Sibylline

by Melissa de la Cruz

Three teens infiltrate the magical ivy league in this heart-stopping dark academia romantasy, the first in a young adult duology from #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Raven, Atticus, and Dorian have dreamed of attending Sibylline for as long as they can remember. But when the magical ivy league rejects them, the friends’ plans of a future together studying the arcane begin crashing down.

Until they decide to steal an education.

Getting jobs on campus, they sneak into lectures and swipe forbidden texts, dodging the administration’s watchful eye. In the quiet of night, in the thrill of secrecy, their magic awakens. And so do long-buried attractions that turn their friendship into something more.

But like magic, love can create, and it can destroy. As unrequited feelings and resentment threaten to fracture their bond, the trio discovers an insidious magic that has sunk its claws into Sibylline, killing students and corroding the very bones of the university. Now the three intruders may be the key to saving the institution from wreckage . . . if they don’t wreck one another first.

Genres: Fantasy, Dark Academia, Young Adult, Romance, Romantasy, Fiction, Magic

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 3, 2026

About the author

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sneaking into a magical Ivy League university? Sign me up. Sibylline had me hooked from page one with its midnight lecture halls, stolen grimoires, and a campus that looks pristine but hides something sinister beneath all that gilded perfection. Raven, Atticus, and Dorian jumped off the page as fully realized characters—each with their own distinct voice and skills that complement each other beautifully. The "let's audit arcane classes we're not supposed to take" setup is such a fun, rebellious spin on dark academia. When their rule-breaking accidentally awakens their magic and starts unleashing the university's buried secrets, the story really comes alive.

But here's where I struggled a bit: the romantic dynamics, while intriguing, sometimes overwhelmed everything else. There were long stretches where the will-they/won't-they/who-are-we dance took center stage, and the actual mystery investigation got pushed to the sidelines. Don't get me wrong—I'm totally here for a poly romance when it's done well. But in this case, the relationship drama and jealousy spirals sometimes felt like they belonged in a different book than the creepy campus-horror story I was equally invested in. Just when the conspiracy was heating up and I desperately wanted answers, we'd pivot back to complicated feelings. There was also a more explicit scene late in the book that honestly took me out of the moment and kind of deflated the tension right when the finale should have been building to a crescendo.

That said, the foundation here is really strong. The pacing at the start is crisp and engaging, the worldbuilding feels polished and atmospheric, and there are enough tantalizing hints about Sibylline's "insidious magic" that I'm genuinely curious about book two—especially if the sequel gives the relationships room to develop naturally while ramping up the mystery and horror elements.

Bottom line: Three stars from me. This book has so much potential and creates an incredibly atmospheric world with a premise I absolutely loved. It just occasionally got weighed down by the complexity of juggling three-way relationship dynamics alongside a dark magical conspiracy. I'm still intrigued enough to see where this series goes, though.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for sharing this dark-academia-meets-poly-fantasy digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review. Despite my quibbles, I really appreciated the opportunity to dive into this atmospheric world!

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[Reads With Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not at all expecting to dislike this because I liked this authors Blue Bloods series in high school. But this was really bad.

[Liana Gold · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here I am once again, going to provide the most unapologetic review on a book that had a lot of potential but went sideways and downwards real quick.

Full review to follow!


Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group and the author, Melissa de la Cruz for sending me this eARC!

Publication date: February 3, 2026

[Tayler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so I’ve sat with this for a day just to really put my thoughts in order and let me tell you this book is fantastic. This book is fast paced but also keeps you intrigued with the 3 main characters as to what is actually going on. My only complaint is that this book wasn’t long enough. but we’re getting a sequel so who cares lol. I loved how fleshed out each of the characters were when you were in their perspectives. some books I’ve read with multiple pov can seem to blend together but this didn’t. if you love dark academia, a why choose romance plot line. This is for you.

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looks gorgeous, the premise is alluring, absolutely love the mystery and gothic atmosphere. And the classic quotes at the start of each chapter were great. For some reason I just couldn’t click with the writing style of the characters, and I could really get into their romance at all. This does end on a mild cliff hanger and it was interesting enough I’d read book two. Thanks to Netgalley , the author and the publisher for the arc!

[Library Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

WTF was that?

Throughout the whole book there is this bizarre and annoying love triangle/möbius strip between teenagers where the trusty old trope of keeping secrets from one another is alive and well. They acted like elementary-aged kids in days of old who would pass each other a note that says, “Do you like me? Check yes or no.”

I kept trudging on because it was a compelling story about magic and a magic school.

Suddenly the teenagers are in a dungeon fighting the baddie and one of them dies. But never fear, after taking off their clothes and having a threesome he is saved.

