The synopsis had me thinking I'd love this book, however I was disappointed. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and I just could not get into it. I tried a few times to keep going, but I'm sorry to say I dnf.
Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review

What do you know about boarding schools? Do you think Malory Towers? Hogwarts? He ghosts Realms is nothing like this - think more elite boarding school crossed with the psychological damage and trauma of Squid Game!

Told from the PoV of Rise, one of four scholarship pupils who join the school in the sixth form. Thrown into this elite world of the wealthy and the privileged, the four are looked down upon and bullied, driving them to unit as a group. Soon Rose, Sami, Marta and Lloyd are a group as they try to swim and not sink beneath the complicated social and political miasma of High Realms. Unfortunately, Marta sticks out like a sore thumb, extremely intelligent, home schooled, with little to no social awareness and soon becomes the target.

After a dramatic and terrible event, their world is thrown into even more uproar and triggers a multi-layered and complex situation that truly tests their bonds of friendship.

The Four is a dark academia novel that doesn’t flinch at graphic violence, physical or sexual violence and abuse that will literally grip you until the end.

Four scholarship students who were outsiders having come from less privileged backgrounds enter their first day at High Realms boarding school. Sami, Lloyd, Rose and Marta. The Four. They are made to feel like they are not worthy especially by 2 older students Genevieve and Sylvia. Genevieve strolls into Marta and Roses room on the first day and dangles out the window having a cigarette and had Marta pushed Genevieve out the bedroom window that very day none of what they all went through later on that first year would have happened.

This book is told from the narrative of Rose, one of the four. Initially I wasn’t too sure of whether this was a YA or an adult fiction and it does cover some sensitive subjects. It did get a little bit confusing towards the end but overall it was a good book. I didn’t feel very drawn to any of the characters to be honest as I felt they were all selfish in their own ways.

Gripping, dark, compelling, uncomfortable - I loved it.

“To use Marta’s words this time, it happened in the grey matter: the time between the huge things, and in all the mending and sewing and striving that we did in those periods. “

In 1999 Rose Lawson and three other lucky students are granted the millennium scholarship to prestigious private school High Realms. They’re prepared for academic rigour, a gateway to the best universities, but they’re not prepared for the brutal regime set by the other students. The four scholarship students are immediately aoutliers in a boarding school set to boiling point. As Rose tells us her story, one thing is abundantly clear, she would have done it all again.


I don’t know where to start! I love, love, loved this. The story was so tense and did not do what I expected. I felt the dread and the weight of the character’s choices as though I was living it. Rose was an exceptional narrator in a cast of amazing characters. The narration was honest, and adult’s perspective carrying the weight of hindsight and shame.

The classism is every bit of horrible as you’d expect in this environment but the story does dive deeper, bridging gaps and exploring trauma even amongst the privileged. The four and the others are united in the way they’re all children fending for themselves in harsh circumstances. There is significant trauma explored in this story and it’s handled appropriately and sensitively. The author wields the power of the unsaid and implied like a knife.

There will undoubtedly be comparisons of ‘The Four’ with Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’ and I think this is a real compliment to this story. While their settings are similar, their plots are VERY different. In my opinion, this had much more forward drive, had a protagonist with a strong presence and was a lot more accessible.

Without a doubt my favourite book of 2024 so far.

Thank you @netgalley and @hqstories for my arc

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book early on. The writing style wasn't really for me, and while I was really intrigued by the description and premise of the book, I didn't feel the story matched my expectations. I had anticipated more of a mysterious atmosphere, which I didn't personally feel. While some may love this book, it just wasn't for me, I'm afraid.

An intense debut novel from Ellie Keel.

Four scholarship students at a prestigious school that don't fit in and gravitate to each other for the support and friendship that they need..
But things take a dark turn and their friendships are put to the test.

Ellie Keel has written a powerful dark academia novel. Readers beware of sensitive subject matters, but a thought provoking thriller.

I could not stop reading The Four by Ellie Keel. I loved the dark academia style. This book really makes you think about how the choices we make can at times impact our lives and mental health. It kept you feeling tense and how lost and desperate the characters got as they got further and further into the consequences of choices. They could not see a way out until too late. The connections they made with others, distrust and declining mental health were well written.

I would be interested in reading more from Ellie Keel.

