Embarking on an exploration of academia's shadowy depths, this audiobook takes you on a captivating journey through the corridors of the mind. With each chapter, you're transported to ivy-clad universities, where the pursuit of knowledge intertwines with themes of secrecy, obsession, and intellectual fervor.

Through meticulous research and eloquent narration, the origins and evolution of this mysterious realm unfold, from ancient origins to its presence in modern literature and cinema. Meet a captivating cast of characters—troubled scholars, enigmatic mentors, and tormented artists—whose stories intertwine with academia's darker side.

But this audiobook is more than just a tale. It prompts introspection, challenging listeners to contemplate the nature of knowledge, the allure of forbidden pursuits, and the fine line between genius and madness.

Whether you're a seasoned academic or a curious listener, this immersive experience offers an intriguing glimpse into the depths of the human soul. So, plug in your headphones and prepare to be spellbound by its haunting beauty and intellectual depth.

DNF at 20%.

The first fifth of this book - all I could get through - unfortunately felt like it was just a long, detailed description of horrific bullying.

I found it really difficult to listen to, and eventually had to DNF.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I couldn’t get on with the pacing - it seemed very slow. It’s a shame as I was intrigued by the premise. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Dark academia and -as I read somewhere, and I agree- The Secret History for millennials. I listened the to audiobook version, which was entertaining and thrillingly read by Ell Potter, though sometimes a bit overly dramatic. This would make a great read for young people as it deals with themes like friendship, wanting to belong, and mental health.
Thank you Harper Collins UK and Netgalley UK for he ARC.

This was a lot darker than I expected. Each character has different struggles and experiences which have been well thought out. If you're after a thriller that has 13 reasons why vibes I'd recommend this one. It is classed as dark academia but I wouldn't think this would be suitable for anybody below 16

"The Four" by Ellie Keel, narrated by Ell Potter is a complex and dark exploration of friendship, loyalty, and the lengths people will go to protect those they care about. The story follows a group of scholarship students known as The Four, who navigate the world of power and privilege at the prestigious boarding school, High Realms.
The novel opens with a gripping prologue that immediately drew me in, setting the stage for a tale of tragedy, betrayal, and secrets. The narrator, Ell Potter, did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and conveying the intense emotions and tensions within the group.
As the story unfolds, we see the dynamics of friendship tested as The Four rally around Marta, who is falsely accused of a crime. The exploration of bullying, privilege, and the consequences of one's actions added depth to the narrative, and I was intrigued to see how the characters would navigate the challenges they faced.
However, as the story progressed, I found that the pacing started to lag and the plot began to drag, which was a bit disappointing after the strong start. While the book tackles difficult and sensitive topics with nuance and complexity, some moments were hard to read, and I would recommend checking for triggers before diving into the story.
Overall, "The Four" is a thought-provoking and poignant novel that delves into the darker aspects of human nature and the complexities of friendship. Despite some pacing issues, the book offers a compelling exploration of loyalty, sacrifice, and the lengths we will go to protect those we care about. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy dark and introspective narratives that challenge the boundaries of friendship and morality.

Rose, Lloyd, Sami, and Marta are scholarship students at High Realms. This is a place filled with rich and elite students...and they don't fit in. Especially Marta.

I will just start out saying that the idea here was good. However, it was about 150 pages too long. It went on and on and on. I was ready to burn the place down myself. The initial idea of hiding someone for "their own good" was interesting, but it went way too far. No person would have allowed the awful things to happen to someone that they cared about to happen. All of these people are disgusting and deserve no pity. I could not connect with the characters because they were literally allowing a "friend" to be tortured while they were off "getting their swerve on" with whoever. I hate them all.

The Four by Ellie Keel

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HQ and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Powerful. Sinister. Heart-wrenching. Unmissable. We were always The Four. From our very first day at High Realms.

