Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Annelie Geissler
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

UNHALLOWED HALLS

Lili Wilkinson

DARK ACADEMIA.WITH DEMONS. A teen girl travels to an exclusive boarding school after a deadly incident at her old school, but the wood-paneled halls of Agathion are built over centuries of secretsincluding an ancient society which may have ties to demonic magicin this dark academia fantasy perfect for fans of Curious Tides.

Page Whittaker has always been an outcast. And after the deadly incident that destroyed her single friendship at her old school, she needs a fresh start. Which is why when she receives a scholarship offer from Agathion College, an elite boarding school folded deep within the moors of Scotland, she doesn't even consider turning it down. Agathion is everything Page has ever wanted: a safe haven full of dusty books, steaming cups of tea and rigorous intellectual debate. And for the first time in her life, Page has even managed to become part of a close group of friends. Cyrus, Ren, Gideon, Lacey and Oak help her feel at home in Agathion's hallsthe only problem is, they're all keeping secrets from her. Page doesn't know it yet, but her perfect new school has dark rootsroots that stretch back to its crooked foundation, and an ancient clandestine society with rumored ties to demonic magic. Soon, Page will be forced to learn that not everyone at Agathion is who they say they are. Least of all, her friends. Agathion claims to teach its students history.but some histories should stay buried. Lili Wilkinson is the author of nineteen novels published in Australia, including Green Valentine, The Boundless Sublime, and After the Lights Go Out. She established the Inky Awards at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria. Lili has a PhD in creative writing from the University of Melbourne and spends most of her time reading and writing books for teenagers. Her fantasy novels include A Hunger of Thorns and Deep Is the Fen.

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Book Published 2025-02-18 by Random House/Delacorte

Comments

Teenage Page Whittaker thinks "it feels too romantic to be real" after she accepts a scholarship to attend prestigious Agathion College, a boarding school for "gifted" kids located on the Scottish moors, in this expertly crafted dark academia fantasy novel by Wilkinson (Deep Is the Fen). Obsessed with gothic literature, Page finds Agathionwith its tall spires, gargoyle statues, and student body fluent in Latin and Greekto be an academic's dream, especially after the nightmare that was her former school, where she was involved in a deadly incident. But the timing of her scholarship is suspicious, and Page starts to wonder if sheand all the other students with their troubled pastswas brought here for a reason. Covert clubs, dangerous tests of wits, and a mystery shrouded in dark magic and strange and ancient secrets unfurl in this stunning foray whose skillful plotting is reminiscent of Donna Tart's The Secret History. Painterly descriptions of a rainy gothic atmosphere punctuated by suspense, horror, and humor as experienced by a dynamic and intersectionally diverse found-family cast feel at once as classic as its inspirations, and as an invigorating reinvention of the genre.

In Wilkinson's dark-academia novel, a Florida teen accepts a scholarship to a venerable boarding school in the Scottish moors, only to find that the school's leaders have sinister plans for her. Page Whittaker wants to live a life of the mind, and Agathion College promises just that: a challenging education debating great works of literature in a place steeped in gothic romance. Grand and enigmatic, Agathion is everything Page dreamed, though she is unprepared for the rigorous education and lifestyle; the magisters are so deeply immersed in Greek philosophy that their outdoor education even includes charioteering. Page is welcomed by a tight-knit group of students who hint at Agathion's roots in ancient magic, but they don't fully trust her. Instead, they're keeping an eye on Page, wondering why the magisters wanted her. Wilkinson skillfully creates an atmosphere of dread and mystery as she gradually reveals the horrible truth of the magisters' labyrinthine plot and Page's past. Mixing classical literature, folk magic, and a bit of cosmic horror, this novel will appeal to fans of dark magic and atmospheric settings.