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We Shall Be Monsters
Not yet published
Expected 1 Jul 27Eve is determined her life will not be ordinary. Leaving behind a bleak childhood for the promise of Newcastle University, she is immediately drawn to a clique of glamorous and intoxicating students.
Bound by a passion for the Romantic poets, the group delight in pushing life to its extremes. This is the world Eve longs for: one filled with beauty, decadent parties and unimaginable wealth. But by the end of the year the group are trapped by a terrible secret.
Now in their thirties, reunited for a wedding, their lives appear as enviable as ever. But someone is determined that there will be a reckoning for the past - and before long, new secrets emerge, lethal and uncontainable.
Bound by a passion for the Romantic poets, the group delight in pushing life to its extremes. This is the world Eve longs for: one filled with beauty, decadent parties and unimaginable wealth. But by the end of the year the group are trapped by a terrible secret.
Now in their thirties, reunited for a wedding, their lives appear as enviable as ever. But someone is determined that there will be a reckoning for the past - and before long, new secrets emerge, lethal and uncontainable.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 1, 2027
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
We Shall Be Monsters is a dark, compelling and beautifully unsettling novel about friendship, obsession, ambition and the dangerous allure of wanting more from life.
The story follows Eve, a young woman who arrives at Newcastle University determined to leave her difficult childhood behind and make something extraordinary of herself. She is drawn into the orbit of a charismatic group of English Literature students whose fascination with Late Romantic poetry, free love and living outside conventional boundaries offers Eve the exciting new world she has been searching for. But what begins as an intoxicating friendship gradually becomes much more consuming. Years later, when the group reunites, the secrets and unresolved tensions of their university years resurface.
One of the novel's greatest strengths is its exploration of obsession. Davies captures the exhilaration of intense friendships and relationships, while gradually revealing how easily passion and admiration can become something darker. The characters' desire to live intensely and unconventionally is initially seductive, but the novel asks where the line lies between following your desires and allowing them to control you.
The influence of Romantic literature adds another fascinating layer. The characters are captivated by ideals of passion, rebellion, freedom and the unconventional individual, but Davies explores the difference between romanticising a life and actually living it. There is a compelling tension between the beauty of these ideas and the consequences of taking them to extremes.
Identity and reinvention are equally important. Eve's determination to escape her past makes her particularly vulnerable to the glamour of her new friendships. Her journey raises questions about whether we can truly reinvent ourselves, or whether the experiences we try to leave behind inevitably shape who we become.
I particularly enjoyed the novel's treatment of friendship and belonging. The group gives Eve a powerful sense of acceptance and connection, but Davies also examines the darker side of belonging, when loyalty begins to require silence and compromise. The relationships are complex rather than simply good or bad, which makes the characters feel convincingly human.
The title itself is thought-provoking, inviting us to consider what makes someone a "monster". Davies suggests that monstrosity isn't necessarily something extraordinary or inhuman; it can emerge from very ordinary desires when they are taken too far.
Overall, We Shall Be Monsters is an atmospheric, intelligent and absorbing novel. I loved the way Davies takes seemingly romantic ideas — passion, freedom, reinvention and friendship — and explores their darker consequences. A sophisticated and unsettling read that stays with you long after you've turned the final page.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
The story follows Eve, a young woman who arrives at Newcastle University determined to leave her difficult childhood behind and make something extraordinary of herself. She is drawn into the orbit of a charismatic group of English Literature students whose fascination with Late Romantic poetry, free love and living outside conventional boundaries offers Eve the exciting new world she has been searching for. But what begins as an intoxicating friendship gradually becomes much more consuming. Years later, when the group reunites, the secrets and unresolved tensions of their university years resurface.
One of the novel's greatest strengths is its exploration of obsession. Davies captures the exhilaration of intense friendships and relationships, while gradually revealing how easily passion and admiration can become something darker. The characters' desire to live intensely and unconventionally is initially seductive, but the novel asks where the line lies between following your desires and allowing them to control you.
The influence of Romantic literature adds another fascinating layer. The characters are captivated by ideals of passion, rebellion, freedom and the unconventional individual, but Davies explores the difference between romanticising a life and actually living it. There is a compelling tension between the beauty of these ideas and the consequences of taking them to extremes.
Identity and reinvention are equally important. Eve's determination to escape her past makes her particularly vulnerable to the glamour of her new friendships. Her journey raises questions about whether we can truly reinvent ourselves, or whether the experiences we try to leave behind inevitably shape who we become.
I particularly enjoyed the novel's treatment of friendship and belonging. The group gives Eve a powerful sense of acceptance and connection, but Davies also examines the darker side of belonging, when loyalty begins to require silence and compromise. The relationships are complex rather than simply good or bad, which makes the characters feel convincingly human.
The title itself is thought-provoking, inviting us to consider what makes someone a "monster". Davies suggests that monstrosity isn't necessarily something extraordinary or inhuman; it can emerge from very ordinary desires when they are taken too far.
Overall, We Shall Be Monsters is an atmospheric, intelligent and absorbing novel. I loved the way Davies takes seemingly romantic ideas — passion, freedom, reinvention and friendship — and explores their darker consequences. A sophisticated and unsettling read that stays with you long after you've turned the final page.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK/Virago and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this arc! The review is personal and unaltered by external factors.
5/5
“We Shall Be Monsters” is the debut novel of Eleanor Davies — a psychological mystery and thriller, a social fresco of the upper middle and wealthy classes at the change of the millennium, a romantic portrayal of literary university students at the time where usage of technology was just starting to be introduced as part of the curriculum, a satire of a particular famous side of generation x’s behaviour in the 2010s, along with a very thorough portrayal of the introduction, evolution and acceptance of female sexual liberation in the very specific context of generation x women. It is, honestly, a very strong debut novel on several layers.
The premise is originally very simple; Eve starts her journey as a student at Newcastle University, where she wants to recreate herself, to have a complete rebirth and forever divorce from the person she was prior to this new life. She encounters a clique in one of her classes, falling in love with their entire aesthetic; I must say, the nature of the entire philosophy concerning the group, while gracefully covered up with the intense nature of fascination towards the Late Romantics, is, in fact, something that was considered very trendy back then. It is seen, in small glimpses, how their libertine nature is, in fact, admired and desired by a majority, even if in secret. As fate has it, the intrigue is triggered as Eve encounters Helen and she is introduced and included in their entire group — Max, Will, Hux, and Rebecca follow in accepting the new member of their clique, their new dynamics constantly being tested, ending up in high-stake tensions for all.
Each of the group has a stereotypical trait painted through a romantic lens. Helen, the extravagant libertine, daughter of artists, who, as a result of her upbringing, has a different set of morals from the rest yet quietly yearns for what a person not defined by societal boundaries interpret as a conservative ideal — stability, safety, loyalty. The evolution of her character is most entertaining from the feminist lens for what she deemed empowering in her early 20s, Helen found it had been a shackle disguised as liberation. To go a bit deeper, the philosophy of her psyche is deeply enticing as a reader, Helen ultimately switching from an elitist Kantian moral relativism to a more common desire of normality.
Max is a twisted (part) Byronic hero, hypnotic from start to finish. He desires himself a romantic at heart, a libertine unrestrained by the shackles of societal demands of minimum amounts of morality, a sardonic intellectual full of charming arrogance; his most Byronic trait is his loyalty which is, ultimately, his self-destruction. His narcissistic side evolves with age, a trait which he also gains from stardom. I found him especially entertaining to read in his more intellectual debates, and yet a tiny bit torn by his character arc, for, I question, why is it always the redhead? (I acknowledge my own bias as a redhead myself.)