Published 11 April 2024. This Dark Academia 'thriller' would be ideal, in my opinion, for YA moving into adult fiction - a sort of crossover. Set in High Realms, an elite boarding school, it is told by an adult Rose as she recounts her time at the school. Rose joined the sixth form as a scholarship pupil along with Lloyd, Sami and Marta. Immediately there is a distinction between these four and the other students, the wealthy and the privileged whose parents are paying thousands for their education, look down their noses at these four who are at the school for 'free'. The teachers -or the Mags as they are called - also seem to have the same prejudice. These four seem to be a social experiment. A close friendship quickly forms between the four students as they navigate the rules, the regime and at times the brutal bullying and punishments dished out by their fellow students. Rose is independent, caring and somewhat shy, Sami is likeable, Lloyd is a little harder to warm to but Marta is a the odd one out, she is eccentric but highly intelligent. Being home schooled, she has never been in a school environment and doesn't understand the way she should behave which makes the other three look out for her and makes the other students target her. When there is a major incident, Marta is immediately blamed and Rose, Sami and Lloyd make the decision to protect her and what follows seems almost bizarre, but for the fact that you, by now, have come to know these four and know that they believe that this is the only course of action. The bonds of their friendship twist, This is a dark novel and some of the violence is quite graphic and there are also triggers for abuse and rape. However, there are moments of hope and there is romance. A novel that was engrossing with, one the whole, characters that I came to feel for and just one or two that I truly despised.

The Four get everything thrown at them: bullying, abuse, violence, suicide, grief, loneliness, mental illness etc. It was hard to believe at times that the adults in the story were, at best ambivalent to what was going on or, at worse, complicit.
The four themselves were a little hard to understand - at sixteen/seventeen their behaviour was either too naive or too worldly.
Overall, I found the book difficult to like, not just because of the content but because I think it tries too hard to cover too many very troublesome topics.

This is a truly stunning debut, The writing throughout is assured and accomplished and it’s so well balanced. There’s a slow build in the first few chapters which creates tension and introduces the main characters. Then it’s a no holds barred ride as the reader is sucked in to the world of High Realms. The story centres on an elite boarding school in Devon. The four are scholarship pupils, immediately outsiders in an often toxic and isolated environment. This is no Mallory Towers with feasts at midnight and spiffing japes. This is a world of rivalry, jealousy, treachery and deceit. It’s violent and abusive, friendships are made and broken as are promises.

There’s a great skill in crafting a take that ensures a reader will become emotionally invested in characters or plot. I was drawn to both; the plotting ensures you keep reading because there’s a sense of dread about the next awful event and there are characters to loathe and like. Really enjoyed this and I’m sure it’ll be a success.

It was okay. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the atmosphere of a boarding school and the dynamics between the students who could afford it vs the scholarship kids was done really well.

It was a struggle at times for me to want to read it. It felt like it might of needed just a little more action? I don't know that is the right word, but it needed something else. Also the end felt a bit abrupt for all that lead up....

It's got the dark academia vibes and some great characters, especially the four and how they stuck together. So, others might enjoy it more then I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review..

I have to say that I enjoyed this book, it was almost unputdownable, but I really don't know why.

I would say it is a YA book but I don't mind that. I liked the characters of the Four and absolutely all of the fairly large number of characters are easily distinguished. At no time did I forget who anyone was or get mixed up. I thought the dialogue rang true and the general interactions were plausible. I am not quite sure how Sylvia manages to exert so much influence on her fellow pupils though.

This dreadful school reminded me of the school in the TV series Hex. Bullying; entitlement; casual and underage sex; lack of care and supervision from teachers and serious assaults both physical and even sexual are depicted as being commonplace. I was shocked to think that there might be even a smidgen of truth in this.

The whole idea of Marta in the clockhouse stretches credulity to breaking point especially when she starts to fall ill and yet, you accept it and keep reading to see how it all pans out.

There is a lot of blood, sweat, tears and unflinching descriptions of assaults but despite liking the characters I was not much moved (apart from the father thing which would make anyone shiver and rage) by any of these horrors and I don't know why. I think it might be because the book is written in a sort of distant and objective style so while your head is appalled, nothing really touches your heart.

To be brutally honest, as I read, one part of me said this is nonsense but I was still invested and kept turning those pages with no skimming. . I would say that Marta's end at the school was surely avoidable and, once again, was due to the general culture of indifference from staff, even the slightly better ones, towards pupils.

The very end, where we catch up with the main characters years later which was interesting.

Much of the story is, in my opinion, frankly unbelievable and even sort of Famous Five-ish but somehow it is undeniably a great read.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. The characters were all stereo-typical. I was hooked by the opening paragraph but, for me, it was all downhill after. My apologies to the author reviewing her work without finishing it, but now, having read other reviews, I'm glad I missed the worst of the nastiness.
As a first foray into writing books, I will still look out for her next effort. I awarded a neutral three star rating.