The four scholarship pupils. Outsiders in a world of power and privilege. It would have made our lives a lot easier if Marta had simply pushed Genevieve out of our bedroom window that day. Certainly, it would have been tragic. She would have died instantly. But Marta didn’t push her then, or – if you choose to believe me – at any other time. If she had, all of what we went through would not have happened. I’ve told this story as clearly as I could – as rationally as I’ve been able, in the circumstances, to achieve. I don’t regret what we did. And I would do it all again.

My Opinion

This is a book that I have put off reading for a long time. I am not sure why but something just kept me away from it. Four friends brought together by the fact that they are the only students on a scholarship. How far will you go to protect a friend?

This book definitely took me on a journey, it was not an easy read. I had no expectations going into this book, but this was not anything like I would have predicted. An interesting story with some great writing.

Rating 4/5

I listened to the audio ARC and the narrator was great. Very engaging.

The story was a bit odd. It was dressed up as dark academia but weirdly it lacked the moral greyness of that genre. There was no real conflict of right and wrong clashing to produce smudgier shades in the MC. There was no study of something elitist and esoteric that creates a small universe for a chosen few, uniting them until it all implodes. Instead, it read more like a dark mirror school story that explored friendship and bullying.

I thought the story it was telling was done fairly well but it was more like a psychological or domestic thriller in its delivery. Overall I enjoyed it. I neither liked nor disliked any of the characters but I did find them interesting to follow. If you haven't read Dark Academia before and you like YA then give this a try. It's one of the better offerings.

A bit of a mixed read for me. I liked the academic setting but I found the characters hard to like. The plot was a page turner but something stopped me from truly connecting with this book.

Ok, I'm gonna start with this : Please check trigger warnings if you need to, because... It's getting places!

At the begining I found the main characters to be pretty young (16/17) so I was kind of rolling my eyes, thinking it would be cute and nothing REALLY bad would happen.. Stars was I wrong! As stated above, the story gets darker as we go.
The idea of the book is too show decisions teenagers would take, not knowing better and most of the times just making things worst...

It started a bit too "soft" for me, but went to dark themes... It wasn't really mine, but if you like dark academia and you don't mind main characters on the younger side, you should try it.

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for access to the audiobook against an honest review.*

things I liked:
• the setting was beautiful, High Realms (the school) was so vivid in my mind - I loved the vibes of the first 20%
• audio narration was good - it was read by Ellie’s friend Ell Potter and they have an interesting chat/interview at the end
• lgbt rep
• the ‘four’ characters themselves were fleshed out imo - although some of the other characters were confusing
• as this is a debut I’m excited to read more Ellie Keel in the future!

things I didn’t:
• it was quite long and lacked direction at times
• it seemed like the author grabbed a thesaurus and threw in big words in for the sake of it where they didn’t make sense and to make it sound ‘academic’ and pretentious
• romantic relationships were so random / out of nowhere and not well explored
• an ‘event’ (no spoilers) happens about 20% in that is the focus of the rest of the plot. this was not the direction I expected the book to go in and I enjoyed it much less
• it was too much? it’s so sad and lowkey traumatising from then onwards!!

I’m here for the dark academia vibes, but the plot was a little too harrowing once the setting is taken away.

⚠️⚠️⚠️
please check the trigger warnings - it’s pretty intense

Sinister academia, I loved the vibes throughout this book. High realms felt so vivid and had me enthralled from the very first chapter. I listened to the book on audio and it was tense!! I loved the messy relationships and how loyalty is explored. It’s addictive, gritty and dark, highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I found this book extremely sad with so many if onlys. For those of you bought up on the Mallory Towers books, this is Mallory Towers gone very wrong; very dark and maybe a bit more true to the life many kids suffer at boarding school. There are scenes which may really upset some people including rape and mental illness. I spent so much of the book wanting to scream at the protagonists, but had to remember they were just children coping with something far beyond their understanding.
A well written and addictive read

The four was such an anticipated read for me but unfortunately I was disappointed :( The first half was intriguing fast paced and the dark academia vibes were Viking, but the second half felt like it went on too long and it just wasn't my cup of tea.


