High Realms is an exclusive fee paying school. The prospectus offers instant friendships, and a tantalising hint of the roles that the elumni/alumnae have fulfilled, after attending only the very best universities, naturally. The realities for four Millennium Scholars, Rose, Marta, Sami and Lloyd have been far from the promised educational idyll.

Being different from their peers, is all that is required to make their lives hell, at the hands of their entitled, moneyed counterparts. The four 16 year olds are pushed to the end of their physical limits and mental resources, by the abuse suffered.

This is not a pleasant book. While it is not a work of horror, it is horrifying, in a number of ways. It had the feel of a YA book for me.

This is one of those books that gripped me, because I had to find out what the end game was, but I can’t say I enjoyed it to be honest. There was a feeling of inevitability running through the pages. I did find myself shaking my head more or less continuously, dumbfounded by virtually everyone’s behaviour. I found the toxic behaviour that is rife through the book, stretched plausibility.

Just 3.5⭐️ for me, rounded down.

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

Though a captivating debut, The Four struggles to strike a balance between its carefree appeal and a deeper exploration of themes, leaving me yearning for more substance.

The plot undeniably hooks the reader from the start with the tantalizing mention of an accident by narrator Rose, fueling suspense and curiosity about its cause. The tension is built well as Rose and her fellow scholarship students navigate the perilous waters of High Realms.

The pervasive bullying, especially towards Marta, raises questions about its believability. While exclusive private schools may indeed foster such behavior, the extent depicted feels somewhat exaggerated. You would expect something of an intervention from staff members, or a least more so than there was. I’m not sure, something just didn’t particularly work for me on this aspect.

The melodramatic tone extends beyond the bullying to plot developments and the author's prose, creating an entertaining yet somewhat shallow reading experience. While marketed as dark academia, the novel to me felt more YA, incorporating recognizable tropes of the genre but lacking the maturity expected. The relentless misfortune heaped upon certain characters, while addressing serious issues, borders on the comical due to its excessive nature.

Character development takes a backseat to the school experience, but the diverse cast remains intriguing, keeping the reader engaged throughout. While it is undoubtedly entertaining, its inclination towards young adult themes may not resonate with all readers seeking a darker academia narrative. So for me personally, this one didn’t quite hit the mark.

What a fantastic debut novel. A story based around an elite boarding school and four of the pupils who attend. A very deep story and one that had me hooked from start to finish.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

I really enjoyed this book, I wanted to make sure I read and reviewed it before the book was published as it’s been getting so much hype and I couldn’t put it off for much longer either!

I really enjoyed this book. Once I hit around the 23% mark I couldn’t put it down and I stayed up until 2am finishing it because I didn’t want to stop and I needed to know what was going to happen next.

The pacing of the story was great and I liked the way it was written as if the narrator was actually the person looking back at her own life. One thing I didn’t like is how rushed the ended seemed to be. I think the physical book is around 430 pages. I feel it could’ve had a bit of a better ending and not so abrupt but it was still good.

A solid 4.25 star read for me!

Four pupils win a scholarship to attend a highly prestigious boarding school but things are not at all what they were expecting. They, and others, are continually bullied with tragic circumstances
I found this an uncomfortable yet compelling read.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for this eCopy to review

The Four follows a group of 4 scholarship students admitted to a boarding school on scholarships for their A-Levels. This is incredibly difficult for them as they do not know the rules, are note part of the groups, and are obviously poor compared to the other students who bully them atrociously. I found the book very difficult to read, I can not believe that the students were allowed to get away with their behaviour towards the 4 students.

Of the 4 students it was hard to feel any empathy for them as I felt they were all horrid. We follow them as they try to fit in, after an accident Marta goes into hiding with the other 3 (Lloyd, Sami and Rose) helping her. It all felt a bit too dark and long winded.