What the what?

[kiki’s delivery witch ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Dark Academia
- Magical Ivy League
- Love Triangle
- Found Family (that might break)
- Impostors / Forbidden Entry
- Corrupting Magic
- Gothic Mystery
- Unrequited Crush Tension
- Deadly Secrets on Campus
- Twisty Cliffhanger Ending


Sibylline or however you pronounce that, (still saying it like “sy-bell-een” in my head and refusing to Google) is Melissa de la Cruz serving up her signature witchy dark academia with a side of "why choose" romance that's got more tension than a group chat.

There’s Raven the wildcard, Atticus the mind-reading brooder who's basically a walking empathy sponge, and Dorian the glove-wearing touch-averse charmer who can psychically grill any artifact like it's on a hot seat. All three get rejection letters by the magical Ivy League of their dreams. So what do they do? Crash the party by getting a job, sneaking into candlelit lectures, pilfering a grimoires from the Rosette Library, and accidentally sorta awakening their powers while dodging a conspiracy that's straight up murdering students (or, well two?)

Atticus and Dorian's dual POVs are like those identical twins at a costume party who both showed up as the same thing. I kept flipping back like, wait, is this the guy who reads minds or the one who can't touch without getting a history lesson? Give 'em a signature scent or a quirky curse already. Atticus could brood exclusively over black coffee, Dorian over vintage vinyl. Idk, something. Raven steals every scene she's in, though, with her chaotic energy keeping the found family from imploding too soon.

Plot wise, it's 300 pages of vibes over velocity. By halfway through, they've yoinked one forbidden text (peak heist energy), accidentally destroyed it, and sparked actual magic maybe thrice. The rest? Pure yearning. Yearning in the rain-slicked quad. Yearning while trying to hide in an underground tunnel they’re not supposed to be in while hiding from the administrator. I get it, magic and love are two sides of a cursed coin that can build empires or burn bridges, but maybe dial back the "his glance made my knees file for unemployment" monologues and crank up the stakes. It wasn’t even til like 70 percent in that someone died, and it wasn’t important anyway, and was glossed over.

The tone shuffle from cozy YA boarding-school rebellion the whole way (secret societies! Poly tension!), then last few minutes hits like a freight train to NA town with a dream sequence spice level that left me sputtering "hold up, is this the same book or did we portal to a different publisher?" Ma'am, this is a magical university, not a Wendy’s drive thru for sudden steam this late in the game.

It's screaming series setup. It ends on a cliff that's more "tease for book two" than "bang, you're hooked", but I'll be first in line for the sequel because these guys have burrowed into my brain. I just hope for more plotting, less pining. My inner plot gremlin is parched.

[littlefox]

NEW ARC WOOOO

[Spiri Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a poly fantasy, and I’m still giving this five stars even though I wish there was more talking about feelings(there’s a lot of THINKING and talking in duo moments) and less steam between the three especially for a YA(wtf was happening in chapter 41?), but this was a fun read. Loved the dark academia and their different abilities. I’m already excited for the sequel

[Hillary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yooooo...I signed on for a dark mystery at a magical academy and ended up with an unreasonably graphic barely legal thruple (which is obviously more important than the literal murders happening, right?).

[Mella aka Maron]

DNF at 19%

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Goodness this is SO boring. 🥱 These three characters are just starting jobs at a college after being rejected from said college. It’s never really explained why they were allowed to get jobs there. So the college is willing to PAY these kids but not willing to accept their money?? 😐 And I got to the portion where this girl got the same job in the library as a first year student and I’m just so utterly confused as to how she and her two besties could just all get jobs easily at the beginning of the semester. It feels way too convenient.

The world building is nonexistent. It’s like we are expected to just be fine with this being our world but with magic and that’s the only explanation we are given.

Combine all that with my dislike for de la Cruz’s bland writing style and I just can’t continue. I only realized I disliked her writing after I grabbed this ARC, unfortunately. But now I will definitely not be picking up anything else from her.

[Ellie Bartlett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I hated this book. I’m sorry, but as much as I wanted to like it, I just…didn’t. The writing was incredibly amateur, the love triangle—circle?—going on here was purely lust-driven, the characters had no personality, there were no challenges that could not be easily overcome, and the “mystery” was overly dramatized to increase the stakes (spoiler: it didn’t work). I could say a whole lot more, but I’m not going to, because it’s an ARC and I want all other readers out there to give it a fair chance, but my opinion is that this book just shouldn’t have been written. Period.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is marketed as a YA romantasy. While technically these teens are 18 and they are working at a college that they didn't get into (which is a weird plot point in of itself), this whole book reads as though they are in high school. They read as high school students and this work/not college experience does not make them seem any older than that. This is why I cannot approve of the progressively explicit nature of the make-out/sex scenes. Again, technically they are 18, but it still made me feel like I was unwittingly participating in child pornography and that's not cool. I feel like the author needs to tone down the writing or it needs to be marketed for adults and not teens.

[Sierraaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

All thoughts and opinions are my own! thank you to NetGalley, Melissa De La Cruz, Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the chance to read and review this book early.

I so wanted to love this book, but sadly i don’t think it was for me. It started off great, with the promise of three friends trying to get into the most prestigious magical college in the country, Sibylline. But when Raven, Atticus, and Dorian are all three rejected, the trio decide to get jobs on campus and get an education on their own by any means necessary, including stealing ancient texts and intruding on lessons. And as things heat up between the friend group, they realize they may just be the only ones capable of solving a mystery within Sibylline and saving the school.

Now, where this book went wrong for me first and foremost was the relationships between Raven, Atticus, and Dorian. it was messy in a frustrating way, and no one could muster up the courage to have a mature conversation about the their feelings. i also think the descriptive intimacy scenes were a bit much for a book classified as YA, especially since *SPOILER* two of the main characters literally have intercourse with the third MC to bring them back to life— something i was completely baffled by.

I also didn’t like how easily these three got jobs at Sibylline. They weren’t qualified to be students, but it was oh so easy to become employed there and basically have access to they exact same things as students. Which i know gets explained at the end, but it was frustrating for the majority of the book. And as for the pacing of the story, i think many scenes felt rushed, so i was unable to connect with the story in any meaningful way.

Overall, i definitely don’t think this book was for me, but i am glad i was given the opportunity to read and review it.

[Krissi]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has very low ratings for a good reason. It is awful. The writing is literally like someone who just turned 13 would write. Very immature writing style. The plot was also just not going anywhere at 36% in except trying to figure out if the main character is into guys or girls or both. Just couldn't care anymore as the premise sounded so good with breaking into a magical school, but it went absolutely nowhere with this. Save yourself the time, don't bother.

[thelilcloseddoorbookgal]

I’ve seen multiple reviews that this YA book has smut and a threesome with barely legal
I will not be recommending this to anyone
KEEP SMUT OUT OF YA YOU CREEPS

[brontësaurus]

dark academia? romantasy? say no more. melissa de la cruz is the author of my childhood.

[Soleil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for the early review copy.
This story started off as a straightforward tale of 3 best friends finding out they had been rejected from their dream magical academy. It starts to drift immediately by these talented youths gaining employment at the same school that rejected them as students. But worry not because all will be explained later on, kind of. This was a fast and easy read, with very simple sentence structure and a plot that quickly developed. I was left disappointment by how little we explored any kind of world building and other elements of this story beyond the main mystery that took place. Simply put, it was shallow and contained no reckoning with the main characters' actions throughout the story.
This definitely sit firmly as a young adult novel and an entry-point to any fantasy novels. Something I would consider recommending to someone looking to try out a magical world, with some fun friendship dynamics, and a delightful taste of polyamory. Until a chapter right near the end of the book. I scream-laughed at the utter absurdity of it all. The turn this chapter takes is so beyond wild that it dropped my rating down a star and compelled me to send my best friend a 7 minute long voice memo in outrage. Truly an outrageous turn for the story to take, and just odd execution. It left me unsatisfied and flabbergasted.

Initial thoughts/review:
This book started off as a 4 star and had a very steady progression down to a 2 star.
The world building and plot were shallow, without any reckoning for the character’s actions throughout the story. But the true crime against humanity is chapter 41. I did in fact scream laugh with the absurdity. I’m still reeling from wtf happened there.
I did enjoy the dynamic between the three main characters and the polyamorous relationship throughout. The premise was really interesting: 3 students decide to take entry-level jobs at a magical academy after being rejected. However, the downward avalanche following it was strong, with some rough plot holes that just didn’t add up.
Very much read as an upper YA book.

[BookForAHeart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tale unfurls like a velvet ribbon, steeped in the intoxicating aroma of old books and forbidden knowledge. 💕🌟

Meet Raven, Atticus, and Dorian, a trio bound by starlight and shared ambition, only to find the gates of the magical Ivy League slammed shut. Their response? A delicious, daring transgression. They decide to steal their education, becoming shadows in the hallowed lecture halls, their hands stained with ink and starlight. 🌙📚

The narrative thrives in the thrilling intimacy of their secret life. Sneaking past watchful eyes, their inherent magic blooms, fierce and untamed. But it’s the blossoming of long-buried attractions that truly ignites the pages. Their friendship, once a sturdy oak, splinters and reforms into a complex, shimmering bond—a slow-burn, multi-faceted romance that feels both inevitable and beautifully painful. 🔥💔

Yet, beneath the thrill of first love and arcane studies, a dark, insidious magic seeps into the university's very foundation. Students are fading, the ivory towers are rotting, and suddenly, these three brilliant interlopers, the uninvited guests, find themselves holding the key to Sibylline's survival.