« Max’s breath was coming out silver in the icy air, swarming towards her face. ‘Do it and I’ll be inside you forever. You’ll never stop thinking of me.’ »
Huxley, the other (part) Byronic hero, is the charismatic playboy, a libertine who goes all ways in all possible forms and shapes, finding that his only limit in life is barely escaping public dishonour as he is the heir to an Earldom. He is deeply entitled and haunted by the forbidden fruit, wanting to own everything and everyone, no matter the risk. His character is playful in the most irresponsible of ways and fascinatingly stagnates, for he is forever young and invincible, an inherent narcissism being at his very quintessence.
« ‘Sometimes, the devil is a gentleman.’ »
Will, a voice of reason within the group, and the only one studying medicine, is a twist on his own; his constant loyalty to his heart’s desired is beautiful yet extremely poisonous, particularly to himself. A battle between several types of morals is forever haunting him and the ghosts of his acts remain forever with him, vivid enough that he is losing his sense of being, unless he is defined by the one he loves.
« ‘It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another,’ »
Rebecca, gorgeous, divine, beautiful and highly intellectual Rebecca. An ode to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca with a touch of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’s own Rebecca, she is the strong feminist with a highly analytical mind whose own femininity is the one cost of her external image she projects towards others. How could she be so smart, when she is so beautiful? The constant dark side of feminism, a topic which sparks up debates even today. Similarly to the gothic novel, Rebecca as a character is a constant leitmotif to not only Eve, but, in one way or another, to all the cast of the novel. She is the ultimate catalyst of the culminating point, and a predator without sharpened claws.
Lastly, but definitely not least, the outsider learning the game and conquering it, the queen who has never ceased playing chess since her first game with Max, Eve. The constant theme and haunting narrative of her being a parvenu was highly interesting to follow, along with the strong desire and motivation to ensure her ambitious goals are always achieved. The second theme haunting the narrative is Eve’s exposure and relationship with the Late Romantics themselves, which unravels beautifully throughout the entire novel, thus reflecting the actions and reactions our heroine is either thrown into or triggers herself, bringing several plot twists. The mirroring of Eve’s life through this lens has been especially delightful to experience as a reader. She is the light to Rebecca’s darkness, although she is an angel of revenge. Yin and Yang, deceitful in appearances.
« ‘Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful. I will watch with the wiliness of a snake, that I may sting with its venom,’ »
The prose, vividly reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh, is sharp, controlled and lucid, highly elegant in style yet exceptionally sardonic and detached. Ornate, evocative and melancholic, it is also rather deadpan when communicating with cutting grace absurd, chaotic or tragic events. I enjoyed the change in the vocabulary upon the switch in perspectives, even though masked through persuasive rhetoric. It reflects my impression of the novel as a whole too, for it is my belief this book is like an enticing, sparkly glass of champagne now, but it will age like fine red wine, dry yet addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh, “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt, “If We Were Villains” by M. L. Rio, “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier, “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë (there is a particular in-character comparison I could’ve written an essay about but, sadly, currently cannot, due to spoilers), “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn and “The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden.
5/5
“We Shall Be Monsters” is the debut novel of Eleanor Davies — a psychological mystery and thriller, a social fresco of the upper middle and wealthy classes at the change of the millennium, a romantic portrayal of literary university students at the time where usage of technology was just starting to be introduced as part of the curriculum, a satire of a particular famous side of generation x’s behaviour in the 2010s, along with a very thorough portrayal of the introduction, evolution and acceptance of female sexual liberation in the very specific context of generation x women. It is, honestly, a very strong debut novel on several layers.
The premise is originally very simple; Eve starts her journey as a student at Newcastle University, where she wants to recreate herself, to have a complete rebirth and forever divorce from the person she was prior to this new life. She encounters a clique in one of her classes, falling in love with their entire aesthetic; I must say, the nature of the entire philosophy concerning the group, while gracefully covered up with the intense nature of fascination towards the Late Romantics, is, in fact, something that was considered very trendy back then. It is seen, in small glimpses, how their libertine nature is, in fact, admired and desired by a majority, even if in secret. As fate has it, the intrigue is triggered as Eve encounters Helen and she is introduced and included in their entire group — Max, Will, Hux, and Rebecca follow in accepting the new member of their clique, their new dynamics constantly being tested, ending up in high-stake tensions for all.
Each of the group has a stereotypical trait painted through a romantic lens. Helen, the extravagant libertine, daughter of artists, who, as a result of her upbringing, has a different set of morals from the rest yet quietly yearns for what a person not defined by societal boundaries interpret as a conservative ideal — stability, safety, loyalty. The evolution of her character is most entertaining from the feminist lens for what she deemed empowering in her early 20s, Helen found it had been a shackle disguised as liberation. To go a bit deeper, the philosophy of her psyche is deeply enticing as a reader, Helen ultimately switching from an elitist Kantian moral relativism to a more common desire of normality.
Max is a twisted (part) Byronic hero, hypnotic from start to finish. He desires himself a romantic at heart, a libertine unrestrained by the shackles of societal demands of minimum amounts of morality, a sardonic intellectual full of charming arrogance; his most Byronic trait is his loyalty which is, ultimately, his self-destruction. His narcissistic side evolves with age, a trait which he also gains from stardom. I found him especially entertaining to read in his more intellectual debates, and yet a tiny bit torn by his character arc, for, I question, why is it always the redhead? (I acknowledge my own bias as a redhead myself.)
« Max’s breath was coming out silver in the icy air, swarming towards her face. ‘Do it and I’ll be inside you forever. You’ll never stop thinking of me.’ »
Huxley, the other (part) Byronic hero, is the charismatic playboy, a libertine who goes all ways in all possible forms and shapes, finding that his only limit in life is barely escaping public dishonour as he is the heir to an Earldom. He is deeply entitled and haunted by the forbidden fruit, wanting to own everything and everyone, no matter the risk. His character is playful in the most irresponsible of ways and fascinatingly stagnates, for he is forever young and invincible, an inherent narcissism being at his very quintessence.
« ‘Sometimes, the devil is a gentleman.’ »
Will, a voice of reason within the group, and the only one studying medicine, is a twist on his own; his constant loyalty to his heart’s desired is beautiful yet extremely poisonous, particularly to himself. A battle between several types of morals is forever haunting him and the ghosts of his acts remain forever with him, vivid enough that he is losing his sense of being, unless he is defined by the one he loves.
« ‘It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another,’ »
Rebecca, gorgeous, divine, beautiful and highly intellectual Rebecca. An ode to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca with a touch of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’s own Rebecca, she is the strong feminist with a highly analytical mind whose own femininity is the one cost of her external image she projects towards others. How could she be so smart, when she is so beautiful? The constant dark side of feminism, a topic which sparks up debates even today. Similarly to the gothic novel, Rebecca as a character is a constant leitmotif to not only Eve, but, in one way or another, to all the cast of the novel. She is the ultimate catalyst of the culminating point, and a predator without sharpened claws.
Lastly, but definitely not least, the outsider learning the game and conquering it, the queen who has never ceased playing chess since her first game with Max, Eve. The constant theme and haunting narrative of her being a parvenu was highly interesting to follow, along with the strong desire and motivation to ensure her ambitious goals are always achieved. The second theme haunting the narrative is Eve’s exposure and relationship with the Late Romantics themselves, which unravels beautifully throughout the entire novel, thus reflecting the actions and reactions our heroine is either thrown into or triggers herself, bringing several plot twists. The mirroring of Eve’s life through this lens has been especially delightful to experience as a reader. She is the light to Rebecca’s darkness, although she is an angel of revenge. Yin and Yang, deceitful in appearances.
« ‘Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful. I will watch with the wiliness of a snake, that I may sting with its venom,’ »
The prose, vividly reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh, is sharp, controlled and lucid, highly elegant in style yet exceptionally sardonic and detached. Ornate, evocative and melancholic, it is also rather deadpan when communicating with cutting grace absurd, chaotic or tragic events. I enjoyed the change in the vocabulary upon the switch in perspectives, even though masked through persuasive rhetoric. It reflects my impression of the novel as a whole too, for it is my belief this book is like an enticing, sparkly glass of champagne now, but it will age like fine red wine, dry yet addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh, “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt, “If We Were Villains” by M. L. Rio, “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier, “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë (there is a particular in-character comparison I could’ve written an essay about but, sadly, currently cannot, due to spoilers), “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn and “The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden.
