DNF at 32%

I absolutely love the cover and was fully onboard for a dark academia fantasy that's shrouded in mystery.

I enjoyed the start of the book and found it quite ominous and alluring and then it gradually lost its pacing and I couldn't bring myself to pick it back up.

Thank you for Netgalley for the arc but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Mysterious, magical and sinister. What more could you want out of a dark academia book?

This was the perfect book in time for autumn, and now I'm definitely ready for Halloween. This book flowed so well, the chapters were perfectly done, I never wanted to put it down. Everything felt perfectly dark as I hoped it would be, with so many great scenes at night and in the dark of the woods. The introduction of the secret society was great, I was definitely as confused as Andy was when they first appeared.

The characters were really well written. Jae was probably my favourite character out of them all, there were so many new things to learn about him throughout the book, he just kept getting more and more interesting. Andy had her good and bad, a lot of the time I liked her character but there were other times where she’d make questionable decisions which would irritate me, like always running to save Violet after being betrayed over and over. Speaking of Violet, she was easily dislikable but a very important part to the story, especially due to her magic and how it corrupts her. There’s not much to say about Munia except she deserves better, more than anyone else in this book

Although we get a lot of Jae and Andy together, their romance is not the main focus for them which I loved. Their main focus throughout was saving Violet and destroying the secret society, their feelings for one another happens unintentionally whilst they work together.

Mixing mythologies was a cool concept and I’m really glad I wasn’t bombarded with way too many gods and goddesses at once. In this book we only meet a few which is perfect, I never felt confused between any of them. I’m hoping we dive into different mythologies if there is a next book, perhaps Hindu?

I’ve got to give a shout out to the great name choices too, I loved them all. Andromeda though? Most perfect choice of name ever!

There are a few small things which brought my rating down slightly. Where were the parents? Andy is at the boarding school, but they don’t visit her and don’t call her. The reason I found this strange is that Violet died at this boarding school, and also Andy is the only child they have left, it felt strange for them to be completely absent. Another thing was that I couldn’t visualise the outside of the school at all, I'm not sure it was ever described but if it was, I don’t feel like it was mentioned enough to stick. I actually could visualise the greenhouse better than the schools exterior (I loved that greenhouse though).

I was glad at how it ended, and happy that it’s set up perfectly for a second book (crossing my fingers), there is so much I hope will be explored.

I was really intrigued by this book, the premise and the themes. I love the idea of secret societies and boarding school mysteries. However, I felt as though I couldn't really get past the writing style. It seemed like it would be better suited to a younger audience than myself, but I am interested to see other reviews when it comes out.
I liked the initial intrigue, the idea that Andy's sister was dead but it was not her body in the coffin. Great setting up, but at times, Andy's need for revenge got in the way of the mystery, and I ended up not liking her as much as I thought I was supposed to.
I recognise that perhaps I am not the audience for this but I think it would go down really well with a difference audience.

All the Devils shows immense potential, with a gripping start that immediately draws you into the narrative. The first few chapters are particularly engaging, offering a promising introduction to what feels like an intricate and exciting story. However, as the book progresses, the pacing becomes uneven, and certain aspects of the plot start to unravel.

One challenge with the story is its slow pace during the first third of the book. The focus on Andy, a teenager bent on revenge, feels a bit drawn out, and her character occasionally comes across as more immature than expected. At times, the book takes on a YA, even middle-grade tone, which felt at odds with the more serious themes being introduced. This left me questioning the target audience, as the protagonist’s behaviour oscillates between typical teenage angst and more childlike actions.

The book touches on a variety of intriguing elements—mystery, secret societies, and hints of dark academia. However, there are simply too many different themes competing for attention. With underworld mythology, magic, and historical references to ancient gods from various cultures, the plot occasionally feels disjointed. It might have benefited from focusing on a few core ideas, rather than trying to incorporate so many different threads. A clearer thematic direction would have allowed the story to flow more naturally.

Another area that could have been improved is the frequent introduction of surprise plot twists, seemingly added to keep the narrative going. While these moments were meant to build intrigue, they often felt unnecessary, taking attention away from the main storyline. A more focused plot, with fewer side detours, would have been more impactful.

Some elements of the plot were also a bit confusing, particularly the timeline surrounding Jae/Anubis. Jae is meant to be around 17-18 years old, but his connection to the underworld started 12 years earlier, raising questions about how a young child could make such significant decisions. This inconsistency in the timeline detracted from the overall flow of the narrative.

Character development was another area where the book could have shone more brightly. Andy’s anger and desire to find her sister drive much of the story, but her motivations and backstory were not fully fleshed out. I wanted to understand more about her relationship with her sister and family, as well as her connection to magic and the goddess Hecate. Without this depth, Andy’s character often felt one-dimensional, as her anger overshadowed her other traits.

