These Dreaming Spires: A Dark Academia Anthology

by Marie O'Regan (editor), Paul Kane (editor), Olivie Blake

A NEW SEMESTER BEGINS

A beguiling, sinister collection of 12 more dark academia short stories from masters of the genre, including Olivie Blake, Genevieve Cogman, MK Lobb and more!

Twelve original dark academia stories from bestselling thriller writers – imagine darkened libraries, exclusive elite schools, looming Gothic towers, charismatic professors, illicit affairs, the tang of autumn in the air… and the rivalries and obsessions that lead to murder.

Featuring stories
Olivie Blake
Genevieve Cogman
Ariel Djanikian
Elspeth Wilson
MK Lobb
Jamison Shea
Kate Alice Marshall
Erica Waters
De Elizabeth
Taylor Grothe
Kit Mayquist
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Genres: Dark Academia, Short Stories, Fantasy, Horror, Anthologies, Adult, Fiction

368 pages, Hardcover

Published September 2, 2025

Reviews

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the introduction, the curators expressed the want to further explore the dark academia subgenre and take it to lengths it hasn't been before. And that they did.
In These Hallowed Halls we have a wide variety of short stories, varying from your run-of-the-mill suspicious murder in an academic setting to a university entirely operated in people's brains, on a metaphysical plane. It also focuses a lot on magic, be it dragons, magic books or other dimensions. In short stories collections it's important to have range, and I feel like they found the soft spot here, where all stories are different but not so much that you feel like they don't belong here.
The highlight for me is Olivie Blake's story. I am a fan so this is very biased, but I just think it was the strongest one. I must say the beginning is more hard-hitting, towards the end I started to feel like I had enough, but by then it was almost over, so this was a good length.
This is a must read for everyone that loves dark academia. I ended up with a list of new authors to check out too, which is always good.

Thank you Titan Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

[Rina | Worldsbetweenpages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Titan Books for the arc! This might be my favorite anthology ever! There wasn’t one story I didn’t like!

A quick summary of all the stories:

🥈Tallow‘s Cove: 5/5
* Chronic illness
* Haunted abandoned chapel
* Academic researcher fmc
I loved it, wished it would be a full length novel!

Utilities: 4/5
* Virtual reality university
* Artificial intelligence studies
* sci-fi horror
Couldn’t happen to me, I would be way to stupid for that university.

Destroying Angel: 4/5
* doppelgänger
* book of evil spells
* Unhinged mmc
The mmc has some seeerious problems!

Within the Loch 3/5
* Women‘ college
* Missing student
* Rituals
I liked the setting, but the pacing felt too slow for a short story.

Advanced Dissection 3,5/5
* Human experiments
* Unethical science
* Dystopian feeling
So gory!

🥉Good, Needy, Enough with the Screaming 5/5
* Asylum
* Summoning demons
* Portals
I loved the fmc! So typical for Olivie Blake.

🥈Poisoned Pawn 5/5
* Chess tournament
* Friends to lovers turned rivals
* Brain enhancing pills
Sooo good, right up my alley!

Open Book 4,5/5
* Archivist of books
* Grimoires
* Rival students
I would’ve been satisfied even if we only followed the archivist to work.

A Short List of Impossible Things 3/5
* Scholar of the impossible
* Letters
* Grief
The worldbuilding is so intriguing!

The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier 4,5/5
* Hell
* Ways to save the soul
* Expert on deification
So so good!

The Coventry School for the Arts 3/5
* Hauntings
* Art teacher
* Dysfunctional families
Loved the ghosts, would have loved it even more, if the unsettling paintings would’ve been included more.

🥇The Magpies 5/5
* Stolen magic
* Multiple worlds
* Power hungry fmc
I loved the magic system! I would definitely read a full length novel about it!

[Brend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, most of these fell flat and boring
But Ariel Djanikian's one was a 5 for me so that's why I'm not giving this whole thing a 2

[Kimberly (kimberly_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this collection of short stories and would love to read more works from the authors included! The three standout stories for me personally were:

Advanced Dissection by Taylor Grothe
Poisoned Pawn by De Elizabeth
The Magpies by Kate Alice Marshall

I really liked that this anthology was centered around dark academia and will be searching for more stories that contain the subject matter!!