October 4, 2026
4.25****
I dropped everything to read this, and at the last 35%, I sped through in one day.
This is what I would call a true and fantastic dark academia! I inhaled this book like air.
This was one of the top dark academia books with a fantastic thriller edge that I have ever read. It was delicious.
I can see why people compare this to Saltburn, Gone Girl and The Secret History. I ate this up.
A few things about this book:
Enigmatic professor : check
Mysterious group of people: check
University setting: check
A topic the students are obsessed with: check
Thirst for knowledge, callousness, addictive, twisty, elitism: check
We follow Eve as she attends Newcastle university and meets an enigmatic group of people who are all obsessed with the late romantics, and how they thought, breathed and lived. This focused on her becoming involved with this group and the what is at stake for her to remain as part of it.
I delighted in reading the machinations of this group and the deep dive into each personality. The critique of elitism and the Boys Club in this book was fantastic. The lies that keep building throughout , as well as the determination to belong to this group, all had me hooked.
As well as some unexpected revelations that had me gasping.
Even though this book is due for release next year. I cannot wait to get my hand on a hardback when it comes out (hopefully signed too!!)
Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC
I dropped everything to read this, and at the last 35%, I sped through in one day.
This is what I would call a true and fantastic dark academia! I inhaled this book like air.
This was one of the top dark academia books with a fantastic thriller edge that I have ever read. It was delicious.
I can see why people compare this to Saltburn, Gone Girl and The Secret History. I ate this up.
A few things about this book:
Enigmatic professor : check
Mysterious group of people: check
University setting: check
A topic the students are obsessed with: check
Thirst for knowledge, callousness, addictive, twisty, elitism: check
We follow Eve as she attends Newcastle university and meets an enigmatic group of people who are all obsessed with the late romantics, and how they thought, breathed and lived. This focused on her becoming involved with this group and the what is at stake for her to remain as part of it.
I delighted in reading the machinations of this group and the deep dive into each personality. The critique of elitism and the Boys Club in this book was fantastic. The lies that keep building throughout , as well as the determination to belong to this group, all had me hooked.
As well as some unexpected revelations that had me gasping.
Even though this book is due for release next year. I cannot wait to get my hand on a hardback when it comes out (hopefully signed too!!)
Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Something can feel transgressive at twenty and coercive at thirty-five; This is the thought that had me in a chokehold whilst reading We Shall Be Monsters. Eleanor Davies has really come for our throats with this debut. It’s a whole read on class, privilege, and the pure existential dread of watching your childhood lore getting absolutely wrecked by adulthood.
Eve arrives at Newcastle University and says, “new city, new identity,” socially engineering her way into a hedonistic clique of trust-fund English Lit students obsessed with the Late Romantics. It’s giving literary boy privilege. She wants the aesthetic, she wants the lifestyle, and she literally calculates exactly how to infiltrate them. The publisher pitched this as Gone Girl meets The Secret History but the plot has peak Saltburn energy. The outsider trying to infiltrate high society, pure yearning, intense sexual undercurrents, and rich kids in gorgeous houses who believe they are so exceptional that normal rules are strictly for NPCs.
Instead of keeping them frozen in their little dark academia fantasy, Davies really says, “the aesthetic era is over,” forces them to grow up, and the real world hits them like a semi-truck. The dual timeline literally altered my brain chemistry and is honestly the best part of the book. Usually, past/present formatting is a cheap trick to gatekeep information, but Davies used the distance between then and now to create this insane level of hindsight. It’s like watching your past self make terrible decisions while future you is just watching in horror. This part literally gave me chills because you’re watching these young girls think they’re being so radical and sexually liberated, while simultaneously seeing the older versions of them who now know exactly how high that price tag was. Watching them romanticise their own trauma because they don’t have the words for it yet is brutal. What looked like sexual liberation at twenty looks very different once the aesthetic mythology has worn off.
Importantly, Davies keeps the accountability in this book real. The women are fully complicit, actively romanticising the toxicity. They think they’re tearing up the rulebook when they’re just giving the same old abusive power dynamics a progressive rebrand. It’s not giving what you think it’s giving.
However, Eve is playing a different game. She wants into this world more than anyone but she never drinks the Kool-Aid. I think she’s way too smart to get lost in the Romantic fantasy because she understands how power works. Her rich friends can play with fire, but Eve knows what it actually feels like to burn.
Eve is genuinely that girl. She is hungry, calculating, and zero percent sorry about it. Thank God Davies didn’t try to sanitise her. She basically said, “no, she’s going to be just as calculating as the rest of them.” Eve might understand the game better than everyone else, but that doesn’t mean she’s above playing it. She’s one of the most compelling female protagonists I’ve read since Amy Dunne. The whole book just ate. The literary lore actually fits the plot, the dual timelime ELITE, and the class dynamics hits harder than just the typical “rich people being toxic” vibes. Davies knows exactly how long to let the reader think they have it all figured out before pulling the rug.
No spoilers, but the twists in the final act literally left me speechless. I love it when I’m forced to mentally rewind through the entire book thinking, wait…. WAIT, whaaaaaaat? And there were multiple moments where I did exactly that. At the end I was completely losing it.
Gone Girl meets The Secret History meets Saltburn is the easiest way to describe We Shall Be Monsters but what Eleanor Davies cooked up here ultimately stands on its own. We Shall be Monsters is its own five star beast.
Massive thank you to Virago | Little, Brown for the early copy.
Everyone is going to be obsessed in 2027.
Eve arrives at Newcastle University and says, “new city, new identity,” socially engineering her way into a hedonistic clique of trust-fund English Lit students obsessed with the Late Romantics. It’s giving literary boy privilege. She wants the aesthetic, she wants the lifestyle, and she literally calculates exactly how to infiltrate them. The publisher pitched this as Gone Girl meets The Secret History but the plot has peak Saltburn energy. The outsider trying to infiltrate high society, pure yearning, intense sexual undercurrents, and rich kids in gorgeous houses who believe they are so exceptional that normal rules are strictly for NPCs.
Instead of keeping them frozen in their little dark academia fantasy, Davies really says, “the aesthetic era is over,” forces them to grow up, and the real world hits them like a semi-truck. The dual timeline literally altered my brain chemistry and is honestly the best part of the book. Usually, past/present formatting is a cheap trick to gatekeep information, but Davies used the distance between then and now to create this insane level of hindsight. It’s like watching your past self make terrible decisions while future you is just watching in horror. This part literally gave me chills because you’re watching these young girls think they’re being so radical and sexually liberated, while simultaneously seeing the older versions of them who now know exactly how high that price tag was. Watching them romanticise their own trauma because they don’t have the words for it yet is brutal. What looked like sexual liberation at twenty looks very different once the aesthetic mythology has worn off.
Importantly, Davies keeps the accountability in this book real. The women are fully complicit, actively romanticising the toxicity. They think they’re tearing up the rulebook when they’re just giving the same old abusive power dynamics a progressive rebrand. It’s not giving what you think it’s giving.
However, Eve is playing a different game. She wants into this world more than anyone but she never drinks the Kool-Aid. I think she’s way too smart to get lost in the Romantic fantasy because she understands how power works. Her rich friends can play with fire, but Eve knows what it actually feels like to burn.
Eve is genuinely that girl. She is hungry, calculating, and zero percent sorry about it. Thank God Davies didn’t try to sanitise her. She basically said, “no, she’s going to be just as calculating as the rest of them.” Eve might understand the game better than everyone else, but that doesn’t mean she’s above playing it. She’s one of the most compelling female protagonists I’ve read since Amy Dunne. The whole book just ate. The literary lore actually fits the plot, the dual timelime ELITE, and the class dynamics hits harder than just the typical “rich people being toxic” vibes. Davies knows exactly how long to let the reader think they have it all figured out before pulling the rug.