This is a story for those who adore dark academia with a heavy pour of poly-romance and a spine-tingling mystery.

It's about the magic of breaking the rules, the creation and destruction that comes with truly deep love, and the exquisite agony of almost ruining the one thing you cherish most. The language is lush, the atmosphere is electric, and the ending will leave you breathless.
A deliciously forbidden, deeply felt dive into the darkness of desire and destiny. 💖🗝️

[Ashley von B · Rating 5 out of 5]

*slight spoiler ahead*

I really loved this one. I absolutely adore a magical academy setting and it felt unique in the fact that they weren’t actually students, in fact they got rejected. So I loved how it differed there.

The relationship between the 3 characters was definitely very interesting. And the love triangle played out in a way I didn’t expect. At certain points I was rooting for different pairings. And then at the end it’s a very satisfying result.

Now, I will say that I was a bit confused by the ending vision scene. Because I wasn’t sure that it was a vision and was just happening all of a sudden out of nowhere. I understand it after finishing it but also a bit interesting of a choice for a ‘back to life’ vision. But didn’t take away from the book in my opinion.

Overall it was super cute and I adored it and can’t wait for the next one. It was also a nice length. Not too long and felt like it wrapped up interestingly.

I can’t thank Penguin enough for this ARC, I really needed this to pull me out of my slump and it totally did!

[Samantha Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

I normally enjoy this author quite a bit, but this book is lacking in her usual wonderful world building, character development, and prose. I love the idea of this story, but I think that it was poorly executed here. Also, the romance felt odd and out of place, and I personally think the story would've been better without its inclusion.

[Tariq Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was provided by netgalley.

If you love love Harry Potter or The Raven Cycle series. Then you most likely will like this. It’s a new series from Mellisa De La Cruz.

It has the angst we need and the characters we grow to love.

It involves a magical school/college. It gave me the Covenant vibes with sexy people walking around and this almost cozy nostalgic small town, Ivy League school during autumn.

There is high stakes and a friend group to rival Harry, Ron and Hermione.

[Kaitlyn Lopez-Collier · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Whew I really loved the first 97% of this book. The setting was amazing. I love the gothic vibes. The characters were great for me. There was a very complicated love triangle that had me interested too. But there was such a graphic sex scene for a YA book at the end. One moment the guy was dead and he wakes up and he’s having a threesome. That is not okay for me. It should’ve been thought out much better. I don’t feel comfortable recommending this to teens and the scene was just off putting in general. Again I loved the book for the first 97% and then it just turned into something totally unreadable and I’m upset about that.

[Korynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have many thoughts about this book. First and foremost, this book is marketed as YA and has characters that act like immature teens, but the characters are actually adults (18-years-old) and engage in on-page adult content. It seems like the author wasn’t clear on her audience for this book, and what she did isn’t working. A book marketed toward teens should not feature adult characters engaging in on-page sex.

Sibylline honestly started out pretty good. There are three POVs: Atticus can sense people, their emotions, and their thoughts. Raven is a situational polyglot and can read and understand many languages. Dorian is a psychometric; he can see flashes of something’s history when he touches it. I liked learning about their various magical abilities and seeing how they used them.

This book has a true love triangle were person A likes B, B likes C, and C likes A. Until A starts to like C back, and then B starts to like A back, and everybody likes everybody and then suddenly there’s a polyamorous romance going on. The romance definitely took a front seat in this story and pushed the plot to the side. I personally feel like too much page time was given to the romance. The plot was so good, but it was like 1 page of plot and then 3 pages of romance. Also why is it that the first time people kissed it lead to more? Y’all are moving way too fast.

Please tell me why a YA book has an explicit threesome sex scene on page?? And it happens when one character is unconscious, the act bordering on necrophilia if I’m being honest. He wakes up to find the other two undressing him and then finds himself sandwiched between them. Are we trying to teach teens that not giving consent because they’re not fully awake is okay only because one time they said they liked you? I’m sorry but that is not appropriate and not the right message for a YA audience! Chapter 41 is the culprit here. Highly recommend skipping this chapter if you read this book. Completely unnecessary and out of place and made me feel ill.