[milliereadsalot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this anthology fell flat for me (as anthologies unfortunately seem to do for me) but there were a few standouts! Here are my brief thoughts on each story:

Tallow's Cove by Erica Waters - 4 stars
Intriguing, and I liked the ending, but it didn't captivate me throughout.

Utilities by Genevieve Cogman - 3 stars
Very confusing but I really liked the ending.

Destroying Angel by Jamison Shea - 2 stars
Very weird and disturbing, and it didn't really do anything? Selfcest is not for me.

Within the Loch by Elspeth Wilson - 2.5 stars
I feel like this should've been right up my alley, but I just found it confusing and it didn't feel like it had any impact on me.

Advanced Dissection by Taylor Grothe - 3.5 stars
I liked this one! The ending, not so much, but for the majority, this was creeping me out and felt very unique.

God, Needy, Enough with the Screaming by Olivie Blake - 5 stars
Olivie Blake you need to make this into a full length novel because what the hell!!! So good and creepy and twisted!

Poisoned Pawn by de Elizabeth - 4 stars
I feel like this could have had a much better ending but I was invested, I liked the chess setting and the reveals.

Open Book by Kit Mayquist - 2 stars
Boring! It didn't do anything, although I loved the premise

A Short List of Impossible Things by Faridah Abike-Iyimide - 4 stars
I really liked this! Very sad, dealt with grief really well, I loved the form of letters telling the story. Beautiful!

The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier by MK Lobb - 3 stars
This really felt like it was going somewhere... and then it just didn't.

The Coventry School for the Arts by Ariel Djanikian - 4 stars
I really liked this! Haunting and honestly quite sad. It was mysterious and intriguing, I'm just not sold on the ending.

The Magpies by Kate Alice Marshall - 3 stars
I love the concept but the execution didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Brittany Kilinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

2.84 average rating, rating 5 stars on goodreads for The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier. Clearly I need to finally read M.K. Lobb’s backlist!
Tallow’s Cove by Erica Waters: 2 stars
Utilities by Genevieve Cogman: 3.5 stars
Destroying Angel by Jamison Shea: 2 stars
Within the Loch by Elspeth Wilson: 1 star
Advanced Dissection by Taylor Grothe: 4 stars
God, Needy, Enough with the Screaming by Olivie Blake: 3 stars
Poisoned Pawn by De Elizabeth: 4.5 stars
Open Book by Kit Mayquist: 3.75 stars
A Short List of Impossible Things by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé: 3.5 stars
The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier by M.K. Lobb: 5 stars
The Coventry School for the Arts by Ariel Djanikian: 1 star
The Magpies by Kate Alice Marshall: 2 stars

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Dreaming Spires is a dark academia anthology consisting of 12 short stories from a list of bestselling authors that includes Olivie Blake, Genevieve Cogman, Kate Alice Marshall, and many more.

I'm not one for short stories, but I do think dark academia stories work quite well in this format, and found myself enjoying most of the stories in this one! I was a little worried going in that the stories would get repetitive but many facets of dark academia were explored, and kept it super interesting.

Now I'm just waiting for more reviews to pop up so I can figure out what on earth was going on in that Olivie Blake story 😅

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Morgan Wheeler]

There’s a second one???? I’m sat and ready for class 📚 🩸

[Harry Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

These Dreaming Spires is an anthology of 12 short stories all based in the realm of dark academia. There are touches of urban fantasy, horror, magical realism, and sci fi amongst other genres woven into the dark academia throughout the anthology and it is a great mix of interesting reads.

Out of the 12 there were 4 I didn’t really enjoy a great deal, 4 that were good, and 4 that I loved. Tallow’s Cove, Poisoned Pawn, A Short List of Impossible Things, and The Magpies in particular all stood out to me for different reasons.

Tallow’s Cove was one of those stories that just stuck in my mind afterwards. The somewhat supernatural obsession and captivation, the teases of a deeper level to it, the touch of cyclical death. It just immediately staked a place in my head and was a fantastic way to start off the anthology. It gave me some Piranesi vibes and I am a HUGE Piranesi fan!

