This had the perfect Dark Academia Lite vibes to kick off some autumnal reading.

The first 50-ish pages were a bit overwhelming - a lot of info-dumping and back-to-back introducing all the main characters, but once you're past that, this book is such a fun ride. Great cast of characters, complex and spooky Afterlife setting, and trials!!!!
Books with trials are always a riot - a great device to keep the pace exciting.

I thoroughly enjoyed the group dynamic between the six of them - fans of the Six of Crows duology and The Gilded Wolves trilogy will especially love this. The romance was also brilliant - multiple subplots, but the main one served top-tier enemies-to-loves yearning.

Thank you to Electric Monkey and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own

Immortal Consequences is a twisty dark academia story that I can’t wait to read more of!

A dark academia story where the characters are already dead?! Sign me up!
I absolutely loved the world I.V. Marie has built, and how we were shown more as we needed to know it. The characters were intriguing and morally grey, but still likeable which I need to stay engaged.
The story was twisty and full of unexpected turns, which I loved.

I absolutely adored Immortal Consequences and I’m already desperate for the sequel!

Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located on the fringes of the afterlife.
Six students, deadly trials and the chance to change their fate.

Immortal Consequences is I.V. Marie’s debut novel following six students in the afterlife, competing in deadly trials for a chance to change their fate by either joining the magical elite and staying in purgatory for eternity or putting their soul to rest in the Other Side.

One of my favourite things about this book was the incredibly unique magic system. I truly have never read anything like it. I loved how using magic had consequences (👀) and the portrayal of their magical abilities.

Although I think I would have preferred a first person narrative, it was so interesting to switch between six very different and very unique POVs. Each character has such a strong personality and is so inherently different from each other which makes the found family aspect of this book even better! The banter between characters, especially between August and Wren, was absolutely superb. I loved every second of reading about those two bickering with each other.

This was also so fast paced and so hard to put down. There were twists and turns at each corner and I found myself gasping throughout the entire book! I did wish we had more scenes of the group in between trials because I loved their dynamic and I would have loved to see more of it even if it would have slowed down the pacing a bit.

This book oozes with atmosphere. If you like dark academia and gothic vibes, this is definitely for you. Perfect to read in the autumn months!

Lastly, the romance!!! I will let the below quotes speak for themselves, but let me tell you: the YEARNINGGGG.

“I know you completely. Every part of your soul. It’s my greatest weakness.”

“Sometimes I think…I think I was never truly alive until I met you.”

“But it was you who turned the light back on, Wren. The one who brought me back to life after years and years of drowning. It was you who dragged me back from hell. It was you. It was always you. It will always be you.”

This is a fun and unique fantasy read. Immortal Consequences follows a group of six 'students' who are in an a dark academia Underworld setting. The world building is unique and quite complex but I did feel it was well explained and the enabled a good story with lots of twists and turns. The multi povs kept the pace of the book moving along swiftly and allowed for lots of plot twists and developments throughout the book. The book somewhat reminded of The Atlas Six so I would suggest fans of that book may enjoy this one! If you're looking for a gothic, academic rivals with an intricate plots that is woven around six characters then pick this up!

This was enjoyable and I did really love the concept of the book, however; I found having six main characters with six alternating POVs was just too much. It didn’t allow enough time to really develop the characters and give me a reason to root for them, and attach myself to them. Wren and August’s POVs were hands down my FAVOURITES and I was always incredibly excited to get back to them so we could explore their dynamic even more. Masika and Irene didn’t do anything for me, while Emilio and Olivier were definitely a step up but still pretty bland and surface level. I will read the second book because while this wasn’t something that left me super excited and eager to continue, I’m definitely curious to find out more :)

Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie totally swept me off my feet! The world-building is so immersive that I couldn't put it down. I found myself more than once losing track of time because the urge to know what happened next, overrode everything else.

The writing is beautifully lyrical and poetic, which made the experience even richer. And the pacing? Spot on! The plot kept moving at a great rhythm, balancing the intense high stakes scenes with some quieter, necessary character moments. Speaking of characters, I love the multiple POVs, and this book delivered! It added depth to the story as you got to learn about each character and see how they dealt with their own journeys.