The pacing overall was quite fast. Some important scenes were over in just a couple of pages when they felt like they should have been longer because of the impact they had on the story. I do think this book could have benefitted from being about fifty pages longer, with the added length being given to deepening the plot and developing the magic systems and expounding on the setting (i.e. not detailing the romance, which already had more than enough page time).

I don’t condone teens drinking and having sex, both of which are present in this book. This is unfortunate because the story underneath the romance was good and each character’s magic was cool and the setting was rich, but it all felt overshadowed by the romance. I’m not a romance hater—in fact I love love—but there was just too much going on here. This story did not need a polyamorous romance plot on top of the infiltrate-the-university plot; this book would have benefitted from the romance taking a backseat to the actual story.

Sibylline reads as if the author had two book ideas: three teens infiltrate a magical university after not getting accepted and they discover its dangerous hidden secrets while uncovering their own magical abilities, and a love triangle that turns into a polyamorous romance after many will-they/won’t-they scenes and emotional monologues. I came for the first plotline but then the author did a bait and switch and served us the second plotline.

This book started out as a 4-star read, then around the 40% mark became a 3-star read, and then the ending left me disgusted and feeling like it was barely a 2-star read. I was originally going to give the book 3 stars overall as an average, but hours after finishing I still cannot stop thinking about how chapter 41 ruined the book for me.

If you are looking for an adult romance-first story that also happens to have a university setting and characters with neat magical abilities, then Sibylline will be for you. If you are looking for a dark academia setting with secrets and intrigue and deep descriptions of magic and also happens to feature a romance, then Sibylline will disappoint you. I think the reason this book has such low ratings currently is because it is being advertised as the latter but it is actually the former (and because of the atrocious and unnecessary chapter 41). Readers are not getting what they expected out of this book.

Is the book bad? No, or at least it doesn’t start out that way. But is it what I thought it would be and what I wanted? Also no, which just makes it disappointing. I enjoyed most of the story until last two chapters, even if I did feel like there was too much romance-to-plot ratio throughout. I do currently plan to read the sequel as I liked the story enough to continue on, plus it is only supposed to be a duology, but I really hope the second book tones down the romance a bit. If we have another necrophiliac threesome scene then I’ll have to call it quits.


I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Peyton Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a copy of this book to read and review before it’s released.

Sibylline is the story of three friends that are rejected from the top magic school in their world, and, instead of accepting the rejection, they get jobs on campus to secretly learn magic all while trying to stop the dark entity that’s killing students and destroying the very bones of the school.

This one isn’t for me. I can’t find much I enjoyed about it. I thought the powers that each of the main characters had were intriguing and I liked the moments where they really put them to use, but that’s about it.

I was very thrown off by how messy the romance was. It was presented in a way where it’s supposed to be interesting and sort of dramatic but ultimately you’re meant to want them together. I found most of the romantic and intimate moments to be incredibly cringy and forced. The book was telling me they had these super deep, sweet, caring bond and I just couldn’t get behind it at all. It didn’t feel authentic at all.

The main plot about students dying to a dark entity didn’t truly start to take place until the 60-70% mark and at that point everything felt sloppy and rushed. The solutions to things came to the characters way too easily and it felt like the author mainly wanted to focus on the romance. The main plot that was lowkey discarded for most of the book actually had huge potential, especially with what is revealed later on, but it just seemed like the author didn’t care much about that part and threw together something last minute.

I felt very misled about most of the plot honestly. It’s supposed to be about these three highly gifted magicians doing anything they can to gain the education they were supposed to receive and you would think that would be interesting, especially with the dark academia setting, but it just never really happens.

Sadly, this is a big no for me. But I want to thank Penguin Teen once again for sending me a copy of Sibylline to read and review before it releases on February 3rd.

[Catarina | cat literary world · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me early access to this ebook. All opinions are my own.

I was very interested in Sibylline as soon as I’ve read the synopsis. This is about three friends that, being unable to be admitted to an Ivy League Magic College, start working there as staff members trying to learn magic along the way.

The book is entertaining enough, a very easy and engaging read if you ask me, but with some problems. For starters, it reads more as a middle grade book than anything else. The main characters act like teenagers in high school rather than adults with college age. This in itself would not be problematic if the plot line was original. However, I felt I was reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets again. Don’t get me wrong, I love the second HP (being actually one of my favorites), but I’ve read this plot line already. It felt the same but with an unnecessary love triangle that was way too predictable from the start. Maybe it’s me, that when reading fantasy, prefer fantasy rather than romantsy. The fantasy setting was not very well developed, which is a clear reflex of this being romantsy. I could not, for the life of me, understand the necessity of the sex scene at the end. The guy is dying but let’s just have a threesome to solve the problem?

