Unfortunately I will not be finishing this book and have dnfd it at 20%.

Im struggling to connect with any of the characters and there's just something about the writing style that's just not keeping my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the digital copy.

Thank you Netgalley for the book!

There were several positive and negatives I will briefly summarise.

Recommended the book for those who enjoy Young Adult or Middle Grade and like fast-paced, atmospheric, and story-driven books. The book is coming out in September so perfect for spooky season with the dark academia and witchy vibes.

Do not recommend for more character-driven readers and who want more depth of narrative!

STORY: This book has been described as “for fans of Ninth House” but it is more like “Sabrina” meet “Harry Potter”? Definitely would not compare to Ninth House! It is fast paced but also full of shortcuts and has plenty of plot holes.

CHARACTERS: The characters were severely underdeveloped, even for an YA/MG. This was made even worse by the fact that the author chose to write from a first person POV, not a great choice considering the main protagonist lacks any personality. We do not really get to learn any more about the two main characters other than what we were told at the very start of the book. It feels like they do not exist outside of the narrow and short story we follow.

WRITING: The writing was a little basic and highly repetitive, e.g.

Blood drain from my face
My stomach twists hard
Sickness curdles in my gut
Ice lodges under each of my ribs
Etc.

Some of the visual/environmental and emotional descriptions didn’t make sense, at least to me. It was a little hard to imagine where things were.

I can guarantee booktok is going to be all over this.

A very interesting premise: when Andy's sister, Violet, turns up dead, she is determined to prove it can't be true. She signs up to the same elitist private school, trails her sister's old friends, and makes a discovery that will change her life: secret societies hell bent on controlling the fate of the world by summoning actual demons from the underworld.

The writing is evocative. Rich and decadent, it matches the sultry world the book evokes. Both the school and the underworld come to life vividly through the eyes of our protagonist. And the sense of urgency born from the clear danger she has placed herself in can be felt from the get go.

I will say that Andromeda's (Andy) entire personality seems to be that she is Violet's adoring younger sister. And this drives the book pretty much the whole way through. She signs up to a school she has no interest in (nor does she really seem to attend any classes), she trails people who are clearly unfriendly even after she's been warned off, and she makes an unlikely alliance with the mysterious but extremely handsome boy who seems keen to join forces with her.

Overall, this reads well and there was obviously some serious thought put behind the construction of the world and lore. However, for me, it falls short in the character development and a few deus ex machina moments that are just too convenient.

I got this as an ARC on NetGalley and honestly have been blown away by it. YA book but Dark and beautiful and sometimes super bloody scary! The mysteries just kept coming and I don't think I had a clue what was going to happen most of the time.
The characters I found so interesting and they had so many layers to them. The scene setting was detailed and enchanting. 100% recommend this to everyone!!

All the Devils by Catelyn Wilson is one of those books you pick up and are immediately thrown into the action. This book pulls together the essence of dark academia, YA coming of age and finding yourself, romance, gods, demons and the Underworld into one dynamite package!

This is most definitely a book for those who live a fast paced, plot driven book that will chill and excite you simultaneously. If you struggle with remembering names and legends, have no fear, Wilson has got you, explaining things as they happen, which trust me is just as much for the benefit of the MFC Andy.

Told from Andy’s (Andromeda) perspective, this adventure is just as much if not more of an eye opener for her. Following the death of her sister, she is determined to find out what happened and that means joining the elite, gothic, towered private school Ravenswood, where her sister died. We only get to know Andy from her narrating the story but, that gives real insight into the strength of her love for her sister, and her persistence and determination, even when she’s massively out of her depth. There’s also Jae, he us an utter delight - trust me, he’s also list family in the past and the two team up to investigate what happened to Violet (lAndy’s sister,) and other goings on at Ravenswood.

I will say if your passion is dark academia you might be a little disappointed, as this isn’t the core focus of the story but, the plot, the myths, the monsters and Jae are definitely punching their weight! If you’re here for a great, fast paced plot that will take you away, this is the book for you.

