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That Devil, Ambition
From Lambda Literary Award finalist Linsey Miller comes this thrilling stand-alone fantasy about the lengths we'll go to get ahead—an incredibly fresh, twisty love letter to dark academia...with a body count.
Perfect for fans of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman.
There is only one school worth graduating from, and it creates as many magicians as it does graves…
First in his class and last in his noble line, Fabian Galloway’s only hope of a good future is passing his elite school's honors class. It’s only offered to the best thirteen students, and those students have a single kill their professor.
If they succeed, their student debt is forgiven. However, if an assassination attempt fails or the professor is alive at the end of the year, the students’ lives are forfeit.
And dealing with the professor, a devil summoned solely to kill or be killed, is no easy task.
Fabian isn't worried, though. He trusts his best friends—softhearted math genius Credence and absent-minded but insightful Euphemia—to help. After all, that’s why he befriended them.
As the months pass and their professor remains impossibly alive, the trio must use every asset they have to survive. Or else failure will be on their academic records—and their tombstones—forever.
Perfect for fans of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman.
There is only one school worth graduating from, and it creates as many magicians as it does graves…
First in his class and last in his noble line, Fabian Galloway’s only hope of a good future is passing his elite school's honors class. It’s only offered to the best thirteen students, and those students have a single kill their professor.
If they succeed, their student debt is forgiven. However, if an assassination attempt fails or the professor is alive at the end of the year, the students’ lives are forfeit.
And dealing with the professor, a devil summoned solely to kill or be killed, is no easy task.
Fabian isn't worried, though. He trusts his best friends—softhearted math genius Credence and absent-minded but insightful Euphemia—to help. After all, that’s why he befriended them.
As the months pass and their professor remains impossibly alive, the trio must use every asset they have to survive. Or else failure will be on their academic records—and their tombstones—forever.
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First published June 3, 2025
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8595 people want to read
About the author
Linsey Miller
14 books1,083 followersOnce upon a time, Linsey Miller studied biology in Arkansas. These days, she holds an MFA in fiction and is the author of Lambda-nominated What We Devour. Her other works include the Mask of Shadows duology, Belle Révolte, The Game, the first three books in the Disney Princes series, and the upcoming YA fantasy That Devil, Ambition (spring 2025 from HarperCollins). She can be found in Texas writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
June 13, 2025
Back in my school days there were of course some teachers that I absolutely couldn't stand, but at least they were no devils that I had to kill as a final exam with failed assassination attempts meaning my own death. Lucky me, poor characters in this book. Because this is exactly what Fabian, Credence and Euphemia have to deal with. They are part of the honors class of a prestigious magician school – prestigious and above all expensive. Passing the honors class is the only way for them to not drown in debt, but that is no easy task let alone a safe one. The book begins when the class summons this year's devil, the professor, and then is about the students figuring out how to possibly kill such a being. All the students are able to perform a kind of magic that splits the soul from the body called severance, but so is the devil. The professor is mostly a normal teacher holding rather dull lectures, but he will punish every assassination attempt with a horrible death. And let me tell you that this book is absolutely ruthless with its characters. It can probably be classified as dark academia, complete with deaths in the classrooms and field trips to the cemetery where all the other failed students rest (there are plenty). I think the premise is kinda similar to Assassination Classroom, but I haven't actually read or watched this series yet. I would compare this book to A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik for a YA with a lethal school, and the hard to grasp magic system reminded me a lot of Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko. Two books that I absolutely love. I would rate That Devil, Ambition with up to 4.5 stars, but there were some little things I didn't like. For one, I wish there were more character moments. I'm told that Fabian, Credence and Euphemia are an inseparable trio, but their close relationship is never really shown or at least I didn't think it that credible. All three of them get POVs in separate parts of the book and it's clear that they want to protect each other, but their friendship still lacked something in my opinion. The side characters weren't that fleshed out either, not even the professor, but I liked that there were many queer people and relationships. It would have been fine without literally everyone being in a relationship, but it was interesting to see who would betray whom. All the characters are ambitious and want to survive the year and it might be necessary to sacrifice some classmates to reach that goal. I would say that I had a great time with this book, but that feels wrong when every single character is either dead or deeply traumatized by the end. I guessed the twist about the professor, but the ending was still pretty good in my opinion. I did have a bit of a hard time with the writing, though. At times it was difficult to understand for me, not because of the vocabulary but because of short or shortened sentences. It was hard to follow what the characters were actually referring to, especially in dialogue. I guess I have to read this book again sometime, and by that I mean that I went and ordered a finished copy after I read like two chapters. I just knew it was my thing.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Storytide / HarperCollins Children's Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Storytide / HarperCollins Children's Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2025
I still can't believe that one of my favorite reads this year turned out to be a YA novel.
I legitimately thought this was for adults with all the murder and torture and blood galore. Color me surprised.
Anyway, this was such a wild ride. It was everything I wanted in a dark academia novel. There were all kinds of horror (dark fantasy, body horror, cosmic horror, etc.), an interesting and despicable villain in the form of a professor from hell, and MCs that I actually liked and was rooting for throughout the entire book. I'm not usually a fan of romance, but since I liked the characters so much, I actually didn't mind it.
I liked how this novel was absurd and disturbing at the same time. At times it verged into comedy horror but managed to pull itself back, finding a perfect balance between comical scenarios and serious dialogue and relationship building.
It's a dark satire that explores how academia is mentally and psychologically rigorous that it becomes detrimental to students' health. It also pokes fun (in the worst way possible) at how student loans are so predatory that actual lives are at risk to the point of sacrifice.
This is definitely not a book for everyone, but if you love dark academia, horror, and satire all rolled into one, then you should give this novel a try.
Thank you to Storytide and NetGalley for this arc.
I legitimately thought this was for adults with all the murder and torture and blood galore. Color me surprised.
Anyway, this was such a wild ride. It was everything I wanted in a dark academia novel. There were all kinds of horror (dark fantasy, body horror, cosmic horror, etc.), an interesting and despicable villain in the form of a professor from hell, and MCs that I actually liked and was rooting for throughout the entire book. I'm not usually a fan of romance, but since I liked the characters so much, I actually didn't mind it.
I liked how this novel was absurd and disturbing at the same time. At times it verged into comedy horror but managed to pull itself back, finding a perfect balance between comical scenarios and serious dialogue and relationship building.
It's a dark satire that explores how academia is mentally and psychologically rigorous that it becomes detrimental to students' health. It also pokes fun (in the worst way possible) at how student loans are so predatory that actual lives are at risk to the point of sacrifice.
This is definitely not a book for everyone, but if you love dark academia, horror, and satire all rolled into one, then you should give this novel a try.
Thank you to Storytide and NetGalley for this arc.
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June 2, 2025Dear Readers,
The summer before my second year of college, my father died. It was sudden and horrible, but it also felt inevitable that I carry on. I was a good student, and good students were students first and grieving teens second. A good student would be fine.
I was not fine.
So much of my self-worth was tangled up in ideas about studenthood and higher education that my pride, my reluctance to seek out help, nearly lost me the scholarship that had allowed me to attend college in the first place. Worse, I neglected my health and every other part of my life to keep the scholarship.
That Devil, Ambition comes from that time when the course of my future and even my identity depended almost entirely on how I did in school. Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia may exist within a fantasy world of magic and devils, but I wrote them for the kids on the cusp of adulthood making impossible decisions about their lives. They want to prove to themselves and everyone who doubted them that they're good enough. They want to earn the prosperous future a good education is supposed to grant them. They want to be viewed as worthwhile in a world that has tied their worth to their academic accomplishments.
As students, we should be allowed to fail and grow, but that doesn't always happen. If you see yourself in the confident facade Fabian uses to hide his self-doubt, the hesitance Credence falls back on to avoid making the wrong choice, or the sacrifices Euphemia makes to keep herself afloat, then I hope That Devil, Ambition provides some closure. We are worth more than our academic accomplishments.