No spoilers, but the twists in the final act literally left me speechless. I love it when I’m forced to mentally rewind through the entire book thinking, wait…. WAIT, whaaaaaaat? And there were multiple moments where I did exactly that. At the end I was completely losing it.
Gone Girl meets The Secret History meets Saltburn is the easiest way to describe We Shall Be Monsters but what Eleanor Davies cooked up here ultimately stands on its own. We Shall be Monsters is its own five star beast.
Massive thank you to Virago | Little, Brown for the early copy.
Everyone is going to be obsessed in 2027.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I absolutely devoured this. At first, it gave me strong The Secret History vibes, with its dark academia atmosphere and a tight-knit, pretentious friendship group, but it very quickly stepped out of those familiar shadows and became something entirely on its own.
What really made this a 5 star read for me was the characters. I was invested in all of them, flaws and all. Seeing their relationships unravel and evolve had me hooked. The twists were incredible too. I thought I had everything figured out more than once, only to be completely blindsided.
This was one of those rare reads that I genuinely struggled to put down. Dark, compelling, and endlessly entertaining, this was such an enjoyable reading experience from start to finish. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves character-driven stories packed with secrets, tension, and unforgettable twists.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC.
What really made this a 5 star read for me was the characters. I was invested in all of them, flaws and all. Seeing their relationships unravel and evolve had me hooked. The twists were incredible too. I thought I had everything figured out more than once, only to be completely blindsided.
This was one of those rare reads that I genuinely struggled to put down. Dark, compelling, and endlessly entertaining, this was such an enjoyable reading experience from start to finish. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves character-driven stories packed with secrets, tension, and unforgettable twists.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I often find myself chasing the feeling I had when reading books as a teenager, i.e. the hollow sadness that comes with finishing a truly memorable story. I never expected this book to give me that feeling, as it has become increasingly rare for me.
I went into it knowing it was a dark satire of class, patriarchy and social structures, but I found myself deeply relating to Eve, who arrives at university in Newcastle determined to start over after a difficult childhood. Her struggles with self-doubt, being clever but not necessarily original, the fear of being perceived as a parvenu and navigating a completely different social environment than the one she was brought up in resonated with me on another level as I felt somewhat similar when I started Uni and often had the exact same fears as her, unfortunately.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters, setting, conversations, and even the drinks are so vividly written that it is easy to become completely immersed in the story. I especially loved the first half, although the twists in the latter part genuinely left my jaw on the floor. There were several, and thankfully they never felt predictable or contrived.
I also particularly enjoyed the discussions of Shelley and Byron and the way these were woven into the story, subtly hinting at the characters’ fates.
My only minor reservation was that I did not fully understand the chapter structure. Ultimately, though, this is a small criticism of an otherwise exceptionally well-written novel. Five stars, and I cannot wait to add a physical copy to my shelves.
I went into it knowing it was a dark satire of class, patriarchy and social structures, but I found myself deeply relating to Eve, who arrives at university in Newcastle determined to start over after a difficult childhood. Her struggles with self-doubt, being clever but not necessarily original, the fear of being perceived as a parvenu and navigating a completely different social environment than the one she was brought up in resonated with me on another level as I felt somewhat similar when I started Uni and often had the exact same fears as her, unfortunately.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters, setting, conversations, and even the drinks are so vividly written that it is easy to become completely immersed in the story. I especially loved the first half, although the twists in the latter part genuinely left my jaw on the floor. There were several, and thankfully they never felt predictable or contrived.
I also particularly enjoyed the discussions of Shelley and Byron and the way these were woven into the story, subtly hinting at the characters’ fates.
My only minor reservation was that I did not fully understand the chapter structure. Ultimately, though, this is a small criticism of an otherwise exceptionally well-written novel. Five stars, and I cannot wait to add a physical copy to my shelves.
October 7, 2026
We Shall Be Monsters is a dark academia novel about a woman who escapes from her past when starting university and falling in with an intoxicating group. Eve leaves behind her working class childhood when she starts at Newcastle University, reinventing herself and then finding a group of Romantics-obsessed students who she manages to get in with. She moves in with them and they have decadent adventures, but soon things turn darker. And then, in their thirties, they reunite, but secrets are lingering underneath.
Most dark academia novels are compared to The Secret History, but this one feels like it really has taken a lot of inspiration from it, from the unreliable narrator to the obsession with a specific academia area to the interpersonal relationships and plot twists. Due to this, I do think it is more successful in creating that specific Secret History vibe that most dark academia doesn't hit, with truly toxic character relationships and some actual commentary on trying to live like historical figures or old philosophies.
Unfortunately, for me, this was also its downside: it never quite managed to deliver on being a British-set, Romantics-obsessed version of The Secret History because it doesn't quite do enough with the Romantic poet side. The male characters are broadly similar to Byron, Shelley, and a third character that turns out to be more Polidori-esque but could also be Keats because he's a medical student and both of them studied medicine. I found it fascinating that quite a lot of the plot points are foreshadowed if you know about the personal lives of the second generation Romantics, but the way this played out in the narrative ended up being more didactic. There's a long tutorial scene "revealing" how bad Byron and Shelley were towards women in their lives, which could've been done in a less 'here's the big message of the book' way and felt like a rehashing of the million novels that are a "feminist" retelling of Mary Shelley's life. The book does engage a fair amount of with their idea of "free love", but it really just felt like a chance to say that men that believe in such ideas are just terrible and don't see women as equal.
Outside of the Romantics stuff, I also felt there wasn't as much about class as I'd expected from the start, especially not given that it is set at Newcastle University and has a protagonist trying to hide her background. I thought it might address the perhaps surprisingly fact that it is set at a 1960s university rather than an older one for the pretentious dark academia vibes, or engage a bit more with that, but other than the odd moment, it doesn't really. Eve's reinvention of herself was more of a plot device than something that was really explored, as well.
I didn't actually predict the main plot twist that happens later in the novel, which was quite gratifying, and I do like how it turned darker later on, after more of a slow burn start to the narrative. The use of the unreliable narrator and cutting between university and when they were adults builds up good tension and the narrative does work well at actually setting up secrets and revealing them.
I think that if I had read this book when I was a student and before I knew as much about the second generation Romantics as I do, I probably would have enjoyed it more. It does feel more similar to dark academia books I love (The Secret History and The Lessons) than many that I don't, but that also meant that I couldn't help but spot the elements I didn't like as much, especially in the way it uses the male Romantics' misogyny as a shocking twist rather than a pretty well-known fact. The characters just weren't quite as good as in those other books, so they didn't linger with me after the end, and I wanted more depth to the portrayal of ideas like 'free love'.
Most dark academia novels are compared to The Secret History, but this one feels like it really has taken a lot of inspiration from it, from the unreliable narrator to the obsession with a specific academia area to the interpersonal relationships and plot twists. Due to this, I do think it is more successful in creating that specific Secret History vibe that most dark academia doesn't hit, with truly toxic character relationships and some actual commentary on trying to live like historical figures or old philosophies.
Unfortunately, for me, this was also its downside: it never quite managed to deliver on being a British-set, Romantics-obsessed version of The Secret History because it doesn't quite do enough with the Romantic poet side. The male characters are broadly similar to Byron, Shelley, and a third character that turns out to be more Polidori-esque but could also be Keats because he's a medical student and both of them studied medicine. I found it fascinating that quite a lot of the plot points are foreshadowed if you know about the personal lives of the second generation Romantics, but the way this played out in the narrative ended up being more didactic. There's a long tutorial scene "revealing" how bad Byron and Shelley were towards women in their lives, which could've been done in a less 'here's the big message of the book' way and felt like a rehashing of the million novels that are a "feminist" retelling of Mary Shelley's life. The book does engage a fair amount of with their idea of "free love", but it really just felt like a chance to say that men that believe in such ideas are just terrible and don't see women as equal.
