Dark academia meets mystery in this beautifully written and atmospheric novel. It’s eerie, introspective, and laced with an unsettling tension that builds beneath the surface. Ghosts, secrets, and the weight of the past, it completely drew me in.

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Atmospheric and gothic. The opening chapter had me gripped with a fair amount of beating of my heart!
This book will have you reading with the light on and has so much tension you cannot help but tell everyone to buy it, read it and thank you later! Loved the Cambridge early 2000s setting too. Really brought the book to life (no pun….intended…..maybe!).

This is a very good take on the Outsider in Oxbridge novel. A new student arrives at Cambridge and meets the Svengali figure and Mystery Guy Bryn Cavendish. As usual with this sort of book, the love/obsession between the new student and Mystery Guy is more intense than his other relationships, and life is never as glorious or glittering in the post-college years. Personally, I'd love to read a book set at Cambridge where the working-class student has a nice time, because it sounds like a bloody nightmare.
It's no The Secret History, but nothing ever is.

I tried so, so hard to get into this, but the writing style just does NOT do it for me. There is prose that flows, and there is... this. It's wooden, it irks, it just won't let me enjoy the story, keeping me at arm's length with its unaliveness. So now I'm officially giving up; I won't be picking up this baby anytime soon, or make that EVER.
An unashamed DNF@18%.

Thank you, 4th Estate and William Collins | Fourth Estate and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

A young man, our narrator, arrives in Cambridge as first year student and he struggles to fit in a world made of punting, privilege, class, money and politics. Soon he finds himself under the spell of the skilled magician Bryn Cavendish and to be in his circle means to finally belong. But soon his magic tricks begin to be more and more unsettling and our protagonist struggles to understand who is really Bryn.

Brilliant, eerie and compelling, And he shall appear is a brilliant and unsettling story that reminds of The secret history of Donna Tartt, writing about class and privilege and set in the wonderful and complex world of Cambridge.
It's a story about toxic friendships, obsessions and more and I found this dark academia very sinister and intriguing. I found myself leaning into this fascinating world more and more, curious about what would happen and it didn't disappoint. A true dark academia and I totally recommend this book. You will be under Bryn's charisma right away!

It’s dark, atmospheric and enjoyable Oxford based reading.

There is a Bridesheadesque tone however that’s inevitable when Oxford and a charming, enigmatic young man are involved. Just let it flow over you !

Unfortunately this was a DNF. Dark academia always interests me as a concept/genre but definitely a hard one to execute really well because if it's not executed well, it would end up boring - which is exactly how I felt reading this one. I tried starting this book several times in hopes my previous opinion was just a fluke, but alas.

At this stage I was not unfortunately able to read this arc before the book was released but I am still excited to read it and have in fact bought it.

Van der Borgh delivers a suspenseful and layered narrative that weaves the surreal into the ordinary. With eerie undertones and a slow-building mystery, this novel keeps readers on edge. Its strength lies in complex character studies and a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after the final page.

I know this comparison will be far from original, but to me this truly does serve The Secret History x Saltburn. A modernised, UK setting, showcasing elitism, academia, musical protégés, with an unsettling wind of the occult.
Our narrator is a music student at Cambridge University (college unspecified), and the story largely revolves around his interactions with other students he meets - particularly the unholy, magnetic pull of Bryn Cavendish. Bryn is loud, charming, and obnoxious in equal measure, and generally fascinating to most who meet him. He is studying maths - and also, magic. A talented amateur magician, Bryn’s sleight of hand and clouds of smoke regularly draw crowds, but increasingly seem to hint at a darker current beneath the surface.

The absence of a name for our narrator really helps create that feeling of him fading into the background - paling in comparison to the characters who so command the reader’s attention, whom we know by name, and almost by voice or footstep, even through the page.

There are so many clever instances that highlight the expected standards of an institution like Cambridge - and not just in terms of academic calibre. It’s clear that many of the people our narrator encounters knew each other long before university. They attended the same elite (private) feeder schools, paid extortionate fees for the privilege, or better still, followed in the footsteps of their Cambridge alumni parents. They know the lingo, the setting, the game. How on earth can our narrator ever catch up in a world so alien to him? His Northern accent is also used to mark him clearly as an outsider - someone who could never have come from the ‘right’ stream.

To be clear, the plot is far less concerned with the studious pursuits of these talented and intellectual young adults, and much more focused on their drinking, debauchery, and epicurean gatherings - a fairly accurate depiction of many students’ experiences in the elite colleges of Cambridge, to be fair. Our narrator is no longer driven by academic ambition, but by his desire to be near Bryn and his intoxicatingly hedonistic circle of friends (or disciples, more accurately). As they become more entwined in their colleges and each other’s lives, a sinister shift begins, and the deception no longer ends with Bryn’s party tricks.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline, flashing forward many years to when our narrator returns to Cambridge to adjudicate candidates for a music scholarship - and to lay some things to rest.

The characters were a real highlight. I was genuinely pulled in by the whole cast, all of whom felt well fleshed out. Bryn’s cousin Berenice, who the narrator dates mostly as a means of getting closer to Bryn, and Alexa, who couples up with Bryn, are both particularly vivid.
This story weaves together classic themes - privilege, money, class, jealousy, and power - but what I especially enjoyed was the heady mixture of magic and uncertainty. Was there really something beyond mortal comprehension at play, or was it all just illusion and misdirection? Do our minds simply play tricks on us?