And it's got twists! Oh does it have twists! There were moments where I literally looked like a fish, mouth hanging wide open. I was flipping pages like my life depended on it, just itching to uncover what was around the corner. The concept of the trials was high-stakes and unpredictable, filled with gut-punch moments that had me on the edge of my seat.

If you're into dark academia, morally gray characters, and soul-destroying romance that makes you feel all the feels, you really need to grab this one. But fair warning, the ending is a total cliffhanger, and now I’m left desperate for book two! Go read it so I can share this feeling of utter desperation with someone else, it's sooo worth it!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Now, this was a book i really enjoyed! At the beginning, it was hard to wrap my head around so many pov's but i stopped minding it as the book went on. It made sense why there were so many because without understanding all the characters, the story wouldn't have evolved the way it did.

The pacing was steady and the plot twists had me reading faster. There's, still, certain characters that are mysterious and i can't wait to hear more about their past. The tension was tensioning, the stress was stressing and the tears were threatening to escape my eyeballs (iykyk). It is a crime to leave things where they were and make me wait for book 2. I will be speaking to my therapist about this (not that i have one 😭).

I had fun reading this one. I was so zoned in as soon as i opened the page and kept reading the next chapter even though my eyes were drooping and the sleep was threatening to take over because who needs sleep? Not me. Eyebags are the new beauty trend 😂.

Thank you so much electric monkey and netgalley for allowing me to read an e-arc for an honest review.

I struggled to understand the hype surrounding this book. The plot felt clichéd and lacked originality, and the characters were underdeveloped and, at times, frustrating to follow. While I recognize that this is a debut work and want to give the author credit for the effort, the writing still felt unpolished and underwhelming. I hope to see growth in future works, but this one didn’t quite resonate with me.

I really enjoyed this book, the world building was very immersive and I found myself not being able to put it down! Very well written and the plot was well paced. Would definitely recommend!

The gothic fantasy adventure that dreams are made of. This was a fantastic read and I can't wait to see what I.V Marie does next.

Immortal Consequences is a wonderfully gothic fantasy book about the afterlife, but not as you’ve ever imagined it before. Rather than a hellish landscape, I. V. Marie’s books takes place in Blackwood Academy. This school is nestled in the heart of purgatory and every decade, a soul joins the school and learns to wield magic and reap souls. At least, that’s how things are supposed to work. But when one student arrives years early and explodes in a display of shadow magic, everything is called into question.

This is a multi-pov novel which follows six main characters. Within this group of six, there are three distinct pairs; August and Wren, Emilio and Olivier, Irene and Masika. They all have very different relationships but there is always a degree of tension because only one student can ‘ascend’ through a trial called the Decennial every decade. So rivalries run deep even between friends.

I loved the complex relationships between all of these characters. As the students can be trapped at the school for centuries, some of these people have known each other for a very long time and they have accrued plenty of bad blood. But equally, there is a lot of love and respect. I was particularly fond of Emilio and Olivier as a pair. Their conversations can be silly one moment and incredibly deep the next. I also think that readers will love how dark and strong-willed characters like Irene and August can be.

As for the plot, I felt like it moved rather slowly at first as we spent a lot of time getting to know the characters and the world. Whilst there are lots of mysteries that the characters don’t have answers to, I did appreciate that a lot of thought went into showing us the magic and setting. But I’m not sure I ever totally understood how the magic system and the reaping worked. I would have loved to have a glossary or guide at the start of the book.

I think this was a really inventive book with so much to love. The dark academic vibes are strong and I’ll always love a book about the afterlife. And yet, the best thing about it was the detail and care that Marie put into creating her characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (so far)

I'm about 35% into Immortal Consequences and while I really love the premise of this book, I’ve found it a bit hard to get into. The idea of gods, fate, power struggles and the high-stakes world it’s set in is totally up my street but I’ve been struggling with the six different POVs.

There’s a lot going on and I’ve found it hard to stay connected to the story or keep track of who’s who. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far and I can tell how much thought has gone into building the world and characters, but I’m not finding myself reaching for it as much as I expected. This just hasn’t quite landed for me personally, but I can see it really working for readers who love complex, multi-character fantasy with lots of moving parts.