Outside of the Romantics stuff, I also felt there wasn't as much about class as I'd expected from the start, especially not given that it is set at Newcastle University and has a protagonist trying to hide her background. I thought it might address the perhaps surprisingly fact that it is set at a 1960s university rather than an older one for the pretentious dark academia vibes, or engage a bit more with that, but other than the odd moment, it doesn't really. Eve's reinvention of herself was more of a plot device than something that was really explored, as well.
I didn't actually predict the main plot twist that happens later in the novel, which was quite gratifying, and I do like how it turned darker later on, after more of a slow burn start to the narrative. The use of the unreliable narrator and cutting between university and when they were adults builds up good tension and the narrative does work well at actually setting up secrets and revealing them.
I think that if I had read this book when I was a student and before I knew as much about the second generation Romantics as I do, I probably would have enjoyed it more. It does feel more similar to dark academia books I love (The Secret History and The Lessons) than many that I don't, but that also meant that I couldn't help but spot the elements I didn't like as much, especially in the way it uses the male Romantics' misogyny as a shocking twist rather than a pretty well-known fact. The characters just weren't quite as good as in those other books, so they didn't linger with me after the end, and I wanted more depth to the portrayal of ideas like 'free love'.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you Little, Brown Book Group / Virago & Eleanor Davies for an early proof 🤍
Insanely gripping, I genuinely could not put this down! The twists in the second half were crazy, had my jaw on the floor and I didn't see a single one coming!!
I loved the use of the Late Romantics as like eerie foreshadowing of the characters' fates, and it was accessible enough that I didn't feel stupid for knowing almost nothing about that circle beyond the Frankenstein stormy-night competition sitch, and it actually made me want to go and learn more about their lives.
The dual timeline always kept me guessing and all the characters were so complex, each with their own flaws (some more so than others, not naming any names but we know who sucks!!), that I honestly didn't know who to root for, if anyone. And the setting was perfect too, it was giving me Saltburn vibes!
Also, the hypocrisy of men never fails to amaze me.
Insanely gripping, I genuinely could not put this down! The twists in the second half were crazy, had my jaw on the floor and I didn't see a single one coming!!
I loved the use of the Late Romantics as like eerie foreshadowing of the characters' fates, and it was accessible enough that I didn't feel stupid for knowing almost nothing about that circle beyond the Frankenstein stormy-night competition sitch, and it actually made me want to go and learn more about their lives.
The dual timeline always kept me guessing and all the characters were so complex, each with their own flaws (some more so than others, not naming any names but we know who sucks!!), that I honestly didn't know who to root for, if anyone. And the setting was perfect too, it was giving me Saltburn vibes!
Also, the hypocrisy of men never fails to amaze me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An easy 5-star read. Absurdly chaotic, dark, and impossible to put down.
What an utterly gripping, propulsive read. We Shall Be Monsters is an easy 5 stars for me. I physically could not put this book down! And I want to pick it back up and start all over again immediately.
The writing is rich and deeply informed, yet wonderfully accessible. You certainly don't need a degree in English Literature to enjoy the frequent nods to Romantic poetry and its history. Far from feeling dense, these references only elevate the lush world Eleanor Davies has built.
However, your moral compass will be wildly tested. You go from fiercely protecting the main character to utterly despising her, as every single allegiance is turned completely on its head.
Davies lulls you down a familiar path of dark academia before thrusting you straight into a crime thriller. It is dark, absurdly chaotic, and packed with twists upon twists. Think Pretty Little Liars meets Cruel Intentions, with a mix of classic Romantic poetry, a heavy dollop of Shelley and Byron.
It explores a found family dynamic, but definitely not as you know it.
I adore how Davies takes her time to really immerse the reader in the locations, making the settings feel like characters holding their own mysterious secrets. Ones I can picture and would love to visit.
The second I finished, I wanted to reread it immediately just to figure out how I missed the true nature of these characters. I cannot fault this book, nor can I wait for July 2027 to read it all over again.
Thank you to Virago / Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What an utterly gripping, propulsive read. We Shall Be Monsters is an easy 5 stars for me. I physically could not put this book down! And I want to pick it back up and start all over again immediately.
The writing is rich and deeply informed, yet wonderfully accessible. You certainly don't need a degree in English Literature to enjoy the frequent nods to Romantic poetry and its history. Far from feeling dense, these references only elevate the lush world Eleanor Davies has built.
However, your moral compass will be wildly tested. You go from fiercely protecting the main character to utterly despising her, as every single allegiance is turned completely on its head.
Davies lulls you down a familiar path of dark academia before thrusting you straight into a crime thriller. It is dark, absurdly chaotic, and packed with twists upon twists. Think Pretty Little Liars meets Cruel Intentions, with a mix of classic Romantic poetry, a heavy dollop of Shelley and Byron.
It explores a found family dynamic, but definitely not as you know it.
I adore how Davies takes her time to really immerse the reader in the locations, making the settings feel like characters holding their own mysterious secrets. Ones I can picture and would love to visit.
The second I finished, I wanted to reread it immediately just to figure out how I missed the true nature of these characters. I cannot fault this book, nor can I wait for July 2027 to read it all over again.
Thank you to Virago / Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2026
Bravissimo!
This is THE academia mystery for me. With two timelines and layers upon layers. Every time you think you’ve figured it out, another dark secret emerges. Even my autistic pattern recognition couldn’t keep up, and one twist nearly gave me whiplash.
The prose is beautiful, dreamy, steeped in Romantic poetry. But the real magic lies in the characters’ yearning: for belonging, for something of their own, for a life beyond the ordinary. Their intoxicating admiration for the Shelleys and Byron makes the escalating, everyday evil all the more compelling.
And those friendships? Sometimes your friends are far more dangerous than your enemies. And in the end?
“To know nor faith, nor love, nor law, to be
Omnipotent but friendless, is to reign.”
(Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheus Unbound)
Tension, language, characters: five stars across the board.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. And I am so happy to have had the chance to read this so early.
This is THE academia mystery for me. With two timelines and layers upon layers. Every time you think you’ve figured it out, another dark secret emerges. Even my autistic pattern recognition couldn’t keep up, and one twist nearly gave me whiplash.
The prose is beautiful, dreamy, steeped in Romantic poetry. But the real magic lies in the characters’ yearning: for belonging, for something of their own, for a life beyond the ordinary. Their intoxicating admiration for the Shelleys and Byron makes the escalating, everyday evil all the more compelling.
And those friendships? Sometimes your friends are far more dangerous than your enemies. And in the end?
“To know nor faith, nor love, nor law, to be
Omnipotent but friendless, is to reign.”
(Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheus Unbound)
Tension, language, characters: five stars across the board.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. And I am so happy to have had the chance to read this so early.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for an E-read arc of this book. All views are my own.
This is a dark academia from debut author Eleanor Davies and I loved it!
The book is told across two 'then and now' timeline's, one starting September 1999 and takes us through into 2000, the second from Boxing day 2015 through into 2016.
It has plenty to keep readers entertained, theres glamour and obsession, secrets and lies, love and relationships.
There's characters that readers will love to hate as the toxicity of the storyline unfolds.
There are many of twists in the storyline and I admit to reading the last 50% of the book in one sitting, late into the night. I just couldn't put it down.
A fantastic book, beautifully written with quotes of poetry throughout. If this is the level of writing this authors debut brings, I can't wait to see what she writes next!
This is a dark academia from debut author Eleanor Davies and I loved it!
The book is told across two 'then and now' timeline's, one starting September 1999 and takes us through into 2000, the second from Boxing day 2015 through into 2016.
It has plenty to keep readers entertained, theres glamour and obsession, secrets and lies, love and relationships.
There's characters that readers will love to hate as the toxicity of the storyline unfolds.