[Reina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was well written and easy to follow. while I enjoyed the main storyline, I do wish it had been mentioned that it’s a why choose story, since that shaped a lot of the direction it took. The main plot was interesting and I love a dark academia book, but much of the focus centered on the trio and their growing feelings for one another. At times it felt a bit too young, almost like watching 16 year olds navigate who they are and what they want. That coming-of-age feel pulled some attention away from the main storyline for me, though maybe that’s simply part of the why choose dynamic?

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam for the ARC 🙏

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
This had such an interesting premise. There's so many stories about when the characters make it into the magical academy, but happens when they don't?
Raven, Atticus, and Dorian all apply to Sibylline, an Ivy League magical college. All three are rejected. So they decided to get jobs on campus and "steal" their education.
While I enjoyed this unique look on dark academia, the romance/ love triangle was awkward. The internal dialog was repetitive and a little bit annoying. Honestly, the whole romance plot could have deleted.
Thank you for choosing me to be an ARC Reader

[Rachael McDowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book because Melissa de la Cruz wrote the blue bloods series which I was obsessed with in middle school, and I have been trying to get back to my roots, you know? Overall I thought this was a really engaging and fun dark academia magical mystery. Some people might not enjoy the dynamics between the characters, but I loved it. A trio where everyone loves the wrong person? Dynamics that slowly shift over time? Delicious. I tend to enjoy character driven stories and I feel like this was more character driven than plot. I liked the magical elements of the story and how this deviates from a typical academy story by starting with a rejection. I had a lot of fun with this, and I’ll definitely be interested in reading the next one

Thank you to penguin young readers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

[Risa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this story was… pretty anti-climatic.


This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, and I think I was expecting more from the writing. The writing style was very simple, like what you’d typically find in a middle grade novel. That combined with the characters’ behaviors (prior to the ending) made it hard to believe we were following three college-aged teens.

In a similar vein, while I liked the idea of a magical Ivy League school, nothing about this setting screamed college to me. It felt more like a high school to me (and the characters felt more like high schoolers).


The characters themselves were just fine, and I liked reading about their friendship and feelings for each other. However, they as individuals didn’t feel particularly special or unique.

In particular, it felt like Dorian’s character is literally just a combination of Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows (with his leather gloves) and Laila from The Gilded Wolves (with her ability to read an object’s history through touch). Add those details to the (anti-climatic) heist that happens within the book, and it was giving knock-off vibes.

Another issue I had was Atticus’ power to read people’s thoughts and feelings. It’s a very cool magical ability in concept. However, in a book that is so heavily focused on the romance between the three main characters, it was very difficult for me to believe that Atticus did not know how his best friends felt about him prior to the opening page of this book. Atticus even admits at one point that he can’t always control whose thoughts and feelings he sees and hears—so even if it was just by accident, he should know how Raven and Dorian feel towards him. And the fact that he did not already know at the start of the story was unbelievable quite frankly.


The ending (specially the last 3%) of this novel was absolutely rubbish. I explain more in the spoilers section below, but it actually made me angry how dumb it was, because a lot of it did not make sense. (This book got 2.5 stars from me until that ending.)


The main positive I can give this book is that it’s relatively short, so I finished it in one day while I was doing some chores around the house.


I might read the sequel, I’m not sure to be honest (only because there’s one aspect about the ending that I’m curious about—but that’s pretty much it).


[Please Note: I read an e-ARC, so changes could be made for the final version.]





NOTES I TOOK WHILE READING:


- The writing style is very simple—which is good in the sense of it being easy to read. But there’s also A LOT of telling going on where there could easily be showing. (Saying I am this, We are here, I feel that… it’s so simplistic for someone who’s (1) written many novels, and (2) writing a YA novel that features college-age students.)


- I appreciate they all have different magical abilities—Raven can decipher any language, Atticus can read people (thoughts and feelings), and Dorian can see any objects history—but it seems rather odd that they would be rejected with such powers given the faculty they work for as so impressed by the power.


- I can appreciate all three characters wanting to be accepted into this school. But I don’t understand why one of the boys (I forget which) said they were worried they would lose the other if they didn’t go to this school? Couldn’t they just apply to the same non-magical schools together? Or another (less elite) magical school together? Or find similar jobs, or jobs near each other? I get this story needs to have stakes, but not attending the one Ivy League school you all applied for seems so minimal in the grand scheme of things.


- So I’m 21% in—the trio have all been rejected from the school and each have a different job there. But nothing about this screams Ivy League to me. Magical school, sure, but not Ivy League. (Which is surprising given the author went to an Ivy League school herself).