R E V I E W

Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie

☆☆☆.5

Advanced Reader Copy graciously provided by Farshore | Electric Monkey via Netgalley

This book is a complicated one for me to review. Immortal Consequences is author I.V Marie's dark academia debut, set at a magical boarding school in purgatory where the students act as reapers, guiding lost souls to the afterlife. However, whilst the students are technically dead and are impervious to pain, they will eventually fall prey to 'the forgetting', a systemic wiping of their memories and all that remains of their past lives. The only way out? To attain the nomination, a position secured by one student once every ten years, which grants you untold access to your magic and the right to become an Ascended, exempt from the forgetting, or to move on to the after life. Only, this decennial, there isn't just one nominee. There are twelve, and it isn't a simple showcase of talent or skill. It's a competition. And with six unlikely acquaintances battling it out for the title, things at Blackwood are about to get interesting.

This story is very well written, and the fact that it is this author's debut is surprising. The six narrative POVs have been cleverly woven together to create a seamless timeline of events that begin right before the decennial. The comparisons made to the Atlas Six are justified, though I will say the stories themselves are not remotely similar. But the academic setting, the six interconnected and sometimes morally grey main characters with their own POV chapters - this is what is reminiscent. However, unlike Blake's offering, this author has targeted a YA audience, meaning our characters are a little less grey, any physical romance is off page, and the prose is beautiful but not demeaning and does not require the use of a thesaurus every other sentence.

The relationships in this story were brilliantly executed, with Olivier and Emilio's excruciating will they, won't they? dynamic and Wren and August's painful rivals to lovers dance. Even Irene and Masika's friendship was well done, and I appreciated the author not making this relationship one of romance just for the sake of it, as seen in other stories.

However, despite all of this, there was still something about Immortal Consequences that prevented me from rating it any higher. Whether it just wasn't my kind of story, the lack of adult content, or the fact that I wanted a resolution, and in the end, I ultimately got a cliffhanger remains to be seen. There will be another book in this series, but I'm just not certain it is one I will bother to read. I think this would have made a great stand-alone, and I am not sure there is enough interest, for me, to make it a duology.

“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.” 😩

If you love dark academia vibes & an afterlife atmosphere that pulls you right in with the best group of unfortunate acquaintances (iykyk) then you HAVE to read this!!!

This story was packed with dangerous trials & twists from start to end. The multiple POVs worked beautifully & my gosh this group of unfortunate acquaintances really suffered lemme tell you 😭

The romances were everythingggg, a slow burn full of yearning & tension with a side of don’t touch her/him which are some top tier tropes aaaahhhh!!

I am so DESPERATE to read the next book it was brilliant!!😭😭😭

Immortal consequences is set in a boarding school in purgatory in the afterlife. If that wasn't enough to intrigue me, then dark academia, deadly trials, and fantasy/romantasy elements definitely did.

I really, really wanted to love this book. I've been hearing about it for months now, and know its a popular book box's pick of the month, but it just fell short for me. I ended up wanting to DNF at around 40%, but I powered through to the end to write this review.

It's a shame because I feel like I. V. Marie's writing is very lyrical and poetic, but I struggled to tap into anything gripping to power me through the book. It was hard with the multi-POVs (six I think?) to feel something for each character, and I found the magic system to be lacking in explanation.

Immortal Consequences has been an upcoming anticipated release for me for a long time, and I feel so blessed to have received an eARC. I was deep in a reading slump when I picked this up, and it snapped me right out of it. I.V. Marie’s writing is genuinely incredible, lyrical without being overdone, rich in emotion, and totally immersive.

I usually struggle with books that have more than three POVs, but she does it so well. Each perspective is distinct and purposeful, and the way she weaves them together never feels disjointed. Instead, it adds depth to the world and characters in a way that makes you care about EVERYONE.

Instantly fell for August and Wren (live laugh love Augustine Hughes), but I’ll be honest, I loved all the ships in this book. Every single dynamic had me hooked. I.V makes you fall for all the characters, even the ones you weren’t expecting to love. The emotional depth and tension are next level.

And the plot twists? Had me MOUTH. ON. THE. FLOOR. I was flipping through pages like my life depended on it, absolutely itching to know what would happen next. I loved the whole concept of the trials, it was high-stakes, unpredictable, and full of gut-punch moments.