Thank you for joining Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia for their final year of school. They could use another friend.
–Linsey Miller
The following note will not contain any new information about the book other than content warnings, but I've folded it under a spoiler tag just in case.
THAT DEVIL, AMBITION content warnings & notes
The summer before my second year of college, my father died. It was sudden and horrible, but it also felt inevitable that I carry on. I was a good student, and good students were students first and grieving teens second. A good student would be fine.
I was not fine.
So much of my self-worth was tangled up in ideas about studenthood and higher education that my pride, my reluctance to seek out help, nearly lost me the scholarship that had allowed me to attend college in the first place. Worse, I neglected my health and every other part of my life to keep the scholarship.
That Devil, Ambition comes from that time when the course of my future and even my identity depended almost entirely on how I did in school. Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia may exist within a fantasy world of magic and devils, but I wrote them for the kids on the cusp of adulthood making impossible decisions about their lives. They want to prove to themselves and everyone who doubted them that they're good enough. They want to earn the prosperous future a good education is supposed to grant them. They want to be viewed as worthwhile in a world that has tied their worth to their academic accomplishments.
As students, we should be allowed to fail and grow, but that doesn't always happen. If you see yourself in the confident facade Fabian uses to hide his self-doubt, the hesitance Credence falls back on to avoid making the wrong choice, or the sacrifices Euphemia makes to keep herself afloat, then I hope That Devil, Ambition provides some closure. We are worth more than our academic accomplishments.
Thank you for joining Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia for their final year of school. They could use another friend.
–Linsey Miller
The following note will not contain any new information about the book other than content warnings, but I've folded it under a spoiler tag just in case.
THAT DEVIL, AMBITION content warnings & notes
April 25, 2025
✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 4.35/5 .ᐟ
i don't have the words to describe how brilliant this is. turning the last page left me with the kind of emptiness i usually feel after finishing a four season tv series. that's how invested i was. the section one ending hit me like a freight train, and everything that happened after continuously left me reeling.
my favorite thing about fantasy is almost always the worldbuilding/magic system, and that devil, ambition had an entirely unique, intricate universe. i loved the science-y bits sprinkled in, as using real-life terms to describe things made understanding the magic system easier. the whole severance thing is genuinely so interesting, i need to see it in live action.
and don't get me started on the actual plot. thirteen honors students have to kill their immortal devil professor to pass or die trying. like yes, give me more immediately. it's paced excellently—just when you think you've seen everything or you're getting bored, something insane happens.
the characters are bewitching as well, of course. there's three point-of-views, but instead of alternating, they each get one section and one term. usually, when books are structured like this, i miss the first character and can't get used to the later ones, but credence and euphemia were even more engaging than fabian. they were all so distinct, and i loved seeing how differently they each approached the situation. and then seeing each of them slowly come to the same realization about the school and have three different breakdowns? i love angst. each new pov unveiled whole personalities the other characters didn't know. like fabian's euphemia vs. euphemia's euphemia? excellently done.
note: i don't know who did the blurb, but this isn't even remotely similar to either asid or gallant, in either writing style or narrative, so don't open it expecting that. but if you like all of us villains, you'll absolutely love this.
i don't have the words to describe how brilliant this is. turning the last page left me with the kind of emptiness i usually feel after finishing a four season tv series. that's how invested i was. the section one ending hit me like a freight train, and everything that happened after continuously left me reeling.
my favorite thing about fantasy is almost always the worldbuilding/magic system, and that devil, ambition had an entirely unique, intricate universe. i loved the science-y bits sprinkled in, as using real-life terms to describe things made understanding the magic system easier. the whole severance thing is genuinely so interesting, i need to see it in live action.
and don't get me started on the actual plot. thirteen honors students have to kill their immortal devil professor to pass or die trying. like yes, give me more immediately. it's paced excellently—just when you think you've seen everything or you're getting bored, something insane happens.
the characters are bewitching as well, of course. there's three point-of-views, but instead of alternating, they each get one section and one term. usually, when books are structured like this, i miss the first character and can't get used to the later ones, but credence and euphemia were even more engaging than fabian. they were all so distinct, and i loved seeing how differently they each approached the situation. and then seeing each of them slowly come to the same realization about the school and have three different breakdowns? i love angst. each new pov unveiled whole personalities the other characters didn't know. like fabian's euphemia vs. euphemia's euphemia? excellently done.
note: i don't know who did the blurb, but this isn't even remotely similar to either asid or gallant, in either writing style or narrative, so don't open it expecting that. but if you like all of us villains, you'll absolutely love this.
October 10, 2025
Rough start, I’m not going to lie to you all—BUT. When I tell you that I think this novel is actually metal as hell?? And the opener has a purpose, even if it’s clumsy. Come for the fantastic premise, weather the opener to get to the very good finale.
That Devil, Ambition had a title that demanded I pick it up. Have you had novels like that? Sometimes the title game is so strong that no matter what, you're going to at least try it out.
Couple that title with the fact that this novel involved bloodthirsty politics, a literal devil/demon, and an academic setting?? I was ready.
The premise for That Devil, Ambition is a simple one. Thirteen students are in an honors capstone course at a prestigious magic academy. The catch? The honors course is taught by a literal devil, and their one goal is to successfully murder him before he kills them all at the end of the school year. There is no other option—either they succeed, or they forfeit their lives.
Simple, but intriguing. What is the price you're willing to pay to graduate and have your student loans forgiven? Are you willing to kill or be killed for it? Are you willing to watch others die in your stead?
Now, this concept alone is fun, but the novel starts off slow for it. We're following Fabian as he starts the course with his iron will, slimy moral code, and willingness to do anything to win. Fabian's not the best POV to follow—he likes to use parentheses to talk to us (the reader), he's an egotistical A-hole, and his myopic eyes on the prize means that it's a little repetitive and boring to follow his perspective.
For those factors, I completely understand the readers who give up before the 30% mark due to boredom/irritation/frustration at the character, the pacing, and the very simplistic plot.
But... bear with me. Around the 30% mark, this novel changes. I was taken aback by it—whether that's a sign of the novel's cleverness or just me outing myself as a non-discretionary reader, who knows—and then after that change I thought the novel dramatically improved. I realized that the beginning overtures were, in their own way, quite interesting in retrospect and then the rest of the novel was an unstoppable freight train of well-done plotting, intrigue, and commentary.
This novel's strength lies in its focus on this simple concept of the devil and this honors class. It felt like an extremely stripped down and distilled version of Naomi Novik's Scholomance and other weightier novels of that type that focus on the darker side of ambition, the grey areas of structured education, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of a final goal. That Devil. Ambition had such a strong focus on the moral codes, the ethics of it all, and the harsh truth that everyone's self-righteous sense of goodness has a pressure point that is willing to change if pressed just right... and the human horror that results when that concept of malleable morals is realized.
Was this stripped down a bit, conceptually, to fit a YA audience? Yes, I'd agree with that statement.
Was the introduction very clunky and did it give off the impression that this story was going to be a certain type of predictable? Totally.
But is it worth it to get to the end? For me, absolutely.
Try this one out if you're intrigued by anything I said above. I promise, this one is quite fun and definitely worth your time for this subgenre of dark academia.
Blog | Instagram | Libro.fm Audiobooks
That Devil, Ambition had a title that demanded I pick it up. Have you had novels like that? Sometimes the title game is so strong that no matter what, you're going to at least try it out.
Couple that title with the fact that this novel involved bloodthirsty politics, a literal devil/demon, and an academic setting?? I was ready.
