this book was such a good time and the concept was so original and creative and had me thinking about it well after i put the book down! i mean- a boarding school in PURGATORY- academic rivals to lovers- trials to change your fate? i’m so in.

Incredible young adult debut from I.V. Marie. I've been looking for more dark academia to read, and I'm so glad I stumbled upon this one! The six different POVs were so distinct and unique to me, felt like I was truly reading about six different people. I also liked this take on the Underworld/liminal space. It felt fresh and unique while still being a classic for the niche.

Unfortunately I DNF’d this book at 30%, I was super into it in the first half, sometimes I don’t like that the story just opens up with not a lot of context but this book did really good giving small world building details within the story instead of chapters upon chapters of either all world building or just story with no context. I did already see the yearning and attempts at love from the MMC, and it was beautifully done! Just the concept of living in purgatory is against my personal beliefs and I did not realize before I requested an ARC, but I think people would definitely love it if they have no religious qualms!!

A lot to unpack at Blackwood Academy! First things first, I. V. Marie is a masterful writer who used her skills to create a complex and multi-layered world with Blackwood Academy at the center. The concept of the afterlife not being one defined space was a really cool idea and I enjoyed how the students moved through different parts, like the Ether, but it still felt connected.

Choosing to focus on six students, all with various backgrounds and time spent at Blackwood, was a smart choice. With differing personalities, experiences, and plans, there was never a dull moment of the book. I also enjoyed the push and pull of the romances without them overtaking the brewing drama, corrupt system or the trials of the Decennial.

A strong start to a new dark academia YA series, it isn't even out yet and I already want book two!

Thank you Random House Kids for the gifted ARC.

Wow! This book was so intriguing! There were so many things I wasn't expecting. The characters had great development throughout the book. I'm obsessed, truly. I wish I would've had time to be able to just binge this book, but I am excited to be able to do that once it comes out officially. Then I can reread it all in one go. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in advance. I can't wait to start recommending this to people!

Immortal Consequences was everything I hoped it would be—fast-paced, emotionally charged, and completely addictive. The concept alone had me intrigued, but the execution made it unforgettable. A magical academy in the afterlife where dead teens compete in deadly trials? I was instantly in.
What really impressed me was how well the multiple points of view were handled. Each character felt distinct, and their perspectives added depth to both the world and the relationships. The romantic tension, the rivalries, and the moments of aching longing were all so well done. There’s no shortage of intensity, but it’s balanced by moments of genuine connection and found family that gave the story heart.
The worldbuilding was compelling and original, blending dark academia vibes with a magic system that felt fresh and dangerous. Every trial raised the stakes, and I found myself deeply invested in more than one romance along the way.
This was such an enjoyable read from start to finish, and one I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for a dark, emotionally layered fantasy that’s as sharp as it is heartfelt..

I enjoy it a lot when the editor introduces the book with lore on how they picked up the book and what caught their eye, so i loved that lil letter by the editor in this one

perfect for YA readers and I enjoyed this a lot, all the characters are done well and that's high praise cause I'm very picky on what I like in fantasy genre!

I was really excited to receive this as an arc. The premise sounds right up my alley - school in purgatory, dark academia, trial/challenge, slow burn romance. However I just couldn’t get into it. It seemed rather up and down. The plot would pick up and keep me interested and then be followed by drawn out scenes that I felt could have been shortened to keep things moving.

I also wished there were less POVs to follow. The chapters are short which helps move things along but with so many characters, it was harder to follow who was where and identify with them.

There are a few different challenges and mysteries you’re trying to solve which does help hold your interest. The one about a new student pulls you in almost immediately and keep you wanting to read to get the little nuggets you get throughout.

About this book:
✨️ multiple POV
✨️ dark academia
✨️ multiple couples to root for (with pining/longing)
✨️ deadly trials + huge incentive to win
✨️ a pinch of mystery
✨️ afterlife setting, magic system + world building

This book has a lot of pros (several mentioned above). It is an intriguing concept with fascinating parts of plot. While I enjoyed the having more than 1 POV, I think the choice to showcase all 6 main characters POV made the beginning of the book feel slow (or choppy)- eventhough objectively the plot was moving.
Overall 3-3.5 stars!

