This book was very well written, and it did have me hooked. I was already a fan of Andy Mientus, which is why I picked up the book. Some of it was a little too spooky for me, but anyone who loves mystery, social commentary, and a bit or paranormal horror would love this book.

This was giving me total 90s the craft vibes. It was dark and goody and even sexy at times. Totally enjoyed it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

LOVED this! I only wish that it was longer so I could have learned more about the magic book and all the history related to it. I enjoyed seeing Franny's personality change starkly through the writing. Each character was distinct and had a robust monologue. I think the author's preface to the novel was a valuable addition and provided excellent context for the story.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Fraternity is an imperfect book that gets a lot right. I thought the pacing was really off and I also would suggest reading some own voices reviews to get their thoughts about the POC representation. This book is really slow and doesn’t do anything super different from other dark academia titles. The glaring difference is how wonderfully queer it is. How queer oppression and queer power is at the forefront. The secret society plot works really well when it’s specifically for queer boys in the 90s and it freshens up the trope. It’s such a smart way to do this kind of plotline. I also loved that these boys were at different stages of their queerness. There’s great bisexual rep (unsurprising since Andy Mientus is one of my fave bicons) and a sweet gay couple that really tugged at my heartstrings.

Besides all that, this book will teach readers about what it was like to be gay in the nineties. There’s a lot of hard-hitting stuff about AIDS and politics, but it’s handled really well. All the gay angst and yearning and eventual joy is well-balanced with a compelling, but often done, paranormal storyline. I was reminded of Melissa Albert’s Our Crooked Hearts, which I loved. It was still interesting and spooky. The New England boarding school atmosphere is super creepy and I often felt like I was there. Because of all this, I will feel great about recommending this to more mature young readers.

Like I said, this is imperfect. There’s a few things I question, that I think Mientus will work on as his writing career continues. Also, definitely check trigger warnings because there is some truly painful but time-accurate moments in this. It’s full of queer sadness, but there is some hope. I just wish there was more of a balance. Still, four stars is good! I’m so glad that I liked this, as someone who is already Andy Mientus fan.

This book covers a lot of really heavy topics and goes to some really dark places, yet somehow manages to stay fun through the whole story.

Set in 1991 at an all boys boarding school in rural Massachusetts, Fraternity has 3 main POVs: Zooey, Daniel, and Leo. All three boys have secrets to hide and all are queer but in different levels of being out and/or acceptance of their queerness. I adored all of these characters. They aren't perfect and they make bad decisions and they hurt people but they all felt in line with what a teenage boy in that situation would do. I love the way Andy Mientus wrote about navigating identity so much. Zooey in particular has some spaces where he is navigating his bisexuality that I loved. I also loved that the audiobook had different narrators for each of the three boys.

I think a lot of the book's fun had to do with the voices of the characters. The book starts from Zooey's perspective and it is clear that he is narrating the story from a point after the events of the book and as the story progresses you realize why and how the book is being told that way. I think upon reread I will love it even more because there are little hints of the versions of the boys currently writing the book that bleed through the narrative (in some cases actually interjections from one boy to another correcting/commenting on what was written) and I love that.

While I preferred the historical aspects of the plot to the paranormal one, that is very much a personal preference and not a commentary on the author's skill in either area. In fact, once the paranormal things started happening the action felt nonstop and I could not put the book down. Overall, I had a really great time with this book and I look forward to seeing what Andy Mientus writes next!

This was so cool. I loved this book so much and I can't believe it took me so long to finish it. It was so good. I will say that it started off a bit slow for me and the writing wasn't my favorite at first either. However, this quickly became a non-issue, since the story picked up within a few chapters. The POVs were done very well and this ended up being one of the better horror stories I've read this year. I think the concept of it in general was really interesting to me, but I loved the subtle surprises that were given throughout as well. As a queer Black reader, it was really challenging to read this at times for obvious reasons. But I will say that the author seemed to do these elements with care. There's a lot of privilege in this book and we're seeing dark academia almost at its finest with everything that goes on. There's so much layered in these pages and I think there was a lot going on, but it didn't ever feel like too much. It was pure chaos at times but I adored this book.

This was the queer 90's teen horror movie of my dreams!

Andy Mientus, what an absolute knockout! Mientus' writing was really strong, especially for a debut - the characters all acted & sounded like teens in the 90's, but the book itself read like more of an adult dark academia story, so if you're not too big into YA, don't fret! We get three POVs - Zooey, Daniel & Leo - & I loved that each character had their own distinct voice, this was great at spotlighting many different types of queer men (Leo was my favorite). The first half of this read like a queer coming of age story with slight witchy undertones, & then once the witchiness gets fully introduced, well - shit hits the fan & it's near impossible to put down. This gave me major The Craft vibes, but make it queer! & I thought this had a ton of really important discussions about issues still prevalent within the queer community, like code switching, racism, & toxic masculinity, to name a few. Mientus doesn't shy away from the AIDS crisis, either, given that the book takes place during the 90's, & I thought those aspects of the story were heartbreaking yet extremely powerful.

