While All the Devils is positioned as a YA dark academia fantasy, it didn’t quite work for me. The plot often felt contrived, with twists that seemed more manufactured than organic. The characters, though placed in an enticingly secretive, magical setting, never managed to come alive on the page for me, they felt more like archetypes than fully fleshed-out individuals. The prose leaned heavily into being ornate, which didn’t feel natural, which made the reading experience grating.

That said, I can see the appeal for readers who love the atmosphere of dark academia, secret societies, and hidden magic. The novel leans fully into those tropes, and for fans of the aesthetic, this could be a satisfying read even if it didn’t strike the right chord with me personally.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

i love the premise but i think the execution could have been better. the story is there, the idea is great but the pacing is off and it's not very cohesive. i wanted more academia in a dark academia and i was hoping to be more immersed. that said it's not a bad read!

As soon as I saw this was dark academia and fantasy I had to read it. I am absolutely obsessed with Ninth House and this was certainly giving similar vibes with secret societies and leaning heavily into dark academia.

We follow Andy as she's mourning her sister, Violet, and jump straight into the action when Andy realises that Violet isn't the person in the casket at her funeral. Determined to find out what happened to Violet, Andy enrols in Violet's elite boarding school, Ravenswood Academy, and finds much more than she expected there.

This one was fun - very fast paced and I enjoyed a lot of the book and the spooky undertone (could be a cool Halloween read thinking about it). The mixing of mythology confused me a little but I did enjoy the world building and thought provoking way the underworld is laid out as it's very vividly described.

Overall, this is one I'll be recommending to anyone who has an interest in dark academia and is after something particularly eerie yet fast paced and easy to read. Was a fantastic vibe and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I got to 35% and DNF'ed. Unfortunately this is just far too slow for me, with nothing particularly grabbing my attention.

It's was very reminiscent of Riverdales "Gryphons & Gargoyles" arc but very, very slowly.

I was hoping for more genuine fantasy and like a daaark academia vibe but it just isn't hitting the spot. Hopefully it will reach the correct audience!

🖤🥀 All the Devils 🥀🖤

- Catelyn Wilson

⭐️⭐️.5

This had SO much promise. It’s everything I love in a book - dark academia, secret societies, an integral mystery at the heart of the story. The opening scene is explosive. We see Andromeda ‘Andy’ Emerson, standing over her elder sister Violet’s open coffin, when she notices something amiss. A matching tattoo, one that the two sisters got together, is missing from Violet’s body.

Six months later, Andy enrols in the prestigious school that Violet was attending when she died, setting out to avenge her sister’s death or disappearance. She quickly discovers that Violet’s former group of friends, all members of an exclusive club, are up to their eyes in dangerous occult.

I LOVED the premise of this. Mysterious deaths, academy setting, teenage investigator - it had everything. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite hit for me. The plot was too complicated for me to completely follow. The author attempts to blend all types of mythology and cultural lore in the underworld, and this results in quite a baffling mixture of conflicting legends.

Additionally, I found it difficult to root for Andy. I just… wasn’t too invested. Overall, despite this being a genre I love and usually devour, this one didn’t quite hit for me. Instead, I’d recommend other dark academia thrillers - such as The Society of Soulless Girls by Laura Steven or A Dark Inheritance by H.F. Askwith, both of which are truly excellent!

Do you enjoy dark academia thrillers? Leave all your recs in the comments!

#bookstagram #allthedevils #darkacademia #yathriller #bookreview

I love dark academia and fantasy and this book is exactly why, the elements being tied together were the first thing that got me interested in this book and the author did not miss at all. Honestly I will be recommending this to all my friends to buy as I absolutely loved this book.

Unfortunately I didn’t finish this one. I just couldn’t get into it despite but might try again in the future.

This book has a really strong start. It's full of intrigue, mystery and dark vibes that keep you turning the pages! I personally found that I felt less pulled In as the story continued. I think maybe I just wasn't that invested in the characters. But I did think that I might have to accept that I'm too damn old to really appreciate this book. It's very YA. And young Steph would have loved it. Despite it not being for me, I do feel that it will be a popular book and I hope it makes waves.

3/5 stars! I appreciated this book's unique take on what we will do while grieving. As someone that has unexpectedly lost a sibling, I empathized with Andy. Things go off the rails when Andy believes that her sister still lives and a coverup is to blame. It read pretty young and I felt like some secrets are meant to stay buried and Andy would have been better off making friends and focusing on her studies.

