4.5!
Dark Academia isn't usually a favourite of mine but Nightshade was so a pleasure to read.

I found it a little tricky to get into at first but the character development and relationship between Ophelia and Alex sucked me in and kept me rooting for them. I loved how the tone of Autumns writing matched the mood/weather/overall feel of the book so consistently.

Nightshade is spooky, suspenseful, emotional, and fast paced!
Excited to have it in store and see what comes next from Autumn, Alex and Ophelia!

Thank you for this advanced read to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.
A soft dnf/pause for now, so the middle rating, I don't feel anything else would be fair. I am definitely in the minority here but this one just didn't click with me, could be the reading slump or simply I am not into dark academia in general. This was probably my best attempt with the subgenre yet. The characters were interesting and the tone/atmosphere were right and combined mystery and wit well.
I think my biggest issue was that the beginning was abrupt and a lot of background felt missing. In general I think it needs better flow and transitions so that the plot moves more organically and we feel tension and urgency.
But overall I think it would be a great read for people who like dark academia/mafia/university romances and I am glad that I had the chance to try it.