What I found really interesting is that the foundations of these relationships (or lack of them) are already laid by the time the story begins. The book picks up with established tension and connections, and that can be tricky to pull off without leaving the reader feeling lost but it was done so well. I never once felt confused or like I’d missed a chapter. The pacing was perfect, and I loved the mystery element threaded throughout.

If you’re a fan of dark academia, morally gray characters, soul-shattering romance, and books that make you feel everything all at once this one is for you.

Thank you for the EARC

Fantasy, probably for older YA. Blackwood Academy is not a school you want to be enrolled in, you have to be dead to have the possibility of selection. But as a fantasy reader? A very different story. The characters have complicated pasts and Blackwood futures, hmm maybe. The secrets revealed and the twists keep you turning the pages. And the ending will have you waiting impatiently for the next installment. Thank you to Farshore and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Dark academia? Soul-reaping? Delicious enemies to lovers tension? Yeah, I devoured this.🖤✨

Okay listen up—if Ninth House and The Atlas Six had a slightly unhinged, romantically deranged lovechild with A Deadly Education, it would be Immortal Consequences. And I’d let that chaotic little book baby ruin me, repeatedly.

Set in a magic boarding school in literal purgatory (yes, we’re vibing in the afterlife now), this book had me wide-eyed, clinging to my Kindle at 3am, muttering “just one more chapter” like a damn mantra. I need therapy and book 2. Immediately.
___________

🎓 Welcome to Blackwood Academy: where the drama is deadly and the yearning is spiritually devastating

From the gothic vibes to the haunting trials in the Ether (which is peak nightmare fuel but make it ✨magical✨), the worldbuilding in this book? So crisp it crackled. The Forgetting adds such a high-stakes, slow-creeping doom to everything. You're watching these characters cling to what remains of their identities while literally being unmade—and yet they still manage to flirt, stab, and pine. Icons, every one.

Let’s deep-dive into the emotionally damaged disaster crew I will protect with my afterlife 👇
___________

🖤 August "Don't Go Easy On Me Now, Darling" — The Problematic Prince of Purgatory

August is that guy. Brooding, untouchable, arrogant with a wardrobe full of secrets and zero self-preservation. But also?? Soft for one girl and one girl only. The way he’s constantly sparring with Wren like it’s foreplay?? Sir, this is a school.
“Isn't it obvious? How desperately I need you? How hopelessly I am yours?"
"You are my lifelong affliction... I have an impulse to be with you all the time.”
SIR????

He flirts like it’s a duel, looks like sin, and talks like a Shakespearean villain mid-redemption arc. And the minute he said:
“No need for fighting words. I'm not here for a brawl, darling.”
…I knew. I knew I was in trouble.

But it’s the devotion for me. August isn’t just hot and haunted—he’s ride or die to the end of the afterlife and beyond. His scenes with Wren?? Literal oxygen shortage. The soulmate vibes are so strong I got heart palpitations. And by the time he said:
“It was you who brought me back to life after years and years of drowning… It will always be you.”
…I was feral.
___________

🔥 Wren "I Hate How Much I Don't Hate You" Loughty — The Cold-Blooded Queen With Fire Beneath Her Ribs

Wren is my kinda girl. Emotionally repressed, academically savage, sharp-tongued and secretly bleeding for the boy she’s sworn to hate. She’s the “stab first, feel later” type and I adore her for it.
“Don’t pretend we’re friends. We don’t like each other, August. That’s how this works.”
Babe. You’re already in love.

She’s such a powerful female lead—terrified of vulnerability, but so brave when it counts. That "Who did this to you?” reversal?? Iconic. We love a heroine who doesn’t need saving but will absolutely burn the world if someone hurts her man. Their constant sparring?
“Wow. Are you that obsessed with me?”
“I just happen to have great observational skills.”
“While somehow totally lacking self-awareness.”
It’s enemies-to-lovers gold. And when she finally lets herself feel??? I had tears. Literal tears. She is his salvation, but he is hers too. It’s giving: fated, cursed, doomed—but still worth it.
___________

😵‍💫 Olivier "Emotionally Constipated Sweetheart" and Emilio "King of Soft Angst" — Slow Burn Supremacy

These two. These two. I would lay down in traffic for them.