- I think a large part of it, however is that the characters do not act like they are college age. They come across as high school students to me. (Which begs the question of why the author didn’t just make this a magical high school? Obviously it would make things more complicated in that the trio probably wouldn’t have full-time jobs if they were high schoolers, but nothing about them so far screams college-age students.)


- Also, all the different quotes before each chapter are kind of distracting. But that’s just a personal preference.


- Why in the world would they talk about doing a heist—stealing from the archives—in a cafe, where other students could, instead of somewhere more private like their apartment? Even if it’s nearing closing time at the cafe, that’s just dumb.


- Between the leather gloves for Dorian, the motto that the trio repeat amongst each other, and the planning of a heist, it’s giving Six of Crows. (And then add on the character who can read objects’ histories, and it’s giving The Gilded Wolves.)


- I liked the image of Raven dropping the key into the planter while she’s kissing Aspen. But it seems silly that Aspen would ask to kiss Raven before they’ve even had their first date, just randomly out on the street like that.


- I’m 29% in, and Atticus and Dorian are about to attempt the heist at the archives. (And I actually really like that they don’t have Raven go with them, that way she won’t be a suspect.) I have no idea whether anything is going to go wrong. But given how the magical books are thought to have been stolen (and there are protects about it), wouldn’t the trio think or at least worry that the library will have some sort of magical protections set into place once it closes at night?


- That heist into the library was so anti-climatic. So Dorian used magic to get in (expected, but also too easy). And Atticus and Dorian just hide out until Warden Stone leaves… I appreciate that Warden Stone showed up, but I never felt the boys were in real danger. And then they just chat the whole time about Dorian’s past, not having to be quiet at all! Then once Stone is gone, there’s just a few sentences of summary, where the just grab whatever book looks interesting and run out. The author could’ve done so much more with this scene!

- I mean, it was pretty obvious that in trying to light the candle, the whole apartment was going to catch fire. A bummer that they destroyed the book (saved from the Library of Alexandria ironically), and Dorian got hurt though.



- So Atticus and Raven just had their first kiss, 40% into the book. And honestly, I have questions.

- First, why is it only now, in this book, that Atticus reads Raven’s thoughts and realizes she has a crush on him? In Raven, very first POV chapter, she admits to having a crush on Atticus. And in a later chapter in Atticus’ POV, Atticus admits that he sometimes reads people’s minds without wanting to. So how is only now (or rather, back when they were discussing the library heist at the cafe) that Atticus (accidentally) hears Raven say she wants him? And then when they’re making out, he hears her thoughts of how much she’s enjoying it? How the heck hasn’t he read her thoughts before on the matter???

- Second, Atticus says how Dorian likes Raven, so he couldn’t possibly like him back, because of the magical colors Dorian gets around him when he’s with Raven or whatever. And my question here is, how has Atticus not noticed the colors Dorian gets around him??? Yes Dorian likes Raven, but it’s clear he also like Atticus, so how hasn’t Atticus picked up on it? See, this is problem with having a character who can read thoughts and feelings so easily (and sometimes not even be able to control it); he should already know what his best friends think and feel!


- At 50% in, Atticus and Dorian have their first kiss, at the party. And then of course Dorian can’t stop thinking about it.


- RIP to Pippa, dang. (Her ability to tell time without a clock was pretty silly though haha.) I’m intrigued to know what killed her though.


- So I actually like that the trio were able to join hands while holding the book and see the memory of the horrible things Adelina did (ie summoning the malum and killed two people in the process). But my question is how they knew that joining hands would permit them to use their powers together?? I like it, but it’s random.


- I will say that I enjoyed the flashback with Adelina. Also I like how Adeline using Henry has some parallels to Raven using Aspen (except Raven obviously isn’t going to kill Aspen for his blood).

- Oh the malum, shadow beast thing so intriguing. I’m curious to know if that’s what killed Pippa? (Or was it someone in the secret society? Or maybe both?)

- Also I’m guessing that’s why admissions don’t accept students with strong magical abilities anymore—out of fear what happened with Adelina will happen again. I can understand that to some extent.


- I appreciate that Dorian tried to take Atticus’ bloody wounds on his back to save his life (and watch them have matching scars by the end of the book). And I get that it ties back to Dorian saving that guy who had a heart attack on the subway. However, overall I don’t understand how Dorian having the power to see the history of objects ties into the ability to take injuries away from someone else? Even if the author set it up as something Dorian has the capability to do, I don’t understand the connection there.


- I’ve now read through chapter 25 (71% in), and there’s FINALLY some suspense with them being trapped below with the malum and demolition on the building starting soon! I love that, I just wish we got more suspenseful scenes like this earlier on!