Thank you Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, Penguin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest and sincere review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and haunting and at the same time, heartfelt and terrifying. I won’t lie, I fully enjoyed reading this. It was easy to read, the plot flowed smoothly, and the writing was easy enough to follow that it was enjoyable to read.

Whilst it dealt with a lot of mythology and magic, the pages were dogged down with tons of prose explaining how each thing worked. We knew as much as Andy did, and I liked that the book treated us as such. We learnt things as she did, we were clueless, blindly stumbling through the grounds of Ravenswood alongside Andy.

To me, I like when a book does that. It means I don’t feel like I’m learning things faster than the main character is. I liked Andy’s fire and passion, and even when her heart was broken, she always picked herself back up and carried on fighting. She was determined and I liked that!

The plot was enough to keep me wanting to read and I no point did I sit there and think god this is boring! It could have had a bit more oomf sure, I would have liked to have seen Violet’s character fleshed out a bit more as well as the members of the club, so I had more of an antagonist to root against but overall, it was good!

And Jae is the best boy. I’d read this again just for Jae.

I really struggled with this book. Initially, I was really excited for it and enjoyed the first 30% but then it started to go downhill and getting to the end was a massive slog that I don't think was worth it.

I found a lot of the writing to be difficult and long-winded. Sometimes less really is more and not every sentence needs to be chock full of adjectives. This meant that many sections, especially in the second half of the book, felt like they took forever to get through. Almost like I was stuck walking through the described underworld desperate to get out and finish this book.

The book had a lot of promise but rather than a dark academia mystery with dark magic undertones, it starts adding in a lot of demons, gods and other aspects that convolute the story at the expense of the main character.

Andy seemed like she was going to be an interesting character but that didn't turn out to be the case. The book doesn't tell you much about her except she has curly hair, glasses and isn't a great student. There was minimal if any characterisation and I finished the book knowing the same amount about this character as I did at the start but caring way less.

The book needed an edit and to focus more on the character rather than the often confusing plot. I wanted dark academia with a witchy society and a mystery that was carefully unravelled. Instead, I got a headache and a wish I'd DNFd.

I will unfortunately not be finishing this book at around 30%. There was so much promise in this book, the plot is really good & the writing creates a beautiful, dark atmospheric setting. Unfortunately the thing that lets this book down is the characters and dialogue, it's just all so flat and just lacks any real depth, which is such a shame because I really did try to continue on with this book as the plot has so much promise. It's immediately evident that Wilson has pulled a lot of her inspiration from Ninth House, from Andromeda MC , (hello Galaxy Stern) who doesn't belong at the prestigious school , with it's secret societies and their elicit Magic, and lastly a trip to the underworld to save our damsel in distress (except this time it's not Darlington).
In terms of it being a Dark Academia, the main link is the setting, there's the odd mention of classes here and there but nothing in depth or 'academia' driven. I would've loved for some of the clues to include lessons.

Overall if the characters and dialogue was more developed I think I would have finished this book.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House for this eARC in return for my review.

2.5✨

In All the Devils, Andy discovers that her sister Violet, reported dead at Ravenswood Academy, may still be alive. Determined to uncover the truth, Andy uses her grandparents' influence to enrol at the prestigious school. As she investigates, she learns that Violet isn’t the only girl to have disappeared or died there.

The school is shrouded in mystery, with a secret society that looms over every scene, adding a suspenseful and eerie tone. The story often touches on themes of power and privilege, examining how these dynamics affect the characters and the unfolding mystery.

I found the characters in “All the Devils” somewhat lacking in depth, which made it difficult to connect with them. Andy, the protagonist, often came across as frustratingly passive, frequently unaware of what was happening around her and easily swayed by others. She would recognise that things were being kept from her, but instead of pushing for answers, she would quickly let it go, only for the issue to resurface later when the plot required it. The antagonists felt repetitive, with each one seeming like a slightly altered version of the previous, which diminished their impact on the story. Additionally, Andy’s tendency to draw illogical conclusions from conversations, seemingly to move the plot forward, was frustrating. There were moments when she was surprised by revelations that had been obvious from the start, further highlighting her lack of awareness and making it harder to root for her.

