The perfect pace with super interesting characters and a plot that kept me truly hooked the entire time.

I absolutely adored the slightly eerie castle setting in Scotland with the school full of the kids of the rich and corrupt. I adored Ophelia and Alex but also the side characters in their friend group. The way our main character brought out the best in each other and became each others comfort person while both struggling immensely with their mental health was absolutely amazing. I’m also just always a fan of he fell first and how willing he was to show her just that. I loved their chemistry and banter and I definitely had my laugh out loud moments and swoon moments.

The underlying mystery of Ophelia’s stalker really kept me hooked, as well as her keeping her parents death from Alex because I could feel through the pages how much she was struggling with the two sides of her heart. The ending absolutely blew me away and I am insanely desperate for book two!!

The beginning of the book was a little hard to get into as it reminds me of so many other books in this genre but after pushing through the first 15% I was more interested in the story! It's reminiscent of a "guilty pleasure" reading book with the typical: poor girl, rich guy, funny best friend characters. BUT I will say the author did a good job of adding parts to the book to keep me hooked and a little on my toes! The book ends on a cliffhanger that definitely makes you want to read the next book when it comes out!

This book immediately caught my attention as a dark academia and the author did a great job pulling you into a setting that was impressively creepy but also alluring. I think the overall plot with the mystery and murders really kept my focus throughout the book and set a really action packed pace for Ophelia.

The dynamic of Alex and Ophelia’s relationship is one I became quickly obsessed with. I loved the way Alex wanted to care for her, and everyone around him, because he felt like he wasn’t able to do the same for himself. There were so many beautiful moments in this book that took my breath away when it came to the two of them. “Until Midnight” had me choked. Like please the almost forbidden romance aspect really hit me in the feels.
Alex’s POV chapters were some of my favorite chapters in the book. I absolutely loved getting into his mind and seeing his side of life with his family. Learning about his family truly endeared his character to me. Also he was just super hot. Let’s be real.

That ending was completely crazy and I cannot wait to learn about the new mystery introduced at the end!

I knew I'd love this book just from reading the synopsis but my GOODNESS has Autumn absolutely smashed everything out of the park. This book truly exceeded all my expectations, from the thriller aspects, to the murder, to the romance..!?! It was everything and more.

We find ourselves in a castle university in Edinburgh, where the elite and rich attend, where the lights go out at the most unexpected hours, and where people end up dead when it's least expected.

Every page you were holding your breath, waiting for what was going to be revealed, or what Ophelia would find by sneaking about. And then you had Alex and his goddamn yearning!! When I tell you, Autumn knows how to write the BEST yearning! The text / email exchanges, with the hidden crossword puzzles were so fun to read and I cannot wait to see more of their relationship develop in book two.

If you love mystery, yearning, suspense, revenge, hate to love, he falls first and HARD, you'll absolutely devour Nightshade and I implore you to read it immediately!

Holy slow burn. Firstly, thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for allowing me to read this amazing story. I am an enemies to lovers girly through and through so when I saw that trope listed I immediately had to know more. I had not read a dark academia romance in a minute so I was very excited to dive right in and I ate it up. I think I literally finished this book in about 24 hours.

“He’ll burn the world down for her . . . but she’ll burn his to the ground.”

This story is not only a classic amazing enemies to lovers slow burn romance, but she also throws in constant twists of a murder mystery and stalker. I was immediately hooked by the first couple of chapters. The witty banter between Alex and Ophelia kept me entertained until the very end and silently begging through all the tension building. I was finally starting to feel comfortable with the story and falling in love with Alex and Ophelia when she pulled the rug out from under me and left me with a soul crushing cliffhanger that I have still not emotionally recovered from. I cannot wait until book 2 and highly recommend y’all reading it if it sounds like your cup of tea.

NIGHT SHADE by Autumn Woods is the first installment in the Sorrowsong University duet. Let me start off by saying this is not my typical genre but it completely exceeded my expectations. Dark academia with gothic vibes, a murder mystery, a stalker (not in the cool sexy way) and a slow-burn romance?! It almost felt too good to be true. Fortunately, the story came through with raw emotions, relatable insecurities, suppressed desires and tons of angst.

