I still feel shell shocked after completing this brilliant novel. It’s impossible to put in to a category or genre but it’s about loyalty & love, bullying & abuse, it’s about fragile mental health & strength of character. It is superbly written with amazing characters based at a prestigious boarding school - it’s not for children & is nothing like Mallory Towers. Highly recommended!

Okay, so again I feel I'm in the minority here-maybe I just don't gel with dark academia type books. I found it quite slow and felt that the story could have been about 100 pages shorter!

The Four tells the story of Marta, Rose, Sami and Lloyd, all of which are on a very prestigious scholarship to the hoity toity private school, High Realms. They are deemed as a bit of an experiment, as the school requires more funding and to appear more charitable. The Four are immediately deemed as outsiders. Bullying, name calling and jealousy soon develops between the four and the elite. When Marta seriously injures one of those elite, Genevieve, all hell breaks loose.

Now, this is where my interest started and stopped. What Marta was asking of her friends was absolutely ridiculous. There was something very obviously wrong with the girl and she needed help. It just seemed like an overreaction to the situation. I couldn't fathom why they were all doing what she asked of them? Teenagers are obviously very different to what they were when I was in school.

I did enjoy the close knit relationship between them all. I liked that they all had a hard time in their personal lives and came together to support, love and care for one another.

The setting, a prestigious English High Realm school, with lots of interesting characters, was a book full of promise.

However, some of the students were bullies and the book also contained grim descriptions of self harming. (Mallory Towers it isn't!) The main characters/scholars were Rose, Lloyd, Marta, and Sami ended up involved in a serious injury to another student. From this incident the book drifts off into the hiding of a possible culprit, and I got bored reading about the clocktower.

Whilst well written, the book is depressing with an inevitable ending.

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ for the chance to read and review.

Gripping but slightly shocking in its violence and exposure. I had mixed feelings. There is no doubt its gripping and covers some important key themes including abuse and self-harm, but it felt like two stories joined in one. I really enjoyed the first half, where we discover the nuances of this elite school and we learn about the key characters. A typical, if quite violent, high school drama. But the second half became too bizarre, very dark and quite sensationalist. Plot twists and character decisions don't make sense. Perhaps there were two books here instead of one.

Dark Academia is a genre quickly jumping up my to read list and this book does not disappoint

Well written and very interesting!

This is the story of four scholarship pupils. Four young people who are bound together, against the rest of the priviledged pupils at High Realms bording school for the elite.
A series of bullying culminates in a terrible event, when one night, Genevieve (one of the bullies) is seriously injured and is rushed to hospital after a fall.
Martha, one of the four students, is suspected of intentionally pushing Gen, and so goes into hiding. The other 3 are determined to help her.
This is a dark tale, and makes you wonder what does go on in such an environment. Martha has a sorry tale to tell, and confides in her 3 friends. She really doesn't want to be made to leave High Realms, as she hates the idea of going home to her father, who has raped her in the past. She fears for what may come next.
This isn't a book for the light hearted, and especially if you are heading off to boarding school yourself!
This is a book that makes you ponder life, and all it's twists and turns.
A great read.

This book just wasn’t for me. I have seen it everywhere and was really excited to read it, especially with the sinister blurb. However, this is just the beginning and Keel presents a dark and twisted academic story where none of the characters are particularly likeable. Despite them showing some sort of redemption in the Epilogue, I found I was mostly frustrated by character actions and reactions.

Personally, I don’t think the blurb quite portrays the story. The first 20% felt really exciting and setting the foundations for this tense novel. Yet, after a key event, I thought the pace dropped off, the plot stagnated and not much happens. I wasn’t expecting the overall plot direction and this was why I felt the general story did not meet what I was hoping for from this read. Instead, it felt trapped in a cycle of the main characters trying to evade suspicions, whilst keeping their head above water amongst the sharks and bullies that attend High Realms.

This was not aided by the very long chapters. Keel’s style of writing is quite interesting but I thought it needed to match a high-octane style of plot. Quite often I had to leave mid-chapter and this definitely lessened the impact of the story. I frequently felt bored by the tedium of the narrative, especially as it felt that not much was happening with the central four characters.

In my opinion, some of the minor characters were more interesting and I would have preferred Keel to have developed them further. However, the behaviour of these sixth form students was appalling and I could not understand how none of the members of staff were willing to get involved and punish their actions. If this was “real life”, these people would not stand a chance of getting away with it. I found this part more of a turn-off with this book because I disliked how Keel presented a school body that seems to run itself on acceptable bullying towards outsiders.

