Book 3/5, narration 3/5

Unfortunately the narration in this audiobook immediately made it difficult for me to enjoy this book. The mispronunciation of the word 'magister' throughout the book was incredibly distracting and pulled me out of the story literally every time. The narrator and the POV character is American, and as such the word should be pronounced MA-gis-ter. This seems a petty thing to point out, and if it wasn't on every third page, I probably could have let it go. But alas. In general the accents were decent, however the Australian accent was rough and jarring (surprising, considering the Australian author).

To the story- The book supplied mediocre dark academia vibes, but had the potential for so much more. It took a wee while for me to really get into the story, and I found myself losing interest towards the end of the book as things became more and more complicated. Our FMC really lacked any sort of personality development in the book, which is partly a symptom of writing in first person, but there's certainly way around that. The other characters were fleshed out much better, making the reader care more about the supporting cast than the protagonist. The group dynamics were not as dark and obsessive as what I've come to expect in a true dark academia novel, even YA.

The recurring mentions of the FMC's endometriosis are sort of hung out to dry. I see what the author was trying to do, to show how the FMC can handle pain, but not enough was made of this in the unfolding of the plot. So it ends up just seeming erroneous.

Overall, this might be a good lower YA 'dark academia' entry level genre novel, but I see it's listed on NetGalley as New Adult, which I think is a stretch. This should have been enjoyable for me, but unfortunately it's quite forgettable.

I looovee the setting in this. It set the tone perfectly and the dark academia vibes were second to none. It helped the audiobook was so immersive too which meant getting into this book was zero hardship.

The audiobook went super quick and not only is it a great story, it has fab representation too. And an endo rep! Couldn’t have asked for more.

I was so intrigued by the story and I looked forward to every moment I could reconnect to it again. Audiobooks tend to accompany me into the gym so I found myself excited to go so I could listen to another chunk of the book! Great characters too and I did not foresee the direction this would take. Solid love.

Unhallowed Halls is truly a read/listen for lovers of dark, gothic academia and most definitely delivers demons, magic, hidden secrets, societies and more.

From the introduction to Paige on her lone journey to her new school Agathion College to which she has been awarded a scholarship, through to the climactic conclusion of this standalone YA fantasy, you are plunged into a complex story filled with multiple twists and turns that will make you dizzier than multiple rides on a waltzer!

In amongst this plot you have a group of characters whom you will definitely gradually w to love and grump at, especially when they make idiotic choices that are often the case at this age, and world building that pulls you into the gothic academia world of Agathion College established many years earlier for the education of troubled teens!

Paige is a severely traumatised teen, carrying and driven by the huge weight of her past experiences and guilt with her. Always a loner, she finds herself at sea amongst the elite, of this new school, until she finds what she hopes to he friendship, if only she and they can get past all the hidden secrets both they and the school hold, which could have fatal consequences for them and the rest of the school!

There’s a journey to be taken, the power of friendship, love and kindness to be unearthed, as well as a little body swapping and the odd mortal danger to face. Lili Wilkinson has written an immersive and fast paced dark academia fantasy that is truly brought to life by Imani Jade Powers’ narration.

Thank you so much Bolinda Audio for advanced access to this audiobook. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I've given this book three stars because I believe that for a Young Adult audience interested in the supernatural this would be a good read / listen.

However, I'm not the right audience for this novel. I requested it thinking that it would be dark academia (in the sense of very bad things happening at a school / university) and I can see why the publisher used this tag, because, indeed, bad things do happen at a school. However, the combination of the magical elements, the description of the landscape (it's set in an area I know quite well) and the "local" mythology (again, it's an area I know quite well) just didn't gel for me. I'm really not a fan of anything that exoticizes Scotland and Scottish culture (because it is my culture and so I experience the exoticization as unintentionally othering rather than exciting).

I would say that people who are not Scottish and who like the Outlander series and, of course, Harry Potter, will likely love this novel.

I'm just sorry I requested a novel without realising I'm not in the right demographic for it.

Dark academia with Greek mythology references and a secret club sprinkled in? Sign me up! I was hooked from the moment Paige first woke up at the collage. I really enjoyed this and couldn't stop listening! I will say the parts about Paige's period did confuse me but hey, I'm all for normalising period talk. I was just waiting for it to turn into something. That aside, I liked the magic and secret society vibes. Definitely recommend.

