I really enjoyed this as a opening chapter in the Souls of Blackwood Academy series, it has that element that I wanted and enjoyed the overall feel of this genre. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and thought the use of the Academy element worked well in this concept. I thought the use of purgatory worked overall and am excited to read more in this series and from I. V. Marie.

Immortal Consequences reads like the best kind of supernatural CW drama—The Vampire Diaries meets The Atlas Six, with a sleek afterlife-academia twist. The world is fresh, the purgatory setting is genuinely intriguing, and the plot is full of juicy twists, secrets, and betrayals. If you liked The Atlas Six but weren’t a fan of Olivie Blake’s prose or dense narrative style, this one delivers the same elite-academy-meets-perilous-competition vibe without getting bogged down in the weeds.

That said, it does feel like a debut. The first act dragged for me, and some of the character dynamics felt a little too familiar, like echoes of other popular fantasy casts. I wanted more nuance, more emotional specificity—but I also get the sense that Marie is just getting started. Once the competition begins, the story gains momentum fast, and the enemies-to-lovers thread adds tension that pays off in a satisfying way.

Despite a slow start, I found myself pulled in by the end. I.V. Marie has a strong voice and clear vision, and I’ll likely keep reading the series. With this kind of premise and polish, she’s one to watch.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

5 ⭐️

Review:

This is easily one of my favorite books! I’m normally down for anything dark academia, but this exceeded my expectations. And we also had a little bit of banter, enemies to lovers, longing, and friends to lovers! Seriously perfect. ✨ The world building was set up perfectly to explore more of the afterworld in the next book while still being explained enough for this one. And there was actual personalities for our six main characters that made them easy to discern while reading. Which is great for me because I can get confused easily. This book isn’t even out yet and I need the other already!!

Summary:

Being chosen to attend Blackmore Academy after death is an honor that not everyone is granted. And every decennial one student is offered the opportunity to become one of the ascended. Someone who gets to stay at the school as a teacher of sorts instead of reaping souls for the rest of their eternity. Or worse, forgetting their memories entirely. And for Irene, Masika, Oliver, Emilio, August, and Wren that’s exactly what they’re hoping for. But what they aren’t expecting is to have to compete in a set of trials for that spot. How will their friendships or feeling for one another be able to survive? Because nothing in these trials are what they were expecting. Unknown danger is lurks in every shadow.

Favorite Quote:

“You are me affliction because it takes everything in me not to rip apart my principles and act upon my longing. I have an impulse to be with you all the time. To be physically near you. It’s exasperating. How often I think of you.

Then why don’t you do something about it.

You think I haven’t been tempted to? That I haven’t dreamt about it? That I haven’t driven myself fucking mad with the torment of my own thoughts?”

Tropes:
•dark academia
•banter
•trials
•enemies to lovers
•friends to lovers
•betrayals
•trauma

Wow. Where do I even begin with this one. This was, simply put, exquisite. When you hear “magical academy in purgatory”, a certain vision comes to mind, and I.V. executed brilliantly. This world felt so alive (ironically), I could practically taste the mists of the outer edges on my tongue. The gothic architecture, the moody environment, it was perfectly built. The characters were undoubtedly my favorite part of this experience. All six of them were crafted with such love and appreciation, I seriously couldn’t even pick a favorite out of the group. They all were so unique and twisted in their own ways, and I loved getting to know them as their stories were revealed. The banter, the wit, the sarcasm, every bit of it was delectable. It felt like I’ve known these people forever. And don’t even get me started on that ending cliffhanger!! It’s a special type of pain to be so desperate for the second book to a series where the first one hasn’t even been published yet. Seriously thank you guys so incredibly much for the opportunity to read this ARC, I’m so grateful and have made it my mission to tell as many people as possible about this story.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. Overall I would rate this book 3 stars. I really wanted to love this as it contains many of my favorite tropes like Dark academia, enemies to lovers, magical competitions... but Something about this book just never quite clicked for me.

To start with the positives I thought the world building and premise of this book was incredibly unique. I also enjoyed most of the characters, especially August, Emilio, and Olivier. Who doesnt love a good tortured soul? Nothing about this book was bad necessarily, but there wasn't a whole that was great either.