There are many of twists in the storyline and I admit to reading the last 50% of the book in one sitting, late into the night. I just couldn't put it down.
A fantastic book, beautifully written with quotes of poetry throughout. If this is the level of writing this authors debut brings, I can't wait to see what she writes next!
September 18, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Eleanor Davies for an early copy for review!
Really enjoyed this, super twisty and turny, didn’t see any of the twists coming!
The last part felt slightly rushed and I would have liked to have known more about some of the characters through adulthood. I felt like some of the big turning point actions of the characters came a bit from nowhere at times.
Really enjoyed this, super twisty and turny, didn’t see any of the twists coming!
The last part felt slightly rushed and I would have liked to have known more about some of the characters through adulthood. I felt like some of the big turning point actions of the characters came a bit from nowhere at times.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
We Shall Be Monsters is a modern day gothic romance in the very traditional sense of the meaning. The main protagonist, Eve, becomes involved with several richer, beautiful friends when at university. This is achieved through a series of lies and schemes that sooner or later will be found out. Many years later the friends re-unite for a wedding where many secrets will be become apparent.
The first 70% was a very enjoyable, and well written book, however the last 30% really elevate this book above many of its contemporaries. I would highly recommend to everyone...
We Shall Be Monsters is a modern day gothic romance in the very traditional sense of the meaning. The main protagonist, Eve, becomes involved with several richer, beautiful friends when at university. This is achieved through a series of lies and schemes that sooner or later will be found out. Many years later the friends re-unite for a wedding where many secrets will be become apparent.
The first 70% was a very enjoyable, and well written book, however the last 30% really elevate this book above many of its contemporaries. I would highly recommend to everyone...
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Eleanor Davies' debut novel We Shall Be Monsters has a great dark academia hook - Eve heads from her sheltered childhood home to university where she falls in with a crowd who hold a passion for the romantic poets. Over a decade later they are reunited at a wedding - and the ghosts of the past are coming a-haunting.
Davies' prose grabs you instantly - she is really great at creating characters on the page and puts you immediately into their milieu. Life at Newcastle university is captured on the page, and if you've ever been to university you will see so much to recognise here. We've all held that arrogance of youth.
The obvious comparison here is Donna Tartt's The Secret History - and if you compare to that masterwork anybody is going to fall short. To Eleanor Davies' credit, she does something else with her narrative and the UK setting for her novel differentiates it from Tartt's. If you loved The Secret History, though, you will love this one too.
I read We Shall Be Monsters in one sitting - engrossed, entertained and full of admiration for the world and people she evokes on the page. I'm already looking forward to what she does next.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Davies' prose grabs you instantly - she is really great at creating characters on the page and puts you immediately into their milieu. Life at Newcastle university is captured on the page, and if you've ever been to university you will see so much to recognise here. We've all held that arrogance of youth.
The obvious comparison here is Donna Tartt's The Secret History - and if you compare to that masterwork anybody is going to fall short. To Eleanor Davies' credit, she does something else with her narrative and the UK setting for her novel differentiates it from Tartt's. If you loved The Secret History, though, you will love this one too.
I read We Shall Be Monsters in one sitting - engrossed, entertained and full of admiration for the world and people she evokes on the page. I'm already looking forward to what she does next.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In ‘Frankenstein’, the Creature proclaims, ‘…we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.’ However, whilst the privileged group in Eleanor Davies’ debut, ‘We Shall Be Monsters’, appear to be thoroughly devoted, the attachment is actually wishful thinking for some of them.
Davies introduces us to a tightly knit group of Romantic obsessed undergraduates. (Understandably there have been a number of comparisons to Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History.) Esther has led a pretty miserable life and so escaping to Newcastle university is something of a rebirth for her. Now known as Eve (bit too obvious!), she becomes involved with said group and they spend hours and hours and hours drinking/nursing hangovers/having sex/clubbing/quoting Shelley etc. Whilst anyone who has some knowledge of the Romantics will understand the pertinence of the many quotations and references, not to do so won’t stop readers getting caught up in the narrative.
The author moves between university life and 15 years later. The then and now successfully builds tension and Davies sets up a number of twists and turns effectively. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of repetitive description of the group’s dissolute lifestyles, resulting in me skim reading several pages at a time. Many will enjoy the scandals and surprises in this novel. However, by the time I’d finished it, I was pretty bored of all of the characters. Maybe that’s the point.
My thanks to NetGalley and Virago for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
Davies introduces us to a tightly knit group of Romantic obsessed undergraduates. (Understandably there have been a number of comparisons to Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History.) Esther has led a pretty miserable life and so escaping to Newcastle university is something of a rebirth for her. Now known as Eve (bit too obvious!), she becomes involved with said group and they spend hours and hours and hours drinking/nursing hangovers/having sex/clubbing/quoting Shelley etc. Whilst anyone who has some knowledge of the Romantics will understand the pertinence of the many quotations and references, not to do so won’t stop readers getting caught up in the narrative.
The author moves between university life and 15 years later. The then and now successfully builds tension and Davies sets up a number of twists and turns effectively. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of repetitive description of the group’s dissolute lifestyles, resulting in me skim reading several pages at a time. Many will enjoy the scandals and surprises in this novel. However, by the time I’d finished it, I was pretty bored of all of the characters. Maybe that’s the point.
My thanks to NetGalley and Virago for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The story splits its time between two distinct eras: the hedonistic high of the late 1990's heading into the new millennium and a more sober reality fifteen years later. In the late 1990's we are introduced to a tight-knit circle of rich, privileged students obsessed with the romantic poets and living like Shelley and Byron with zero inhibitions, copious amounts of alcohol, easy sex with no commitment and absolute confidence.
Eve is welcomed by this elite group largely because the friends believe she is one of them—an orphaned "trustafarian" who shares their obsession with the Romantic poets and a lifestyle of radical freedom. The first part of the book captures the hubris of youth, but it does get a little repetitive reading about the group's reckless lifestyle without offering much genuine character development.
In 2015 it becomes clear that the groups golden veneer has cracked. One member of the group is missing, and things are starting to go wrong for the remaining friends. At about two-thirds of the way through, the book reveals quite a few long-buried secrets. I felt these were thrown into the book without really understanding the characters' inner mechanics, so the twists didn't hit quite as hard as they could have.Perhaps if there had been more time spent fleshing out the groups vulnerabilities—rather than just their vices—the final, shocking twists would have had a more devastating impact.
If you love stories about dark academia, toxic friendships, morally dubious characters and past reckonings, this is an enjoyable holiday read.
Eve is welcomed by this elite group largely because the friends believe she is one of them—an orphaned "trustafarian" who shares their obsession with the Romantic poets and a lifestyle of radical freedom. The first part of the book captures the hubris of youth, but it does get a little repetitive reading about the group's reckless lifestyle without offering much genuine character development.
In 2015 it becomes clear that the groups golden veneer has cracked. One member of the group is missing, and things are starting to go wrong for the remaining friends. At about two-thirds of the way through, the book reveals quite a few long-buried secrets. I felt these were thrown into the book without really understanding the characters' inner mechanics, so the twists didn't hit quite as hard as they could have.Perhaps if there had been more time spent fleshing out the groups vulnerabilities—rather than just their vices—the final, shocking twists would have had a more devastating impact.
If you love stories about dark academia, toxic friendships, morally dubious characters and past reckonings, this is an enjoyable holiday read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Detestable characters that you can’t look away from, ‘We Shall Be Monsters’ details the transgressive exploits of a group of affluent uni students and Eve, an outsider who risks everything to stay friends with them. This book showcases the immoral depths that status, wealth, and beauty can sink to. I really enjoyed the pacing of this book and the way Davies’ showed Eve’s slow descent caused by her own greed, lust, and rage.