This is a psychological, well paced, dark academia thriller. The characterisation is great and it's hard to believe this is a debut novel. I really liked the descriptive setting and atmosphere - the claustrophobia and tension was palpable. I wasn't expecting so many triggers to crop up but this is a dark thriller and completely compelling!

This was an intriguing book which I really enjoyed. We know from the start that the 4 millennium scholarship students at a very prestigious English school are the point of the story and that the story will revolve around them. I liked the build up and getting to know the various characters, although I confess to finding the first 20 pages confusing with so many different pupils and teachers, coupled together with the archaic language of the historic school. After I sorted this out in my mind, I was swept along with the drama. I appreciate this was a story told in retrospect, but found some of the 16 year old ‘voices’ to be a bit too mature. However overall I enjoyed this book.

This book was intense, gripping and a merciless story. I completely did not expect this plot or how much I would dislike some of the core characters.

I couldn’t put this book down, I felt like I had to know what would happen, it felt like the main characters deserved to be seen through to the end even if they were fairly unlikeable at points. Their unlike-ability made it more authentic for me and it was an honest story of selfishness, misunderstanding and cruelty. The scholarship students had good intentions and I liked how they tried to support one another even if it wasnt always perfect.

I'm afraid this book was not for me, although I had high hopes of it from the description. It seems to be aimed more at the YA readership and focuses on a sixth form setting in an exclusive boarding school. I'm afraid I was expecting an advancement of the Enid Blyton School stories of my youth, or even more recent Harry Potter style school tales. However, this was a dark, highly abusive tale of bullying and misery, which was heavily signposted and foreshadowed from the outset. The establishing of characters was rather extended at the beginning, but the atmosphere of menace pervaded the whole book and I found it lacked sufficient light and shade. This was a shame, as the book had an intriguing description and showed promise as a debut novel, but was just not my cup of tea, I'm afraid.

Rating: 3.2/5

Although there is much to admire about Ellie Keel's debut novel, it doesn't quite hit the mark consistently enough to elevate it from the top end of being "good" to warranting the description of being "very good". However, Ellie Keel does deserve credit for dealing with some uncomfortable and provocative topics in "The Four", which some readers may prefer not to be exposed to.

"The Four" tells the story of a group of teenaged students - the Millennium Scholars - who have been awarded scholarships to attend the prestigious High Realms boarding school. They are the outsiders in a variety of ways and fitting into the very traditional establishment structure of the school as well as coping with the hierarchical social structure of student life, presents a number of challenges.

It is probably most accurate to describe this novel as being of the "new adult" genre. There are sizeable portions of the book that reminiscent of YA (Young Adult) fiction although its handling of some darker themes are indicative of material aimed at a more adult audience. The writing is intelligent and although some of the plot developments stretch credulity, they never go beyond the acceptable bounds of fictional creativity. If you like your reading matter to move along at a brisk pace from the outset, then this may not be one for you. Author, Ellie Keel, takes time to establish the central protagonists and to paint the picture of the environment in which they find themselves. Although this unquestionably helps to create a world that the reader can clearly envisage, it does cause some adverse issues with the pace of the storytelling.

Considering the time the author invested in setting the scene and making sure that the audience was sufficiently acquainted with the key characters, I would have expected certain parts of the story to have a far more heart-rending effect on me. Perhaps it had something to do with the pacing, or possibly insufficient use of light and shade in the tonality of the novel as a whole, but for whatever reason I didn't find myself as emotionally involved as I could have been. Nonetheless, this is an encouraging debut novel and I dare say there is every chance that I will return to read more from Ellie Keel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

I finished this book a little confused about how I feel about it. I found how strong the main characters friendship was supposed to be unrealistic considering they’d just met, also the event that spans most of the book is just so unlikely etc that I struggled with it a little. Saying that I did find that I needed to keep reading and find out what happened next so it was definitely compelling!

I have to confess my ignorance, but until I read The Four by Ellie Keel, I hadn't really thought about 'dark academia' as a fiction genre. It now makes absolute sense. I like a novel set in a boarding school (I blame Enid Blyton and Mallory Towers) particularly one where there are the rich, elite, popular pupils, and the underdogs who can potentially become the heroes. The Four ticks all the boxes and it will certainly keep you gripped.
The book is dark, and hard to read in places. It is well written however and the author has not included cruelty and abuse without good reason. It was very easy to feel real hatred and anger towards some of the pupils and teachers, and I like a book that makes me feel!
My second confession is that at 60 I think i am a little too old for the book - but I would like my 20 year old daughter to read it and to have a good conversation about it with her, as I feel she would have a very different take on the friendships and dynamics that the book portrays so well.
I am glad I read it, and I now feel I have more insight into the genre and into what younger people are reading.