Despite the unique world building i never felt like I was reading anything new. The dialogue between characters felt incredibly juvenile, and I felt like I never truly understood certain characters motivations. As readers we're kept in the dark about a lot, which is fine, but it also just made a lot of things feel unnecessarily complicated and superficial. Things happened because... and you're just supposed to go along with it. For example, there are two characters in an "enemies to lovers" romance, and there is so much tension between them because they can't be together, but why? I never felt like anyone gave me a good answer until one character revelead a secret in the last like 5% of the book. But that still didn't make the previous 95% make sense. Why did the "will they won't they" make sense for the other person? Why did they play this cat and mouse game for so long with no follow up questions? Apologies for being so vague, but is difficult to talk about without spoilers. I felt like that tension was included because that's what all romantasy books have, not because there was a valid reason.

The plot also felt very predictable. I don't know if it's because I read a lot from this genre, but I saw almost every twist coming long before it happened. I also got very tired of every character being so closed off and unwilling to share their feelings with the people they cared about. Especially since some of them knew each other for hundreds of years. It just didn't feel like how people would really act around each other. Lastly, I really wish we got a bit more world building explanations. Parts of it felt unfinished, which i felt like could have been fixed if we had longer to enjoy the magical school part of the story. Also, it felt like a lot of the rules just kind of changed whenever the author needed them to change.

Despite my negative comments I didn't hate this book. In fact I think most people will really like it. I felt like it was fine for the most part and I still enjoyed reading it, especially once we got to the competition.

I am absolutely kind of obsessed with this read and it's a debut! There was a lot to love about this story. From its unique premise and world building to its cast of characters. I did eat up the banter between our two central povs, Wren and August. They are what had me turning the pages and love how their story played out. There is quite a few povs, six to be exact, and while that can make it hard to connect to characters it was done fairly well. They all were interesting and with such a clearly built world there isn't much to gripe about.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishing house for the chance to review this arc. I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!

Yes!! Enemies to Lovers and Dark Academia! I love these tropes, and this book fulfills all of its promises. I like that there were six students this book followed. The ending!!! Omg.

Wow where to begin. A school after you ☠️, sounds like a new form of hell. We meet 6 students from Blackwood academy and we hear from each them in their own perspective and chapters.

It’s time for the annual deccenial where a student has to compete to win the title and prestige of being a defended.

But wait not is all that it seems. This story is filled with magic, trials, secrets, betrayal and fighting for your life in the after life. A great story can’t wait for book 2

I can't describe just how much I loved this book! I originally discovered it seeing one of I. V. Marie's posts on Instagram and was so intrigued seeing all the different tropes in it, while immediately being captivated by the plot. My expectations were definitely met while finally reading this book.
One thing that I really loved was the world building. A lot of times for fantasy books, I think it's easy to fall behind in terms of world building just because of how complex. Yet this book was so good at creating a new and unique world in the afterlife with a clear and easily comprehendible magic system. Additionally, the plot itself just felt like a breath of fresh air and kept me so captivated the entire time, especially the cliffhanger at the end.
I also really enjoyed having so many character points of views, and each of them were written incredibly well. The dynamics between each of the characters and their backstories made them each interesting and likable in their own unique ways. I think it's honestly such an amazing feat, to be able to write about so many characters and yet not take away from any of their values.
As someone obsessed with academic rivals to lovers, I couldn't help but be incredibly biased towards Wren and August. In all honesty, they were a large part of what sparked my initial interest in the book. I loved everything about their dynamic, from their playful and swoony bantering, to the tensions as they finally began to realize their feelings. Every time they interacted, I couldn't help but smile.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone!

I really enjoyed this book, one of my favorite tropes is a "a competition" and academy settings. I thought the plot was very unique for having common tropes and I loved the characters. Definitely recommend this book!

Fast past, exciting story about an afterlife academy in purgatory that will keep you on your toes. The story follows 8 of the main contestants in a competition to “ascend” from the purgatory afterlife. The book ends with a set up for the next. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

Beautifully written with an exciting new take on dark academia. I found the concept of a school in the afterlife especially intriguing. The characters were well fleshed out and dynamic.