Olivier is the tortured golden boy pretending not to care but literally drowning in grief. He keeps everyone at arm’s length, except for Emilio—his best friend (sure, babe) who he’d quite literally die for.
“...Because the truth is—I cannot bear the thought of eternity without you.”
DEAD. I am deceased. These two are pure longing, the kind that crawls into your bones.

And Emilio? Sweet, awkward, doesn’t-think-he’s-special Emilio?? Boy is a walking bundle of heartbreak and courage.
“If there's one thing I've mastered, it's the art of being so ordinary that you're invisible.”
“Emilio...you are not ordinary.”
They are sunshine x the storm, boy-next-door x brooding academic. When Olivier finally cracks? It's a flood. And that line:
“Sometimes I think...I think I was never truly alive until I met you.”
Mmm. Inject it.
___________

🗡 Irene "I Don’t Do Feelings" — The Ice Queen With Killer Precision

Irene is who I want to be when I grow up: unapologetically ruthless, devastatingly competent, and allergic to affection. She has no time for trust or fairytales, and when it said:
“Irene didn’t believe in fairy tales. She was eighteen, not twelve...Honestly, the fact that she'd ever considered the possibility of a happily ever after was mortifying. ”
I felt that.

But her complexity shines through her banter, her loyalty (even when she fights it), and the way she tries to protect Masika by staying distant. She’d kill her enemy in a duel and probably never think about them ever again, but she struggles with her own morals when she knows how much following through on her plans would hurt Masika. Girlboss behaviour.
"With these kinds of wounds, Hexley here isn't waking for at least a month."
Irene bowed. "You're welcome."
Also:
“You're one group hug away from completely losing your focus.”
emotionally constipated as ever. We love to see it.
___________

🥀 Masika — Loyal, Underestimated, and Undeniably Human

Masika is that girl who wants to trust but has been burned too many times. She’s fiercely loyal, beautifully flawed, and so important to the emotional core of the book. Her relationship with Irene is subtle but strong—she keeps Irene grounded. And her friendship with Emilio?? Adorable.

She’s the heart in the chaos. Never underestimate her.
___________

⚔️ The Plot, The Trials, The Ether (aka Pure Unhinged Excellence)

The four trials of the Decennial are brutal, unsettling, and terrifyingly magical. Like, yes pls throw these teens into cursed mazes and soul-consuming fog. Do it again. The stakes? Lethal. The pacing? Cinematic. And the mystery of Louise and the Demien Order?? Had me in full detective mode.

And the fact that the winner either ascends to immortality or crosses over to death?? The existential dread is flavoursome.
___________

📚 Final Thoughts: A Book That Feels Like Falling in Love and Being Dragged to Hell at the Same Time

By the end, I wasn’t reading—I was living in Blackwood Academy. I was screaming at the cliffhanger. I was highlighting every quote like a lovesick ghost with a pen. And that last interaction between Wren and August???
“Find me. Wherever you are, wherever we end up, don't stop looking for me.”
How dare I.V. Marie make my heart break this beautifully??

🖤⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
For fans of forbidden love, academic rivalry, morally grey chaos, soul-bonded pining, and quotes that tattoo themselves on your bones. I’m begging. Read this book.

And when book 2 drops? Clear my schedule. I will descend into the Ether myself to get it.

Thank you so much to the I.V. Marie, Electric Monkey and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

One of My Most Anticipated… but a Letdown. This hurts to write…

I was so excited for Immortal Consequences, I mean, a boarding school in purgatory, magical trials, and dark academia? It sounded like everything I love. But sadly, this ended up being a big disappointment.

The worldbuilding was thin, the magic system barely explained, and the characters blended together without enough distinct voice or emotion. I couldn’t connect to any of them, and even the banter fell flat. The pacing dragged, especially at the start, and I constantly felt like I was waiting for something deeper to click and it just never did.

The concept had real promise, but it felt underdeveloped and confusing more than mysterious. For a story with six POVs and high stakes, I expected more impact and cohesion. Sadly, this one just wasn’t for me.

This book intrigued me from the start. It is a really unique concept, and I loved being able to dive into this world. The world building is really powerful from the start and I was immediately drawn to the characters. I think the book starts off in just the right place, making the reader wonder who these people are, where they are, and what is going to happen next.
this was a really impressive debut and I look forward to what is to come.