Overall, this book started with promise but did not continue. I don’t think the blurb was really an accurate portrayal of the story and I think Keel pushes the dark, academic setting too far with predictable stereotypes. Combined with the lengthy chapters and not much happening, this was more of a struggle that I was glad to finish.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Four by Ellie Keel
⭐⭐⭐⚡3.5/5

This was a funny old fish!! ... prepare for a contradictory review ...one I wish I'd buddy read!

If I was rating this book purely on how compelling it was I have absolutely scored it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If dark academia means storylines that are grim, vile, unrealistic, unbelievable, grotesque, cruel, barbaric with characters that are also unbelievable, inhumane, cruel, barbaric and ridiculous then this is dark academia at its best!

I wasn't invested in any of the characters and was frustrated at their decisions. I was surprised when I read this wasn't YA fiction as it had that feel to it.

The level of bullying and cruelty in this story was often too much to stomach and unbelievably far fetched.... Think of a recurring incidents in comparison to poor Piggy from Lord of the flies or Carrie and the pigs blood.
The characters relationships were at times confusing and unbelievable.

The story is set in a sort of Uber posh mansion that is a private sixth form but the way it's run is again too unbelievable and ridiculous.

I also felt like the story was constantly on the edge of a twist that never came...

All my scathing opinions aside, I couldn't put it down....I needed to know what happened...and that is one of the most important elements of a good read for me ...so you can see why I'm a bit confused.
It's not at all a badly written book it just wasn't to my taste.... Even though I couldn't put it down 🤣🙈

I'd be very interested to hear other people's opinions

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the advance reader copy,

The premise of this book sounded so good and then I was barraged with continual trauma and sexual violence against girls.

I don’t know who this book is for but I’m tired of reading these books filled with sexual violence and suicide especially when they are glossed over and don’t add anything to the story.

The trigger warnings of this book should be long and honestly, this isn’t dark academia. It’s just violent and painful to read.

I don’t want to give this any stars but that’s not an option.

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

Firmly in the dark academia genre, this book follows four scholarship students during their time at the sixth form of a prestigious boarding school.

Experiencing some difficulties including bullying and resistance from the upper class students, an accident causes them to try and protect one of their own.

I’m afraid I really struggled with this one after having high hopes. I wasn’t particularly drawn in or invested in the characters and the mysteries surrounding what was going on between the students did not feel as high stakes as the circumstances they led to would have you believe.

Perhaps one for more dedicated fans of dark academia, this one didn’t do it for me.

The story is about High Realm scholarship students in a prestigious school. Despite the hype, the characters just didn’t gel. Couldn’t help but compare to Donna Tartt’s A Secret History and ended up disappointed. Tried to empathise with the characters but couldn’t relate to them at all.

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.

There is always an attraction when you are pitched into a novel as an outsider but there wasn’t enough of a progression for me, either within the story or the characters.

The book is competently written but I doubt that there will be many who are surprised by how the story progresses and it does take a very long time to reach its inevitable conclusion.

The main characters don’t really develop throughout the book, and oddly, most of the twists come in the shape of revelations about secondary characters.

That said, it does feel truer to what I imagine boarding school is like for many boarders and light years away from Hogwarts.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a truly nasty book, and I simply don’t understand all the positive reviews. Comparing it to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is an insult to Tartt, who writes with insight, nuance and subtlety. None of those are in evidence here. Gratuitous, graphic violence and sexual abuse merely for the sake of it, with no depth or understanding of motivation except the banal one of privilege and entitlement. Everyone in this book is horrible. You have to search hard for any redeeming features in any of them. Four scholarship pupils are sent to an elite prestigious boarding school in order to raise the academic standards. Inevitably they are bullied by the established pupils with no quarter given and this bullying starts right at the start. There’s no build-up of tension, no measured setting of scenes and characterisation, just straight in with shocking scenes for voyeuristic pleasure. One brutal episode after another. It all beggars belief. The staff are mostly absent and just as nasty as the pupils. Just what is the point of this book? I skimmed most of it as I found reading it degrading – but I needed to struggle through in order to review for NetGalley. It’s not even well written, being both bland and uninteresting from a stylistic point of view. And yet many readers have enjoyed it, and I’m going against the grain here. So be it.

The Four by Ellie Keel is a gripping, engrossing foray into dark academia, though with all the misery inside one would be hard pressed to say they enjoyed it.

The titular ’Four’ are four students awards full scholarships to complete their A Levels at the prestigious High Realms boarding school. They are singled out amongst their peers and despite facing cruelty and derision from the seniors, they hold their own. However, one disastrous accident changes the direction of their lives forever…

This book had me gripped. There was something about the prose that didn’t quite connect with me, and yet I knew I would continue until the bitter end to find out the outcome for all the characters.