Similarly, some of the side characters, like Andy’s roommate Munia, had potential that was left unexplored. Munia’s role in the story could have been more prominent, allowing for a deeper friendship or partnership with Andy, which would have added richness to the plot.

Despite these drawbacks, the book remains enjoyable in certain aspects, particularly the romantic subplot. While the romance develops quickly, it’s handled in a light, refreshing way that offers a nice contrast to the heavier, more complex themes. These moments of connection between characters provided a needed break from the main storyline’s intensity.

The dynamic between Andy and her sister Violet could have been explored further as well. When Andy finally finds her sister, the resolution feels somewhat anticlimactic, with Andy abandoning her quest too easily after everything she endured to find her. This part of the story felt underdeveloped, especially considering the tension that had been building.

Overall, All the Devils is a book with many interesting ideas, but it needs more refinement. The narrative would benefit from a stronger focus, with more attention paid to character depth, clearer motivations, and a streamlined plot. The groundwork is there for a compelling story, and with these adjustments, a sequel could offer a more satisfying and cohesive reading experience.

I agree with a lot of the other reviews and sadly am also going to DNF this book 💔 I may have loved this if I’d been younger but as it was targeted towards Ninth House fans I was so excited to start it but the YA writing was just too young for me sadly.

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

I would’ve eaten this up in 2012. That being said I still really enjoyed it, it was dark academia, egyptian myths, gothic horror, a hot mysterious man. However there were a lot of loose plot threads.

The book follows Andromeda who decides to attend a spooky private school to solve her older sisters death. She believes her sister’s not actually dead and there’s more to it. When she gets to school she immediately realizes she’s right as there’s lots of weird things going on with a school club cult for the elite and student disappearances.

I thought the plot was overall very fun but very tropey and no super new ideas. Elite school occult activity is a classic, dead things appearing in her personal affects to scare her off also a classic but never returned to or explained later on, a corrupt school, mild magic to pursue immortality. None of these aspects were very new or exciting but the fast paced action and looming romance kept the story interesting.

The main character was quite a basic unknowledgeable headstrong hero blundering her way through and I think that was my main problem. The lore was all delivered to her at convenient moments by Jae, another student who also ✨happens✨ to have a similar cult death in his family and ✨happens✨ to know absolutely everything about everything. Our main character trusts him far too easily and willingly even after he betrays her trust. She almost immediately forgives him every time and her trust and forgiveness all seem to be based on the fact that he’s hot and attractive. Their romance isn’t built on much besides physical attraction and the guys protective nature. Meanwhile some other important lore regarding the sister is randomly dropped midway through the book.

I found a lot of details to be randomly added such as cancer and the constant random mentions of Scottish places. I still find it absurd that when mentioning this occult society it was said to be “all over the world” but then only Scotland and this school were ever mentioned. Truly random.

Despite these flaws I still found the book very fun and fast paced with lots of fun drama and despite the relationship not really having a base it was still fun.

Unfortunately I will not be finishing this book and have dnfd it at 20%.

Im struggling to connect with any of the characters and there's just something about the writing style that's just not keeping my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the digital copy.

Thank you Netgalley for the book!

There were several positive and negatives I will briefly summarise.

Recommended the book for those who enjoy Young Adult or Middle Grade and like fast-paced, atmospheric, and story-driven books. The book is coming out in September so perfect for spooky season with the dark academia and witchy vibes.

Do not recommend for more character-driven readers and who want more depth of narrative!

STORY: This book has been described as “for fans of Ninth House” but it is more like “Sabrina” meet “Harry Potter”? Definitely would not compare to Ninth House! It is fast paced but also full of shortcuts and has plenty of plot holes.

CHARACTERS: The characters were severely underdeveloped, even for an YA/MG. This was made even worse by the fact that the author chose to write from a first person POV, not a great choice considering the main protagonist lacks any personality. We do not really get to learn any more about the two main characters other than what we were told at the very start of the book. It feels like they do not exist outside of the narrow and short story we follow.

WRITING: The writing was a little basic and highly repetitive, e.g.

Blood drain from my face
My stomach twists hard
Sickness curdles in my gut
Ice lodges under each of my ribs
Etc.

Some of the visual/environmental and emotional descriptions didn’t make sense, at least to me. It was a little hard to imagine where things were.

I can guarantee booktok is going to be all over this.

A very interesting premise: when Andy's sister, Violet, turns up dead, she is determined to prove it can't be true. She signs up to the same elitist private school, trails her sister's old friends, and makes a discovery that will change her life: secret societies hell bent on controlling the fate of the world by summoning actual demons from the underworld.