Trigger warnings: Rape, incest, bullying, suicide, self-harm, abortion

Oh my goodness, this book is addictive, I couldn't put it down, I had heard about boarding schools like this but it really felt immersive, like you were really living through all that Marta suffered and how Rose, Sami and Lloyd really tried to help her, excellent read

The Four is dark. Very dark. It is an intense and incredibly claustrophobic novel centring on four pupils who have come to High Realms Boarding School in rural Devon on scholarships. They are each very bright. That’s why this high fees boarding school wants them. It may be taking in the money but the current students are not elevating the academic standards in the way the school aspires to, so they are creaming off the very top secondary school pupils in their final year at school to prepare them for University Entrance Exams in the hope that these pupils will gain high achieving University places and raise the academic esteem of High Realms as a result.

The four scholarship pupils are Lloyd, a young man with artistic and musical talent; Sami, a quiet spoken boy who wants to go into medicine; Rose, who is our narrator and comes from a loving family. Her dad is a cab driver and she is still grieving from the loss of her mother. Marta is by far the brightest of them all. She loves to learn and she is desperate to stay at High Realms. The reasons for this are complex and it does not help that she isn’t always truthful when asked about her family.

Rose Lawson and Marta de Luca share a room. Marta is an erratic, messy young woman and prone to occasional bouts of odd behaviour, including, as Rose discovers early on, a very disturbing habit.

Of course these four are different to the other boarders; everyone there knows they are on scholarships and it is not long before the schools more domineering personalities start to single them out for some of the worst, most dangerous bullying there is. This is a school where specially chosen senior pupils have the run of the other pupils, able to discipline them, and to assign them unpleasant tasks which they then proceed to make even more unpleasant. It’s bullying behaviour and it is writ large. This forces the four to stick together more that they might have and, of course, it is eccentric Marta who is most easily and readily picked on. Geraldine, Sylvia and Max are the bright young things who lead the pack and Genevieve in particular is spitefully nasty to Marta

Ellie Keel’s debut novel is dark, intense and at times, almost suffocating. There were times when this novel veered closer to horror than I was comfortable with and it is undoubtedly powerful.

These four are treated with scorn and resentment, tinged with a brutal antagonism that is palpable. My heart did actually race that bit faster when I read what Marta had to go through. It is scary and it is deeply troubling.

Because of this adversity these four form a bond of friendship that locks itself tightly around them and as things ramp up, you really need them to succeed at this school. The Head teacher is rigid and punishment driven; only the school doctor seems to have a softer side, but not even she can intervene when the going gets really rough.

Keel ups the ante all the time, escalating the drama until she brings things to a head, when all semblance of Mallory Towers gives way and we are left with a well -dressed juvenile detention centre.

A catastrophic event brings things to a dramatic head and then the real darkness descends. These four students, locked together in a bond of friendship do something that may not be wise or sensible, but which is testament to their love for each other and the friendship that binds them.

I found myself shocked at some of the terrible decisions that are made throughout this book and wanting to change the way the story was heading, but it does keep you on tenterhooks even if you want to yell at some of these characters.

Verdict: A strong narrative arc drives this deeply toxic and dramatic novel. This is a debut novel I won’t forget in a while. Ellie Keen writes well and she conveys viciousness in a way that leaves you breathless. It is perhaps a little light on characterisation (Marta apart) and has a tendency to be overly dramatic, but my goodness it packs a punch. If I did trigger warnings, this book would have quite a list!

The Four is a 3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
The Four is a book that made me think of Malory Towers by Enid Blyton but for adults. It is 1999 and four students, Marta, Lloyd, Sami and Rose who is the narrator find themselves at the prestigious High Realms in lower sixth form as scholarship students. They are looked down on by others because of this but they stick together. The senior patrol party are particularly spiteful bullies with Marta getting the majority. An accident had happened the year before involving one of the older girls sister but what happened and can it be believed?
This was a book that I was torn over, I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. I haven’t been to private boarding school but I hope that the bullying is nothing like it is in this book. The chapters were long making it hard to find time to pop a quick ten minute read in. The characters were a mixed bag but it was just the amount of bullying that tainted the book really for me.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