- Random thought, but I appreciate the scholarly classic choices of names for the trio. (Raven—nod to Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven. Atticus for To Kill a Mockingbird. And Dorian from the Picture of Dorian Gray. Cute.)



- I like that Raven used the fire spell against the malum so that they could escape! It happened a bit quickly, but I still like that resolution.


- It’s a bummer that the trio got fired after the incident. And I’m curious to know why Warden Stone is so nonchalant about the malum. But it feels too obvious him being the villain that released the malum.


- So the trio finally discussed that Atticus has kissed both Raven and Dorian. And later on, Raven and Dorian finally (while Atticus is in trouble).


- Also, the fact that Atticus can now use psychic abilities to communicate with his friends is…so random? Since when, and why?


- I mean, I should have guessed Professor White was the bad guy. (And Atticus definitely should’ve guessed when that cat told him not to go inside to meet her.) I mean—Pippa is dead, Warden Stone is too obvious, and Aspen wasn’t a very compelling red herring. I’m not someone who usually sits around trying to guess the big bad in a story—but I think anyone who usually does will guess it easily. (In other words, I think there should’ve been more solid and believable red herrings introduced in the story.)


- Cat to the rescue, leading them to Atticus (or close to him). (This is like the fourth or fifth book I’ve read in the last few months that had a cat who helped saved the day. Just an interesting observation.)


- Ch36, 90%in: I’m glad Aspen ended up being a good guy, who had suspicions about Professor White. (I will say thought, I’m curious if the St. Adolfus Hall (the secret society) will play a larger role in the sequel? Because it seems pointless this entire book).


- Ruh roh—Atticus is now being possessed by Adelina’s spirit! (Good, we love some drama!)

- I appreciate that in this final battle we have Raven saying the spell in reverse and Dorian checking to see if Atticus is there or if it’s Adelina—I like that. And I like that Atticus tries to fight Adelina off inside his body.

- So once their spell overtakes Professor White’s, why does she turn to ash? Also a bigger question—she was out of it before Raven started chanting, so why not just knock her unconscious or something rather than just trying to speak louder than her?



- Chapter 41 Atticus (97-98% in): Um, that threesome sex scene was so bizarre??? And look, I’m someone who’s okay with their being sex in a YA novel is it’s portrayed in an age-appropriate way. But this scene just seemed so out of the blue and unnecessary. Like, was Dorian’s idea that if he and Raven combine their magic and both have sex with Atticus, it will bring him back from the dead? Was I am so confused as to why this scene was even included.


- Chapter 42: No. I do not believe Warden Stone when he said that he rejected the trio as students (because they have psychic abilities and they didn’t want another Adelina—that makes sense), BUT he wanted to be hired as staff to help him figure out who was disrupting the magical balance in the atmosphere by trying to free the malum. Not ONCE did Warden Stone speak to the trio, other than to fire them—and even then, he was disinterested in discussing the malum with them. Also, why Fire them after they told him that someone is trying to release the malum? Is that not what he wanted their help investigating, and they were doing just that? And why would he just assume these three with psychic abilities would help figure out who was causing chaos at the school, without him ever speaking to them about it? (Also why did he assume it was a staff member and not a student?)


- And now we’re saying Professor Evander lowered the shield so they could get the wand? And Warden Stone knew? Why would he let them just take it, without anyone going with them to back them up????

- Nah—his reason for firing them is dumb. Yes I understand it would look suspicious if he hadn’t, but also to draw out the culprit. Sure that’s a calculated risk, but it also seems dumb.


- I mean, DUH Warden Stone is going to offer them admission to Sybilline now. (It was pretty obvious that that would be the main plot of the sequel.) Still this ending makes me so angry.


- Okay wait—now Raven is saying (on the second to last page) that the three of them just shared a vision of having sex. That suggests to me that it wasn’t real, which then leads me to an even bigger question of how Dorian and Raven brought Atticus back from the dead then????

- And now they all want to take a bath/shower together…this ending is so nonsensical.


- The last moment where Raven hears a voice in her head. Sounds like Professor White and/or Adelina is now inside her body. I’m curious to know which. Also, I don’t understand why the hell she wouldn’t just tell them? (And if it takes a long time for Atticus to read her mind and realize in the sequel, I’m going to scream (assuming I even read book2).)


- Wow, what a shitty ending. The rest of the book was just fine, nothing special. I was expecting way more emphasis on the murder mystery element, and yet it felt more like background noise, where certain pieces of it dropped in their lap. The trio never seemed that invested in what was going on until they themselves were in trouble, which again begs the question of why Warden Stone brought them here to “help” without even talking to them about it until AFTER the culprit was caught.

- I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel—I’m interested to know whose voice is in Raven’s head, but that’s literally the extent of my interest.