The boy’s blind adoration of The Romantics and their lack of accountability fit so neatly together! It was so fun realising which of the guys mimicked each Romantic (I won’t spoil who!). It was quite hard to follow along with Eve initially because I couldn’t fathom why she was so obsessed with the men in particular, but her silent battle with hiding who she really was and her financial situation was so well done. I felt the gravity of her situation and how much she relied on these selfish people (Bar Rebecca and Helena - I’m toxic boy mum about them sorry xx). Beginning each part of the story with a short poem really set the atmosphere of the book and I love the literary analysis of works done by the characters. It really allowed you to see so much more into the character in an abstract way.
I really enjoyed the ending of this book, it didn’t feel anti-climatic and I felt so swept up in where each character was and what would become of them. Thank you Virago Books for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
The boy’s blind adoration of The Romantics and their lack of accountability fit so neatly together! It was so fun realising which of the guys mimicked each Romantic (I won’t spoil who!). It was quite hard to follow along with Eve initially because I couldn’t fathom why she was so obsessed with the men in particular, but her silent battle with hiding who she really was and her financial situation was so well done. I felt the gravity of her situation and how much she relied on these selfish people (Bar Rebecca and Helena - I’m toxic boy mum about them sorry xx). Beginning each part of the story with a short poem really set the atmosphere of the book and I love the literary analysis of works done by the characters. It really allowed you to see so much more into the character in an abstract way.
I really enjoyed the ending of this book, it didn’t feel anti-climatic and I felt so swept up in where each character was and what would become of them. Thank you Virago Books for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
October 17, 2026
This is such an intriguing debut novel!
The story begins in 1999 when we meet Eve, an impoverished student with a background she is keeping secret. She goes to Newcastle University where she infiltrates a small group of rich, self-obsessed ‘Romantics’ and is initially blinded by their apparent love of life - which includes a lot of drinking and sex.
The narrative is rich in quotes from Keats, Byron, Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley and this, combined with the beautiful writing style of the author, was an absolute joy to read. An air of suspense is also included as we are given glimpses of events from 2015, and realise that something went very wrong with this group of friends, but we’re not sure what.
I was expecting a slightly darker read with a title like this, but it’s not until the final quarter that we are made aware of just how dark this plot is. There are a couple of marvellous twists, which really surprised me and gave the whole story a new dimension. It really is such an ingenious plot.
It’s a novel which explores friendship, love, jealousy, malice, betrayal, deception and revenge. None of the six main characters is particularly likeable, but they were so fascinating to read about!
I was sent a proof copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The story begins in 1999 when we meet Eve, an impoverished student with a background she is keeping secret. She goes to Newcastle University where she infiltrates a small group of rich, self-obsessed ‘Romantics’ and is initially blinded by their apparent love of life - which includes a lot of drinking and sex.
The narrative is rich in quotes from Keats, Byron, Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley and this, combined with the beautiful writing style of the author, was an absolute joy to read. An air of suspense is also included as we are given glimpses of events from 2015, and realise that something went very wrong with this group of friends, but we’re not sure what.
I was expecting a slightly darker read with a title like this, but it’s not until the final quarter that we are made aware of just how dark this plot is. There are a couple of marvellous twists, which really surprised me and gave the whole story a new dimension. It really is such an ingenious plot.
It’s a novel which explores friendship, love, jealousy, malice, betrayal, deception and revenge. None of the six main characters is particularly likeable, but they were so fascinating to read about!
I was sent a proof copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 25, 2026
A story which will remind the reader very much of The Secret History and I had a little smile when a goldfinch was mentioned at one point!
University friends meeting in their 30s for a wedding and it is clear that dark secrets are being kept and a reckoning is due. The narrative moves between 2015 and their university days as Eve describes her encounter with a group of bright (wealthy and privileged) young things, heavily influenced by the aesthetic of the English Romantics.
Eve (not her real name) has secrets of her own which she guards ferociously and her encounter with an acquaintance from her old life reveals how single- minded and ruthless she can be.
The men in this story are arrogant and egotistical, placing their own needs and desires before all else. Their attitudes and actions are compared to the turbulent lives of Byron and Shelley who preached equality but treated their partners with disrespect.
There is a major twist towards the end which left me feeling slightly cheated. It’s one thing to have an unreliable narrator and another to have your understanding of who the narrator is upturned three quarters of the way through.
Having said that, this is a well written and entertaining story.
(I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review)
University friends meeting in their 30s for a wedding and it is clear that dark secrets are being kept and a reckoning is due. The narrative moves between 2015 and their university days as Eve describes her encounter with a group of bright (wealthy and privileged) young things, heavily influenced by the aesthetic of the English Romantics.
Eve (not her real name) has secrets of her own which she guards ferociously and her encounter with an acquaintance from her old life reveals how single- minded and ruthless she can be.
The men in this story are arrogant and egotistical, placing their own needs and desires before all else. Their attitudes and actions are compared to the turbulent lives of Byron and Shelley who preached equality but treated their partners with disrespect.
There is a major twist towards the end which left me feeling slightly cheated. It’s one thing to have an unreliable narrator and another to have your understanding of who the narrator is upturned three quarters of the way through.
Having said that, this is a well written and entertaining story.
(I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. It means a lot to me.
Dark academia is a book theme I absolutely love. I truly enjoyed reading this.
Sometimes, when we enter a new environment, we encounter people whose energy draws us in we just want to be around them. But how well do we really know them? And what parts of ourselves do we keep hidden just to be in their company? Just as I reached the point of thinking, "Well, whatever happens, happens." everything exploded. My eyes went wide. In the following chapter, I had an even more unsettling theory but the story proved me wrong. I was left in complete shock.
And the plot twist... God, I can still hear my gasps in that moment.
I also really appreciated the references to Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. In my opinion, this book is a fine piece of literature; the descriptions are spot-on, effectively capturing the characters' emotions, their aspirations and their curiosity.
When this book is released, I’ll be dying to get my hands on a physical copy.
#WeShallBeMonsters #NetGalley #arcreader #arc #darcacademia #misogyny
Dark academia is a book theme I absolutely love. I truly enjoyed reading this.
Sometimes, when we enter a new environment, we encounter people whose energy draws us in we just want to be around them. But how well do we really know them? And what parts of ourselves do we keep hidden just to be in their company? Just as I reached the point of thinking, "Well, whatever happens, happens." everything exploded. My eyes went wide. In the following chapter, I had an even more unsettling theory but the story proved me wrong. I was left in complete shock.
And the plot twist... God, I can still hear my gasps in that moment.
I also really appreciated the references to Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. In my opinion, this book is a fine piece of literature; the descriptions are spot-on, effectively capturing the characters' emotions, their aspirations and their curiosity.
When this book is released, I’ll be dying to get my hands on a physical copy.
#WeShallBeMonsters #NetGalley #arcreader #arc #darcacademia #misogyny
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Very easy to read, with genuinely pleasant prose and plenty of dark academia atmosphere. I can definitely see this working for readers who are here for the vibes: English Lit students, Romantic poetry, rich/pretentious people behaving terribly, obsession, parties, etc.
That said, I had mixed feelings. At times, the characterisation and some of the drama felt more YA than adult fiction to me, and pretty much everyone was thoroughly unlikeable. It's honestly a feat that I finished this with no problem despite not particularly liking any of them.
Still, it was entertaining enough to keep me reading, and the pacing made it a very easy book to get through. I haven't read The Secret History yet, so I can't make that comparison, but if dark academia is your thing, I can definitely see the appeal here.
That said, I had mixed feelings. At times, the characterisation and some of the drama felt more YA than adult fiction to me, and pretty much everyone was thoroughly unlikeable. It's honestly a feat that I finished this with no problem despite not particularly liking any of them.
Still, it was entertaining enough to keep me reading, and the pacing made it a very easy book to get through. I haven't read The Secret History yet, so I can't make that comparison, but if dark academia is your thing, I can definitely see the appeal here.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the arc!
