Genre: Fantasy, Dark Academia, Young Adult, Romantasy, and Fiction
Synopsis: Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend the rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school’s arched gates, there is no way out…except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side.
Wren Loughty is certain that this Decennial, she has what it takes to earn the nomination—unless, that is, her academic archrival Augustine Hughes steals her spot.
Irene Manette Bamford has never cared about playing by the rules. She’s willing to break whatever (and whoever) stands between her and getting the hell out of Blackwood, including her best and only friend, Masika Sallow.
Olivier Dupont gave up on securing the nomination ages ago. But after he meets Blackwood’s newest student, Emilio Córdova, he’ll do anything to keep Emilio from leaving him and crossing over to the Other Side—even if it means claiming the victory for himself.
All of them are determined to be Blackwood’s chosen candidate–and all of them would do anything to win. But none of them are prepared for what’s to come. Because this Decennial will be different. This time, the Decennial isn’t a celebration…it’s a competition. And there can only be one victor.
Six nominees. Four trials. Untold danger. Wren, August, Irene, Masika, Olivier and Emilio are about to learn: there are some fates worse than death.
⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️
Wren Loughty, Augustine Hughes, Irene Manette Bamford, Masika Sallow, Olivier Dupont, and Emilio Cordova are our six stars of Immortal Consequences—and I love a story with multiple viewpoints, so this was exciting! I. V. Marie does an impressive job of keeping each character distinct. Their quirks, ambitions, faults, and fears feel entirely their own, which is no small feat with just two characters—let alone six. Hats off to Ms. Marie!
That said, I came very close to not finishing this book.
The premise itself is intriguing: hundreds—if not thousands—of people die and are sent to a purgatory-like school, where they are trained to reap souls and guide them to their rightful place in the afterlife. It’s a compelling concept. Though, personally, I can’t help but think I’d be pretty upset if I died only to be sent straight back to school.
However, the pacing is where the story struggled for me. It moves slower than I would have liked, and the enemies-to-lovers dynamic takes up nearly 80% of the book to fully develop—despite never truly feeling like the characters were enemies to begin with. While there is an overarching plot unfolding in the background, it often feels stretched thinner than necessary.
Even so, the story never completely lost my interest. The plot itself was engaging enough (though quite slow) to keep me reading, and the twists were well executed. More often than not, I didn’t see them coming, and the reveal of the villain—or rather, villains—was genuinely surprising.
And yes, there is a book two in the works, and I will most likely read it just to see where the story goes from here. But I won’t be in a rush to pick it up—I’ll get there when I get there.
Star Rating: 3 stars
Content Rating: Violence, grief, and murder