Starred review from November 11, 2024
Teenage Page Whittaker thinks “it feels too romantic to be real” after she accepts a scholarship to attend prestigious Agathion College, a boarding school for “gifted” kids located on the Scottish moors, in this expertly crafted dark academia fantasy novel by Wilkinson (Deep Is the Fen). Obsessed with gothic literature, Page finds Agathion—with its tall spires, gargoyle statues, and student body fluent in Latin and Greek—to be an academic’s dream, especially after the nightmare that was her former school, where she was involved in a deadly incident. But the timing of her scholarship is suspicious, and Page starts to wonder if she—and all the other students with their troubled pasts—was brought here for a reason. Covert clubs, dangerous tests of wits, and a mystery shrouded in dark magic and strange and ancient secrets unfurl in this stunning foray whose skillful plotting is reminiscent of Donna Tart’s The Secret History. Painterly descriptions of a rainy gothic atmosphere punctuated by suspense, horror, and humor as experienced by a dynamic and intersectionally diverse found-family cast feel at once as classic as its inspirations, and as an invigorating reinvention of the genre. Ages 14–up. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary.
Starred review from December 15, 2024
A misfit in search of belonging finds dangerous secrets in a secluded boarding school. When brainy-but-underperforming Floridian teen Page Whittaker is offered a full scholarship to exclusive Agathion, an isolated haven for troubled posh kids in the Scottish moors, it's a dream come true. A voracious reader--Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, the Bront�s--Page finds the idea of the school romantic and its mind-over-body philosophy just what she needs after the mysterious violent incident that led to her leaving her last school and girlfriend. Instead of Page's beloved and relatively modern classics, ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and mythology are the anchor of the school's program. Something strange is going on with the magisters in charge and also with the secretive friend group Page longs to join, comprising Cyrus, the son of a prince, who's "absurdly handsome" with his curly dark hair and golden brown skin; witchy Oak, cued genderqueer, who's Page's Scottish love interest; Australian Korean Ren; blond Gideon, who's Ren's trans boyfriend; and glamorous Latina-coded nepo baby Lacey. They don't trust the magisters--or Page; they suspect the magisters brought her in to spy on them. Wilkinson lavishly renders the setting through descriptive prose that revels in the school's decaying decadence. In constantly rising action that builds to increasingly fantastical and dramatic reveals, Page uncovers impossible magics, deep-rooted conspiracies, and lethal stakes. The world-breaking, bittersweet climax comes at a high cost. Page presents white and has endometriosis. Moody, gripping dark academia steeped in magic.(Fantasy. 14-18)
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December 10, 2024
Lili Wilkinson’s latest young adult novel, Unhallowed Halls, is a dark academia fantasy about finding your inner strength and accepting who you are. After a tragic incident that ended her only friendship, Page Whittaker moves from sunny Florida to the grey, cold moorlands of Scotland to attend the exclusive Agathion College for troubled teens. She hopes this mysterious school will be a place where she can finally fit in and learn to control the emotions she believes have caused harm to others. Page soon realises that the school is built on the foundations of an ancient secret society tied to demonic magic, and even her new group of friends is hiding things from her. Wilkinson (Deep Is the Fen, Hunger of Thorns) has crafted such a vivid sensory and immersive experience that I was easily transported to Page’s world. Readers learn about her insecurities, fears and longing to belong. The author skilfully weaves Page’s journey of self-discovery into a tale of mounting tension, as she and her new friends must confront an evil threat—a layered narrative that keeps readers engaged in both Page’s growth and the supernatural stakes. A must-read for fans of magical realism, fantasy and stories with demons, Unhallowed Halls is a gripping, unputdownable read from start to finish. Recommended for readers who enjoy works by Leigh Bardugo or Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle series.
January 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 In Wilkinson's dark-academia novel, a Florida teen accepts a scholarship to a venerable boarding school in the Scottish moors, only to find that the school's leaders have sinister plans for her. Page Whittaker wants to live a life of the mind, and Agathion College promises just that: a challenging education debating great works of literature in a place steeped in gothic romance. Grand and enigmatic, Agathion is everything Page dreamed, though she is unprepared for the rigorous education and lifestyle; the magisters are so deeply immersed in Greek philosophy that their outdoor education even includes charioteering. Page is welcomed by a tight-knit group of students who hint at Agathion's roots in ancient magic, but they don't fully trust her. Instead, they're keeping an eye on Page, wondering why the magisters wanted her. Wilkinson skillfully creates an atmosphere of dread and mystery as she gradually reveals the horrible truth of the magisters' labyrinthine plot and Page's past. Mixing classical literature, folk magic, and a bit of cosmic horror, this novel will appeal to fans of dark magic and atmospheric settings.
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