I enjoyed this one and thought it was a unique take on a university-based fantasy book. Fans of Zodiac Academy, Gothikana, and Fourth Wing will likely enjoy this, even though it differs in its own way and does not detract from those stories. The chemistry between the two characters is based on their hate for each other in the beginning, which we all know turns out to be sexy in the end. If you are looking for a romantasy with a side of murder mystery and suspense, this is the one for you!

Read if you like:
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- romantic suspense
- dark academia romance
- Gothikana x ZA
- University setting
- grumpy x grumpy
- murder mystery
- he falls first

Nightshade by Autumn Woods had me in a complete chokehold from the very first chapter. I devoured 78% of the book in one sitting before my 5AM alarm forced me to put it down - otherwise, this would’ve been a one-sitting read, no question.

This is the first book in a planned duology and follows 21-year-old Ophelia, who’s grappling with the grief and mystery surrounding her parents’ murder. Determined to prove their deaths were orchestrated by Cain Green, a powerful American aviation tycoon, she accepts a prestigious scholarship to a renowned university in Scotland. What she doesn’t anticipate? A stalker, falling for the son of her parents’ alleged murderer, and needing an alibi for the murder of her roommate.

Nightshade is a genre-bending gem, part Gothic, part Thriller, part Romance and all blended together flawlessly. While it’s not quite a dark romance, it is a modern-day Gothic Thriller with strong romantic threads. The atmosphere is stunningly immersive, and I was especially obsessed with how the author wove Scottish Gothic architecture into the university setting. The contrast between Ophelia’s humble upbringing and the world of high-society students was handled in a grounded, relatable way.

And the characters? Utter perfection. Even the ones who didn’t survive left a lasting impact. This story delivers serious found family vibes, which is exactly what Ophelia needs after suffering such profound loss - not only were her parents murdered, but their entire existence seems to have been scrubbed from the world. Autumn Woods captures grief and resilience with such raw emotion that it’s impossible not to feel it in your bones.

Ophelia is one of the most compelling heroines I’ve read in a long time. She’s clever, quietly fierce, and deeply loyal. I loved the little details that made her feel real - her love of sudoku, crosswords, biscuits and tea, and her dry, grumpy humor. She’s resilient, heartbroken, and completely unforgettable.

And then there’s Alex Green. I’ve been struggling with some of my latest reads, with the male lead lacks depth, but Alex is a revelation. The son of the man Ophelia believes is behind her parents’ death, Alex is far more than the rich, charming surface he shows. His own trauma runs deep, and watching Ophelia slowly begin to trust him especially as it becomes clear he hates his father even more than she does, if is absolutely captivating. This is the definition of a “he falls first” romance, and Alex’s unwavering devotion to making Ophelia feel safe and cared for had me grinning and sobbing in equal measure.

Was it predictive? Yes. Do I want to read 100 more books exactly like this? Absolutely I do.

And that ENDING? It shattered me. I’m not okay. I need Alex and Ophelia to be happy. I need book two more than I need air!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I picked this one up thinking I was in for a magical academic fantasy. Instead, I ended up reading what felt like a Harry Potter fanfic that got lost on its way to Wattpad. The four "university houses" (and I use that term loosely) were clearly supposed to be a big deal—but they added absolutely nothing to the plot except a weak attempt at world-building.

The romance angle also fell incredibly flat for me. The chemistry between Ophelia and Alex felt forced and rushed, and I never truly bought into the emotional connection that the book was trying to build. Their conversations read less like two university-aged adults and more like overly dramatic high schoolers in a fanfic argument thread. On top of that, the character and setting descriptions were underwhelming. I wanted to be transported and feel immersed, but everything felt a little too surface-level, like the narrative was leaning on familiar tropes instead of carving its own path.

I knew early this one would be a DNF, and yet I held on for way too long, hoping for even a flicker of originality. Unfortunately, I just got a reheated mess of every overused fantasy-romance cliché under the sun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for giving me a copy of this book. I am straight up crazy for Dark Academia, it’s my favorite genre and I just devour it – so I was the MOST excited to get this book. I am half-Scottish, and obviously spent a lot of time there as a child, so I loved that we’re in an eerie Scottish castle, it truly did bring me back. I loved Ophelia and Alex, their slow burn, twisted with a stalker and murder mystery… until, Autumn Woods, Ma’am, what did we do at that ending? Book two, right now. Please and Thank you.

Okay, first of all I read it all in one sitting. I’m always down bad for a gothic setting, and a spooky university is top tier. There were a lot of clichés going on, but I liked them. The push and pull between Ophelia and Alex was so good. I’m still concerned about the not the good kind of stalker situation going on cause it got a little scary. But Alex was so sweet to Ophelia, brb I’m still sobbing about the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

I’m actually obsessed. Why is this book so perfect??? Like, I’m unwell. Fully emotionally attached to these characters and that ending??? Nope. I need book 2 yesterday. There are TOO MANY adorable, soul-crushing quotes and moments in here, it’s unreal.

"Forget dying for her. I'd live for her. I feel like I could overcome all the darkness inside if only it meant I'd get a life in her company in return."

I. AM. NOT. OKAY.

I live for dark academia romances, and the moment this book gave me eerie mysteries and soft, slow-burn love, I knew it was going to be a fave. The banter? Top tier. These two had me actually giggling at every scene together. And the EMAILS?! Comedy gold. I really hope we get more of those in the next one.

