This is by far the best book I have read this year! Beautifully written & atmospheric. Reading this was like witnessing a car crash in slow motion. There is an impending sense of doom that pulls you throughout. Our two main characters relationship is at once achingly intimate and layered with cruelty. This is a stunningly twisted story of the line between love and obsession. Every detail you l learn changes you perceive then details you already have. An unreliable and often contradictory narration. I could talk for hours about the line between what we are told about the characters and what is being shadowed due to are narrators low self worth. The lengths they will go to make the other ‘happy’ leads to them committing an act of violence that hooked me until I couldn’t put this down until I found out what happened.

Thank you NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for sending me this ebook. All thoughts are my own.

Don’t think I didn’t notice that this book is being published on January 16th, the same day Paul and Julian first met. An absolutely delicious fact. “January 17th, 1973, he wrote, more neatly than usual because he pictured the biographer making a note if it. Yesterday I met someone I believe will prove very important.”

I genuinely think this is one of the best books I have read all year (2024). I loved it so much that it’s going to be difficult to put into words. The writing style is undeniably beautiful and captivating from the start. Somehow it managed to be a perfect blend of dark and twisted, whilst also being stunningly intimate - “It was a relief and a horror to be known so perfectly.” Paul and Julian were fascinating characters, who we get such a rich understanding of that any decision they make seems to make perfect sense. All the while, you sort of never know exactly where you stand or how far things might go. I could have read thousands of pages of them together. I think I might be as obsessed and in love with them as they are each other?

Everyone should read this. I already want to reread it. And I am certain it will stick with me for a long time. It is such a welcome and refreshing addition to dark academia, that if you have liked any others in the genre, you need to pick this up.

Wow, an utterly amazing read.
Thrilling, chilling and intriguing, this is a story that touches your soul.
Emotional and riveting, it’s extremely difficult to put down.
Beautifully written yet shocking at the same time.
It is truly compelling and will no doubt haunt you long after you’ve finished that final page.
Simply put gut-wrenchingly great.
Highly recommended with a well deserved 5 Stars.

This is a dark academia book following Pail and his toxic and unhealthy obsession with Julian.

I can’t really tell you if my brief description of the book is accurate because by the time I got to the 18% mark (the point I decided to DNF), absolutely NOTHING HAPPENS!!

Okay, so the first chapter/ prologue or whatever was exciting but then after that, it was so dull. I need more excitement in my life as opposed to a book filled with wishy washy descriptive writing and pretentious debates.

It’s one of those well written, arty, trying to go for a load of fancy awards kind and book. I’m sure it will be really popular but it’s a big no from me as it’s not a style of book I enjoy.

Also it’s marketed as a thriller, but from what I read, I would totally disagree!

4.25 OR 4.5.....STILL WONDERING AND JUST SAT HERE LIKE WTF

I'll give 4 stars for now because I'm still wondering about this. But all I can say is HOLY CRAP was I locked in. Straight away that opener got me. Damn

I got so wrapped up into the story that I was surprised at myself to be honest. There are parts that I thought weren't very needed that dragged out the story a tad, so that's probs the rating is that for the moment. But, I couldn't help but root for these two but also hate them at some points. That ending line. The ending in general to the honest. But wow. So so so glad to have finally read this!

I feel as if this is a book that will always be in the back of my mind, crawling around somewhere and will just let itself be known at random times. And I welcome that to happen!

Thank you ever so much to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for the ARC

4.5

I was HOOKED on this book from the very first page. It has been compared with The Secret History and I found the prose to be very The Secret History -esque. I also found Paul, like Richard Papen, to be an unreliable narrator. A fever dream of obsession unfurled itself from within these pages. Paul and Julian had such an all consuming relationship that led them to such violence, I don't see how it could of ended any other way. The chess play analogy was so clever and it definitely gave way for you to choose how to see it.

DNF’ed at 38%

I am really sad about it, but I think this book just isn’t for me. I can’t get into the writing style. There’s a lot of overwriting which made the story drag on and made me get distracted a lot. I feel like continuing to read this book would simply not be worth my time, because I have a lot of other books to read that I would love more than this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Magpie Books for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book really was addictive and good. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the characters, the obsessive love that unites them.
The writing style really kept glued to the pages.
It was like descending a staircase into madness. Loved it.
Instagram post to come!

These Violent Delights is a novel about two college students whose obsessive relationship leads them towards violence. In 1970s Pittsburgh, Paul starts college as a quiet loner, still grieving his father. He meets Julian in his ethics class and they are drawn to each other against the world, but Julian is unpredictable and Paul believes himself never good enough. As they play a game thinking up murder methods and grown increasingly obsessed with each other against their families' wishes, they end up on a path that seems unable to have a happy ending.

I've wanted to read this book for a long time and now it is finally being published in the UK. It didn't disappoint: it is all-consuming, written in a suitably pretentious way that delves into the depths and details of Paul and Julian, not painting Paul as some victim but as them both as flawed and all too obsessed not only with each other but with their own importance against the rest of the world. The narrative is third person but always follows Paul, which I wouldn't have expected but actually works well to keep you always looking in on their relationship and not actually being addressed by Paul himself. The story itself is pretty simple, and I liked how this is far more of a character study than any kind of thriller (fittingly similar to The Secret History, which is tricky not to compare this to even though These Violent Delights is much less "dark academia" because their obsession is with each other and not something academic).