The premise for That Devil, Ambition is a simple one. Thirteen students are in an honors capstone course at a prestigious magic academy. The catch? The honors course is taught by a literal devil, and their one goal is to successfully murder him before he kills them all at the end of the school year. There is no other option—either they succeed, or they forfeit their lives.
Simple, but intriguing. What is the price you're willing to pay to graduate and have your student loans forgiven? Are you willing to kill or be killed for it? Are you willing to watch others die in your stead?
Now, this concept alone is fun, but the novel starts off slow for it. We're following Fabian as he starts the course with his iron will, slimy moral code, and willingness to do anything to win. Fabian's not the best POV to follow—he likes to use parentheses to talk to us (the reader), he's an egotistical A-hole, and his myopic eyes on the prize means that it's a little repetitive and boring to follow his perspective.
For those factors, I completely understand the readers who give up before the 30% mark due to boredom/irritation/frustration at the character, the pacing, and the very simplistic plot.
But... bear with me. Around the 30% mark, this novel changes. I was taken aback by it—whether that's a sign of the novel's cleverness or just me outing myself as a non-discretionary reader, who knows—and then after that change I thought the novel dramatically improved. I realized that the beginning overtures were, in their own way, quite interesting in retrospect and then the rest of the novel was an unstoppable freight train of well-done plotting, intrigue, and commentary.
This novel's strength lies in its focus on this simple concept of the devil and this honors class. It felt like an extremely stripped down and distilled version of Naomi Novik's Scholomance and other weightier novels of that type that focus on the darker side of ambition, the grey areas of structured education, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of a final goal. That Devil. Ambition had such a strong focus on the moral codes, the ethics of it all, and the harsh truth that everyone's self-righteous sense of goodness has a pressure point that is willing to change if pressed just right... and the human horror that results when that concept of malleable morals is realized.
Was this stripped down a bit, conceptually, to fit a YA audience? Yes, I'd agree with that statement.
Was the introduction very clunky and did it give off the impression that this story was going to be a certain type of predictable? Totally.
But is it worth it to get to the end? For me, absolutely.
Try this one out if you're intrigued by anything I said above. I promise, this one is quite fun and definitely worth your time for this subgenre of dark academia.
Blog | Instagram | Libro.fm Audiobooks
Read
June 13, 2025Set aside at 30%
'That Devil, Ambition' got off to a ponderous start. The first ten per cent or so was spent explaining at length the details of the insanely lethal challenge the students of the honours class of this magic school face to graduate and have all of their loans forgiven. There was very little world-building and almost no character-building. The first part is told from Fabian's point of view, which may explain its narrowness. He is, or he tells himself he is, a transactional person who will do whatever it takes to get himself and his two friends to graduate. I could find no reason to like him and few reasons to care what happens to him, although watching him compartmentalise his emotions and rationalise his behaviour as necessary rather than fundamentally wrong was unpleasant
The story started to come alive once the rules of the challenge had been set. The friendship between the three main characters started to take shape. I could see how young all three of them were, how narrow their experience had been, how much pressure they were under, how much potential they had and how likely they were to die violently and soon. It wasn't a good feeling.
This is labelled as a Dark Academia novel and it does seem like it is the school rather than the Devil that the evil at the heart of this book is emanating from. The school has summoned a devil/demon to tutor the Honours class for their final year. To graduate, the students must kill the devil. If they attempt that and fail, the devil will kill them. If they don't attempt it all, the devil will kill them. The question none of the students ask is 'What does the school get out of this'. This seems a question all students should ask about their schools before sacrificing their energy and their time to them.
As the story got into its stride the writing started to flow and I could see that the world the story takes place in was thoroughly imagined. The characters of the students were easy to believe in, although they were a little thin because they were seen through the undiscerning filter of Fabian's transactional perspective.
Yet, the better the writing became, the more i started to dislike this book. The situation was too like those horrible 'SAW' movies that I could never bring myself to watch. What was being done to these children and what they were being made to do was repulsive. I couldn't see a point to the setup unless I was meant to enjoy seeing young people being twisted into killers and or torn apart in front of those they love.
The premise of the book seemed cruel to me. The struggles of the main characters were pointless. The setup seemed like a deception they hadn't yet realised they were caught up in. The violence, betrayal, venality and blindly ruthless ambition were so well drawn that they were hard to watch.
At thirty per cent, I decided to set the book aside. I'd wanted to carry on to part two of the book where the point of view shifts from Fabian to Credence, a more likeable character but I found myself persistently passing over this book and picking up another, so I listened to my distaste and decided to leave the book without knowing what happens next.
'That Devil, Ambition' got off to a ponderous start. The first ten per cent or so was spent explaining at length the details of the insanely lethal challenge the students of the honours class of this magic school face to graduate and have all of their loans forgiven. There was very little world-building and almost no character-building. The first part is told from Fabian's point of view, which may explain its narrowness. He is, or he tells himself he is, a transactional person who will do whatever it takes to get himself and his two friends to graduate. I could find no reason to like him and few reasons to care what happens to him, although watching him compartmentalise his emotions and rationalise his behaviour as necessary rather than fundamentally wrong was unpleasant
The story started to come alive once the rules of the challenge had been set. The friendship between the three main characters started to take shape. I could see how young all three of them were, how narrow their experience had been, how much pressure they were under, how much potential they had and how likely they were to die violently and soon. It wasn't a good feeling.
This is labelled as a Dark Academia novel and it does seem like it is the school rather than the Devil that the evil at the heart of this book is emanating from. The school has summoned a devil/demon to tutor the Honours class for their final year. To graduate, the students must kill the devil. If they attempt that and fail, the devil will kill them. If they don't attempt it all, the devil will kill them. The question none of the students ask is 'What does the school get out of this'. This seems a question all students should ask about their schools before sacrificing their energy and their time to them.
As the story got into its stride the writing started to flow and I could see that the world the story takes place in was thoroughly imagined. The characters of the students were easy to believe in, although they were a little thin because they were seen through the undiscerning filter of Fabian's transactional perspective.
Yet, the better the writing became, the more i started to dislike this book. The situation was too like those horrible 'SAW' movies that I could never bring myself to watch. What was being done to these children and what they were being made to do was repulsive. I couldn't see a point to the setup unless I was meant to enjoy seeing young people being twisted into killers and or torn apart in front of those they love.
The premise of the book seemed cruel to me. The struggles of the main characters were pointless. The setup seemed like a deception they hadn't yet realised they were caught up in. The violence, betrayal, venality and blindly ruthless ambition were so well drawn that they were hard to watch.
At thirty per cent, I decided to set the book aside. I'd wanted to carry on to part two of the book where the point of view shifts from Fabian to Credence, a more likeable character but I found myself persistently passing over this book and picking up another, so I listened to my distaste and decided to leave the book without knowing what happens next.
Read
February 20, 2025I couldn’t get into this one and ended up DNF-ing it. The writing style didn’t click with me—especially the overuse of parentheses, which was more distracting than anything. The magic system also felt too dense for me, I was already pretty lost, so I decided to move on. It might work for others, but it just isn't my style.
April 29, 2025
Thank you to UnderTheUmbrella Bookstore for this Arc!
The atmosphere of this book was definitely what I picture being the ideal Dark Academia. The characters were layered and dynamic, but unfortunately the writing style and how the world-building were done were not for me. The prose felt dense and a bit pedantic & was hard for my feeble brain to follow. I loved the idea of Severance, and the twists and turns of this book, but had a hard time really connecting to the plot or characters.
The atmosphere of this book was definitely what I picture being the ideal Dark Academia. The characters were layered and dynamic, but unfortunately the writing style and how the world-building were done were not for me. The prose felt dense and a bit pedantic & was hard for my feeble brain to follow. I loved the idea of Severance, and the twists and turns of this book, but had a hard time really connecting to the plot or characters.
Want to read
August 14, 2025Zana rec
August 20, 2025
Now this is dark academia!