Thank you NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was absolutely floored by how much I loved this book!

Exploring purgatory through a 6 person POV sounded like a tall order and is no small task to complete well. I.V. Marie made it seem effortless. I genuinely liked and cared about the fates of each character through the duration of the book.
Immortal Consequences takes the games and trials trope to another level by raising the stakes and putting them in the afterlife. I found the world building effortlessly built in to the story, never once feeling lost or facing down glaring plot holes in a space which could have been rife with them.

The story was edited perfectly, not leaving things unexplained, nor feeling over indulgent in explanation. Conversations seemed genuine and real and were a delight to read.

Going into this blind, I can honestly say I'll be waiting anxiously to see how the next book goes. Well done!

I loved the set up of this story (kids school in purgatory) and enjoyed the multi POV. However, I kept waiting for the story to get more interesting and it just didn’t. I found the characters hard to connect with and when plot twists happened they felt anticlimactic.

This book had me at "magic school in purgatory". .

In Blackwood Academy, the deceased are trained to become Reapers - or so the story goes.
We have a magical trial, and demons lurking to send everything into chaos.

This setting could have gone either way, but I'm happy to report that it totally worked for me.
Apart from the worldbuilding - which was really intriguing - it was the characters that I came to love, loathe or fear for - or a combination of the three.

It's tragic enough that you have a bunch of 18 or 19 year olds that have found their deaths too early - but the descriptions and tragic backstories really got me hooked.
We have the bickering couple, the ruthless one, a M/M cinnamon roll OTP, and someone you want to put in your pocket and keep safe.
There's also the headmaster, mystery girl and a lurking suspicious one.
Which in combination makes a real great concoction for a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The pacing is great with not a minute of boredom, and there's twists and turns throughout that make you question your loyalties and realize that nothing is as it seems.

We have multiple POV, and they are so distinct and well written that I never got confused. Even more, I liked all of the POVs the same amount, which is a rare thing to find.

And best of all: a real game changer of an ending that desperately makes me want to read the next book.

If you want a story of love, trauma, grief and trust in a really cool dark academia setting, then this is the book for you.

4,5/5 stars and I fully expect it to become a highlight when the series keeps on going as amazing as this book.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the eARC!

#ImmortalConsequences #DarkAcademia #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Tension and Rivals to lovers rolled into one book? Sign. Me. Up.
Loved Immortal Consequences and I can't wait for it's release to buy it and reread!

this was an incredibly crafted story that somehow interweaves six POVs with precision! The characters are fully developed with their own arcs and wants. The setting was well crafted with a unique magic system that felt like its own sentient being. Wonderful story, beautiful prose. Will definitely recommend this novel!!

Immortal Consequences || I.V. Marie

"The Decennial will still consist of four trials spanning the next few weeks, but this time... each trial is not merely a moment to showcase your magical abilities, but a chance to outshine the other nominees and eliminate them from the running."

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. Out 7/29.

Blackwood Academy is a boarding school, however, all the inhabitants are dead. The dead inhabitants spend time learning magic and skills to hopefully compete in the Decennial to get the chance to become an Ascended, unlocking their full power and potential, or moving on to whatever lies beyond. However, Blackwood Academy isn't forever, if you never compete in the Decennial, you run the risk of one day forgetting who you are and becoming a husk in the ether. And for those who have no other options, there is the Demien Order, consisting of those who have exchanged their souls for shadows and incredible power, becoming a threat to Blackwood Academy.

This book follows six different characters, who are chosen to compete in the Decennial. All six have different goals, and different reasons for wanting to win the competition, and along the way, form a bond as a group. However, there can only be one winner.

This story covers a lot of bases: dark academia, magic, complicated friendships, complicated family relationships, romance, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, morality, overcoming your past, and the list goes on and on. The format of the competition was a mix between the Triwizard Tournament and Hunger Games, and having six characters reminded me of Six of Crows. There are still a lot of questions I had by the end of the book, namely, why does this place exists, how are its occupants chosen, and why are they all seemingly young adults? I enjoyed how most of the chapters flowed from one character to the next, as the author did this in a clever way. Some plot points needed cleaning up, which is why it's not rated higher, but this was a unique fantasy and I'm curious to what will happen in the next book.