If you love a gothic fantasy, mixed with dark Academia, with a bittersweet romance and sprinkles of magic and demon possession - this one is for you!

The first half I was a bit worried. It started off slow and took quite a while to build up, but when it hit the halfway mark we were off running!

This was SO GOOD! I love me a dark and eerie book and this delivered for me.

I listened to the audio version of this and the narrators were perfect! The characters are bang on, the intonation was great, highly recommend all of it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for helping me discover a new favourite author!!

2.5 ⭐️ (3.5 ⭐️ for the book & 1.5 ⭐️ for narration)

The audiobook of The Unhallow Halls was a mixed experience for me. Let’s start with the frustrating parts—because there were quite a few.

First, the main character drove me absolutely insane. She had the dreaded "I'm not like other girls" syndrome and reminded us of it constantly. For someone who’s supposed to be a scholar and a literature enthusiast, she made some shockingly dumb choices. The side characters were way more interesting than her. I found myself far more invested in them than the protagonist, who had the personality of a rock.

Then there’s the narration. The audiobook was fine—until the accents started. And the Australian accent? Truly awful. It completely pulled me out of the story, which is especially disappointing since the book is literally written by an Australian author. I couldn’t take it seriously, which made it hard to keep reading.

Now for the good: I loved the dark academia and Greek mythology elements. That was hands-down the strongest part of the book and the only reason I didn’t DNF it. The romance had its moments, though I still can’t quite believe anyone would fall for the main character. If you’re looking for something between The Secret History and An Academy for Liars, but on a much lighter level, this could be a good introduction to the dark academia genre, especially for younger readers.

Between the in depth characters, intriguing magic, and the vibrant world building, this book got hooks in me so quick. I have read Wilkinson before, enjoying every word, but not like this! I truly adored this book. The audio narration was produced so well. I felt the emotion and the stakes through the narration!

After experiencing horrors at her old school and carrying that trauma around with her, Paige jumps at the scholarship she is awarded to the prestigious Agathion College, a picturesque castle in the Scottish moorlands that is worlds away from the sweltering Floridian town she is from.

She has always been na outcast, but now she is an outcast among the elite, making her feel small and worthless… until she is welcomed by a group of friends, letting her into their orbit. They all have secrets though, and Paige is still feeling like she is being held at arms length. Soon enough, Paige discovers that not only do they have secrets that are larger than life, this school was built on very old secrets and lies, putting all the students in potential danger.

Paige discovers what she is really capable of, the power of friendship, and the power she holds within herself. And every single page gets better and better. There is so much magic and adventure. There is found family and some romance… this book is so freaking good!!!!!!!!

Okay there’s a lot to unpack here. Firstly, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to this ARC. I think I’d give this one 3.75. It was a little too YA for me but it was still good. The narration was really good, other than the lady’s Australian accent in places which was a little jarring. But on the whole her performance was good.

The beginning of the story had me gripped, but as we moved towards 60% onwards then my goodness it got complicated.
This book gives us magic, demons, and twists and turns. There’s body possessing with souls involved which sometimes makes the characters being called ‘Oak’ and ‘Not Oak’ quite confusing sometimes.

But I did like the way the FMC kept learning about herself and gaining in confidence. It was giving me ‘One Dark Window’ in places but only very briefly.

This book takes you on a JOURNEY… one that is quite complex, a little strange at times, but still pretty good.

This started off as a chill audiobook that was easy to settle into. Since it’s in first-person POV, the world-building unfolds very slowly, and it takes a while before we properly step into the halls of Agathion College.

Before I continue with my review, I have to ask—why is the main character’s period such a recurring topic? I genuinely don’t understand.

As the story progresses, things spiral into chaos—characters become more unhinged, actions lead to increasingly wild consequences, and the dialogue starts to feel a bit awkward, sometimes even forced. And don’t get me started on the super stereotypical character(s).

In the end, while it wasn’t necessarily bad, it also didn’t bring anything new to the table. This book might resonate more with newcomers to dark academia, but for seasoned readers, it struggles to stand out in a genre that’s already packed with strong contenders.