The honors class at a renowned school of magic only has one task - kill the professor, who is a devil summoned each year only for this purpose - and get your student debt forgiven and become one of the most respected magicians ever.
Content warnings include: murder, graphic descriptions of injury and gore, cannibalism, student debt, sex off-page, manipulation.
That Devil, Ambition follows three friends who are all honors students: Fabian, who carefully crafted his image as a teacher's pet; Credence, a soft-hearted math genius; and Euphemia, who is not as absent minded as she pretends to be.
Along with ten other students, they make up the honors class and theorize as well as attempt to kill their professor after he was summoned.
I found this wildly entertaining, but also almost shocking. The book throws you straight into the first day of the honors class, and straight into the plotting - much of which involved deaths of other students. And while the achieving the death of the professor is the goal, getting there is very difficult, no matter the horrific things done to his body.
I loved the intrigue in the book, all the plots and lore and machinations. There's the plots of the individual students, and their plans to kill the professor, which often involves fucking over their fellow students. There's also stuff going on at the school, and the wider political situation of the fantasy realm. I loved the way the book integrated classism into the academic field. Because, as you can imagine, the fact that surviving the honors class waives your student debt attracts some groups of people more than others.
There are some minor romantic subplot, though this is decidedly NOT a romance. But each of the three protagonists has their own semi-romantic struggles (some struggling more than others) going on. These subplots were nice and varied.
I'm not entirely sure if this is YA or NA - I can see arguments for both. The characters do seem to be above 18.
As usually when I read a book by Linsey Miller, I was very taken by the writing style. It's not always the easiest to parse, and it makes my mind race trying to understand the implications, and sometimes it makes me frustrated because what to they mean by that. But overall I adore the style, it's beautiful and evocative, and it makes me want to reread her books again and again.
Overall I had an amazing experience with this, so if you are craving truly dark academia, and don't mind the content warnings, I can highly recommend this.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
The honors class at a renowned school of magic only has one task - kill the professor, who is a devil summoned each year only for this purpose - and get your student debt forgiven and become one of the most respected magicians ever.
Content warnings include: murder, graphic descriptions of injury and gore, cannibalism, student debt, sex off-page, manipulation.
That Devil, Ambition follows three friends who are all honors students: Fabian, who carefully crafted his image as a teacher's pet; Credence, a soft-hearted math genius; and Euphemia, who is not as absent minded as she pretends to be.
Along with ten other students, they make up the honors class and theorize as well as attempt to kill their professor after he was summoned.
I found this wildly entertaining, but also almost shocking. The book throws you straight into the first day of the honors class, and straight into the plotting - much of which involved deaths of other students. And while the achieving the death of the professor is the goal, getting there is very difficult, no matter the horrific things done to his body.
I loved the intrigue in the book, all the plots and lore and machinations. There's the plots of the individual students, and their plans to kill the professor, which often involves fucking over their fellow students. There's also stuff going on at the school, and the wider political situation of the fantasy realm. I loved the way the book integrated classism into the academic field. Because, as you can imagine, the fact that surviving the honors class waives your student debt attracts some groups of people more than others.
There are some minor romantic subplot, though this is decidedly NOT a romance. But each of the three protagonists has their own semi-romantic struggles (some struggling more than others) going on. These subplots were nice and varied.
I'm not entirely sure if this is YA or NA - I can see arguments for both. The characters do seem to be above 18.
As usually when I read a book by Linsey Miller, I was very taken by the writing style. It's not always the easiest to parse, and it makes my mind race trying to understand the implications, and sometimes it makes me frustrated because what to they mean by that. But overall I adore the style, it's beautiful and evocative, and it makes me want to reread her books again and again.
Overall I had an amazing experience with this, so if you are craving truly dark academia, and don't mind the content warnings, I can highly recommend this.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
June 10, 2025
The dark academia vibe, the gothic setting, and the tension were all there. Fabian, Euphemia, and Credence are interesting leads, and the story’s ruthless stakes had me hooked at first.
But honestly, the book gets lost in endless, irrelevant details that kill the momentum. The worldbuilding and magic system barely get the attention they deserve, leaving the setting feeling vague and half-baked. The three different perspectives never quite gel, and some of the writing choices, like awkward phrasing, pulled me out of the story way too often.
That said, I appreciated Miller’s willingness to put her characters through hell and show the messy, morally grey side of ambition and survival. If you’re a diehard dark academia fan who enjoys slow-burn tension and complicated friendships, you might stick with it more easily than I did. For me, the execution didn’t live up to the intriguing setup.
But honestly, the book gets lost in endless, irrelevant details that kill the momentum. The worldbuilding and magic system barely get the attention they deserve, leaving the setting feeling vague and half-baked. The three different perspectives never quite gel, and some of the writing choices, like awkward phrasing, pulled me out of the story way too often.
That said, I appreciated Miller’s willingness to put her characters through hell and show the messy, morally grey side of ambition and survival. If you’re a diehard dark academia fan who enjoys slow-burn tension and complicated friendships, you might stick with it more easily than I did. For me, the execution didn’t live up to the intriguing setup.
May 22, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
The writing style for this was really tricky for me to hold on to. I felt like it needed a slower introduction to the magic system, and less characters, I really wanted to just sink into the story of it, but I was struggling with the shifting perspectives and the science mixed with magic mixed with prose. I think I'll probably try again with audio, but it just didn't work as well as I wanted it to.
The writing style for this was really tricky for me to hold on to. I felt like it needed a slower introduction to the magic system, and less characters, I really wanted to just sink into the story of it, but I was struggling with the shifting perspectives and the science mixed with magic mixed with prose. I think I'll probably try again with audio, but it just didn't work as well as I wanted it to.
June 2, 2025
This book has a (literally) killer premise. Thirteen honors students are given one final assignment: kill their professor by the end of the school year. If they succeed, their student debt is wiped clean. If they fail, they die and get erased from history. It’s intense, and that tension carries through the whole book.
The story follows Fabian, Mia, and Credence, three students who team up to try and survive. Their friendship is one of the strongest parts of the book, and even though the stakes are high, there are some nice moments between them that give the story heart.
What really stands out is how the book tackles big themes like power, ambition, and the cost of education. It’s a dark academia story that actually critiques academia instead of just leaning into the aesthetic. There’s political drama, grief, violence, and a magic system that’s based on science and logic, but sometimes the explanations are a little hard to follow. It’s one of those stories where you might need to slow down to fully get what’s going on.
The pacing is a bit uneven. It starts strong, slows down in the middle, then picks up again toward the end, but the ending doesn’t hit as hard as it could’ve. And while the world is creative, there are parts—especially with the magic—that feel confusing or underdeveloped.
Still, it’s smart, different, and isn’t afraid to go dark. You probably won’t connect with every character, and you definitely shouldn’t get too attached. But if you’re into stories that blend fantasy, mystery, and real-world commentary, this one’s worth checking out. Just be ready for a bit of a mental workout.
The story follows Fabian, Mia, and Credence, three students who team up to try and survive. Their friendship is one of the strongest parts of the book, and even though the stakes are high, there are some nice moments between them that give the story heart.
What really stands out is how the book tackles big themes like power, ambition, and the cost of education. It’s a dark academia story that actually critiques academia instead of just leaning into the aesthetic. There’s political drama, grief, violence, and a magic system that’s based on science and logic, but sometimes the explanations are a little hard to follow. It’s one of those stories where you might need to slow down to fully get what’s going on.
The pacing is a bit uneven. It starts strong, slows down in the middle, then picks up again toward the end, but the ending doesn’t hit as hard as it could’ve. And while the world is creative, there are parts—especially with the magic—that feel confusing or underdeveloped.