I am starting this review off with the controversial claim that this book is far better than "The Secret History" (aka the OG dark academia novel). The beginning of the plot has some similarities in that our main character Eve becomes part of a group of privileged group of friends, I absolutely loved the references to poetry and literature throughout the book and thought the reflection of the Romantic poets in the characters themselves was very well done. What sets this book apart from the aforementioned OG novel is Davies' feminist lens. This becomes especially visible towards the end and made the book feel refreshingly modern. Whilst I felt that one or two plot twists towards the end were slightly unnecessary, on the whole this is ab absolutely fantastic book and I highly recommend.
I am starting this review off with the controversial claim that this book is far better than "The Secret History" (aka the OG dark academia novel). The beginning of the plot has some similarities in that our main character Eve becomes part of a group of privileged group of friends, I absolutely loved the references to poetry and literature throughout the book and thought the reflection of the Romantic poets in the characters themselves was very well done. What sets this book apart from the aforementioned OG novel is Davies' feminist lens. This becomes especially visible towards the end and made the book feel refreshingly modern. Whilst I felt that one or two plot twists towards the end were slightly unnecessary, on the whole this is ab absolutely fantastic book and I highly recommend.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
For fans of 'The Secret History' and 'If We Were Villains'
This is a dark, magnetic, and beautifully written story about a friend group. I was immediately drawn into the story with its mysterious aesthetic. What could make a reader more intrigued to read a book than the sentence: „For is there an act more significant, more determinative, than the taking of a life.“
Throughout the book, the readers are taken through years of friendship building and various plot twists that are absolutely shocking. This is for everyone who likes their stories a little twisted and dark, with a splash of poetry and literature.
The writing style captures the reader’s attention so well and kept me in the story long past my bedtime.
Overall, such a good dark academia book for the fall and winter months.
This is a dark, magnetic, and beautifully written story about a friend group. I was immediately drawn into the story with its mysterious aesthetic. What could make a reader more intrigued to read a book than the sentence: „For is there an act more significant, more determinative, than the taking of a life.“
Throughout the book, the readers are taken through years of friendship building and various plot twists that are absolutely shocking. This is for everyone who likes their stories a little twisted and dark, with a splash of poetry and literature.
The writing style captures the reader’s attention so well and kept me in the story long past my bedtime.
Overall, such a good dark academia book for the fall and winter months.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Secret History --> If We Were Villains --> We Shall Be Monsters
Aspiring for more in life, Eve is immediately drawn to the close knit group of rich, beautiful friends who can quote the Romantic Poets at the drop of a hat and seem utterly unfazed by the mundanity of college life. Lying, scheming and manipulating her way into the group comes easily to her.
Years later in their thirties, we revisit them, now a group of people who truly thought they'd live fast and die young like Byron, and are now faced with the reality of existence as a 30 year old, still trying to live the lifestyle they were accustomed to. But the past comes back to haunt them, and the results are absolutely delicious.
Aspiring for more in life, Eve is immediately drawn to the close knit group of rich, beautiful friends who can quote the Romantic Poets at the drop of a hat and seem utterly unfazed by the mundanity of college life. Lying, scheming and manipulating her way into the group comes easily to her.
Years later in their thirties, we revisit them, now a group of people who truly thought they'd live fast and die young like Byron, and are now faced with the reality of existence as a 30 year old, still trying to live the lifestyle they were accustomed to. But the past comes back to haunt them, and the results are absolutely delicious.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The premise sounded intriguing, however this is the first time I’ve read anything falling into the ‘Dark Academia’ genre and it isn’t really my thing. Despite being a life time reader I’ll be honest, I hated English Literature at school and have never read any of the classics ever since so most of the quotes in the book were completely lost on me.
I did read it all but found it took a long time to truly get going. It hooked me in from a certain point and after that it didn’t take me too long to finish it, as once secrets started to reveal themselves I found it became compelling. Unfortunately that was a while into the book and up to that point I couldn’t really see any kind of meaningful plot materialising.
It is atmospheric and as I’ve said, I’m not at all familiar with this genre so I looked up the definition of it. It was quite a detailed description and I would agree that every aspect of the book fitted the description to a tee and includes all the ‘ingredients’. If you enjoy this dark and brooding build up, with dislikeable characters who don’t like to trouble themselves too much with scruples or morals, then I think you might be in your element with this book.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I did read it all but found it took a long time to truly get going. It hooked me in from a certain point and after that it didn’t take me too long to finish it, as once secrets started to reveal themselves I found it became compelling. Unfortunately that was a while into the book and up to that point I couldn’t really see any kind of meaningful plot materialising.
It is atmospheric and as I’ve said, I’m not at all familiar with this genre so I looked up the definition of it. It was quite a detailed description and I would agree that every aspect of the book fitted the description to a tee and includes all the ‘ingredients’. If you enjoy this dark and brooding build up, with dislikeable characters who don’t like to trouble themselves too much with scruples or morals, then I think you might be in your element with this book.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Definitely go into this one blind, One of the best twists I have ever read!
The characters were both loveable and so hateable at the same time, and the atmosphere made me feel like I was part of the group.
There is quite a lot of poetry throughout, so just a heads up if that's not your thing. It wasn't really for me, but it didn't take away from the writing at all.
I did hit a bit of a slump around the 40% mark, but I'm so glad I pushed through as it was absolutely worth it!
The writing was really well done so, l'il be looking forward to anything else Eleanor releases!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this opportunity!
The characters were both loveable and so hateable at the same time, and the atmosphere made me feel like I was part of the group.
There is quite a lot of poetry throughout, so just a heads up if that's not your thing. It wasn't really for me, but it didn't take away from the writing at all.
I did hit a bit of a slump around the 40% mark, but I'm so glad I pushed through as it was absolutely worth it!
The writing was really well done so, l'il be looking forward to anything else Eleanor releases!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this opportunity!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book feels like the illegitimate child of "The Secret History" and "If we were villains", making it a promising dark academia read from the get-go.
I quite enjoyed this book. Characters and settings were interesting and it was fairly easy to get immersed into the story.
My complaint regarding "We shall be monsters" stands in its general writing structure. The format of the chapters is quite confusing and all the back and forth through timelines made the story a bit hard to follow along with at times. It also feels unnecessarily slow here and there.
I quite enjoyed this book. Characters and settings were interesting and it was fairly easy to get immersed into the story.
My complaint regarding "We shall be monsters" stands in its general writing structure. The format of the chapters is quite confusing and all the back and forth through timelines made the story a bit hard to follow along with at times. It also feels unnecessarily slow here and there.
November 8, 2026
**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I will be shocked if this book doesn’t end up on a best-sellers list. The journey this story took me on is like something I haven’t experienced in a very long time. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough the last 25% of the book. Without giving away spoilers, this is a story you won’t see coming.
I love a good dark academia and I think this one just set the bar. All of the characters were beautifully and tragically written. I truly don’t think there’s anything about this story that I would have changed.
I will be shocked if this book doesn’t end up on a best-sellers list. The journey this story took me on is like something I haven’t experienced in a very long time. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough the last 25% of the book. Without giving away spoilers, this is a story you won’t see coming.
I love a good dark academia and I think this one just set the bar. All of the characters were beautifully and tragically written. I truly don’t think there’s anything about this story that I would have changed.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Atmospheric, gothic, beautiful writing. Loved reading this, it was gripping and the twist at the end made me gasp. Really loved the Romantic poetry elements and it reminded me so much of my university days studying English Lit. The characters are vivid and fun and I loved the backdrop of Newcastle.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Little Brown Book Group and Netgallery for the ARC.
I absolutely love a story like this. Full of twists, characters that are believable and larger than life at the same time. An absolute spiral of toxicity and romantics, blended with some very apt quotes.
One moment in the book especially was so well done, I won't spoil it, but it was brilliantly executed!
I absolutely love a story like this. Full of twists, characters that are believable and larger than life at the same time. An absolute spiral of toxicity and romantics, blended with some very apt quotes.
One moment in the book especially was so well done, I won't spoil it, but it was brilliantly executed!
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