With many thanks to Netgalley and HQ for this free arc in exchange for an honest review

This debut novel by Ellie Keel is a dark and disturbing tale of life in an exclusive boarding school. Think Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers but for grown ups. The characters are good in this - not all of them likeable but I did find myself getting immersed in their lives. It would have been very easy to tell the story from each of the four’s POV, but only telling it from Rose’s perspective did add an air of intrigue. However, the chapters are overly long and I felt the story did lose its way a little bit in the middle with the storyline getting slightly haphazard. The author did pull it back towards the end although I’m not sure the last chapter was needed. So whilst the plot and pace were just ok the writing and narrative were very good and I do think Ellie Keel will have a promising future.

I really did not know entirely what to expect from this novel and I am kind of glad I went in with very little knowledge of the plot.

The narrative follows 'The Four', four students who have been accepted into Lower Sixth at High Realms as scholarship students. To begin with, everything is seemingly ok. However, as the time progresses, they notice cracks in the facade of others, further shown in the way in which the other children are treated, Marta is antagonised to the extreme and I found myself really empathising with her situation and the way in which she was treated,

The tension was high in this novel, and in every page something detrimental happened that made me feel either furious or really sorry for The Four. However, at times, I felt it was a bit too dramatic for my liking and, although I was rooting for the characters, I just wanted them to have a break!

This being said, a great debut from Keel.

I enjoyed this book the storyline really had me gripped needing to know how it ended.

There was definitely some difficult scenes in this book though so I would definitely check the trigger warnings but for me this really complemented the storyline well and added to the mystery and tension.

The only downside for me was that the chapters were quite long and it’s was quite descriptive at times which made it a bit confusing for me as sometimes it lost my attention. But other than that small thing it was an enjoyable read and I highly recommend for lovers of All The Devils.

I’d like to thank H.Q and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Four’ written by Ellie Keel in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

‘The Four’ is the story of four students, Marta, Lloyd, Sami and Rose the narrator, who have been awarded scholarships to the prestigious High Realms where they come into contact with the members of Senior Patrol who constantly bully them, especially Marta, who has to endure name-calling and being tormented by some of the older students.

This is the author’s debut novel and although well-written I haven’t been able to read further than twenty percent as the characters especially those of the Senior Patrol are nasty privileged spoilt brats who thoroughly enjoy making the lives of the scholarship students a nightmare. The teaching staff, apart from Dr Reza, aren’t much better either as they allow the students to take drugs and alcohol. I was so sorry for Marta who’d been looking forward to her first time at a school yet felt the need to self-harm, and calling her names such as ‘gremlin’ wouldn’t have helped. I didn’t enjoy this novel but this is solely my opinion and I’m sure other readers will get more from it than I did.

While a captivating debut, The Four struggles to balance its 'fun' factor with a deeper exploration of themes, leaving me wanting a little more substance. Marketed as the millennial "Secret History," the novel falls short of that comparison for me.

The plot is undeniably engaging. The early mention of an accident by narrator Rose fuels the suspense, leaving the reader eager to understand the event and its cause. Ellie Keel is great at building tension as Rose and her fellow scholarship students navigate the treacherous waters of High Realms.

The constant bullying, particularly towards Marta, raises the question of believability. Whilst I imagine that exclusive private schools are likely a breeding grounds for such behaviour, the extent depicted feels exaggerated. Surely a staff member would have taken more action, earlier on? Then again, I've never attended a school like that myself.

The over-the-top theatricality extends beyond the bullying. Both plot developments and the author's prose felt a bit melodramatic as the book continued. This creates an entertaining read – the book is a fast and easy page-turner – but left me feeling like it could be developed more. It’s marketed as dark academia so there were plenty of tropes in that genre that I recognised, but the writing style feels targeted towards a younger audience. Additionally, the relentless misfortune piled upon certain characters (whether that's taking place in the book or incidents we find about in their history) bordered on comical despite their very serious subject matter as it felt too much!