Ophelia could be so clueless at times, but honestly? She’s been through so much that I just wanted to jump into the book and shield her from everything. Abandonment issues, trust issues, lonely girl who just wants to be seen and loved? Yeah, she’s officially on my “too real” character list.

Alex was such a pleasant surprise. He actually cared for her. With everything going on in his own world, he never took it out on her,,,,none of that cold, cruel MMC energy. He just genuinely wanted to love her, and I respected that so much. Also, only SIX chapters from his POV out of 29? That feels borderline illegal. I needed more of his thoughts. His voice was so gentle, so full of quiet devotion.

“Ophelia, my love.”
Yes, I melted. Fully.

Ok I'm done now

Oh my god...that cliffhanger is going to plague my every thought for the foreseeable future. Like I'm expected to just carry on with my life as if I'm okay???

I finished this book at like 1:30 AM, and I have not stopped thinking about it. This was one of those books that I felt in my BONES, and it has moved onto my list of infinity star reads.

Romantic suspense + dark academia + quest for revenge + slow burn + hate to love + possibly the best and funniest banter l've ever read + immaculate tension + absolutely
delectable (and tasteful) spice = a recipe for perfection.

The incredibly glorious Alex Corbeau-Green launched himself onto my all-time favorite MMCs list almost immediately. He is the ultimate caretaker, but he wouldn't hesitate to burn down the world for Ophelia. Ophelia—Twist, fish food, sugar—I can't decide if I want to be her or be with her. (Alex is not alone in his love for redheads.) Her personality is so relatable, and she had me laughing constantly.

Obviously, I am obsessed with this book. I regret not picking it up sooner, but I also think I read it at the perfect time. I want to extend the biggest thank you to Slowburn/Zando for sending me a digital copy of this book to read and share my thoughts on before the paperback release on June 24th (my birthday is the day before, so for my gift, I want you all to go buy a copy)!!!

(P.S. I am now on the hunt for all editions of this book, so help a bestie out.)

I really enjoyed this book. I stayed up to read this way too late because I had to know what happened. I love a good revenge based plot and I love an enemies to lovers trope and Nightshade gives this to you in spades. I found the plot twist to be really well done and the cliffhanger will have me thinking about it until the next book in this series comes out. I haven't read a gothic academia book in a long time and this book sucked me in from the very first page. I felt like I could picture myself at Sorrowsong University because of the descriptions the author used. Autumn made this story feel eerie basically the entire story and I ate it up! I cannot wait for the second book and I'm counting down the days until I can learn the answers to the cliffhanger that this story was left on. Overall I really enjoyed this book and was so happy to receive an ARC copy! Thank you for gifting me this book.

Sadly not for me. I found the writing to be immature. It sounded like a person who wanted their writing to feel important. DNF

Apparently, this follows the mob-affiliated students at a university, but these characters feel VERY high school to me. And it's a pretty dark book, content-wise, so that's weird.

I think the characters are just really childish and that's why they come across as quite high school feeling. The communication issues are horrendous and quite annoying (and repetitive), and the relationship building didn't really have any building to it. It just happened all of a sudden and everyone was like "okay, we're a thing now." It was very weird.

Both the pacing of the relationship and the actual story was very strange and choppy as well. And the mystery reveal was quite predictable too.

I really really wanted to love this, I've been craving another mafia/university story for a while now. This, sadly, did not hit the mark for me though.

This just wasn't for me. I can see a lot of people enjoying this though! I think my tastes just don't match up with this story, stylistically.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Okay, it's been two days since I read this book and I am still thinking about that ending. I don't think I've ever ventured into the world of dark academia that did not have a fantasy component but this was a perfect intro into it. I loved the way the enemies to lovers unfurled, and the amount of time and devotion that was put into making that transition. But this book, while every minute was captivating was all about that last 25%. This had me on the edge of my seat trying to piece together the puzzle, and just when you think you've figured it out...THAT ENDING.

I am so glad I saw the fan art of this book and requested it on NetGalley, Autumn Woods, I need book two!!!

OH THIS DID NOT JUST END THE WAY IT DID.

A short summary of my thoughts reading this book: Okay, I like the vibes. Alex is hot. That roomie is a biotch. Aw, poor Ophelia. OMG, heated banter - we love, ahh I'm not fully invested yet, Vincenzo is FUN *wink, love that tension still, okay what's going on, omg WHAT IS GOING ON, I AM INVESTED, I AN INVESTED, OMG THE SLOW BURN, OMG YES, OMG I LOVE. OMG HOW TF IT GONNA END LIKE THAT???

This book took me for a ride.

Storyline: A+
Characters: A+
Banter and Tension: A+
Suspense and Mystery: A+
CLIFFHANGER: A+ (well, really an F, cause I'm mad)
The book: A+

I love a good dark academia romance and this served. At first, I was just vibing and letting the book do its' thing. I wasn't initially hooked but when I got hooked, I GOT HOOKED.

Alex and Ophelia are star-crossed lovers in the darkest way. Two people who feel so deeply and so darkly but see the good in each other. They need each other. I loved their personalties and their overall character development *wink *wink...iykyk

I loved how different they are yet they are one in the same. I admire both of them for their strengths and all they've been through. The slow burn of their feelings and intimate moments were worth every moment of waiting.

Just when you think you know what's going on, Mrs. Autumn Woods was like "ahhhhh jk"

I was truly at the edge of my seat and eating up every second of this book.

I seriously need book two like NOW, PRONTO. The aesthetic of this book are 🔥 The vibes of this book are 👌 My feelings of this book are 😩😍

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!
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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.