The novel is told from an adult Rose’s perspective, though we are fully immersed in the story as it is happening back in 2000. Rose seems to lack depth, as though someone else is telling the story. I didn’t feel connected to Rose as the narrator or protagonist at all. Sami and Lloyd seem to express more emotion.

I felt the characters were naive, facing experiences far beyond their capabilities for their age. I have no experience of boarding school but I sincerely hope they aren’t like High Realms. Cold teaching staff, bullying, violence and sexual assault are tolerated with an almost blase attitude.

I believe we needed to see more of Marta’s intelligence and character at the start of the novel. We have barely gotten to know her before things change; there is not enough evidence of the Four’s close relationship for me to believe they would go to such risks to protect her, or to remember her in later years.

Despite that, this is an addictive read that kept me turning the pages until the end. A slow start gave way to an intensely dark story, where you read on feverishly trying to find a speck of hope for these young people. One character faced so much misery that it did feel like it was edging on parody; I just can’t believe that so much could happen to one person in such a short space of time. I don’t *want* to believe it.

The richly descriptive narrative allowed me to imagine High Realms in all its sinister glory, picturing Rose and the others faced with this other wordly labyrinthine school.

Although I think the central relationship between the Four could have been fleshed out more, I did enjoy the subtle connection growing between Rose and Sylvia. It was unexpected and yet they seemed to work well together. I was happy to see the inclusion of LGBQTIA relationships in this novel, along with the fluidity of sexuality and seeing young people discover who they are.

I think it may be better aimed at a younger audience, perhaps those just transitioning from YA to more adult books, despite the dark themes.

A raw and powerful story of loyalty and revenge, testing the lengths we will go to protect those we love.

Four scholarship students are accepted into an exclusive boarding school but it will take more than their ace test results to be accepted in the hostile world of High Realms. The four are united together as outsiders as they face aggression from both staff and pupils. What starts as a friendship based on strength in numbers soon forges into fierce loyalty as a dark secret binds them together.   

I was gripped from the first page. The writing is so compelling that I felt absorbed in the vicious world of High Realms. Secrets and scheming are sown in the beginning so it is high stakes from the off.  Themes of tragedy and grief are woven throughout making for an evocative read. I felt tied to each of the four and rooted for them all. I’d highly recommend if you’re in the mood for dark academia threaded tightly with emotional thriller and domestic drama.

Not completely sure where I come down on this one. Slow to get going, it feels engaging once we experience somewhat of a tragedy in High Realms. From there, we sit in quite a bit of mystery. We're never quite sure who's trustworthy and whether our main characters are safe.

This read as more character driven than plot, focusing on the dynamics between the different groups. Supposed misfits and popular kids but all with more layered things going on. The middle section all worked for me but I found it dragging again towards these end. By the time I was 50 or so pages off finishing it, I didn't feel strongly driven to find out where we end up.

That said, the overall atmosphere of tension and fear is what will stay with me. I can imagine it becoming a good tv series.

The story of The Four is narrated by Rose, one of four teenagers who gain a scholarship to the sixth form of the elite boarding school HIgh Realms in 1999. Most of the pupils at the school have been there for years and are at best scathing of the scholarship pupils. Bullying and power struggles dominate the environment both among pupils and teachers. Marta, Sami, Rose and Lloyd (the four) form strong bonds amongst themselves in this context. When one of the four is involved in the accidental injury of another pupil the other three do all they can to support her. This is a shocking and uncomfortable book to read but very well written. All four pupils (and many of the others) have issues and/or secrets in their past and present which impact on their behaviour and the decisions they make. I found the voices of the characters and the setting very convincing although there were some aspects of the plot which I found stretched credulity somewhat. I would read future books by Ellie Keel. Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this title via Net Galley.

Dark academia isn’t the genre I normally read but I thought I would give this a try.

Four millennium scholars, Rose, Lloyd, Marta, and Sami have started at the prestigious High Realms school. They soon discover that High Realms has its own rules, and there are some older students who are just plain nasty to them and really insufferable and horrible characters. Genevieve and Marta haven’t been getting on, and when Genevieve falls and is seriously injured, all fingers point to Marta, who is in hiding.

Told from the point of view of Rose, this book should come with a trigger warning. There is mention of self harm, abuse, bullying to name a few and it’s definitely dark and grim reading at times.

I tried my best to keep reading this book but I just got fed up with it and unfortunately DNF. The pace feels so slow, i got almost halfway through and there hadn’t been much progress at all. Apart from the four scholarship students, most of the other students and staff are horrible and it made me not care about what had happened. It’s also pretty bleak and generally depressing.

Unfortunately this book really wasn’t for me but from the reviews it looks like many others have enjoyed it.