Just So Stories

Walker Books

Synchronicity yet again. For one thing my other YA review for Halloween is also dark academia, full of privilege vs scholarship, ruthlessness, power-hungry educational institutions, murder/s, set in an elite institution. And, also, as I’ve just re-read via audiobook The Book of Dust #1 & #2 and the setting of Oxford with references to such stuff as Town v Gown, the colleges, the prestige.

Eva has dreamed of attending Oxford her entire life, particularly as it was also her late mother’s dream for both herself (unsuccessfully) and her daughter. Her father is a much-lauded detective and it’s clear that his ability to ferret out truth has rubbed off on his girl.

It’s interview week and Eva has arrived at Oxford for the in-person residential days over which time she and other applicants, including her boyfriend, George, will be scrutinised for their acceptability to this most illustrious of educational settings.

She knows she’s up against it: not only is she mixed race but state school, and being clever and capable isn’t necessarily the criteria for this place. At least George and another applicant are also from state schools. But when the Reapers arrive, five boys from the country’s most elite public school, she knows not only is George hiding something from her, but suspects that the leader of this entitled pack, Seb, has a grudge against him.

There are only five places on offer for Beecham College – will it be the Reapers who scoop the pool? Will there be any opposition? Is this selection process quite literally cuthroat?

When George is found dead, it is deemed a tragic accident, but Eva – always the detective’s offspring – strongly suspects it’s murder. Although she doesn’t count on being suspected of the act herself. I don’t know a lot about Oxford’s agenda for selecting its undergraduates, but I’m fairly sure that it wouldn’t be one like this (even leaving out the murders).

However, let’s remember this is fiction even if the setting is an actual place. It’s very twisty and tricky, with plentiful red herrings, including misleading threads, secret societies and codes and just general smoke & mirrors, as befits a good murder mystery.

Readers may have a visceral reaction to some of the characters, just as I did. I really did dislike Seb immediately but also I didn’t like George either – and that was well before I knew his dark secret. I think it’s just as well Eva hadn’t slept with him. Also, poster girl Lily is really annoying. Let’s face it, we always need to have a wide cast of possible murderers and while I was fairly sure by the end that I had the right person, one can never be entirely certain.

Astute readers will definitely go deeper into the layers with the commentary on racism, slavery, ‘old boys’clubs’, privilege and power while others will be content to read it at its surface level as a whodunnit. It is, apparently, the start of a series so it will be interesting to see what comes next. All in all, it’s a good romp through blood and deceit and YA readers from around 14 or so will enjoy it. It’s a 4 🛡️🛡️🛡️🗡️rating from me.