All in all, I had such a blast listening to Fraternity & think more people should be talking about this - I would give (almost) anything for an adaptation! & I really hope Mientus keeps dabbling around in queer horror, this was such a gem! & thank you so much Andy Mientus, NetGalley & Abrams Kids for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!

CWs: homophobia, racism, bullying, death, adult/minor relationship (prior to story), deadnaming/misgendering

After a scandal at his old school, Zooey Orson starts a new boarding school his sophomore year hoping for a second chance. But he quickly finds out he’s not the only student with a secret—he’s initiated into the Vicious Circle, a secret society for gay students. But his close friends within the group are involved in something wicked—something that will definitely prove problematic for them.

This was a really interesting book! It did get a bit confusing at times, especially with what happened toward the end, but the plot was still really intriguing, as were the characters. I loved Zooey, Daniel, Leo, and even Steven, though we didn’t see him much since he didn’t have a POV. Also, seeing how their identities impacted each of them differently was so cool and it was nice that you could tell who was narrating a chapter based off of narration style.

I love Dark Academia and, like the author, was in school in the 1990s, so was super-excited to read this book, described as queer paranormal Dark Academia.

I am loving all the new Dark Academia that really unpacks the privilege (economic, cultural) that underlies the elite academic setting that Dark Academia books share. I enjoyed the book, though I did find the multiple POVs a little difficult. I always didn't find enough differentiation between the voices of Leo, Daniel and Zooey, and had to keep reminding myself whose chapter I was reading.

I think historical fiction like this is important. It's really tough to explain to someone born after the 1990s (the book is set in 1991) how drastically differently race, gender, and sexual orientation were perceived, discussed, and commented on. How difficult it must have been to be either openly gay or secretly gay at that time. Mientus has a foreword that warns the reader that some of the language used might be upsetting. And, just to show that all of us can have unconscious biases, he has apologized on Instagram about an aspect of the book that some readers found anti-Semitic.

If you like Dark Academia, I think this book really fits that category. If you're interested in LGBTQ history, I think you'll enjoy it as well.

I loved this book so much and tore through it in a couple of days. It started out a bit rough, though, with the first chapter being full of parenthetical notations (like this) that made the writing feel very choppy. Luckily, only one of the three POVs used this style, and its use waned significantly after the first few chapters. I did enjoy the retrospective nature of the writing, and the way it allowed the characters to not only tell the story but reflect on it. I quickly fell in love with the three main characters. Zooey was a new transfer student to the elite boarding school, and he was running away from some dark stuff in his past while also trying to avoid thinking about his sexual orientation. Daniel, the only Black boy at the school, was a jock hiding his true self from all of his racist and homophobic friends. Finally, there was Leo, a descendant of the school's founders who was hiding the fact he grew up poor while also being the only out queer person at the school. Each boy had their own unique struggles, and the first third of the book devoted most of its time to setting up the characters, the conflicts with their peers, and their journey to becoming a found family. The author didn't pull any punches when it comes to depicting what it was like being a queer student in the 90's. If you are squeamish about slurs or physical bullying, this probably isn't the book for you. Once the backdrop was set, the paranormal aspects of the story came crashing in with dramatic effect. I don't want to spoil any of the specifics. Just know there was plenty of death, secret societies, demon worship, and general mayhem. The lives of all the characters become uprooted in major ways that provided a heartbreaking look at the AIDS epidemic and the trauma associated with the deplorable practice of conversion therapy. All in all, this was a riveting dark academia story that provided a window into life as a queer student in the 90's and illustrated the chilling repercussions of the AIDS epidemic on the queer community. Once I started reading it, I rarely wanted to put it down. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Amulet Books/ABRAMS Kids for a copy of Fraternity in exchange for an honest review.
 


The problem with kitchen-sink cookies

I want to get my criticisms of Fraternity out of the way first. Andy Mientus's book is doing way too much. And unfortunately, some of the efforts fall short, as often happens when we overdo it. Here is an Instagram post Mientus shared to give you an idea:


I truly believe this was an oversight -- antisemitism so often falls through the cracks, and we must do better. The thing is, this isn't the only example of this sort of ... blip ... in Fraternity. (Not to mention Fraternity's Jewish-coded character gets the major short-end of the stick). 

In his author's note at the beginning of the book, Mientus mentions he included overt and covert racism to be authentic to the setting of Fraternity. Fair enough. I just question if it was necessary. Do we need Black trauma if we don't have Black joy? Do we need Black trauma written by a non-Black person? 


