What a unique magic system and writing style! I liked how it was wrote in as an academic research paper! I liked the mystery of the book and the world setting! Would recommend.

I loved the idea of this - a dark academia murder mystery with magic. But it needed a little bit more for me. The writing style of having papers, letters, diary entries etc. was really interesting. But the mystery itself needed a bit more work - it felt a bit flat. I also really wanted to see more magic!

2.2
I'm not sure it ever would have been great, but the execution brought this down to tedious. My primary takeaway is simply that, no matter how well defined the magic system is in your mind, if you fail to show us or tether it to any kind of relatable experience, your story isn't going to make a lick of sense.

1⭐️ A dark academia murder mystery set in a school for magic. The book is compared to The atlas six and Ninth house which got me really excited, but unfortunately this wasn’t really for me.

It’s definitely unique the way it’s written. A research paper with footnotes and everything. Personally I’m not a big fan of footnotes in books, but it did make it more unique.

The magic aspect didn’t feel as special as I’d like it to be. There’s no distinct difference between people who are able to use magic and who cannot. That made it way less impressive, seclusive and interesting to me.

This also didn’t feel as much like a dark academia book as I expected and wanted it to be. Sure, it takes place in a school, but the whole dark academia vibe didn’t really come through for me.
It’s also mostly a mystery book if anything (and the mystery didn’t do it for me). I wasn’t invested, if anything I was just frustrated most of the time. There was so much dialogue and so little happening. It felt like I was watching all the boring parts of a mystery unfold and it wasn’t satisfying me. Because of this I really struggled to get through it.

What I did like is that Max, the main guy, was literally Role Model with a cowboy hat in my head. That made it a little more fun.

All in all this just wasn’t it for me. It didn’t match my expectations in the slightest. Maybe that’s on me but I expected so much more from this.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the arc.

The style of this book was original. It is written like a research paper which is truly unique and really captivates your attention. Thank you Netgalley for giving met he opportunity to review this beautifully written debut novel. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in it.

You read the summary and think, "Oh, this sounds like a cute murder mystery with second chance romance", then you start reading the book, and it smacks you with scenes from the Exorcist, Pet sematary, the Conjuring, and a few other classic horrors.

The Magic system was interesting, I've never picked up a book that was so detailed in the use of object and energy channeling, the points of religious use against magic, the belief of astral projections to other dimensions. It was a little refreshing from the usual fantasy magic.

You can stop running. Cella is back at the school to help a young girl that has been taken over by something. She can’t believe that she killed her girlfriend for no reason. But Cella knows that it going to be really hard working with Max. She left him behind when she ran and they still have history together. She knows that she hurt him by leaving and taking their shared magic away. But he hurt her and she couldn’t carry on when her brother died.
Can they work together to find out what has taken over the young girl’s body before it is too late? Will they be able to mend their relationship?
A good read full of magic and a deep soul binding friendship.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure!

While this is a solid debut, I felt as though I was wanting something different based on the title. However, I will never turn down a book that is dark academia plus magic and mystery. The genre was enjoyable, however I felt myself wanting more depth. I am not sure if it was from the main character or storyline, but I was yearning for something more. Also, the setting didn’t sit well with me with the atmosphere and the insinuation from the title. I was expecting something different.

If you like magic and dark academia, it’s certainly a fun little read.

Not quite what I was expecting from a book called The Book of Autumn, I thought a magical world and maybe a witch in perhaps, autumn? But we find ourselves with some magicians in a boiling hot university in New Mexico in more of a who done it style.
It’s certainly original, very enjoyable and well written

*ੈ✩‧₊˚Rating*ੈ✩‧₊˚
4.75/5 Stars

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗Tropes˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
📖 Second Chance
🐎 Unique Magic System
📖 School For Magic
🐎 Fmc Forced To Return To A Past She Doesn’t Want To
📖 Slowwwww Burn
🐎 Mystery That Needs To Be Solved

𓂃🖊Notes and Highlights-

ˋ°•*⁀➷” Some places never let go of you. They slip inside your pores, cling to your neck like a leech. And though you fight like hell to break loose, there's no stopping it. The place is part of you now. It’s in your blood.”

ˋ°•*⁀➷” A lesson better learned sooner rather than later, I thought. Sometimes the most someone could give you wasn't enough, and you had a choice. Make yourself small to accept that love, pretend it was all you needed, or realize you were worth far more and leave to find it.”

ˋ°•*⁀➷” Maybe, if we could solve this case, if we could figure this out together, shed see that we weren't so gosh-awful together. Maybe this time, she’d stay.”

