump, so please bear with me because this won’t be very profound lol.

I’m a sucker for dark academia, so I was really excited when I read the synopsis for this book. However, when I started reading it, I was just……….bored (respectfully) and I just couldn’t fully get into it. I found the pacing to be extremely slow and I didn’t really resonate with any of the characters. With that being said, this certainly wasn’t a bad book…just definitely not for me. If you enjoy dark academia (ish) stories with religious undertones and an unsettling atmosphere, you may really like this one!

Major thanks to Netgalley for the copy of the ARC. Appreciate the chance to read this one!

When We Were Killers is a face paced, Dark Academia read. I found all of the character likeable and the Scottish setting was great and integral to the story.

I’ve got to say, I didn’t see the twist coming at all. Completely blindsided me, but was well timed to progress the story to where it ended up.

I really enjoyed the Norse folklore elements and the use of plants within the story - albeit, they did a lot of drugs!!!

A great read for fans of Dark Academia and thrillers. Thank you to the publishers, NetGally and the author for my review copy.

This was one of the best books I’ve read all year!
The historical aspects keep you hooked and learning and the storyline was fantastic. Thoroughly enjoyed this! Would read again and I don’t usually read books twice :)

Strong 'The Secret History' vibes.

Finn Nethercott arrives in St Andrews to study Divinity. Having lost his parents and sister years ago, he carries a deep sadness within him. But soon he meets the enigmatic Hope and her friends. They call themselves a 'clan' and are interested in the ancient history of Scotland, including the Vikings. They are convinced that there was once a drug that turned the Vikings into raging warriors, and they have been experimenting with different herbs and mushrooms to try and find it. They have experimented with various intoxicating and poisonous herbs and mushrooms. Finn is drawn to them and joins their clan. However, their use of hallucinogens has already caused an accident.

As I said, I got strong TSH vibes from this book from the beginning. I love Dark Academia, and I can hardly resist a blurb like this one. But nothing has come close to TSH so far. This book is no exception. It is still entertaining and interesting, though, because of its topics. But it never reaches the depth and intensity of it. It drags a bit in the middle. The 'Clan' is more like a club of spoilt, privileged kids who disguise their drug addiction as scientific research. There is a sad undercurrent that starts right in the prologue, and I found it quite moving. I felt sorry for Finn, even though he was partly responsible for what happened.

'When We Were Killers' doesn't add anything new to the Dark Academia genre; it just retells a familiar story with different themes. But I liked it regardless.

“What’s a little poison between friends?”

A psychological thriller, set in St Andrews University, Scotland, in the 1990's, with dark academia vibes.
Obsessions, betrayals, toxic friendships: do I have to say more?

It’s impossibile not to compare When We Were Killers with The Secret History and If We Were Villains: Donna Tart’s novel is unmatchable, but I think that C. F. Barrington is not too far from M. L. Rio.
Maybe When We Were Killers is a little bit too chaotic, and not as gripping as If We Were Villains, but I enjoyed it very much.
We don’t have classical studies or Shakespeare, but the vibes below are quite similar.
Secret meetings at night around a fire, with wine, some drugs, surrounded by ancient ruins: all is quite magical, and whatever contributes to Scottish lore, Vikings, Celtic folklore and so on, seems to be called back to life.
However, you can’t go too deep without losing something…

Not a five stars reading because something is missing (something is too predictable and other things are too simple) but still a good work.

Thank you to C. F. Barrington, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not usually my kind of read - but I found myself hooked!

University; where folk from all walks of life come together and learn to get along - or not. St. Andrews, in the east of Scotland is one of the best known educational establishments and Finn finds himself a bit of an outsider until he get pulled into a group of friends - four history scholars who are obsessed with ancient Scotland and the search for long-lost hallucinogens. Just how far will they go to find what they're looking for?

I was drawn firstly to this novel by the setting. I wasn't bargaining for the whole tale but, even as someone who neither reads nor enjoys fantasy, I just couldn't put this down. I've already recommended it to my husband as I'm sure it's much more his kind of read. Having said all this, while I'm not entirely sure I enjoyed it, I could not have given up as I just HAD to find out what happened. I'm sure there are many readers who would absolutely love this one and, for that reason, I find myself wanting to recommend it. For me, 4*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

3.5 ⭐️
Although this was a slow paced thriller, it was haunting, atmospheric and had beautifully dark academia vibes.

Mainly set in St Andrews University in the 1990's, the author has managed to create a dark, unsettling atmosphere amongst a group of students exposing their obsessions and toxic friendships.

This story is steeped in history and folklore, an hallucinogenic adventure, traditional university life, friendships, dark secrets and murder.

I loved the setting and the characters and the storyline, however it was a little slow for me, but I did still enjoy the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

As my first journey into dark academia, I enjoyed When We Were Killers, however I did find it a little predictable.

The Viking lore and discussions of festivals were fascinating and I found myself swept up in the descriptions of university life - I thought most of the characters were well written and parts of the story kept me guessing.

There were sections where I felt the story dragged slightly but the relationships between the “Clan” drew me back in quickly.

Overall, I enjoyed this read but knowing the ending I would not be likely to re-read (the ending fit the story, but part of the intrigue of the book was being kept guessing!)

I was very hopefully for this but ultimately it lacked character development and there was too much emphasis on drugs to hold my interest.