The writing is evocative. Rich and decadent, it matches the sultry world the book evokes. Both the school and the underworld come to life vividly through the eyes of our protagonist. And the sense of urgency born from the clear danger she has placed herself in can be felt from the get go.

I will say that Andromeda's (Andy) entire personality seems to be that she is Violet's adoring younger sister. And this drives the book pretty much the whole way through. She signs up to a school she has no interest in (nor does she really seem to attend any classes), she trails people who are clearly unfriendly even after she's been warned off, and she makes an unlikely alliance with the mysterious but extremely handsome boy who seems keen to join forces with her.

Overall, this reads well and there was obviously some serious thought put behind the construction of the world and lore. However, for me, it falls short in the character development and a few deus ex machina moments that are just too convenient.

I got this as an ARC on NetGalley and honestly have been blown away by it. YA book but Dark and beautiful and sometimes super bloody scary! The mysteries just kept coming and I don't think I had a clue what was going to happen most of the time.
The characters I found so interesting and they had so many layers to them. The scene setting was detailed and enchanting. 100% recommend this to everyone!!

All the Devils by Catelyn Wilson is one of those books you pick up and are immediately thrown into the action. This book pulls together the essence of dark academia, YA coming of age and finding yourself, romance, gods, demons and the Underworld into one dynamite package!

This is most definitely a book for those who live a fast paced, plot driven book that will chill and excite you simultaneously. If you struggle with remembering names and legends, have no fear, Wilson has got you, explaining things as they happen, which trust me is just as much for the benefit of the MFC Andy.

Told from Andy’s (Andromeda) perspective, this adventure is just as much if not more of an eye opener for her. Following the death of her sister, she is determined to find out what happened and that means joining the elite, gothic, towered private school Ravenswood, where her sister died. We only get to know Andy from her narrating the story but, that gives real insight into the strength of her love for her sister, and her persistence and determination, even when she’s massively out of her depth. There’s also Jae, he us an utter delight - trust me, he’s also list family in the past and the two team up to investigate what happened to Violet (lAndy’s sister,) and other goings on at Ravenswood.

I will say if your passion is dark academia you might be a little disappointed, as this isn’t the core focus of the story but, the plot, the myths, the monsters and Jae are definitely punching their weight! If you’re here for a great, fast paced plot that will take you away, this is the book for you.

Thank you Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, Penguin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest and sincere review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and haunting and at the same time, heartfelt and terrifying. I won’t lie, I fully enjoyed reading this. It was easy to read, the plot flowed smoothly, and the writing was easy enough to follow that it was enjoyable to read.

Whilst it dealt with a lot of mythology and magic, the pages were dogged down with tons of prose explaining how each thing worked. We knew as much as Andy did, and I liked that the book treated us as such. We learnt things as she did, we were clueless, blindly stumbling through the grounds of Ravenswood alongside Andy.

To me, I like when a book does that. It means I don’t feel like I’m learning things faster than the main character is. I liked Andy’s fire and passion, and even when her heart was broken, she always picked herself back up and carried on fighting. She was determined and I liked that!

The plot was enough to keep me wanting to read and I no point did I sit there and think god this is boring! It could have had a bit more oomf sure, I would have liked to have seen Violet’s character fleshed out a bit more as well as the members of the club, so I had more of an antagonist to root against but overall, it was good!

And Jae is the best boy. I’d read this again just for Jae.

I really struggled with this book. Initially, I was really excited for it and enjoyed the first 30% but then it started to go downhill and getting to the end was a massive slog that I don't think was worth it.

I found a lot of the writing to be difficult and long-winded. Sometimes less really is more and not every sentence needs to be chock full of adjectives. This meant that many sections, especially in the second half of the book, felt like they took forever to get through. Almost like I was stuck walking through the described underworld desperate to get out and finish this book.

The book had a lot of promise but rather than a dark academia mystery with dark magic undertones, it starts adding in a lot of demons, gods and other aspects that convolute the story at the expense of the main character.

Andy seemed like she was going to be an interesting character but that didn't turn out to be the case. The book doesn't tell you much about her except she has curly hair, glasses and isn't a great student. There was minimal if any characterisation and I finished the book knowing the same amount about this character as I did at the start but caring way less.

The book needed an edit and to focus more on the character rather than the often confusing plot. I wanted dark academia with a witchy society and a mystery that was carefully unravelled. Instead, I got a headache and a wish I'd DNFd.