If you love dark academia and the concept of hiding someone in plain sight I'd still recommend adding this one to your TBR

3.5 stars

I’m not really sure what to say about this one, this story is just devastatingly sad. no one is particularly a good person, all of them are a little bit shitty… except for marta. Her story is so so so sad, I was tempted to DNF at one point because of what the author was putting her through, it seemed to be so unnecessary to put her through all of the trauma and to just keep piling on top of it constantly.
The story also didn’t really seem to have a route at times either which made bits quite boring.

check your trigger warnings for this one, it is VERY triggering.

This was a gripping listen, addictive and un-putdownable... Four Millennial Scholars enter a privileged boarding school for the wealthy. The hierarchical school society is full of strange undercurrents, loyalties, deceit and lies and they struggle to survive and make something of themselves... some of the bullying scenes were really hard to listen to but like watching a car crash, I couldn't tear myself away. I related to the characters a huge deal as their position gets more desparate yet more entrenched... I really enjoyed the narration which brought Rose's character and the traumas they were going through to life. Needs some trigger warnings for certain scenes.

The Four by Ellie Keel is a captivating addition to the Dark Academia genre. I really appreciated Rose’s retroactive first person narration - I thought structuring it this way allowed for secrets to be revealed slowly throughout and the almost reminiscent tone felt cohesive with Rose longing to be back there. I found the entire story thrilling and heartbreaking in equal measure, and thought Keel did a great job at handling sensitive subject matter with a delicate and respectful manner. The vivid descriptions of High Realms were beautiful and made the boarding school setting a rightful character in itself.

My only critique would be that I wanted ever so slightly more from the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I thought all of them - the main Four and all surrounding characters - were well established and developed throughout, with their motives and desires clear. It’s just that I wish there had been more scenes of them becoming such a close-knit group, and the lines becoming blurred between them. There ends up being such a tangled web of who loves who, who hates who, who has a secret on somebody else, who has slept with who, etc. (that seems very accurate to boarding school life) that I started to question whether their behavior towards each other was warranted. In short, I needed them to be more freaky and feral for each other.

Ell Potter has quickly become one of my favourite audiobook narrators - she did such a brilliant job with this one and really brought Rose to life. The yearning in her voice was exquisite; she is so talented and is such a great addition to every project she’s a part of.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK Audio and NetGalley for an Audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was not the book I was expecting,, it was much darker. I enjoy a dark academia read and for the first third of the book this book unveiled as anticipated. It is turn of the century in a prestigious UK boarding school. Four scholarship students begin the first term and bond quickly as they are very different from the other students who have been there for years. They don't come from monied and connected backgrounds and settling in is mired with bullying, threats and getting used to this new world. They are bright and ambitious and the friendship develops until a serious of events happen and the book switches, delving into much darker depts.

I did like this one but I will admit I didn't realise it was a school setting before reading and reading about 16 and 17 year olds isn't my usual fare. I would suggest this is more of a mature Ya book exploring mental health, resilience , friendship and maturing. I did find some elements of the book a bit of a stretch but the quality of the writing kept me reading.

As did the audio, the narration on this one was great.

3 stars for me but for a younger reader this is a strong read.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook version of The Four by Ellie Keel.

The narrator did such a fantastic job! I think it made the story really come to life 🙌🏽❤️

This was my first dark academia and found myself shocked at several points through out the book. The morally grey behaviours depicted in the book was really well written and really had me thinking, what would I have done in their shoes?

It was gripping, uncomfortable, dark and captivating. I look forward to reading/listening more from this author.


I especially loved the authors way of writing from one main characters POV and constantly being reflective of her emotions, events and connections/relationships with the other characters. I’m so used to reading books with multiple POVS but found this quite refreshing and found I didn’t need the other characters POVs as the main character did a fantastic job of highlighting others emotions.


Fantastic!