I really loved the dynamic between Alex & Ophelia (our MMC & FMC). Alex is a tall, dark, handsome, tattooed, green-eyed sad rich boy. Ophelia is a broken woman on a path of revenge. The unwanted attraction and chemistry that both characters desperately tried to deny was almost as funny as it was frustrating. Their relationship was messy, chaotic and yet vulnerable in the best way. Also, who knew I’d have a thing for email & crossword foreplay?

I was slightly disappointed after so much build up and teasing that the spice was mostly fade to black. The last couple chapters also felt slightly rushed but I think that may have been intentional. The whirlwind of drama and chaos is unsettling and leaves us longing for answers that can only come with book 2.

If you like dark gothic academy, grumpy x grumpy, murder-mystery, slow-burn romance then this is for you! I highly recommend you check it out!

・❥・If I could date a book, it would be this one. Then I would marry it and make it my husband 💋

I've gotten slightly bored of my usual review formats so I'm switching it up eventhough I already wrote one for this book. Nightshade by Autumn Woods was a spectacular book and I'm not joking. If you're a fan of books set in creepy elite universities, low spice, pining/angst and secrets upon secrets Nightshade is for you. It wasn't a rom com, it wasn't a dark romance but like it's quite literally my roman empire right now (I may cry don't judge). At first, I won't lie I was a bit weary going into this because the blurb sounded good yet it just felt like a book that sounded great but once I opened it I would just dig up a whole bunch of issues and flat characters (this happens too often). But... it didn't. I was enamoured from the first page and when I was wide awake, starting this at 2am, I thought it might be a mistake but boy I was wrong and in for the yummiest treat.

This book—This man and his banter with our FMC was perfect. The writing too..Fucking perfect, lemme tell you. I'm literally smiling like a goof right now as I type the word 'perfect' because I don't think that word could even comprise how I feel about this book right now. I don't know if I'm happy or sad right now. I don't know if I feel satisfied or screwed over right now. Like I bloody adored the entire thing and consumed it like it was air but now I'm in pain because:

1) they both aren't real
2) book 2 has no release date but is reportedly releasing this year


What is Nightshade about?
Nightshade follows Ophelia Winters who has been gifted a scholarship to attend one of the most prestigious universities in Scotland, Sorrowsong University, A place where all the elite young go— and every once in a while, never come out of. It's been four years since her parent's death in the 'accidental plane crash' and Ophelia is here for answers, for the solution to the cloud of darkness she's been consumed by all this time and she she knows she will find in these corridors but she does not predict meeting Alex Corbeau, son of the American Aviation Tycoon and heir to the aviation business responsible for killing her parents. Avoiding him is her first instinct but soon she discovers that maybe he has the same darkness as her and they aren't so different after all.

The characters— Alex and Ophelia were such comfort POVs. not only were they actually hilarious but also so relatable, especially Ophelia. I found her mind a relatable place, not because of how she grieved, but her at her core, idk why. Ophelia's grief was so visceral, so vividly encapsulated not only through her words but how she percieved everything around her. That tied with her loneliness genuinely made tears form in my eyes. I admired how the author stuck with her cold and aloof personality throughout the book and didn't throw it out of the window for the sake of romance but instead worked with it.

Another reason why I may or may or not have cried is that I will never experience a love like Alex & Ophelia's.

Alex's struggles had more of a focus in the second half of the book I'd say. But it was only at the end, after those events did I get the biggest glimpe and understanding of it. I understand his actions and my heart goes out for him with what he's had to endure and how much stress he has on his shoulders for caring for his schizophrenic mother and 6 younger sisters. But he was such a beautiful person (and hot) I was completely gone for him after the first chapter and I literally have no idea why.