-YA fantasy
-dark academia
-magic
-romance
-enemies to lovers
-slow burn
-complex friendships
-internal turmoil
-morality
-multi-POV (6 characters)
-third person POV
-~500 pages

Spice 1/5

this scratched the Atlas Six itch in me i didn’t realize i was having. such a unique concept and i loved all six of the characters we got to meet. ending was ??? also AugustWren are soooo NicoLibby-coded, miss them bad

i think the second book will really bring this together. i was left with a lot of questions but im pretty sure that was the point!

this was SOOO good i can’t lie 😭
the premise was super interesting and the blackwood school was an enthralling setting for the book. the concept of the story is also rlly unique and it’s finally sometime outside of the norm that’s been circulating 😭🙏
the world and premise of the school?? IMMACULATE

i LOVED the characters. i don’t think there was one of them that i didn’t like. my favorites probably were august and emilio, and their chapters were always really engaging.
however the rivals to lovers with wren and august was SO good and i was genuinely geeking out whenever they would interact 😭😭

i loved this book so much i WILL be buying it when it comes out even tho i read it 😫🤞 its quickly become one of my favorites that Ive read this year 😍 5 stars all the way 🌟🌟🌟

Immortal Consequences by debut author I.V. Marie surprised me in the best way. It’s outside my usual reading lane—I tend to gravitate toward heavier romance and New Adult titles with more mature themes—but this upper YA paranormal novel delivered an impressively layered, adult-feeling story that pulled me in from the first page.

Set in the haunting purgatory academy of Blackwood, the story follows six ghostly teens vying for the sole (until it’s not) spot in a decennial competition that quickly unravels into something far darker and more complex than they ever imagined. The atmosphere is rich, the stakes are high, and nothing is as it seems. I was captivated by the eerie tension and the slow-burn unraveling of secrets.

Marie handles themes of loss, identity, and the blurred line between life and death with surprising depth, making this feel like far more than just a YA ghost story. The twists kept me guessing, and the emotional weight lingered after I turned the last page.

A compelling and immersive debut—I’m already looking forward to book two. I will be thinking about this book for a while. Huge thanks to the publisher and author for the eARC!

What an interesting and unique book! In this story, an academy sits in the middle of purgatory and six students (all with their own POVs) compete in a series of four trials to either win and ascend status or lose and be forced to eventually lose all their memories and forever reap souls. The world building was pretty easy to understand despite being lengthy and overt in the beginning stages. But once the story progressed to the trials, the plot picked up and never slowed down! And the author really surprised me as there were a lot of plot points that I didn’t see coming at all!

This book also has an incredibly rich and diverse cast of characters. The six competitors, three girls and three boys, come from a variety of backgrounds, races, relationships, personalities, etc. I didn’t really enjoy August and Wren’s relationship as it felt like a bad case of words left unsaid and believing the other hates you based on zero evidence. Emilio and Olivier, on the other hand, I positively loved! They were my favorite POVs and appeared to be the only pairing that were really friends instead of rivals.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book! I finished the whole thing in one day! The worst part is that I’ll have to wait so long for the second installment!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this advanced readers copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Not a Fantasy reader (perhaps until now), but the premise grabbed my attention AFTER I saw the beautiful pre-order edition. Absolutely stunning with the sprayed edge. I cannot wait to display it. I am so grateful to Random House Children's and I.V. Marie for the opportunity to read this advance copy. Story follows students at an Afterlife school that each have reasons for wanting to win the once-a-decade competition. Each student is very well developed, the storyline is super interesting without being "too fantasy", the flow works, there is plenty of mystery to keep you guessing and enough action to prompt "just one more chapter".

I truly enjoyed each minute reading this book. Can't wait for future installments. Keep the beautiful collectors editions coming. I freely offer my honest opinion.