The writing felt overly descriptive, which at times made the narrative drag. There were moments where the prose became repetitive, with the same information being covered in both dialogue and lengthy passages afterwards, which often felt unnecessary.

The concept of “All the Devils” is intriguing and holds significant potential. The dark and mysterious boarding school setting was particularly engaging, although I felt the story could have leaned into this atmosphere more deeply to enhance its impact. While the idea was interesting, it felt like similar themes have been executed better in other works. More thorough editing might have refined the narrative and maximised its potential.

It had its engaging moments, particularly in the final stretch where the drama ramps up. However, the first 60% of the book felt slow and overly repetitive, and I was ultimately disappointed with the ending. While some readers might enjoy the dark boarding school setting and the dramatic climax, the lack of character development and the need for more editing detracted from my overall experience. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good fit for me, though I understand how others might find it enjoyable.

I have not posted the review anywhere other than here as I do not like to leave reviews under 3 stars for ARCs I received from NetGalley. This is purely for feedback purposes.

What an amazing concept. The setting was so vivid and moody and the plot was so fun — full of mysteries, magic and dark academia vibes! The plot really brings the rating up for me, it was clearly well thought out and plotted. The characters lacked a little depth in my opinion, but overall a fantastic read to add to your spooky season TBR! Thank you Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hmm so there was lots I liked about this. but I also had a few niggles.

I’m an absolute sucker for dark academia vibes and a boarding school mystery type read, so I had to try this one.

I loved the beginning, the atmosphere was brilliant, creepy and unsettling and I was so intrigued how it was going to play out.

Unfortunately, I ended up not being that enthralled by how things unravelled. There were lots of cool ideas and it did work, but something about it just didn’t appeal to me personally. Which is odd really seeing as I’m usually a lover of stories revolving around ancient gods.

I think partly, it was that I didn’t overly connect with the characters so I wasn’t as invested as I’d have liked. Plus, something that really irritated me was the amount of times the character Jae would reveal some new information he’d known all along. Then Andromeda would be like, ‘why didn’t you tell me?’ It did kind of end up making sense, but the repetition of this similar scenario got on my nerves.

There was lots to appreciate here - gothic boarding school vibes, secret society, demons, old gods, mystery and magic. Im sure lots of people would enjoy this book. I just feel like I’ve read things with similar themes that captivated me much more and had more character depth.
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Hooked from the very first chapter! This was such an atmospheric mystery read with lots of twists and turns. Loved the setting and the secret society element. My only note would be that it read more like young YA than upper YA in my opinion, so not as dark and gritty as I’d hoped.

This was a quick read, with immense potential - Andy’s dealing with his sister’s death, the secrets and the school setting.
I found the opening gripping, and expected the same level of engagement from the rest of the book.
The world building, a fresh world and concept and a characters revealed with their back stories, the plot, and the prose were all in the 3 stars band for me.
The mood setting was something that stood out - I often see it as a combination of the setting, the vibes, the writing and the plot. Here, I include the potential too.
The pacing was a bit uneven.
Overall I recommend this.

I had high hopes going into this one. The cover was atmospheric, the synopsis intriguing, getting ready for Autumn….great!
The book was a quick one to read, easy enough to follow, interesting storyline. All good.
Unfortunately, the delivery of it just didn’t seem to hit right. It felt rushed, more care could have been given when writing out the characters, they felt unrelatable and not a lot of individuality to them.
The world building also just felt flat. Overall, the feeling upon finishing the book, was that it could have used a bit more editing/ discussion.
The basis is there for the book to be excellent, it just didn’t quite deliver on this occasion.

2.5⭐️

This was a fun and quick read, getting me in the mood for Halloween with the supernatural elements. The concept is interesting and there was definitely a lot of potential there, however I found the execution was lacking - in particular it felt rushed and confusing at times and the characters very one dimensional.