Still, it’s smart, different, and isn’t afraid to go dark. You probably won’t connect with every character, and you definitely shouldn’t get too attached. But if you’re into stories that blend fantasy, mystery, and real-world commentary, this one’s worth checking out. Just be ready for a bit of a mental workout.
April 14, 2025
The best way I can describe this book is a mixture of Assassination Classroom and A Deadly Education so if those are your vibe you will enjoy this. The book is broken up into three sections each one from a different students perspective but continuing forward in the story. I was fully invested in Fabian's chapters, and I did not expect the turn in the story that pivoted us to Credence's section. Honestly here at the end I still don't think I have recovered from it. The character journey that Credence takes over the course of the book was really well done. She sees the most change and development I think throughout the story. Euphemia was honestly my least favorite, she was by her point in the book the most predictable for me. I was able to predict the outcome but it was still interesting for me to see how it came together.
September 4, 2025
2 stars seems kind of harsh, so I feel like if I could give it 2 and a half I would. I really liked the idea of this book, the atmosphere was fun, and the message in the book about higher education was also really good. Unfortunately, a lot of the story felt very convoluted and became confusing and pulled me out of the book. Not everything can be for you all of the time 😢
July 5, 2025
4.5 stars for me.
This book was WILD - I genuinely did not know how things were going to end, and I got to a point where I couldn't stop reading b/c I HAD to know how things end!
This is such an interesting premise - selected students (those attending with massive un-payable loans) upon reaching their senior/honors class year, are tasked with one final test - they must kill the professor, a summoned demon, before the end of the year otherwise the demon kills them.
I don't read much dark academia but I thought this was brilliant. We have students that will do whatever it takes to try and be victorious. There are 3 main characters here, Fabian, Credence and Euphemia, and 3 sections within the story. I loved how it was structured, the pace of things. There are some pretty graphic moments in this, and there is loss and also victories, and tension throughout the book as you wait and see if the students or the devil will be victorious.
I love the queer-normative world in this one, too. There is enough world building to get the general feel of the world (I would have loved even more honestly, there are so many areas!) and an interesting magic system in place. I have read many of Linsey's works, and I think this might be my favorite!
Don't skip to the end, don't read spoiler reviews, just pick up this story and GO!
I received this book for an instagram book tour. My thoughts are my own.
This book was WILD - I genuinely did not know how things were going to end, and I got to a point where I couldn't stop reading b/c I HAD to know how things end!
This is such an interesting premise - selected students (those attending with massive un-payable loans) upon reaching their senior/honors class year, are tasked with one final test - they must kill the professor, a summoned demon, before the end of the year otherwise the demon kills them.
I don't read much dark academia but I thought this was brilliant. We have students that will do whatever it takes to try and be victorious. There are 3 main characters here, Fabian, Credence and Euphemia, and 3 sections within the story. I loved how it was structured, the pace of things. There are some pretty graphic moments in this, and there is loss and also victories, and tension throughout the book as you wait and see if the students or the devil will be victorious.
I love the queer-normative world in this one, too. There is enough world building to get the general feel of the world (I would have loved even more honestly, there are so many areas!) and an interesting magic system in place. I have read many of Linsey's works, and I think this might be my favorite!
Don't skip to the end, don't read spoiler reviews, just pick up this story and GO!
I received this book for an instagram book tour. My thoughts are my own.
August 9, 2025
You may want to slide into this book if you like Ya Fantasy, Dark Acadamia, Magic, Morally Grey Magicians, Must ☠️the devil, academic rivals to lovers to ��
I’ve read a lot of books already this year, getting close to 100 over here, but That Devil, Ambition was something so unique in it’s story and the way that author went about piecing it all together. There were a lot of unexpected moments and I don’t know what I had been expecting with the story but I feel like no matter what I would have been able to create in my head, Linsey just threw that fully out the window. I loved the way the characters approached things and the way we got 3 different POVs throughout the book to get a few different insights into the whole situation.
I’ve read a lot of books already this year, getting close to 100 over here, but That Devil, Ambition was something so unique in it’s story and the way that author went about piecing it all together. There were a lot of unexpected moments and I don’t know what I had been expecting with the story but I feel like no matter what I would have been able to create in my head, Linsey just threw that fully out the window. I loved the way the characters approached things and the way we got 3 different POVs throughout the book to get a few different insights into the whole situation.
Want to read
October 22, 2024"A thrilling standalone fantasy about the lengths we'll go to get ahead—an incredibly fresh, twisty love letter to dark academia...with a body count."
for fans of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman.
for fans of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman.
March 29, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book is dark academia done right. So many books out there claim that they are dark academia when really they're just dark academia aesthetics or vibes. This book literally understood the assignment. Dark academia, at its core, is supposed to criticize the obsession with academic pursuits at "all costs" and the brutal elitism of those higher echelons of institutions that seem older than devils themselves. This does that so well.
That Devil, Ambition is a story about a small group of students accepted into the "honors" class their senior year. In this course, they have one year to figure out how to kill an immortal, un-killable demon who is their professor. I mean, you can't get a more compelling set up then that.
Additionally, many of the students are in poverty who need to pass the class in order to get the debt of their very expensive school loans forgiven--or they need to reclaim their family name and secure high positions after graduation. Thus, each student in the class has a desperate reason to pass the course. You can feel their hope, ambition, distress and truly experience all the sacrifices they've made to get to this point. The course also tests who they are as people and how far they're willing to go to achieve their goals.
What I loved even more than the amazing plot set up, the ominous school setting and the critique of academia, was the characters. The author did an amazing job of helping me truly feel who these people were. You get three different points of view and each character tells you 1/3 of the story. I especially loved Fabian (the first POV we got). He was someone who presented himself one way to the world (perfect, polished, unfazed) while being something else inside (compassionate, imperfect, tenderhearted). The author used ( ) to show the reader the parts of Fabian that even Fabian didn't want to admit to himself. I absolutely loved this. It showed his dichotomy and struggle with his academic persona and his true persona so well. I'm bringing this up because I've never seen an author use this particular technique before, but I LOVED it. It really helped me understand Fabian and connect to him even more. I also saw one reviewer says she didn't like all the ( ), but I LOVED them.
My 2nd favorite character was Mia. She, like Fabian, wasn't all that she appeared. Her secrets and duplicitous personality was interesting and made me ache for her when she had to make hard decisions. I was right alongside her feeling everything she was feeling. This is what really made this book memorable to me and made it stand out. I loved the characters so much that when the book was over, I just wanted to spend more time with them. I wanted to know they were okay (someday). I wanted to hold their hands as they went into the very unfair world they were given. Thank you for writing such beautifully imperfect characters who I could love.
Lastly, I was also really touched by the author's note in the beginning. I'm not sure if that will be in the final copy of the book or if it was just included for Net Galley readers, but the author talks about the struggles of finishing college after the loss of her father when he died. That she pushed herself too hard when she wasn't ready. This struck a cord with me as my father died two weeks before the end of my fall semester in college my junior year and I pushed through to finish out my courses and take finals. Even though I was told I could take "incompletes" on my courses so I could grieve and finish them later, I didn't want to. I didn't trust myself to come back to it. So, instead, I sat in the university library and cried quietly in my cubicle while reviewing my notes for a final on the novel As I Lay Dying (a story about children carrying the dead body of their parent in a coffin...) It was rough and I barely made it through. Taking that perspective into this story gave it a real-life heartbeat for me. I could feel the reality of the author's loss mirrored in the characters and in my own heart. It brought in an authentic ache throughout the story that made it more than just fiction to me. It, in a way, helped me grieve again and feel all the emotions of my past once more.
Thank you to the author for writing such a wonderful book! I hope to see many more like this in the future.
P.S. Warning: Spoiler-y item. Stop reading here if you haven't read the book yet.
