Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book.
As soon as i received the arc, I had to stop everything and read this. Just based on the summary, I had a feeling I would enjoy. And I was right. This was so good. The past is incredibly fast as the story is taking place over less than a week. Eva is such a nice character. She’s smart, determined and focused on her goal. This is a murder mystery set during the interview week at Oxford. Eva and George are trying to get in Beecham college to study English and classics. Suddenly, George gets killed and Eva is trying to find the killer. Honestly, I had no idea who the killer was until the reveal. The investigation was really well done and engaging. It kept me on my toes all throughout the book.
If you loved a good girl’s guide to murder, I think you will love this book.

I was so excited when this became available on NetGalley! Despite it not coming out until 2026 I had to put it at the front of my list and ended up devouring it the day I started reading it. It was well worth it to put off some other books as I really enjoyed the experience.

This book has all of my favorite things: YA, dark academia, British location, thriller and secret societies! Those themes were masterfully weaved together into an engaging tale that had many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

I enjoyed the representation that took place and handling of racism and bigotry that can so often plague colleges that are typically old stage white institutions. While the college at Oxford that was in the book was fictional, it did have a lot of facets from colleges that exist and thrive today.

Another aspect that I enjoyed is while you have an older teen taking it upon herself to investigate a situation, she didn’t have a completely absent parent that allowed her to go off and do ridiculous things. He remained appropriately (for a YA thriller) present and also the skills he taught her set the groundwork for her actions in making them believable.

This book doesn’t come out until January 13, 2026 and I enjoyed it enough that I’ll be looking forward to acquiring the audiobook to see how it translates. So stay tuned for an update!
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from St Martins Press through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC or eARC from through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

Oxford Blood is a razor-sharp blend of dark academia, murder mystery, and biting social commentary, and I was utterly hooked from page one. Rachael Davis Featherstone plunges us into the elite, intimidating halls of Beecham College at Oxford through the eyes of Eva—brilliant, determined, and up against a system built to exclude her.

What begins as a week of high-stakes interviews and intellectual competition quickly spirals into a chilling whodunit when a murder disrupts the already-pressurized atmosphere. Eva’s fight for her future is suddenly tangled in secrets, class divides, and a need for justice more personal than she lets on.

The setting? Perfectly atmospheric. Think cobblestone cloisters, whispered rivalries, and candlelit libraries, all soaked in tension. The mystery? Riveting. Even when I guessed the killer, I couldn’t stop reading, heart racing as the last chapters unraveled with furious urgency.

Eva’s voice is smart and compelling, especially with her love for literature echoing through the narrative. Her passion for English made the literary clues and themes even more satisfying. The book’s commentary on class, race, and elitism is threaded seamlessly into the story, never preachy, always poignant.

I do wish the romance hadn’t taken up quite so much space in the early chapters, it didn’t serve the core mystery and slowed things a bit. But thankfully, that thread burned out quickly (sorry, George), allowing the real story to shine.

Truly, Oxford Blood is the kind of book I finish and immediately want to reread. It’s immersive, razor-edged, and wildly satisfying. Rachael Davis Featherstone has arrived, and I’m already marking her down as an auto-buy author.

Who Should Read It?
-Dark academia with substance
-Murder mysteries at elite universities
-Class and race critique wrapped in gripping suspense

Final Verdict
Oxford Blood is dark, brilliant, and impossible to put down. With a tense mystery, sharp social insight, and an unforgettable heroine, it’s everything I want from a dark academia thriller and more. This is one of my top reads of the year. An easy 5 stars.

Grateful to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Rachael Davis Featherstone for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

One word. Devoured. I was so excited when I received this arc. I finished it in a day. Highly recommended

I literally canceled a doctors appointment because I NEEDED to read this till the end. I’m so jealous of people who get to experience this for the first time! I will definitely be buying a hard copy

Oxford Blood delivers the YA “dark‑academia” hit promised by its pitch—Ace of Spades meets The Secret History—with fresh stakes and a heroine to root for. Eva, a state‑school bookworm, finally reaches Oxford’s fabled interview week, only to watch her best friend die on the college steps. An anonymous forum called Oxford Slays turns the competition into a blood sport, and Eva has seven days to clear her name, crack the killer and still ace her interviews.

What I loved: (1) Atmosphere that bites. Cobblestone quads, candle‑lit libraries and whisper networks of privilege create the perfect locked‑campus pressure cooker. (2) Sophisticated social critique: Classism and racism aren’t window dressing; they drive motive and tension.
(3) Whip‑smart pacing. The action spans a single week, and Davis‑Featherstone dishes twists every few chapters—no saggy middle.

Slick, angry and compulsively readable, Oxford Blood is more than a murder mystery; it’s a scalpel taken to elitism. If you like your campus thrillers with moral bite—and can stomach a body count during interview week—you will love it! Overall, I reallty enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this writer!

From the moment I began reading Oxford Blood, I was completely immersed in Rachael Davis‑Featherstone’s atmospheric and intelligent debut. Set within the hallowed yet claustrophobic walls of a fictional Oxford college, this novel brilliantly blends dark academia themes with a compelling murder mystery, social insight, and unforgettable characters.

At its heart is Eva, a fiercely determined and sharp-witted young woman dreaming of studying English at Oxford—a dream that stands for freedom, ambition, and escape. When her best friend George is found dead during Interview Week, Eva finds herself not only under suspicion but immersed in a high-stakes hunt for truth.

What sets this novel apart is the seamless weaving of cultural commentary into a riveting storyline. The secret student forum Oxford Slays introduces a chilling element of surveillance and peer scrutiny, amplifying the sense of competition, privilege, and exclusion under which Eva must operate.

The pacing is relentless. Despite the story unfolding over just one week, every chapter bursts with urgency, revelations, and emotion. Even when I thought I had the killer figured out, the shocking final twist left me breathless.

Eva’s voice is a standout—a blend of academic passion, emotional vulnerability, and steely resolve. Her pursuit of justice and belonging is deeply personal and powerfully relatable.

While the early romantic subplot with George felt a bit tangential to the core mystery—slightly slowing momentum—it quickly fades into the background, allowing the plot’s real tension to shine.

Oxford Blood was such a great book. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to stop. It was very engaging, and a joy to read.

I find myself already wanting more. I want to know how the future plays out for all of them returning in the fall.

Oxford Blood gives me a feeling of suffocation and tension like being locked in a closed box with potential enemies. Eva represents the innocent dreams of youth but the very environment she longs for becomes a deadly trap. I felt the bitter irony as Eva had to "prove her innocence" in an environment that was rotten from within. A week to save both her future and her reputation - this is a story of survival in an education system that has turned into a brutal arena. The work exposing the dark side of the culture of achievement and I was captivated from beginning to end of this book.

Excellent murder mystery novel. The main character had such depth to her and when reading it was like you were standing next to her. She is a detectives daughter and you can tell because she can see tiny details in everything. She was the one who solved the murder. She was the one who never stopped til she knew the truth. And the ending was amazing. Perfect twist that you didn’t expect and finding out how the past effects the present is always a fun read.