While character development takes a backseat, focusing primarily on the school experience, the diverse cast remains interesting. The intriguing storyline kept me engaged, never allowing me to get bored. Ultimately, The Four is undeniably entertaining, but its leaming towards YA may not resonate with all readers seeking a darker academia book.

Many thanks to the publisher, HQ, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review. Find more book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com

This is a strong debut novel. Perfect for fans of dark academia but the writing is more accessible and easy to read than many of the other dark academia novels I’ve read before.

The characters in this are interesting, unique and frankly most of them are quite unlikeable - on purpose. There is something about them that is quite uncomfortable to read but somehow it just adds to the whole vibe of the book.

The plot is twisted and dark. There is a strong theme of bullying and mental health amongst other things and you should check trigger warnings before picking up this book.

This made for an uncomfortable, dark read which is how dark academia should be. The plot is unique and the characters interesting. 100% worth a read

High Realms boarding school in Devon is the setting of this book.
It’s 1999 and four students have won scholarships to one of the most exclusive schools in the country.
Rose Lawson, Marta De Luca, Lloyd Williams and Sami Lynch.
Four different personalities, all highly intelligent and ambitious in their varying ways. They bond and stick together, they are expected to do well, have a lot to prove to the school.

Well what a horrible school.
It’s a bit of a dark heavy read, uncomfortable for me with warped unlikeable characters.
How far will they go for each other?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc. However I found it very hard to get into so I was unable to get past 10%

I was hooked from the first few lines, The Four is compelling, warm but also dark and uncomfortable to read at times - Ellie Keel does not hold back.
Friendship, love, crushes, bullying, sexuality, society expectactions, mental health - I don't think there was an aspect of life not captured in these pages and portrayed so well.

2024 looks like being a good year for book lovers and The Four is in the best I have read so far.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Four

What a great read. I really enjoyed this although to be fair some of the English lessons went over my head! This is the story of four teenagers, Rose, Marta, Sami and Lloyd, who are all academically gifted and have won scholarships to study for two years, prior to going to university, at prestigious private school High Realms. The story is told by Rose and her narrative seems reliable although some of it is hearsay.

Briefly, from day one they are not accepted by the majority of the privileged, wealthy students, or some of the teachers, and the treatment they receive is terrible, but particularly Marta who has been home schooled and struggles with what many perceive as acceptable behaviour. It is also made clear by their housemaster that they are there to raise the quality of the school exam results and failure is not acceptable. One of the worse perpetrators of the bullying is Genevieve who is constantly on their case and encouraging others to do the same. Then life takes a shocking turn when Genevieve has a fall and Marta is accused of pushing her…

Dark academia is not a genre I would normally read but boy am I glad I picked this one up. Although they are very different ‘the four’ stick together through everything and are each other’s support mechanism. All schools tend to have cliques but you can see how being away from family at boarding schools can encourage behaviours that wouldn’t be deemed acceptable in normal society, but I found it hard to accept that the teaching staff seemed to turn a blind eye to everything but still repeatedly punished ‘the four’. My heart went out to Marta, I can’t say more for fear of spoilers but what a sad sad life. There is a lot going on in this books not just bullying but self harm, teens exploring their sexuality, physical and mental abuse, but also friendships, loyalty and love. This is a dark and at times upsetting read, although not gratuitous, and I whizzed through it. The big question is how far would you go to help a friend?

Set in a prestige boarding school, “High Realms”, four scholarship students are given places in order to help increase the school’s poor academic credentials.

It’s a bit like a horror version of Mallory Towers with nasty, filthy rich but not very intelligent students doing whatever the hell they like, while the useless staff have no control over what is going on, nor do they seem to want to.

Nothing happened until about a third of the way through and even then it was predictable and I no longer cared anyway as the characters are intensely unlikeable and painfully dull.

The writing was ok, but the content was juvenile and lacked depth.

Sorry, but this just didn’t work for me.

1 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.