This book is dark academia done right. So many books out there claim that they are dark academia when really they're just dark academia aesthetics or vibes. This book literally understood the assignment. Dark academia, at its core, is supposed to criticize the obsession with academic pursuits at "all costs" and the brutal elitism of those higher echelons of institutions that seem older than devils themselves. This does that so well.
That Devil, Ambition is a story about a small group of students accepted into the "honors" class their senior year. In this course, they have one year to figure out how to kill an immortal, un-killable demon who is their professor. I mean, you can't get a more compelling set up then that.
Additionally, many of the students are in poverty who need to pass the class in order to get the debt of their very expensive school loans forgiven--or they need to reclaim their family name and secure high positions after graduation. Thus, each student in the class has a desperate reason to pass the course. You can feel their hope, ambition, distress and truly experience all the sacrifices they've made to get to this point. The course also tests who they are as people and how far they're willing to go to achieve their goals.
What I loved even more than the amazing plot set up, the ominous school setting and the critique of academia, was the characters. The author did an amazing job of helping me truly feel who these people were. You get three different points of view and each character tells you 1/3 of the story. I especially loved Fabian (the first POV we got). He was someone who presented himself one way to the world (perfect, polished, unfazed) while being something else inside (compassionate, imperfect, tenderhearted). The author used ( ) to show the reader the parts of Fabian that even Fabian didn't want to admit to himself. I absolutely loved this. It showed his dichotomy and struggle with his academic persona and his true persona so well. I'm bringing this up because I've never seen an author use this particular technique before, but I LOVED it. It really helped me understand Fabian and connect to him even more. I also saw one reviewer says she didn't like all the ( ), but I LOVED them.
My 2nd favorite character was Mia. She, like Fabian, wasn't all that she appeared. Her secrets and duplicitous personality was interesting and made me ache for her when she had to make hard decisions. I was right alongside her feeling everything she was feeling. This is what really made this book memorable to me and made it stand out. I loved the characters so much that when the book was over, I just wanted to spend more time with them. I wanted to know they were okay (someday). I wanted to hold their hands as they went into the very unfair world they were given. Thank you for writing such beautifully imperfect characters who I could love.
Lastly, I was also really touched by the author's note in the beginning. I'm not sure if that will be in the final copy of the book or if it was just included for Net Galley readers, but the author talks about the struggles of finishing college after the loss of her father when he died. That she pushed herself too hard when she wasn't ready. This struck a cord with me as my father died two weeks before the end of my fall semester in college my junior year and I pushed through to finish out my courses and take finals. Even though I was told I could take "incompletes" on my courses so I could grieve and finish them later, I didn't want to. I didn't trust myself to come back to it. So, instead, I sat in the university library and cried quietly in my cubicle while reviewing my notes for a final on the novel As I Lay Dying (a story about children carrying the dead body of their parent in a coffin...) It was rough and I barely made it through. Taking that perspective into this story gave it a real-life heartbeat for me. I could feel the reality of the author's loss mirrored in the characters and in my own heart. It brought in an authentic ache throughout the story that made it more than just fiction to me. It, in a way, helped me grieve again and feel all the emotions of my past once more.
Thank you to the author for writing such a wonderful book! I hope to see many more like this in the future.
P.S. Warning: Spoiler-y item. Stop reading here if you haven't read the book yet.
November 22, 2025
-Brutal & Bewitching-
Review of 'That Devil, Ambition'
Quote Alert
"𝐍𝐨, 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬,"𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝."𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐟𝐫𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞.”
(Come for the quirky concept. Stay for that mind blowing midway twist)
Fabian Galloway studies in a strange school. If he is not able to kill his teacher by the end of graduation, he will die. Same goes for everyone. And oh, the teacher is a devil. That's the cost of trying to become an honorable magician, someone who will be paid handsomely, in both, respect as well as pennies. Credence and Euphemia, only people he calls his friends, have meatier roles as the book progresses.
Until now, most of the dark academia I have read have taken themselves too seriously without delivering the heft of the plot they promise. Here, In Miller's book, the danger is real. Fabian never sits with his back to the door.
The impossibility of killing a devil who seems to be immortal raises the stakes astronomically. The conversations between students and him are one of the highlights of the book.
Have a look:
"Destroying the Professor's body would never be an option because they could no more destroy it than an ant could learn to speak. They couldn't kill him because no matter what they did to his body, he would always be able to use the matter around himself to recover. They couldn't kill what they couldn't even comprehend.
"What do you think when you look at us?" she asked.
The Professor's smile fell. "That crawling, dirt stained things have finally learned to walk."
Death and the devil hang heavily over students and the overall mood of the book. The affection students feel for some lightens the mood. Have a look:
"She wanted to know what would make it stay. How would it feel to know what brought it about these days and who he was on this side of the honors class? Did he still press slightly too hard when writing about some thing that excited him, breaking the nib off cheaper pens? Would his grip bruise if he grabbed her thigh now, or had his lithe fingers retained their tender, precise touch?"
Pick it up now.
Review of 'That Devil, Ambition'
Quote Alert
"𝐍𝐨, 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬,"𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝."𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐟𝐫𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞.”
(Come for the quirky concept. Stay for that mind blowing midway twist)
Fabian Galloway studies in a strange school. If he is not able to kill his teacher by the end of graduation, he will die. Same goes for everyone. And oh, the teacher is a devil. That's the cost of trying to become an honorable magician, someone who will be paid handsomely, in both, respect as well as pennies. Credence and Euphemia, only people he calls his friends, have meatier roles as the book progresses.
Until now, most of the dark academia I have read have taken themselves too seriously without delivering the heft of the plot they promise. Here, In Miller's book, the danger is real. Fabian never sits with his back to the door.
The impossibility of killing a devil who seems to be immortal raises the stakes astronomically. The conversations between students and him are one of the highlights of the book.
Have a look:
"Destroying the Professor's body would never be an option because they could no more destroy it than an ant could learn to speak. They couldn't kill him because no matter what they did to his body, he would always be able to use the matter around himself to recover. They couldn't kill what they couldn't even comprehend.
"What do you think when you look at us?" she asked.
The Professor's smile fell. "That crawling, dirt stained things have finally learned to walk."
Death and the devil hang heavily over students and the overall mood of the book. The affection students feel for some lightens the mood. Have a look:
"She wanted to know what would make it stay. How would it feel to know what brought it about these days and who he was on this side of the honors class? Did he still press slightly too hard when writing about some thing that excited him, breaking the nib off cheaper pens? Would his grip bruise if he grabbed her thigh now, or had his lithe fingers retained their tender, precise touch?"
Pick it up now.
May 12, 2025
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy
That Devil, Ambition by Linsey Miller is a third person multi-POV YA dark academia. Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia are honors students at the best school for magicians. But in order to graduate, they need to kill their professor, a devil summoned specifically to kill or be killed. And if the students fail to kill the Professor by the end of the year, they will die.
There are some romantic relationships, but I wouldn’t necessarily call them romance arcs. Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia interests do not get a ton of page time as interests and there’s a much bigger focus on trying to survive that there isn’t a ton of room to develop a romance. I wouldn’t say any of them feel like they would end in an HEA and even the characters are assuming that isn’t going to happen. I still enjoyed reading them because they are very different from what I’m used to because I’m still somewhat new to horror and dark academia and there was some interesting stuff that happens within those relationships.
Of the three POVs, Euphemia’s might have been my favorite. It is the last POV we get so we see from her POV whether or not the class succeeds, but we also get a very different view of everyone than we did in Fabian and Credence’s POVs. Euphemia is a lot more aware than she lets on and she’s very good at reading people. She knows things that Fabian wasn’t saying just by what he did and didn’t tell her.