DNF at 22% - I cannot express how irritating I found the main character - Andromeda (Just Andy) who has somehow (excess amount of money) managed to get access to an elite school despite not being an excellent student like her deceased sister who knew 7 languages and loved studying art. She's convinced that her sister is not in fact dead. The very second she arrives she is on the case trying to find out what happened and finding clues where there aren't any. By the time I'd completely lost all interest in continuing the book it was heavily suggested that some sort of monster thing had been conjured by the gang of elites that were friends with her sister, Violet and were now taking over her role in the coven after she'd died. Just meh. I can't believe this is a series, I couldn't make it through book one and have no interest in continuing. Think Hogwarts for rich arseholes but only some of them can do magic (and there's OF COURSE an underlying conspiracy that only the new students can possibly get to the bottom of.

DNF at around 40%.

I really wanted to love this one—the premise sounded like something totally up my alley: eerie vibes, morally gray characters, a touch of darkness. But somewhere along the way, it just didn’t click for me.

The pacing felt slow, and while the writing wasn’t bad, I found myself constantly drifting. I kept waiting for that moment when I’d get pulled in, but it never really came. The characters didn’t quite grab me either, and I had a hard time connecting with their motivations or caring about what happened next.

That said, I can see why others might enjoy it—there’s definitely atmosphere, and if you're into a more brooding, slow-burn style, it might work for you. It just wasn’t what I was looking for right now, so I decided to put it down. Maybe not a bad book, just not the right fit for me.

Much more intense than I expected. I knew it would be one hell of a ride, but didn't knew it would be this crazy. Yet, it was crazy in all the best ways.

I was intrigued, shocked and happy at the same time. I rooted for the main character and truly enjoyed the story.

Initially i loved it but it get a bit boring. I found the plot enjoyable but some parts of it were slow and i didn’t quite vibe with them? Overall i enjoyed it

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. The school setting was vivid and enjoyable to read about but, alas, I didn't connect at all with Andy - while characters don't have to be likeable for me to enjoy a book, I found myself more intrigued by pretty much every other character. While I understood the book being purely from Andy's POV I would have loved to be able to delve more into the minds and perspectives of other characters as I feel we could have been even more enveloped by the world.

Strong world building and dark vibes, fast paced with ancient magic, secret society, demons monsters I mean wjen you tick all the boxes like that then you know your in for a good time.

All the Devils is a gripping and intense read that pulls you into a world of betrayal and morally gray characters. From the very first page, the dark and immersive atmosphere sets the tone for a story filled with tension, unexpected twists, and deeply flawed yet compelling characters that I couldn’t help but love.

Wilson’s writing is sharp and evocative, making it easy to get lost in the story. Our protagonist is complex and layered, and while not always likable, their journey is fascinating to follow. The relationships—whether filled with tension, loyalty, or deceit—add depth to the narrative, keeping the stakes high and the pages turning.

The pacing is mostly strong, though there are moments where the story slows down a bit too much. Additionally, some plot points felt a little predictable, but the execution kept me engaged. If you enjoy dark, character-driven stories with a raw, unfiltered edge, All the Devils is definitely worth picking up. It’s a gripping read that lingers long after you turn the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the advance reader copy.

I would like to say that the cover for this book is stunning and for me unfortunately was the only reason I kept reading in the hope that the vibe of the cover helped the story.

The main character is a bit one sided and also feels like she doesn’t think before she does anything. The other characters feel similarly and have one side to them - we have the roommate, the bullies and the love interest.

Although there are some ‘twists’ in the story they don’t feel as large and weird as the writing would have you believe.

I also found that the mixing of mythology was throwing me off and also didn’t feel well researched enough.

I’m glad I was able to finish the book but feel a little disappointed in the story as a whole.

This was a fun book, I enjoyed many aspects and loved the eerie undertone.
Her writing has lots of potential. Some parts had me booked but got bored in other areas.and the mixing of mythology did confuse me.

The world building is brilliantly done, characters are very well written and the description of the places felt very vivid.

All in all it was an enjoyable book with a dark academia vibe that I will be recommending.

I didn't particularly enjoy this one it takes alot for me to get involved when a book is written in first person the main character was not a particularly strong voice in the story and felt lackluster things just happened to her other characters lead the story until the end

This was really fun!

Great for fans of YA dark academic. Loved the worldbuilding and while where the plot was going was a little obvious at times it was a fun ride nevertheless!

Andy was a little disappointing at times, a little too 2D, but I was engaged enough with her quest to find out what happened to her sister.

The story's strongest selling points were its vibes - secret societies and really good mythology.