Similarly, a white-passing character is "revealed" to be half Korean. There's one fascinating conversation about it, then that storyline is just ... dropped. Also ... the one Black character disappears from the book for about 100 pages only to reappear in an awful situation.

These aren't my only criticisms, but I'll leave it there, as, shockingly, I'm not trying to dissuade you from reading Fraternity. 

All this to say that while, as you'll see, there is a lot to love about Fraternity, it shows how important the editing, beta and sensitivity reading process is. And highlights that those processes are not infallible. I have a lot to think about when it comes to my own writing. 

"Hiss, hiss b****"

Andy Mientus has a unique writing style. I've not read his other books, so I don't know if this style is unique to Fraternity, but it worked for me. There's a lot of repetition of language to the point that it becomes almost poetic, and being the language nerd I am, I was in heaven. One of those perfect lines that repeats and comes back is, "Hiss, hiss b****" -- a reference to using the venom of your words, not your fists. 


There's also something unhinged about Fraternity. Haven't all of us bullied at some point wished we could get occult-level revenge on our bullies? Of course, revenge isn't the sweet release we expect it to be. There are dark consequences. And for all I'm not sure how I feel about Fraternity's "twist," I can say that I was surprised. And, y'all, this jaded millennial enjoys a fictional surprise— it's a rare treat.  


Bisexual restoration

I do not often discuss creators' identities when reviewing. For one, they don't owe us their identities, and two, writing often leads people to discover their identities. For reviewing purposes, I try only to mention it when there is a lot of discourse, or someone seems really out of their lane. Here, I want to talk about just the opposite.

Andy Mientus is openly bisexual, and I don't know his personal story -- in fact, it doesn't matter. But the bisexual storyline in Fraternity is so raw and honest. Mientus and I are the same age, and I feel echoes of my own story, of my own closet, in the one he created for this character. 

Reading it was both painful and cathartic. We don't have enough bisexual male voices. I'm glad Mientus is sharing his. 


Should you read it?

Yes. If for nothing else than the bisexual storyline. There are issues with Fraternity that I don't want to minimize. But it sounds like Mientus has taken the criticism to heart, and I hope other writers do too. 

At the end of the day, this is an imperfect revenge fantasy that taught me (finally) what "Dark Academia" means. 

Fraternity is out on September 20, 2022. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🏫🩸



Content warnings: Child abuse (sexual), body horror, racism, homophobia, biphobia, parental death, drinking and cannabis use. Note: There is use of outdated language, such as how trans people are referred to and the abundant use of the f slur, but it is more or less appropriate to the time.

‘Fraternity’ is a dark academia YA novel that is a fusion of paranormal, queer friendships, and a political commentary about the powers that uphold certain belief systems in the US. Its 1991 and Zooey Orson is a new student at the Blackfriars School for Boys, a prestigious private academy that has many secrets hidden amongst the grounds. Being queer, he is quickly targeted by the bullies of the campus, but finds solace in a group of boys known as the Vicious Circle (a secret club on campus.) Once established in the group, a book with arcane text is brought forth and a sinister plot unfolds.

I will be honest and say, the way in which the characters speak to the reader took some getting used to, but I quickly became a fan of such a narrative. The characters spoke as if recording every moment into a living journal to account the goings-on in the school. The vibe and feeling of the story was very much a hearkening to 90’s witchy/supernatural movies like ‘The Craft’ and television shows like ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Charmed.’ I couldn’t get enough of the atmospheric feeling of doom and dread that permeated the pages. It was the perfect book to start off spooky season with!

I will also mention the subplot of this hitting on the AIDs epidemic and just how well it was handled. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will keep it brief, but I was very pleased with how the arc of that subplot was carried out. Of course, it made me teary-eyed and it was difficult to read, but within the folds of the story it really hit home that the people in power truly will do anything it takes to demonize those who are in marginalized groups and will allow thousands to die for the sake of monstrous political motives.

dnf @ 13% - I couldn’t get past the first two chapters. The writing is mediocre and I can’t honestly say that I am disappointed in the book. I really wanted something amazing with this queer dark academia but all I got was average middle school drama and nothing to draw me into the rest of the story. I went to a boarding school so I was like this could be a fun thing to see but not even that kept me reading.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Andy Mientus presents Fraternity, a young adult novel centered on queer students at a boarding school where something metaphysical is about to change everything. Blackfriars is a school known for putting out students who go on to be someone. But while at school, the secret societies and cliques are in full swing. Zooey is a transfer student who is quickly clocked as queer. This makes him a target for jocks like Ryan Godfrey. But it gains him an invitation to the Vicious Circle where the other queer students meet in secret.

The author includes an author's note at the beginning of the book which includes content warnings. These are incredibly important to read for this book.