In terms of genre, this is kind of a suspense dark academia with elements of horror or dark fantasy. I don’t quite know exactly where the line is between horror and dark fantasy, but I know devils can appear in both and the atmosphere is something that I have seen in both horror and dark academia. The pacing wasn’t quick enough for me to see it as a thriller, so I think ‘suspense’ works much better and it is very suspenseful as we build up to the climax.
Content warning for gore
I would recommend this to fans of dark academia, horror, and dark fantasy and readers of YA looking for a creepy, suspenseful read
That Devil, Ambition by Linsey Miller is a third person multi-POV YA dark academia. Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia are honors students at the best school for magicians. But in order to graduate, they need to kill their professor, a devil summoned specifically to kill or be killed. And if the students fail to kill the Professor by the end of the year, they will die.
There are some romantic relationships, but I wouldn’t necessarily call them romance arcs. Fabian, Credence, and Euphemia interests do not get a ton of page time as interests and there’s a much bigger focus on trying to survive that there isn’t a ton of room to develop a romance. I wouldn’t say any of them feel like they would end in an HEA and even the characters are assuming that isn’t going to happen. I still enjoyed reading them because they are very different from what I’m used to because I’m still somewhat new to horror and dark academia and there was some interesting stuff that happens within those relationships.
Of the three POVs, Euphemia’s might have been my favorite. It is the last POV we get so we see from her POV whether or not the class succeeds, but we also get a very different view of everyone than we did in Fabian and Credence’s POVs. Euphemia is a lot more aware than she lets on and she’s very good at reading people. She knows things that Fabian wasn’t saying just by what he did and didn’t tell her.
In terms of genre, this is kind of a suspense dark academia with elements of horror or dark fantasy. I don’t quite know exactly where the line is between horror and dark fantasy, but I know devils can appear in both and the atmosphere is something that I have seen in both horror and dark academia. The pacing wasn’t quick enough for me to see it as a thriller, so I think ‘suspense’ works much better and it is very suspenseful as we build up to the climax.
Content warning for gore
I would recommend this to fans of dark academia, horror, and dark fantasy and readers of YA looking for a creepy, suspenseful read
November 18, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc! Wow. This was both incredibly fucked and incredibly well done. Here are some things that rocked my socks:
-The author pulls absolutely no punches here. They really take it there, and it’s gorgeous. There’s so many moments that left me REELING and staring at the wall. Never again will I underestimate YA; I was clutching my pearls.
-When reading this book I felt like a student myself. I was also trying to guess on how to kill this devil. If I had a beard I’d be stroking it. Basically, this book is both a thinker and HEAVY on the academia. I truly felt like an intellectual.
-This book was incredibly immersive. The world building was simplistic, but well done. The author’s prose also leant to an incredibly atmospheric reading experience. This, along with other things I’ll mention later lends to a story that truly showcases the best of what dark academia has to offer.
-This book excels in its themes, and again, truly showcases what dark academia is supposed to be as a genre. Too often, dark academia books tend to mainly or only critique the institution. That Devil, Ambition does critique the institution, but it mostly focuses on how academia can destroy a student’s psyche. I’m glad this book took this route tbh, because solely critiquing academia itself is more than redundant. Fortunately, this book was a breath of fresh air. In That Devil, Ambition, we see students crumble, become monsters, lose themselves, damage themselves and others irrevocably. We get a few in-depth character studies that are all distinct and fascinating.
-to add to my last point: this is also a book about the topic of death. How young people think they’re unkillable. How we would change our actions if faced with soon and imminent death. How death affects people differently. How death can change a person. The trivialization and sensationalism of it. How it can be romanticized. And, of course, how death is not only external but internal. Again, this book is truly an academic’s book. There are many quotable and powerful lines in here.
-We also have the theme of change. I’ve found many different interpretations we get if it during this book. I don’t wanna spoil anything though.
-keeping it as vague as possible, I loved the ending. The ending lends itself to a slice of hope amongst darkness and depression. This is not a happy book, but its ending was evocative and well done. Amongst all the bleakness and depression is a bit of hope (very apt that I read this right before the election 😍).
-my only nitpick: someone should have taken Fabian to church. Actually and to be fair, it’s realistic. The older I get the more I forget just how horny dudes (especially teenage ones) are.
In summation: yes. This book was the shit, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time too. Just complete and utter fierceness; now I’ll have the check the author’s backlog. -5 systematic stars
-The author pulls absolutely no punches here. They really take it there, and it’s gorgeous. There’s so many moments that left me REELING and staring at the wall. Never again will I underestimate YA; I was clutching my pearls.
-When reading this book I felt like a student myself. I was also trying to guess on how to kill this devil. If I had a beard I’d be stroking it. Basically, this book is both a thinker and HEAVY on the academia. I truly felt like an intellectual.
-This book was incredibly immersive. The world building was simplistic, but well done. The author’s prose also leant to an incredibly atmospheric reading experience. This, along with other things I’ll mention later lends to a story that truly showcases the best of what dark academia has to offer.
-This book excels in its themes, and again, truly showcases what dark academia is supposed to be as a genre. Too often, dark academia books tend to mainly or only critique the institution. That Devil, Ambition does critique the institution, but it mostly focuses on how academia can destroy a student’s psyche. I’m glad this book took this route tbh, because solely critiquing academia itself is more than redundant. Fortunately, this book was a breath of fresh air. In That Devil, Ambition, we see students crumble, become monsters, lose themselves, damage themselves and others irrevocably. We get a few in-depth character studies that are all distinct and fascinating.
-to add to my last point: this is also a book about the topic of death. How young people think they’re unkillable. How we would change our actions if faced with soon and imminent death. How death affects people differently. How death can change a person. The trivialization and sensationalism of it. How it can be romanticized. And, of course, how death is not only external but internal. Again, this book is truly an academic’s book. There are many quotable and powerful lines in here.
-We also have the theme of change. I’ve found many different interpretations we get if it during this book. I don’t wanna spoil anything though.
-keeping it as vague as possible, I loved the ending. The ending lends itself to a slice of hope amongst darkness and depression. This is not a happy book, but its ending was evocative and well done. Amongst all the bleakness and depression is a bit of hope (very apt that I read this right before the election 😍).
-my only nitpick: someone should have taken Fabian to church. Actually and to be fair, it’s realistic. The older I get the more I forget just how horny dudes (especially teenage ones) are.
In summation: yes. This book was the shit, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time too. Just complete and utter fierceness; now I’ll have the check the author’s backlog. -5 systematic stars
November 26, 2024
I was hooked from the first chapter. The story follows a trio of gifted students. Fabian, Credence and Euphemia. They are part of an elite honors class consisting of 13 students. Their final assignment is to kill their professor. If they succeed, their student debt is forgiven. However, if an assassination attempt fails or the professor is alive at the end of the year, their lives are forfeit.
I thought this was a brilliant story. It was dark and real and didn’t hold back. It was also a bit of a mystery thriller in the sense that we as readers are wondering how the students will kill the professor and if they fail how will he kill them. I loved the characters and the world building. We really see a sweet friendship between the trio and you can’t help but root for them. I thought the pacing was great and as the year progressed we and the students start to feel the pressure of their task. We see many students lose their lives and themselves. I thought it was a great blend of fantasy and dark academia elements that also related to real life. I thought the author did an amazing job discussing heavy topics such as death, power, ambition, and critiquing institutions without ever feeling preachy.
Definitely don’t get attached to anyone in this story Linsey Miller doesn’t hold back. This is truly a gripping dark academia book that had so much packed into it. Political intrigue, magic, a queer normative world and magic system, death, grief, violence, and secrets. Highly recommend this unique and immersive book.