There is definitely an intriguing premise here it just didn’t develop the way I hoped, however I can see why some readers may enjoy it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC of this book to review.

I won an ARC of this book at YALC 2023, and thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review via NetGalley.

First, the positives. I found the story very quick to get through, and I read the book in a matter of days. I think the concept is really interesting, and the story definitely had potential.

However, the execution was lacking for me. I didn’t hate the book at all, but I was mostly just bored. If it wasn’t such a quick read and an ARC, I probably would have DNFed. Everything felt a bit muddled and rushed. I wish the build up was a bit slower with more explanation.

I can forgive issues with the world building if I feel connected to the characters, but everyone felt very flat to me. I didn’t feel much towards anyone at all, and this just meant I was ultimately disinterested in what was happening.

I didn’t know much about All the Devils before I began reading, but unfortunately I ended up disappointed. The story turned out much more contemporary than I was expecting, and there wasn’t much of an atmosphere at all.

The ending came on very quickly and I wasn’t really satisfied by the resolution. I also felt there wasn’t really enough backstory to back up the development in characterisation with both Violet and Jae, especially because they were both integral to Andy’s story.

I think the idea behind this has potential, and if you connect with the characters, I can see why some people might enjoy this. However, it really wasn’t for me.

If you like the idea of a story having an academic setting, secret societies, and mythology, some other books I’d recommend are The Secret History, Ninth House, and The Devil Makes Three.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Ok so this book definitely exceeded my expectations. I finished it in a day, I just couldn't put it down!! The dark academia, secret society, gods, underworld, dark magic - yes to ALL!
I thought the writing was very good it kept me engaged through the whole story and the plot twists I did not see coming! I thought the world building was very detailed and i loved the relationship between Andy and Jae I thought it was very sweet. I'm hoping that there will be a sequel so we can see it blossom more, but I also think this book is perfect as a standalone.
Highly recommend!!

I was pretty stoked to read this one, as it had come up quite a lot on my IG feed and was pitched pretty heavily as dark academia. The potential was there- secret society, travel to the underworld, mythologies- but unfortunately, it fell flat. While I enjoyed the horror and fantasy themes, the characters were all very one dimensional, and plot holes abound. As a reader, I finished the book still knowing literally nothing of substance about the FMC, just bunch of surface level data points about her sister. No background information on their family, etc. This is not dark academia, it simply takes place at a school. There is none of the interpersonal relationship development and decay one expects from DA, even in a YA novel. Overall, this could have been great, but needed more depth and development of both plot and character.

Before I start there’s content that some readers might want to be forewarned about - check out at the end for more information.

This one started off with a killer first reveal about Andy’s recently deceased sister. But after managing to get enrolled at Violet’s prestigious (but also very mysterious) school, this had a very slow pace, and I really struggled to get into it and connect with Andy.

Sadly for me the pacing didn’t really pick up for a long while and whilst there were elements in here that did grab my attention (there are some dark events, dastardly characters trying to prevent Andy from finding out the truth), they didn’t pull me in fully. What I did enjoy about this one was that it started off as a supernatural read (here be devils and spells) if then flipped into Greek mythology inspired - for me that’s when it got more interesting.

I’m sure other readers might enjoy this one more than me.





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⚠️Content warning/potential spoilers: includes reference to leukaemia.

I absolutely loved the concept of blending dark academia with horror elements in this book. Ravenswood Academy is vividly depicted with its dark, moody atmosphere, especially the isolated greenhouse which adds a unique touch. The plot is fantastic, featuring secret societies, a trail left by a deceased sister, underworld mysteries, and plenty of magic.

While the academia aspect is more of a backdrop rather than a central focus—meaning our main character isn’t deeply involved in academic activities—I found the captivating plot more than made up for this. The characterisation could benefit from further development, but overall, the story's intriguing mix of elements kept me thoroughly engaged.