Enemies to lovers? Dark academia? Sign me up. Absolutely loved this one! All the characters were really well fleshed out and differentiated. The world building was well done. The ending had me SCREAMING lol. I need the next book to come out ASAP bc the cliffhanger has me in pieces.

4.5 ⭐️

What an amazing debut!

I really enjoyed this book! It was very easy to get into and the world was so unique and interesting. I loved all the different POVs and I loved the characters. The plot twists were fun and different and overall this was a very well done story. It didn’t feel at all like a debut. I genuinely cannot wait to see what the author has in store for the rest of the series! I would definitely recommend!

Blackwood Academy isn't a choice. Select few are chosen to join the ranks of higher learning in the afterlife. When an unexpected addition is set to arrive it sets the story and our 6 main characters into action.

Wren is trying to be a better version of herself, Irene is out for power, Olivier does want to forget, Emilio wants everything to go back to how it was, Masika is stuck in the past and August to drawn to one of them.

They each have their reasons for needing to win the Decennial competition but they learn as they compete that nothing is what they were told.

The world building and characters arcs throughout the story were intriguing and the background details were interwoven in so that it didn't feel like a data dump.

I can't wait for the next story.

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-arc of the book. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5
No, you are joking...you do not understand. You are telling me that this is a DEBUT??!! I am obsessed.

"Immortal Consequences" is set in a unique fantasy world on the edge of the afterlife, where students compete for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change their fate or risk remaining stuck in purgatory forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; it was filled with reveals, twists, and turns that I never saw coming. It evoked a range of emotions in me—aching, anger, swooning, and laughter—every emotion you can imagine.

I appreciated how the narrative allowed us to delve into the minds of all the main characters, providing a deep understanding of their internal traumas and grief. The portrayal of their past experiences and the grief they carried gave us insight into how these elements shaped their identities.

I also enjoyed the critique of academia. It was well-executed, and we gained valuable insight into academic life, an aspect that some fantasy works often overlook in the name of "dark academia."

However, my only critique is that I wish the characters' appearances were more distinct and polished. For example, I only learned that one character has red hair when I was about 30% through the story; I had been imagining her with black hair up until that point. Another instance is when I discovered that one character is French around 80% of the way through; if it hadn’t been mentioned, I wouldn’t have known.

I didn’t mind this choice because I felt it might reflect the author’s intention for her characters in the setting of the “afterlife,” where certain things might not be important or could exist only vaguely. However, this approach can be problematic for some readers.

In the end, I loved this book. I can feel through the pages how much the author worked hard to build these characters, a unique setting, and a plot, which sometimes made it hard for me to believe that this is a debut book.

This book was really good for being a debut novel! The world, characters, and magic system were chefs kiss. I am very excited for the next book after this. My only complaint is that it was a bit too long. Overall, I would recommend.

From an intricate and fresh new world, to a large cast of characters facing a perilous competition, there is a lot to love about Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie. But, at the same time, I found myself struggling to pick this book up after the first act, bored with the tropes the characters fell into and how they almost felt like caricatures of popular book characters. I ultimately wanted to love this more than I did in actuality. I.V. Marie has a bright future as a writer, but I could also tell this was a debut. I will probably still continue on with the series, as I can only see the author growing and making her characters more nuanced as she becomes a more seasoned writer.

A multi-POV, dark academia fantasy set in purgatory with deadly trials, rivals-to-lovers and enough pining and longing to fill the Grand Canyon

What’s to love…
- fast-paced, easy to binge
- Grade A tension, longing and pining
- dark academia vibes
- deadly trials
- found family
- interesting world and magic
- multiple romances to root for

What didn’t work for me but might work for you…
- Personally, too many POVs makes it hard for me to connect with the characters - I found myself more interested in one particular couple, which made each POV switch mildly frustrating. I think if you don't mind multiple POVs this one will probably work for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Immortal consequences was such a fun book! I loved the different POVs,. Six POV can be a lot, but the way I.V. Marie explored and developed these characters was outstanding! Her writing is beautiful and the story and description is immersive and engaging from the start.
The only thing I would have wished for was a little bit more explanation behind the magic system and the world building, but I'm confident these elements will be addressed in the sequel! So excited to see where it goes and excited to follow her journey!
Thank you to Delacorte