Poisoned Pawn felt slightly more YA in tone and digs into the academia themes of stress and pressure that comes from being a high achiever and the struggle to balance studies and intellectual pursuits with relationships. Everyone has had someone in their life who meant a lot to them and disappeared from it, it changes you, and bumping into them again after a long time would be stressful and push you to your mental limits.

A Short List of Impossible Things is an epistolary novel writing letters to their beloved from their adventures researching impossible things. I was engrossed the whole way through, this is the only story that challenged Tallow’s Cove for the top spot for me. It is wonderful and the very small amount of world building we get left me so intrigued and wanting to discover more, however it definitely works better in this format so that desire I am happy to leave unfulfilled. It leaves things to the imagination but does enough to allow your imagination to flourish.

The Magpies is a bit darker and gorier than the others and leans into some body horror, which isn’t usually my thing, but on this occasion I was hooked. It looks into alternative realms that are incomprehensible to humans, the burning desire for academics to uncover the incomprehensible, and why some things maybe are incomprehensible for a reason. This felt very Lovecraftian to me and is absolutely something I could see in one of his stories!

[bie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked it way more than in these hallowed halls! it felt more coherent, more atmospheric, and intentional, overall.

the editors said in the introduction that they wanted to push the boundaries of dark academia and i believe they managed to do it really nicely here.

(check my reading activity for short reviews for each story, if ya wanna!☝🏻🙂‍↕️)

[Faye Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Dreaming Spires is an anthology of 12 dark academia short stories. It opens with an introduction explaining that while the collection does include some stories which are more traditional dark academia, they have intentionally pushed the boundary of what constitutes dark academia, and have included innovative examples of dark academia which push into other subgenres. I definitely feel this in the stories - some mash up dark academia with different subgenres that you might not expect, and it definitely feels like the authors had fun with them! It's a really varied collection because of all the genre hybrids.

Normally with anthologies, I say that not all of the stories will work for all readers but that there'll be something for everyone. But with These Dreaming Spires, every single one of these short stories was 4 or 5 stars for me. Quite a few are gory, disturbing, and creepy. Some are really creative - I never would have imagined dark academia within a Virtual Reality university! It's just an amazing collection by fantastic authors!

"Get ready to go to the top of the class, people, because a brand new term is about to begin..." - Introduction by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from Titan Books and NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely read anthologies, but this one I really enjoyed.

These Dreaming Spires start with a disclaimer from editors – in these anthology they're trying to move the strict genre borders that the readers expect from dark academia stories. And for me, that was a huge incentive to read this book. Dark academia can unfortunately be repetitive, so it's a perfect book if you're looking for fresh takes on the genre.

And the authors deliver. We have some excellent stories here that I would love to read more of. There are ghosts, damned books, personal hells, secrets and, of course, magic.
All of them are of course, revolve around universities or schools of different kinds. The characters are quite diverse, and I was pleasantly suprised by how many of them were queer.

Overall, I really enjoyed these stories, and will definitely check out other books by some of the authors.
If you like reading short stories and enjoy dark academia vibes, then I can highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book.

[ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

- “Tallow’s End” by Eric a Waters — 4★
- “Utilities” by Genevieve Cogman — 4★
- “Destroying Angel” by Jamison Shea — 2.75★
- “Within the Loch” by Elspeth Wilson — 3.75★
- “Advanced Dissection” by Taylor Grothe — 5★
- “God, Needy, Enough with the Screaming” by Olivie Blake — 3.75★
- “Poisoned Pawn” by De Elizabeth — 5★
- “Open Book” by Kit Mayquist — 5★
- “A Short List of Impossible Things” by Faridah Abike-Iyimide — 5★
- “The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier” by MK Lobb — 5★
- “The Coventry School for the Arts” by Ariel Djanikian — 4★
- “The Magpies” by Kate Alice Marshall — 4.5★

average grade: 4.31 (rounded down to 4.25, will show up here as 4)

[Kaja Makowska · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a travesty. Not a single short story in this anthology is dark academia, that's for starters. There are two good short stories, the rest is boring, unnecessary and, frankly, sometimes gross. A Short List of Impossible Things by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is the best, followed by God, Needy, Enough with the Screaming by Olivie Blake. I can't believe this is such a miss for me. I adored previous anthologies by these editors and now I'm unsure about picking up their next books. We'll see.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[s]

Only read

God, Needy, Enough With The Screaming by Olivie Blake: 3/5

Poisoned Pawn by De Elizabeth: 3.5/5

Tallow’s Cove by Erica Waters: 2/5

The Magpies by Kate Alice Marshall: 2.5/5

Open Book by Kit Mayquist: 3/5

The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier by M.K. Lobb: 3/5

[Femke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for Olivie Blake, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and M.K. Lobb only. The rest of the stories were mediocre at best.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

These Dreaming Spires is a set of twelve dark academia stories with a wide range of themes, voices, and sub-genres to explore.