Alex and Ophelia had the most insane chemistry, right off the bat. Their banter was exquisite, french kiss, slap me across the face cause it's so good sorta behaviour. It wasn't cheesy or just lines purely designed for TikTok promotion but actual, screech worthy banter and I want to experience it all over again aaaa. I would let him and Ophelia step on my neck and then kiss their shoes gratefully. Their first encounter, oh my god, can I absorb it into my brain please? It's not fair that they don't exist. It's not fair I won't get an Alex Corbeau. It's not fair I can't be best friends with Ophelia Winters.

I feel like suing the author for the empty hole this book has left in my chest. They were too perfect for eachotherrrr. Their flirting is practically unrivalled and I'll give you one example why: Ophelia loves crosswords and is always doing them. So when Alex flirts with her he literally flirts with her in crossword format.

Exhibit A:
”One down. Seven Letters. First letter O. I’ve had a long day and want her for dinner."

I must confess something— I don't think I figured out any of their puzzles without being told the answer. I promise I'm not dumb but these two made my brain stop functioning because of how much I loved them. They also flirted through emails which I feel like is one of my favourite things ever *crying emoji*.

I do have some criticisms but to be quite frank— my enjoyment of this book supercedes my care for them by farrrr. One thing that could have been used more was the University houses; there were 4: Hemlock, Nightshade, Snakeroot and Cortinar. I feel like these were just for accessory and either were: just not utilised enough/at all or just weren't necessary. The addition of the Mafia was a nice touch... but was it orchestrated in a cool way? IDK, it felt more like a cutesy wattpad mafia when it actually could have been made grander. Like, I loved Vincenzo, but did he give Wattpad vibes? Yes. But he was a cinnamon roll who totally needed more page time, I would have loved to see more of a friendship blossom between him and Ophelia! The murder mystery solving felt like it was on a backseat for a most part, which I don't mind but when it was integrated into the book I feel like there could have been more effort in that area to create higher stakes etc.

The suspense and secrets had me reeling. However I don't think the dangerous stalker had the maximum bone chilling effect on me it should have. Whilst it was seemingly obvious who the culprit was, there were other things that gripped me. At first it did but then it didn't. Everything Ophelia was hiding, that kept me on edge. And it unravelled beautifully. Until it fucking didn't and everything I thought I knew wasn't.

The ending made me crash out and if you're like me it might make you crash out too, so this is a warning. I was reading on the Netgalley shelf app on my tablet and kind of threw it on the floor. (Thankfully I have thick carpet).

This book was a fantastic, spectacular ride that made my day an infinite amount better. The vibes of the school, Ophelia's character, how well both complimented eachother and also the writing. It was so fresh and crisp, I feel like I needed to read every word yet that still wasn't enough. And now... I need to wait for book 2... haha... (Give. Me. Now.)

ೃ⁀➷ 5 stars

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
2 likes

Nightshade by Autumn Woods is book one of a duet in the Sorrowsong University Series. This is a dark academia, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn romance/suspense. Ophelia is attending Sorrowsong for one main reason, to find answers and take down the individuals responsible for her parents’ death. Cain Green, the American airline billionaire tycoon, played a role in their death and Ophelia is horrified to meet his son Alex on her first day at Sorrowsong. This book was spectacular, and I struggled to put it down! It was a fast-paced story with a little bit of everything – stalking, poisoning, murder, deceit with the constant undertones of sexual chemistry and an eventual budding relationship. I was seriously blown away by this novel and cannot wait for part two!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Zando, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone needs to read this immediately. 🚨WARNING🚨 There’s a high chance you might find this predictable and cliché. Honestly, for most of it, I did too! And yet, somehow, Woods managed to keep me hooked. I couldn’t put this down. I think it’s one of those guilty pleasure reads where you know exactly where it’s going, but you’re still having the best time along the way. That said, there were definitely a few twists I didn’t see coming, and I really enjoyed myself!