💭 Thoughts-
I loved this book, I thought it was so unique and fun and just an overall just a great read! It had everything I was looking for in a good fantasy mystery book (even if I don’t really know what to look for in a good fantasy mystery book…)

Now Playing:

⊹ ࣪ ˖Clarity By Zedd˖࣪ ⊹
0:39 —❍───── 3:53
↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺
Volume: ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇ 100%

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

The Book of Autumn is a gripping dark academia fantasy with a unique magic system and atmospheric New Mexico setting. We follow Cella, a grieving researcher who returns to her magical college to investigate a student’s murder alongside her ex, Max—who also happens to be her magical counterpart. Their push and pull was really engaging and kept me interested throughout.

I will say the ending left me wanting a bit more magic and romance, but overall it's a solid debut! Recommend to anyone who might want to try dark academia in a New Mexico setting—it's different, for sure!

The Book of Autumn is an eerie, enchanting mystery that lingers long after the last page. It's the ideal read for fall and the "spooky season." Fans of authors like Olivie Blake and Adrienne Young will find a lot to love here.

Cella is called back to her old magical alma mater—Seinford and Brown College of Agriculture—to assist in a strange and unsettling investigation. Returning to New Mexico and the college grounds, she’s forced to work alongside Max, the other half of her magical bond, to uncover the truth behind the recent disturbances.

Told through footnotes, firsthand accounts, and references, the novel reads more like an immersive case file than a traditional story. The magic system is both inventive and convincing, and the characters are richly developed, each wrestling with their own burdens.

Make sure to add this one to your TBR—it hooks you from the very first chapter.

This was an immersive story with an interesting format. I liked that the writing oscillated between FP POVs and diary entries. I think that the trauma representation was really accurate and well executed, but I wish we had more depth into the magic systems.

The Book of Autumn is a haunting, magical mystery that will stick with you. A perfect fall “spooky season” read. If you enjoy authors such as Olive Blake and Adriane Young then you will enjoy this book.

Cella must return to her former magical college, Seinford and Brown College of Agriculture to assist in an investigation. Upon her return to New Mexico and the college, she must work with Max, her magic’s other half to figure out what has been going on.

The book is written with footnotes, first hand accounts and references throughout, making feel like more of a case study than a traditional novel. The magic is very unique and believable. The characters are fleshed out and dealing with a lot.

Add this book to your TBR! It’s gripping from the first chapter!

I really enjoyed this story. I felt like the book was extremely well written. It pulled me on from the beginning and held my attention throughout. I would have liked to see a more in depth magic system because while the the different ways people were able to aquire magic was explained very well, we never really saw what people were doing with magic. Overall this was a great read.

A lovely and unique debut novel with an Olivie Blake vibe!

I enjoyed the quirky research paper style writing, journal entries, and annotations, as well as trying to solve the puzzles along the way. The magic was interesting, and the characters felt well fleshed out and relatable.

4 out of 5 stars for this well-done mystery!

I had to read this one in the daylight. Spooky mystery set in a new magical school.

A relatable FMC who is on an adventure to find herself and where she belongs in the world.

This book was not what I expected—and I mean that in the best way. The Book of Autumn blends dark academia with desert mysticism in a way that feels both deeply original and strangely familiar. Set in rural New Mexico at a magical college that somehow makes cattle ranches and arcane rituals coexist, the setting alone made this worth the read. It’s not your typical ivy-draped East Coast campus, and that change of atmosphere gave the story a unique texture.

Told through a case study format with footnotes, excerpts, and documentation, the narrative style took some getting used to—but once I adjusted, I really appreciated how it added a sense of realism and depth. The magic system was grounded in research and lore, and it felt lived-in, like there was a long academic history behind every spell and source. I especially enjoyed how real occult texts were woven in. It gave the world an authenticity that’s often missing in magic-heavy books.

Cella and Max, the estranged magical pair at the center of it all, brought a great mix of unresolved tension and emotional weight. Their history is messy and full of sharp edges, and while I wished we got more insight into Cella’s background, especially as an Indigenous woman, what was included hinted at a deeper well of story that I’d love to see explored further.

The themes—grief, memory, power—were handled with nuance. Cella’s journey felt raw, and watching her slowly reconnect to her past and her community was both painful and hopeful. I wouldn’t call this a fast-paced book, but it’s one that lingers and asks you to sit with it. And honestly, I’d read the fictional academic paper that Cella and Max put together by the end.

In short, The Book of Autumn surprised me. It’s dark academia, but not the kind you’re used to—and that’s exactly why it works.

As a reader, The Book of Autumn by Molly O’Sullivan completely swept me away with its haunting atmosphere, complex characters, and beautifully woven magic system. From the very first page, I felt immersed in the dark academia setting, and the emotional weight carried by the protagonist, Cella, deeply resonated with me. Her relationship with Max was tense and heartbreaking in all the right ways, layered with past pain and unresolved longing. I loved how O’Sullivan used the New Mexico desert as more than just a backdrop—it became a living, breathing part of the story. The mystery at the heart of the novel kept me turning pages, but it was the depth of emotion and the nuanced exploration of grief, power, and memory that stayed with me long after I finished. I am excited to read more from this author in future!