With twelve different authors creating stories for this anthology, readers are taken on a journey that feels like a rollercoaster (in the best way possible). Some stories stay within the range of what is typical for dark academia--think moody libraries and dangerous projects--while other stories toss tradition to the side and take readers on a completely new journey. Though no matter how close they stayed to the most common interpretation of dark academia, each story was wholly unique.

While reading, I found a few stories that stood out among the rest for me. Five, to be exact. In chronological order (as they're all too good for me to rank them):

-Utilities by Genevieve Cogman: Set in a virtual university, this story takes readers on a journey in a world of coding and virtual reality. This was my first time reading a dark academia story that took on sci-fi, and I loved it. The virtual setting was also paired with a wildly good twist and an ending that wrapped the story up perfectly.

-Advanced Dissection by Taylor Grothe: This story's sharp teeth rip through the pages and plunge straight into the heart of the reader. Complete with gore, girls in love, and unethical science, the story reminds us why it's called dark academia. The women are allowed to be angry and violent and all the horrible things they please. It also has a focus on the science side of academia, specifically dissection, that you don't always see. It's dark and emotional, and it is so addictive. With its explorations of power and love in a truly dark setting, this one stands out among a crowd.

-God, Needy, Enough with the Screaming by Olivie Blake: With a writing style as unique and a voice as clear as Olivie Blake's, this story shines through the pages and calls readers into its dark embrace. I haven't read an Olivie Blake book yet, but this story just confirms that I need to. This is definitely one of the stories that pushes the boundaries of dark academia. Blake writes without fear, giving readers a story they can't find anywhere else. This has demons and dark magic and love surrounded by, and perhaps built upon, madness. Though it is a short story, it feels like so much more. Even with an abrupt ending, it still feels so satisfying.

-Poisoned Pawn by De Elizabeth: This was the third story in a row that I would give five stars. It's filled with chess, a deep desire to succeed, and past loves. This one also felt like a story that focused on the dark part of dark academia. It's not afraid to explore betrayal and pain and violence. I was almost in tears at one point during this one. Elizabeth has a method of storytelling that is determined to make itself seen. With the unique abilities and dynamics within this story, it was easily one of the most memorable of this anthology.

-The Coventry School for the Arts by Ariel Djanikian: A lot of the thoughts I have about this story go into spoiler territory, so I will have to keep it brief. This story will capture readers with an exploration of complex family dynamics and an art school by a river with a dark history. One of the most incredible elements of this story was the twist, and how the story continued after it. I wish I could come on here and scream about how wonderful this was in the last half, especially, but all I can say is that readers will be in awe of how great the reveal and ending of this story are once they read it.

While there were some stories I didn't love, it's easy to see the appeal in each and every story. There's not a single poorly written story within the entire anthology. This is not only perfect for dark academia lovers, but it's great for people who are new to it as well. With twelve uniquely wonderful stories, this is a great place for people to get a taste of different takes on dark academia. Readers will be introduced to authors they may not have known or read from before that they can now fall in love with. Whether you're looking for a candle-lit library or a blood-soaked science lab, you can find a story (or several) in this anthology that you'll never forget.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked how this anthology explored dark academia outside of what we typically see nowadays (magical academies and such) and focused on not just the supernatural, but the psychological aspect of being haunted by something or someone; plus, dips into horror subgenres. it did get stronger as you flipped through the stories and, i will say, there were epic highs and lows (yes, i’m quoting riverdale to say it was a mixed bag).

here are my top 3, in no particular order: “god, needy enough with the screaming,” “poisoned pawn,” and “the coventry school for arts”

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for SFFWorld:

Last year I reviewed These Hallowed Halls, an anthology that delved into the world of Dark Academia. (“Think Harry Potter, but for grown-ups”, I was told by one fan.) As one of the themes that are very popular at the moment, I was not surprised to see it do very well. I said in my review that “If you are a fan already, I think you’ll love it, or if you’re looking for somewhere to start, to try the subgenre, I can think of nowhere better at the moment.”