“Oh… am I actually enjoying this?” That was my exact thought as I got deeper into the book. It starts off very been-there-done-that. Ophelia is the mysterious, gloomy girl, and of course, she meets Alex, the hot, rich, too-cool-for-you guy. Oh, and of course the elite school filled with insanely wealthy kids and their over-the-top connections. Yeah, yeah, I thought I knew where this was going. But then, a certain part of the plot grabbed my attention. Suddenly, there was mystery. And wait… was that angst I was feeling?! Oh, okay, well, now I have to know what happens. Some things did end up feeling a little too convenient, but I’m so glad I stuck with it because things got crazy by the end with some of those reveals.Ophelia Winters, one of the most relatable characters i have read in a while.
abandonment issues? check. trust issues? check. sad-girl & a loner? check. dresses like a 19th century character?(well i don’t obviously but the 99% homeless-looking side of me was thrilled) check. and beneath this persona a girl who craves academic validation and have a strong intelligent personality? check check checkAlex Corbeau-Green, new book boyfriend unlocked!! Ladies, we love men who yearn.
Dry humor? check. Daddy issues? check. Brooding grump yet with a sensitive heart? check. Expert in words of affirmation? check. Act of service? check. Protective & Caring? Check. Can go to any lengths to get the girl he’s pining on? check. Add please when asking for a kiss?(yeah, you read that right) check check checkThe ending? Heartbreaking. Okay i’ve read enough thrillers so i already guessed who the stalker was in the first-half in itself but despite its predictable nature, the last part came out as a genuine surprise to me. I felt the last two chapters were quite rushed when i read but thinking about it now, i understand it was written to make readers confused and all over the place and in way to not give them a moment to think what the fuck did just happened. And it sure did succeed lmao.

Tropes:
☞ Dark Academia
☞ Enemies to Lovers
☞ Mystery & Murder
☞ Low Spice, High tension
☞ Scottish Castle setting
☞ Grumpy x Grumpy
☞ Rugby Player x Swimmer
☞ He falls first
☞ Found Family

If you like dark gothic academia with Hogwarts houses vibes and love reading about two broken characters falling for each other, this book is a perfect pick for you. I can’t recommend this book enough.

I loved this so much!!!! this is just a perfect combo of everything I want in a story.

The highlights of what I adored about this story:
-the setting (college in a creepy Scottish castle),
-the characters - Ophelia and Alex are my babies and I'm obsessed with them
-the storyline (Ophelia trying to destroy Alex's life as revenge for her life falling apart)
-the weird mystery going on in the background
-Alex and Ophelia's texts and emails are everything

Not to mention the YEARNING! And the romance! And Ophelia finally making friends! AAAAAAHHHHHH it's so good.

Murder. Mystery. Mafia-adjacent dark academia. Nightshade is pure goth girl bait and I devoured it like it owed me revenge. Ophelia’s out for answers at an elite university soaked in secrets, and Alex—brooding son of her prime suspect—is the worst person to fall for… which naturally means he’s the only one who gets under her skin. Enemies-to-lovers? Check. Found family? Sort of. A murder alibi turned forbidden romance? Oh, absolutely. Perfect for fans of Gothikana, Maxton Hall, and anyone who whispers “I could fix him but I’d rather ruin him.” Welcome to Sorrowsong. You’re not making it out unscathed.

Wow. This book had me pleasantly surprised. The FMC in this book was HILARIOUS with some of her comebacks! I can’t wait for book 2!

-grumpy x grumpy
-he falls first
-Hate to love
-dark academia

Thank you for the ARC. 🙌✨

I really enjoyed this, it had suspense, mystery and banter-y romance. (Loved the emails)

I would have finished this book faster if life didn’t get in my way.

It was a little predictable, but I ate it up anyways. I was curious how it was going to end since it’s going to be a duet, and I need book 2 now please 🙏. As soon as things were looking to good to be true with the mystery solved and loved found. Bam, heartbreak and a new mystery.
I need to know what happens next for them.

Nightshade by Autumn Woods merges dark academia with romance in an atmospheric tale set against the backdrop of a Scottish castle. This compelling story follows a female protagonist driven by revenge and grappling with an orphan complex, as she becomes entangled with a powerful empire inheritor in a narrative tinged with stalker elements.