I will unfortunately not be finishing this book at around 30%. There was so much promise in this book, the plot is really good & the writing creates a beautiful, dark atmospheric setting. Unfortunately the thing that lets this book down is the characters and dialogue, it's just all so flat and just lacks any real depth, which is such a shame because I really did try to continue on with this book as the plot has so much promise. It's immediately evident that Wilson has pulled a lot of her inspiration from Ninth House, from Andromeda MC , (hello Galaxy Stern) who doesn't belong at the prestigious school , with it's secret societies and their elicit Magic, and lastly a trip to the underworld to save our damsel in distress (except this time it's not Darlington).
In terms of it being a Dark Academia, the main link is the setting, there's the odd mention of classes here and there but nothing in depth or 'academia' driven. I would've loved for some of the clues to include lessons.

Overall if the characters and dialogue was more developed I think I would have finished this book.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House for this eARC in return for my review.

2.5✨

In All the Devils, Andy discovers that her sister Violet, reported dead at Ravenswood Academy, may still be alive. Determined to uncover the truth, Andy uses her grandparents' influence to enrol at the prestigious school. As she investigates, she learns that Violet isn’t the only girl to have disappeared or died there.

The school is shrouded in mystery, with a secret society that looms over every scene, adding a suspenseful and eerie tone. The story often touches on themes of power and privilege, examining how these dynamics affect the characters and the unfolding mystery.

I found the characters in “All the Devils” somewhat lacking in depth, which made it difficult to connect with them. Andy, the protagonist, often came across as frustratingly passive, frequently unaware of what was happening around her and easily swayed by others. She would recognise that things were being kept from her, but instead of pushing for answers, she would quickly let it go, only for the issue to resurface later when the plot required it. The antagonists felt repetitive, with each one seeming like a slightly altered version of the previous, which diminished their impact on the story. Additionally, Andy’s tendency to draw illogical conclusions from conversations, seemingly to move the plot forward, was frustrating. There were moments when she was surprised by revelations that had been obvious from the start, further highlighting her lack of awareness and making it harder to root for her.

The writing felt overly descriptive, which at times made the narrative drag. There were moments where the prose became repetitive, with the same information being covered in both dialogue and lengthy passages afterwards, which often felt unnecessary.

The concept of “All the Devils” is intriguing and holds significant potential. The dark and mysterious boarding school setting was particularly engaging, although I felt the story could have leaned into this atmosphere more deeply to enhance its impact. While the idea was interesting, it felt like similar themes have been executed better in other works. More thorough editing might have refined the narrative and maximised its potential.

It had its engaging moments, particularly in the final stretch where the drama ramps up. However, the first 60% of the book felt slow and overly repetitive, and I was ultimately disappointed with the ending. While some readers might enjoy the dark boarding school setting and the dramatic climax, the lack of character development and the need for more editing detracted from my overall experience. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good fit for me, though I understand how others might find it enjoyable.

I have not posted the review anywhere other than here as I do not like to leave reviews under 3 stars for ARCs I received from NetGalley. This is purely for feedback purposes.

What an amazing concept. The setting was so vivid and moody and the plot was so fun — full of mysteries, magic and dark academia vibes! The plot really brings the rating up for me, it was clearly well thought out and plotted. The characters lacked a little depth in my opinion, but overall a fantastic read to add to your spooky season TBR! Thank you Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hooked from the very first chapter! This was such an atmospheric mystery read with lots of twists and turns. Loved the setting and the secret society element. My only note would be that it read more like young YA than upper YA in my opinion, so not as dark and gritty as I’d hoped.

This was a quick read, with immense potential - Andy’s dealing with his sister’s death, the secrets and the school setting.
I found the opening gripping, and expected the same level of engagement from the rest of the book.
The world building, a fresh world and concept and a characters revealed with their back stories, the plot, and the prose were all in the 3 stars band for me.
The mood setting was something that stood out - I often see it as a combination of the setting, the vibes, the writing and the plot. Here, I include the potential too.
The pacing was a bit uneven.
Overall I recommend this.

I had high hopes going into this one. The cover was atmospheric, the synopsis intriguing, getting ready for Autumn….great!
The book was a quick one to read, easy enough to follow, interesting storyline. All good.
Unfortunately, the delivery of it just didn’t seem to hit right. It felt rushed, more care could have been given when writing out the characters, they felt unrelatable and not a lot of individuality to them.
The world building also just felt flat. Overall, the feeling upon finishing the book, was that it could have used a bit more editing/ discussion.
The basis is there for the book to be excellent, it just didn’t quite deliver on this occasion.

2.5⭐️

This was a fun and quick read, getting me in the mood for Halloween with the supernatural elements. The concept is interesting and there was definitely a lot of potential there, however I found the execution was lacking - in particular it felt rushed and confusing at times and the characters very one dimensional.

There is definitely an intriguing premise here it just didn’t develop the way I hoped, however I can see why some readers may enjoy it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC of this book to review.