With this in mind then, we now have a second anthology. This time around we have 12 stories continuing to deal with things dark, nasty and creepy in the halls, bedrooms, canteens and libraries of academia – just in time for a new term. (Anybody would think these things were planned, wouldn’t they?)

I always think that if a story collection is to succeed, then the first story is paramount, setting the scene for what is to follow.  With this in mind, then Tallow’s Cove by Erica Waters is a good start. I felt like this coastal college with a deserted church was real; it gave me a touch of the M R James.

For contrast, Utilities by Genevieve Cogman is a science-fictional tale where students live and study in a virtual college. Nicely done on the whole, although I found that the ending was a little weak.

Destroying Angel by Jamison Shea involves a magic book, doppelgangers and a lone outsider expelled from university. A revenge tale, which was quite icky in places (although not the ickiest in the collection – more later.) and as a result has trigger warnings at the beginning of the story. Also has sex scenes.

Within The Loch by Elspeth Wilson is a story of a school in decline and its odd relationship with its nearby loch – or rather what is in the loch. A nice folk-horror story, with an element of nostalgic “Goodbye Mr. Chips” embedded within it.

Advanced Dissection by Taylor Grothe, as the title suggests, involves a degree of body horror and is the ickiest story in the collection in my opinion. Involves werewolves and body dissection and therefore understandably also has trigger warnings from the start.

God, Needy, Enough With The Screaming by Olivie Blake. Olivie is a big name in the genre at present, and I suspect her name on the cover will sell many copies of this anthology, although I was a little disappointed by this one. Seraphina Fenwick is in a mental institution, for reasons that become apparent as the story progresses. A touch of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest here, as Seraphina interacts with her surrounding fellow patients and the reason for her incarceration is revealed. It’s an odd tale, deliberately unsettling, but not one that I thought was entirely successful.

Poisoned Pawn by De Elizabeth is about championship chess and the tumultuous relationship between two ex-lovers. I really liked this one – it involves the desire to succeed, whatever the cost. If you liked Walter Tevis’s The Queen’s Gambit, I think you’ll like this one.

Open Book by Kit Mayquist is a story that tells us of an archivist and his relationship with a student who is obsessed with a particular book. Solid – I felt that I should have liked this one more than I did.

A Short List of Impossible Things by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is the story that I liked least in the anthology. Isadora Lex writes letters to Artemis, telling him of her thesis research. Perhaps it was meant to be, but I found Isadora really, really annoying, as in whiny and shallow. Where some may see the character as whimsical, I found her irritating. The twist in the tale to conclude things was a major “Huh?” moment for me. I guess every collection should have at least one story a reader dislikes, and this was the weakest story for me by far.

The Harrowing of Lucas Mortimer by M. K. Lobb involves young Lucas, a student affected by the appearance of a strange woman. With references to Dante’s Inferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost, this one deals with redemption, horror and the consequences of events in Lucas’s past.

The Coventry School for the Arts (how many of these stories set in America have British names?) by Ariel Djanikian tells of a young girl forced to live with her emotionally distant father at an Art School, where he teaches as an artist. One of those stories where things are not what they seem to be, a reminder that sins of the past will need paying for in the end.

Lastly, The Magpies by Kate Alice Marshall is a story where two girls open a portal to another world with grave consequences. Touching on Lovecraftian cosmic horror, I found that this story rounded the collection off nicely.

All in all, These Dreaming Spires shows you that the sub-genre still has ideas to give. Folk horror, cosmic horror, body horror, stories set in the past, present and future, and showcasing a pleasing number of new-to-me authors, the collection is engaging, varied and diverse enough to cover a range of stories that should again satisfy any fan of the genre, evoking images of academia and student life that will resonate with dark academia fans (dark academics?)

If I had any niggles, I will say that I didn’t think that this book was quite as strong nor as varied as the first. I can’t think of any stories I disliked in These Hallowed Halls, whereas this time around.. well, you can’t win every one. (Having said that, I rather expect story collections from different authors to be a mixed bag.)