The characters are the strength of the novel, undoubtedly. The 90's setting. The three queer kids with different backgrounds and different intersectionalities with queerness. Zooey, Leo, and and Daniel were welcome representation of different experiences with queer identity and with utterly different experiences of community. There was the inclusion of the political impacts of the time including the secret meeting places and groups for queer folk and the AIDS crisis as well as church conversion residential centers. All were thoughtfully included and written in ways that would be accessible to the young adult audience of today.

This novel honestly was doing too much for me. The school drama plot line. The three character perspectives. The occult plot line. It was just all a lot. I love occult stuff, particularly mixed with academia. But, I honestly think the book would have been stronger without the occult inclusion and staying more of a pure dark academia or "historical" queer novel in as much as the 90's is historical. As such, the occult was a weak thread that led to what I felt was a weaker ending. It also lessened the emotional impact of the things that were happening with the historical context because of the shift to focus on the spell-casting or the impact of said spell-casting.

As it was, this one was just middle of the road for me. I appreciate the representation and historical context, but was utterly out of the paranormal inclusion. I'm not sure who to really recommend this book to either as a result, but I do appreciate the opportunity to read this work early.

FRATERNITY by Andy Mientus is about a secret gay fraternity at an all boys boarding school and what happens when some of its members get hold of powers they are I'll-equipped to handle. It has a cool premise, taking the idea of secret societies, turning it queer, and enhancing the mystical aspects into a literal supernatural force. While I appreciate the reasons for the 1990s setting, I wish the voice had been less authentically 90s, as it just felt outdated. I also wish the AIDS crisis had been brought up earlier, as it felt like an afterthought coming so near the end of the story.

This book has a lot of promise, but it's a mess! It feels like three different stories mashed together. There are several stylistic/editing decisions that are super strong in the first half of the book and then just disappear in the second half - until the very end - and then are brought back? It really needed stronger editing.

The monster idea was really cool but it was SO underdeveloped. This book is too long for how underdeveloped pretty much all of it is.

The AIDS/gay rights thread feels super tacked on, and so many authors have done it better before.

Overall, three stars because I did want to keep reading, but this book was really done a disservice with the editing and the awful cover.

An LGBT paranormal dark academia YA novel set in the nineties during the AIDS crisis, Fraternity does a lot and does it really well. Told in multiple POVs, each boy has a different journey through their queer identities and each voice was crystal clear. Zooey and Leo were both amazing characters, but it was Daniel who really tugged on my heartstrings. Even though this was written about the nineties, the political part of the story (rich white men in control of the narrative) made me think how far we’ve come, but yet not far enough. The nineties references were on point (any time a book mentions River Phoenix, I’m on board) and you could feel how restrictive and oppressive that time was for LGBT youth with the media misinformation about AIDS and just general ignorance of the LGBT experience. The paranormal part of the story reminded me a little of The Craft in all the best ways. And of course, I’m a sucker for the found family trope and this one was beautiful. I’m so glad I read this story and I look forward to more of Mientus’ work.
TW: bullying, homophobia, transphobia, racism, death, mentions of sexual abuse, mentions of suicide


Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

A queer dark academia novel set in the 90s is pretty much a dream book premise for me, so it is no surprise how much I enjoyed this.

I went in expecting the occult plot line to provide the main feeling of an impending disaster. While that aspect was as dark and engaging as I’d hoped, the thing that caused me the most anxiety was the character’s struggles. It did not take me long to connect to and fall in love with the three narrators: Zooey, Daniel, and Leo. They each go through tribulations regarding sexuality, and while it fluctuated from anger-inducing to heart-warming, it was always compelling.

The author does not shy away from discussing the AIDS epidemic and its effects on the character's perceptions of their lives. It was felt most towards the last half of the novel and examined with insight. One thing that I wish was explored more was Daniel’s experiences with intersectionality and race in general. He encountered homophobia in the novel, but despite being one of the only Black students at a private school predominantly attended by wealthy White Republicans, the racism was surprisingly all told instead of shown. However, the lack of development in that area is likely due to the story being written by a White man who (understandably) does not have enough awareness of what it was like to be Black in that time and place and analyze it further. It was not a deal-breaker, but considering how well he treated the AIDS epidemic, it was something I wished had been addressed more comprehensively.

Fraternity was both dark and touching. A book about academia and iniquitous magic, but also love, community, and perseverance from a group of people who needed it then and still do now.

I loved this!. Like so many others, I can't get enough of dArK aCaDeMiA novels and FRATERNITY pulled me in with an immediately riveting story told from multiple points of view, memorable characters (Leo, especially), and lots of early 90s pop/political culture stuff that will be fun and informative for younger readers.
Extra points for not being centered on cis-white men + I loved the solid and thoughtful bisexual representation.
I'd love to see this as a movie or series, but please make sure it's better than The Craft sequel.