The novel expertly weaves in poetry references throughout, adding depth to its dark academic atmosphere. While the romance falls on the lighter side of dark, it maintains enough edge to keep readers invested in the unfolding relationship.

The book successfully delivers an engaging experience that will particularly appeal to readers who enjoy their academia with a gothic twist. With its strong character dynamics and atmospheric setting, Nightshade proves to be a compelling read that leaves readers eagerly anticipating the sequel.

I DEVOURED THIS BOOK

I have been in a bit of a reading slump the majority of 2025 and this book DRAGGED me out of it kicking and screaming.

I was hooked from the first chapter. I loooooved the FMC and the MMC and I felt their characteristics were fleshed out and consistent through the entire book which sometimes can be rare. It really made the book easy to feel immersed in.

The spooky gothic academia vibes were IMMACULATE while still maintain the “modernized” feel. Like they mention social media and not once did it take me out of the story or feel out of place which was astounding.

Like I genuinely don’t have anything negative to say about this book I loved it so much.

THE ENDING HURTSSSSSSSSSS LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME I CANT WAIT FOR BOOK TWO

Thank you so so much Slowburn & Autumn Woods for this early copy I had so much fun reading this book!!!

I had a hard time with this book. I really wanted to get into it, but it was lacking the dark, atmospheric feeling I seek out in dark academia books. I was so excited about this book since a lot of my mutuals have loved this, but it just wasn’t for me.

Nightshade by @autumnwoods.author

Allow me to SCREAM about this book for a moment because it was absolutely addicting perfection! The characters, the university setting, the creepy vibes, all excellent! Alex is the dreamiest, most drool worthy MMC 🤤 and Ophelia is a strong girlie and they are so hot together. I was giggling and kicking my feet several time throughout this book. The one liners and their banter… so good. After that ending, I cannot wait for book 2! 😍

Read if you love:
-dark academia
-mafia vibes
-clue/whodunnit murder mystery/cover ups/stalkers
-creepy Scottish gothic mansion/university
-super sexiness (but not toooo spicy. Hot and tasteful and not at all cringe!)
-depression/mental health rep
-rugby player/swimmer romance

This was exactly as good as I thought it would be! The dark academia vibes and spooky Scottish university setting were immaculate. Alex and Ophelia made me laugh out loud, swoon, giggle, cry. The pacing was perfectly tortuous and I literally could not wait for them to get together. Their relationship was messy and heartbreaking but they were so perfect for one another.

This was such a page turner and the mysteries had me in suspense the whole time. There are stalkers, murders, coverups, oh my. While one of the big reveals wasn’t a huge surprise, the ending was definitely a shock. I cannot freaking wait to read the conclusion of Alex and Ophelia’s story!

Thank you to Zando and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

ARC review, all thoughts are entirely my own.

I was HOOKED from the beginning y’all. I think I read 60% in one day I just couldn’t put this book down, obsessed may summarise how I felt about this!

The premise of this book follows Ophelia, a girl who lost her parents to an accident and she is trying to find out who caused it. In order to do that she went to study at Sorrowsong University - a gothicly described university. Whilst there she meets Alex and I won’t tell you much more - you’ll need to read it to find out as I don’t want to spoil.

I just really loved Alex as a character also (not only because he has rugby player thighs), he had so many layers and so much depth to him and I just need more of him. I will say, I felt the romance between the two rushed when they finally hit it off. My other comment is I would have liked a little more about Ophelia overcoming the traumas she’s been through (therapy or something) especially as a result of some of the things that happened in this book.

I am DYING for the next book, I need it now!! (This did end on a cliffhanger).

4.5⭐️

Oh my! I loved this book so so so much. I’m so thankful I got the opportunity to read it.

Nightshade is a Dark Academia & Romance book. The main character Ophelia goes to this prestigious school to get revenge after her parents death and ends up meeting Alex, the sweetest most caring man EVER.

I have no words. I ate this up. The things that Alex said and did had me swooning and Ophelia is such a strong female character.

I guess the ending has a trope that I don’t enjoy as much and that’s why my rating goes down half a star. But basically I NEED the second book. NOW. Help.