As a general rule of thumb, if there are more hits than misses, then I count that as a win. And in this regard, These Dreaming Spires is most definitely a win. Based on this anthology, there’s more stories to be told in the future.

[Nadine WM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like a breath of fresh air after having read a couple of hit & miss books. Autumn is for Dark Academia, and what better way to start than with this? I think I liked this much better than the first anthology, but I am a DA girlie by heart, so I may be biased anyways. Some of these were better than others, but that’s probably both down to the fact that it’s a collection of stories as well as personal preference

-

Those places had indeed been haunted, but not by any actual spirits, merely the reverberation of ordinary, banal human evil.

-

The sense of time stretching out for thousands of years, an unbroken chain of people striving for something beyond themselves.

-

I hadn’t thought destruction was capable of beauty, but slow destruction – the slow unmaking of human effort through nature’s inexorable means? It took my breath away.

-

I’m a cautionary tale, having been seduced by power, let it be known that the seduction was all mine. The great book didn’t seduce me; I seduced it.

Deep down, I am both – rotten and god-like in equal measure.

-

I’m in love with humanity, enamored with our capabilities and most deeply with our flaws. It is my most enduring fixation.

-

She looks at herself like she is seeing her own ghost, except inverted, like there’s a chance she could go back over her life and smooth it out like a crinkled piece of paper.

-

Madness is very much in the mind of the beholder.

-

“So you believe you are sane,” she said, “and yet you don’t see your sanity as an obstacle?”

-

“Everything destroys us,” he answered. “That’s all the world does. Unless you learn to conquer it first.”

-

The danger isn’t in the book. It never was. It’s in people. It’s in what they’re willing to do to each other to feel important.

-

It begs the question, much like the idea of impossibility at all, is something only impossible if no being has ever set eyes on it? Can it only exist if someone were to touch it, as if to confirm it is not the derivative of hallucinatory desires? Does something have to be seen to exist? Or is wishing for it enough?

-

Every system of belief starts and ends as a story. It’s up to us to decide which we think are true.

What could be more sinful than claiming to know better than God? He did just that, and he paid the price. He tastes divine justice like blood in his mouth.

-

Humanity’s basest nature is one of violence.

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The secrets we study are dangerous. Not just the knowledge but the knowing.

-

To claim the one power mankind has always sought and never achieved. The power to conquer death itself.

You have chased after the end of death but found only its certainty.

[M. K. French · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Dreaming Spires is a collection of twelve dark academia stories by Olivie Blake, Genevieve Cogman, Ariel Djanikian, Elspeth Wilson, MK Lobb, Jamison Shea, Kate Alice Marshall, Erica Waters, De Elizabeth, Taylor Grothe, Kit Mayquist, and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. It's no accident if you recognize these names, since this is a topic they do very well.

This isn't the first dark academia short story collection that Titan published (that was In These Hallowed Halls), so the challenge was to innovate on the theme. We open with "Tallow's Cove" by Erica Waters, featuring a chapel incorporated into a university. Lana investigates hauntings and has been studying to be a priest, and doesn't quite understand what she finds. That part definitely follows through in other stories of this collection. Data collection, research, and ethics are always a consideration in academia. That's no different in these stories. "Destroying Angel" by Jamison Shea has additional warnings prior to its start, reminding me of Evie Carnahan's innocent comment from the first Mummy movie: "Nothing bad ever came from reading a book."

One of the stories that really stuck with me was Genevieve Cogman's "Utilities," the second in this collection, which starts out as dry academia and swiftly turns into horror. M. K. Lobb's "The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier" and "The Magpies" by Alice Marshall are two other stories that linger and shock, and I reread them immediately after finishing them to really absorb them. Sometimes it's not a book, but a haunting or the trials that staff manage to put their students through. These universities search for knowledge, and ordinary ethics are ignored. Learn from their warnings if you can

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Dreaming Spires - edited by Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is an anthology of dark academia, which is a follow up from ‘These Hallowed Halls’. These Dreaming Spires is equally atmospheric and chilling but takes a slight divergence from hallowed by having more magic and science, offering alternative perspectives and interpretations of dark academia.