I thought this was a brilliant story. It was dark and real and didn’t hold back. It was also a bit of a mystery thriller in the sense that we as readers are wondering how the students will kill the professor and if they fail how will he kill them. I loved the characters and the world building. We really see a sweet friendship between the trio and you can’t help but root for them. I thought the pacing was great and as the year progressed we and the students start to feel the pressure of their task. We see many students lose their lives and themselves. I thought it was a great blend of fantasy and dark academia elements that also related to real life. I thought the author did an amazing job discussing heavy topics such as death, power, ambition, and critiquing institutions without ever feeling preachy.
Definitely don’t get attached to anyone in this story Linsey Miller doesn’t hold back. This is truly a gripping dark academia book that had so much packed into it. Political intrigue, magic, a queer normative world and magic system, death, grief, violence, and secrets. Highly recommend this unique and immersive book.
August 5, 2025
I… don’t know if I understand what just happened tbh.
The premise that you and your fellow students have a year to kill your professor to graduate is fascinating! Especially when I found out that the professor was a demon and that any failed attempts on the professor‘s life would result in that professor being allowed to take the students life in return. Very dark academia and macabre (two topics I eat up). And the magic system, severance, was super cool, being able to displace your body or spirit. And I was even more hooked when the first twist happened a third of the way through the book!
And… then it lost me. The beginning of the story and it’s confusion made sense for the plot, the middle had a ton of direction and emotion, but the last third of the book was building up to make you think something insane was happening and it was horribly anticlimactic.
Was it a good read? Yeah sure. The writing was beautiful, and the characters had so much depth. The plot was just infuriatingly dull when it needed to be exciting, and outrageously interesting when it didn’t matter.
No spice, just some fade to black.
The premise that you and your fellow students have a year to kill your professor to graduate is fascinating! Especially when I found out that the professor was a demon and that any failed attempts on the professor‘s life would result in that professor being allowed to take the students life in return. Very dark academia and macabre (two topics I eat up). And the magic system, severance, was super cool, being able to displace your body or spirit. And I was even more hooked when the first twist happened a third of the way through the book!
And… then it lost me. The beginning of the story and it’s confusion made sense for the plot, the middle had a ton of direction and emotion, but the last third of the book was building up to make you think something insane was happening and it was horribly anticlimactic.
Was it a good read? Yeah sure. The writing was beautiful, and the characters had so much depth. The plot was just infuriatingly dull when it needed to be exciting, and outrageously interesting when it didn’t matter.
No spice, just some fade to black.
September 21, 2025
I went in with low expectations and came away disappointed anyway. Ahh, well...
Honestly, this is the kind of book that makes me frown at the YA genre nowadays. (Sorry, but true.)
I just ... wanted something a lot more.
Instead the most obvious thing, hinted at already the first day - you know, about the bodies and how they don't matter *hint, hint, nudge, nudge* - could just as well have been a neon sign as far as I'm concerned. Yet none of the students seemed to jump to this not-at-all farfetched idea until really late into the book.
The shift in characters took me somewhat off guard the first time, but at the same time, I hated being in Fabian's head (because he seemed like a really not nice person) so I wasn't much moved when he ... ehh ... was no longer the narrator.
The other two worked better for me, with the 3rd working the best out of the three. However, I did at times feel like I wanted to jump out of the car and help push it up the hill. The characters took forever to reach seemingly obvious conclusions and time was wasted going over the same phrases or thoughts over and over.
All in all... Not impressed. There's no real deeper meaning to be found within the book. Just read the title and ponder it from a few angles and you can probably have a deeper introspection with yourself than what this book managed to build during 416 pages.
But then again: I'm too old for this genre (read: it lets me down 98% of the times Ii return to it) so what do I know.
Honestly, this is the kind of book that makes me frown at the YA genre nowadays. (Sorry, but true.)
I just ... wanted something a lot more.
Instead the most obvious thing, hinted at already the first day - you know, about the bodies and how they don't matter *hint, hint, nudge, nudge* - could just as well have been a neon sign as far as I'm concerned. Yet none of the students seemed to jump to this not-at-all farfetched idea until really late into the book.
The shift in characters took me somewhat off guard the first time, but at the same time, I hated being in Fabian's head (because he seemed like a really not nice person) so I wasn't much moved when he ... ehh ... was no longer the narrator.
The other two worked better for me, with the 3rd working the best out of the three. However, I did at times feel like I wanted to jump out of the car and help push it up the hill. The characters took forever to reach seemingly obvious conclusions and time was wasted going over the same phrases or thoughts over and over.
All in all... Not impressed. There's no real deeper meaning to be found within the book. Just read the title and ponder it from a few angles and you can probably have a deeper introspection with yourself than what this book managed to build during 416 pages.
But then again: I'm too old for this genre (read: it lets me down 98% of the times Ii return to it) so what do I know.
February 11, 2025
Fabian is attending one of the most interesting schools ever. A professor that is a devil that is summoned each year is not only the teacher, but the main lesson. It’s kill or be killed between the students of the honors class and the professor.
There is a very diverse group of students and so many twists and turns. The need to find out how to kill the professor is so intriguing that it makes the whole book really engaging. Plus, its fast pace makes it really easy to get hooked on.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to review.
There is a very diverse group of students and so many twists and turns. The need to find out how to kill the professor is so intriguing that it makes the whole book really engaging. Plus, its fast pace makes it really easy to get hooked on.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to review.
July 4, 2025
I'm breathless at the ambition and wonder of this book. WOW. genuinely one of the most unique and happening book I've read that's set in an academy of sorts.
linsey miller captures the heart of dark academia and delivers one of the most breathtaking novels I've ever read with her story telling prowess and captivatingly distinct characters. i audibly gasped at the audacity she had to pull off some of these she did which we don't typically see happen in mainstream books.
kudos to the author really. take a bow. I'll never forget anyone, but especially my darlings fabian and Irene.
linsey miller captures the heart of dark academia and delivers one of the most breathtaking novels I've ever read with her story telling prowess and captivatingly distinct characters. i audibly gasped at the audacity she had to pull off some of these she did which we don't typically see happen in mainstream books.
kudos to the author really. take a bow. I'll never forget anyone, but especially my darlings fabian and Irene.
November 26, 2024
Received this Arc from Netgalley!
Bleak and demoralising. Or in other words it's sadly school.
First initial vibes was the last episode of Wednesday but make it darker. A lot darker actually. I wish I had someone in my life to tell me if they felt the same a about this.
Despite a cast of characters that were initially hard to root for you couldn't help but feel for them in one way or another. They are all smart, talented and pushed so far to the edge you just want to help them.
The grand mystery of how to kill the Professor was interesting. It kept me engaged in the story and the answers to some of the big questions were too well done. Absolutely loved it.
Euphemia was my favourite character by far.
This is honestly such a great fall read. Paced well, strong characters, chilling atmosphere. The book was a little on the graphically gorier side for me but Linsey Millet has a content warning on Goodreads if anyone is interested.
Bleak and demoralising. Or in other words it's sadly school.
First initial vibes was the last episode of Wednesday but make it darker. A lot darker actually. I wish I had someone in my life to tell me if they felt the same a about this.
Despite a cast of characters that were initially hard to root for you couldn't help but feel for them in one way or another. They are all smart, talented and pushed so far to the edge you just want to help them.
The grand mystery of how to kill the Professor was interesting. It kept me engaged in the story and the answers to some of the big questions were too well done. Absolutely loved it.
Euphemia was my favourite character by far.
This is honestly such a great fall read. Paced well, strong characters, chilling atmosphere. The book was a little on the graphically gorier side for me but Linsey Millet has a content warning on Goodreads if anyone is interested.
March 23, 2025
Another great work from Linsey Miller! This story did not let up for a second, and I have a feeling I am going to be thinking about it for awhile to come. I just loved what it had to say about academia and the costs of schooling.
October 21, 2025
There was so much exposition that only wanting to achieve the associated Goodreads achievement drove me to finish the book. The ending made it all worth it, but as usual, morally grey characters make me want to shred a book.
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