I was convinced this book was going to be a five-star read for about 60% of the way through. Unfortunately, the final sections didn’t quite land for me. The pacing dipped, and something about the presentation of the final twist didn’t quite stick the landing. That said, I can still remember the plot details clearly - and that’s actually not always the case. I take that as a testament to the strength of the storytelling overall.

Highly recommend reading if you've ever loved, or even been curious about The Secret History, or if you loved the hedonistic vibes of Saltburn.

I really liked the vibes of dark academia of the book! I was expecting more horror, but the plot kept me on my toes and absorbed me until we found out what happened to Bryn and our unnamed main character.

unfortunately this was very boring for me. I got picture of dorian gray, secret history and other vibes, but nothing felt like it pulled through. the writing wasn't bad by any means, just the story itself was not for me

I wanted to love this but simply liked it. I just found the MC and his obsession annoying. I have a feeling that I would have loved this year's ago. The writing has an interesting quality, i felt constantly on edge and just sort jittery the whole time, a really well written debut but just not for me unfortunately.

Stylish dark academia suffused with magic and horror
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There are two things that writers often refer to: Write what you know. And: Never trust a narrator. In a clever take on the university bildungsroman, the unnamed narrator looks back on his friendships in Cambridge, where he was the fish out of water, a working class lad from the North of England amongst prep school grads. And from the moment he arrives, he is drawn into the orbit of Bryn, son of a stage magician, gifted beyond compare, and enigmatic and charismatic at once. As university life catches up with our unnamed narrator, his friendship with Bryn is tested, but can the narrator really believe the truth of his own senses when the things that happen appear to have an occult origin?

Van der Borgh keeps you guessing right up to the very end, despite the apparent clear ending. Magic is one of the major motifs in the story, and van der Borgh uses clever misdirection and narrative sleight of hand to keep this reader off balance, never doubting that ordinary occurrences are happening, but also never quite disregarding that there is something supernatural going on. The sense of horror and the pervading paranoia are threaded seamlessly into what might be a standard university tale, ending up in this stylish and entertaining novel that bodes well for van der Borgh’s future work.

Four very creepy stars.

And He Shall Appear is a captivating and elegant read. Admittedly it took me a while to really get into it, but once I did it had me hooked. I loved the dark academia vibes and the intriguing and haunting look at obsessive friendship with a strong undercurrent of music and magic. I would describe it as quite an intoxicating read, full of unease and atmospheric tension. I would definitely recommend to fans of books like The Secret History.

Thank you to 4th Estate for the arc! Alas, unfortunately this was not for me. Derivative, slow, and with characters I never truly believed in, this story didn’t stick the landing. Themes of occult/magic etc were never fully explored, and while I enjoyed the horror-esque elements of parts of the book, I ultimately found that I didn’t care that much what happened to any of the characters. Disappointing, but with moments of promise, I’d give this a 2/5.

This is a very strange book and I wanted to like it more than I did. There are comparisons to “Secret History” and that seems fair. Overall the book is creepy, with a sense of foreboding. We know something unpleasant is going to happen but don’t know what.

A young man goes to Cambridge to study music and is immediately out of his depth. He is befriended (or is he?) by the charismatic Bryn who is a magician. The unnamed narrator falls under his spell.

The characters are unpleasant, the writing is taut but can be repetitive, the plotting is complex but the ending is a bit disappointing. The ominous discomfort is well developed and shows real skill.

Recommended if you’re looking for something a bit dark, and a bit different.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

A gripping read and one I would definitely recommend to dark academia, magic and fantasy fans! The perfect wintery, cosy read in my opinion.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh Is a gothic fantasy novel set at Cambridge University.

When an unnamed narrator with working class roots joins an elite university he enters a world of wealth and privilege that opens his eyes beyond to a world he could only dream of and the perfect time to reinvent himself.

However, meeting Bryn, a charismatic magician who the narrator may have supernatural skills, however events will lead to the death of this individual.

Which the narrator may be the cause.

And He Shall Appear, was an interesting examination of the British class system through the perspective of one individual, the narrator who we know very little about, allowing readers to imprint themselves easily into the narrative.

Although only seeing the story from one perspective does make it easier to follow, having said that the story is told through two intermingling timelines, the first during the narrator's time at university and the second when he comes back for a dinner a few years later.

With the change of timeline happening only at the start of the chapter it is fairly easy to understand where you are in time.

One thing that Kate Van der borgh does with the single perspective allows the reader to see only one perspective with the story, and while I would not say this uses the unreliable narrator it does use misunderstandings for the benefit of the story.

While, And He Shall Appear, could be classed as a gothic fantasy novel it uses the language and style of Dark Academia to examine the British class system in the 2000s and how it affected life at top universities.

Making, And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh a fascinating read.

Part dark academia and part gothic tale And He Shall Appear was a gripping read that I couldn’t put down. The mixture of the obsession and the magic. Of just what is happening and wondering where the story will go. I will admit that some of the characters felt a little cliched at times but I think that worked for the story.

The writing was beautiful and really keeps you hooked. The world of Cambridge university is brought to life on the pages and I adored the mixture of almost speculative and supernatural with the academic setting. A real page turner that it was hard to put down. This cemented my love for dark academia and I will be recommended to any one who will listen.

As always thank you to 4th Estate and Netgalley for the copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.