I think my highlights were Destroying Angel and God, Needy, Enough With The Screaming for the dark magical realism, as well as Poisoned Pawn for the chess and strategy. I also enjoyed Utilities where the story plays out in a simulation and A Short List of Impossible things for the fantasy.

Overall a great collection. Looking forward to the next dark academia collection (👀🤞🙏) Individual ratings below 👇

Tallows Cove - Erica Waters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Utilities - Genevieve Cogman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Destroying Angel - Jamison Shea
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Within the Loch - Elspeth Wilson
⭐️⭐️

Advanced Dissection - Taylor Grothe
⭐️⭐️

God, Needy, Enough With The Screaming - Olivie Blake
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Poisoned Pawn - De Elizabeth
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Open Book - Kit Mayquist
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A Short List of Impossible Things - faridah àbíké-íyímídé
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The Harrowing of Lucas Mortier - M. K. Lobb
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The Coventry School for the Arts - Ariel Djanikian
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The Magpies - Kate Marshall
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[Clairiefaerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dark academia, so was excited to read this anthology and it really delivered. I inhaled this book in a single afternoon and am now going back to read some of the stories for a second time, I’m not ready for it to be over.

Erica Waters pulled me in with an atmospheric, creepy story about a haunted church that forces visitors to look after it and every story that followed was gripping, interesting and unique. Picking personal favourites from this collection was hard but if I had to choose then Taylor George’s monstrous and terrifying “Advanced dissection” would be my winner, that story will stay with me for a long time. Close runners up would be Olivie Blake’s demon infested “God, Needy, Enough with the screaming” and Genevieve Cogman’s deeply unsettling virtual reality academy in “Utilities”.

A great read whether you already love dark academia or just want to try the genre out.

I read an ARC copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.

[elly · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all short story collections, some were great and some didn't quite hit the mark for me. The editors highlight in the opening note that the aim of the collection was to push the boundaries of what constitutes as Dark Academia, which I would say it did to varying successes. There were a few I felt had a very...loose connection to the sub-genre.
However, I am really glad I read it, especially during the first week of September. A little Dark Academia appetizer, if you will.
As always, Olivie Blake is a standout voice. Everything she writes makes me laugh and squeal and squirm in a way only she can achieve. Her contribution was by far my favourite. So quintessentially her.
I also really enjoyed A Short List of Impossible Things - super reminiscent of the Emily Wilde trilogy.
Open Book was also gorgeous, oozing with atmosphere.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a love-hate relationship with short stories, but do usually enjoy them when written by authors I already know and like. Such was the case here.

I LOVED the Olivie Blake - but I always love her writing. She manages to create such complex characters - even in short formats - and throw them into fascinatingly complicated situations that are dark and snarky and marvelously intricate. I am also a regular fan of Kate Alice Marshall, and enjoyed her tale as well. I was a huge fan of Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series, but have struggled with her other works; such was the case here, in which I could not find the threads of her tale and follow it at all.

As far as the rest of the collection, on the whole I did not enjoy the stories much. I typically found myself interested in the openings, but then either confused or left wanting by the endings (although to be fair, that happens a lot with short stories for me, as they tend to not have enough characterization to satisfy). On the whole this was not my favorite anthology...

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories from some of the best authors in the dark and spooky realm of books. The stories range from spooky ghost stories to dark academia that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Each story is wonderful, but my two favourites are Tallow's Cove from Erica Waters, which is a spooky haunted church story, and God, Needy, Enough with the Screaming from Olivie Blake, which is a dark academia tale of sorts.

This is the perfect book for Halloween, spooky season, or just if you are in the mood for a spooky tale. Highly recommend.

[aleksandra ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Rounded down cause i feel like the stories should’ve gone in a different order!
Definetly enjoyed the vibes and the dark academia aspect, tho I really didn’t like the first half. Some of the stories were quite boring and confusing. But after the 60% mark they got better and better. Recommending for DA lovers and it’s good to have a short story collection to read inbetween all the fantasy we are all planning to read in the fall!

[Angel]

Not sure where I initially heard of this book, but I checked out the audiobook from the library hoping for some interesting ghost stories. The first two stories were okay, but I didn't love them. And I stopped listening with the trigger warning of the third book. I had a bunch of books at the library become available at once, so this one is going back so I can move on to something I may enjoy more.