Nemerever's author's note at the end really sums up this book's focus on late teenage queer relationships and how the lines between love, obsession, and toxicity can become very blurred, particularly for queer people and for people who have to position their feelings as them against the world (as this book's characters explicitly do, à la Brideshead). If that's the sort of book you like, then These Violent Delights is a delightful example of the genre, and for me it was exactly the sort of book I enjoy, focusing properly on the characters and their ideas and relationship.

Absolutely loved this.

I had absolutely no idea where it was going, felt the claustrophobia of a doomed narrative, dreaded every second, and couldn't put it down. Not to be dramatic, but it was so dark I feel completely exhausted and consumed and exposed. Just going to stare at a blank wall and think about the ending for the next few hours.

Paul and Julian are the blueprint for toxic codependency (affectionate).

Thank you to Oneworld Publications, Magpie Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved the premise and the plot, this was a fantastic dark academia story with morally grey characters and questionable ethics. However, I did struggle with the writing a little bit! It didn’t flow amazingly for me and it felt a little overwritten in some parts. Overall it was a great read with fascinating characters.

I devoured this one. Secret History meets Call Me By Your Name!? I mean, come on! With each page I felt more consumed by the ominous knowledge that our two main characters were heading straight towards disaster, Micah so beautifully scatters the paths we walk upon with all of these bright, blazing red flags and with each red flag we encounter us as a reader we seem to feel helplessly out of control and increasingly filled with dread for our characters. The ending of this book will stay with me for years. A true masterpiece and a devastating piece of literature.

This is how you do dark academia.
Julian is a trust fund baby, perpetually surrounded by people and seemingly destined for greatness. Paul is a nervous, Jewish boy; strange, lonely, and unable to slot himself into the expectations of the world around him. Together they fall into an obsessive relationship that borders on cruelty, affection, and need.

The prose was Donna Tartt level and I highlighted at least something every paragraph.
The explorations of philosophy and how we shape ourselves to fit the mould of society is breathtakingly poignant and gut-punchingly real.

<b>”All most people care about is pretending everyone is exactly the same as they are, and he wasn't, he couldn't be, he knew too much about what the world really is. Those people don't care about anything except reinforcing their own fucking normalcy by making you reflect it back at them—"
</b>
Ineluctable Julian is ravenously curious and diffident Paul is quietly raging. Together, they create a dark duo of yearning hunger.

<b>They wanted each other in the way of flesh wanting to knit itself together over a wound.
</b>
If The Secret History, The Picture of Dorian Grey, A Little Life, and Real Life had a baby, you would have this delectably deranged, derisive, desperate book.

The ending of this book was perfect and I feel utterly lost and bereaved finishing this incredible story..

Dark Academia is a genre that in theory I love but that can be hit and miss for me in practice. This however was everything I wanted in dark academia - obsession, atmosphere and psychological horror. Brilliant.

These Violent Delights is honestly one on the best books I've had the chance to read. It is a triumph of the horror genre, masterfully blending dark academia with psychological horror and toxic co-dependency to create an atmospheric and unforgettable read.

I found the prose comparable to other genre veterans such as M.L. Rio and Donna Tartt - using violence and possession as a toxic form of love which just perfectly draws the reader into the twisted world.

From the first chapter, where the audience is clued in to the horrors we are to expect, I was captivated. This book left me haunted, horrified and enamoured in equal measures and it’s one of those books that will stay with me forever.

I’m not sure if I should be more concerned that someone can write a story like this so magnificently on their first try; or more concerned by how much I enjoyed every single moment. I could have read on forever.

I am not going into detail on the plot (as a story like this needs to be experienced), but all I will say is that this might be one of the easiest 5-star ratings I’ve ever given. The toxic, obsessive, and downright terrifying (in that, I-can’t-look-away-even-if-I-wanted-to way) relationship between Paul and Julian is one of the most incredible achievements of writing that I have found.

If you like twisted stories, an impeding sense of dread and books that invade your brain so entirely your partner will stop you to check you’ve taken your meds (which I had – my brain was just not in the real world); then PLEASE, do yourself a favour and go read this monstrously alluring book.

These Violent Delights is an intelligently twisted tale of toxic friendship and stifled queerness between two teenage boys who display some sociopathic tendencies. Paul and Julian’s relationship is at the heart of this novel all told from Paul’s perspective and while it may seem like a slow, quiet novel, it just heightens the uncomfortable nature of the book. Watching their relationship unfold, thinking on boy is the “villain” and the other is the “victim” and then seeing the dynamic wrap and shift into something entirely unexpected was fascinating to read and really plays on your morality.

The ending was confusing but after doing some research I found I understood Nemerever’s intent and thought it was the perfect ending! A very peculiar book, indeed.

3.5

This book became one of my favorites dark academia books, perfect for the autumn and winter season!

The story is set in early 1970s Pittsburgh and the main characters Paul and Julian are two college students both very intellectual and charismatic. They share a deep but also fragile bond and in my opinion they also have one of the now-a-days so called “toxic relationship”.

The whole novel reminded me of The Secret History but it has also something more that makes this reading special. The narration is fast-paced and the theme of violence and death is a constant but nonetheless I enjoyed it.

There surely is no lack of plot twists and as Shakespeare said "These violent delights have violent ends" which kinda explains the whole ending.

pail and Julian could not be any different in character. Paul is softer while Julian is more worldly. But the two men, when they meet, find they have a connection...but is it a good one....

This book is beautifully written and the characters are well portrayed. The author has a good writing style and I felt that the author has put their personal emotions and feelings into writing this book..

I loved the unfolding of the story and while there were bits I didn't like it is a book worth recommending..