I READ 5: dark academia books

[@sydneydenham5778]

I feel like If We We’re Villians requires an in depth knowledge of Shakespeare to truly appreciate it. And I have no interest in developing an in depth knowledge of Shakespeare

[@chandlerainsley]

HAH i was scared when i started reading this comment but honestly 10/10

[@abigase135]

True. I read it and enjoyed it but I know I would've loved it if I had knowledge or love for Shakespeare's work.

[@aimun5255]

Kinda but every Shakespeare play has been analysed to bits so even if you go into it just knowing the gist of it (like me lol, they don't teach those plays much where I live), it still has a good impact, what matters the most is if you like those sort of dramatics I'd say bc the vibe is pretty similar

[@SarahEsmaeWolfe]

I know nothing about Shakespeare but I loved this book purely for the characters so when she said the characters were flat I said WHAT out loud 😂

[@brittany9705]

I have no knowledge of Shakespeare and I absolutely loved this book...

[@BooksandLala]

I always *love* watching people read For Your Own Good! It's just such an entertaining read and seeing people get sucked in is just so fun.

[@BooksandLala]

& hear me out ... if you delete Bunny from the whole experiment, I believe you only needed a score of 14 to be able to claim a love of dark academia, and you got there. 😏

[@chandlerainsley]

HAH faaaaacts!!!

[@cammie3578]

I just started reading For Your Own Good and wow is it a treat. Bunny was my first taste of dark academia and I adored it. I have been chasing that feeling again and so far For Your Own Good is pretty fantastic.

[@humanbean4037]

I just started reading For Your Own Good and I’m not having a good time :c there’s just too much irritating phrases and things that the villain is doing that I doubt he will get comeuppance for and it just annoys me… even the title is kind of triggering for me. It’s the kind of feeling that makes me think the book is just trying to be edgy for edginess’s sake and not to help the plot or the characters along at all. I guess everyone else has a different experience tho? It’s such a slog so far

[@oliviabinda2052]

Heck yes, I love when Chandler delivers something I didn't even know I needed

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Adding some tension with the overall points system idea, love it, can't wait to see what score we end with

[@booksbyandby5985]

So excited for this as I haven't read many dark academia yet!

[@Dramione-27]

Haven't watched the video yet but wanted to say I am in love with the thumbnail 😍 So beautiful 👏

[@chandlerainsley]

thank you!! corralled my fiancé into taking it for me yesterday haha

[@onefocus5882]

That thumbnail! My photography brain is geeking out haha. Cannot wait to watch this video :)

[@rachheell123]

Bunny really isn’t nonsense. It’s all about the feelings of isolation and imposter syndrome that academia causes. I think if you’ve ever questioned your work and just felt like you are behind the group it’s super relatable.

[@abigase135]

I've been seeing it around for a while and wasn't interested til I read your comment.

[@rachheell123]

@@abigase135 I know its polarizing so I hope you like it :)

[@thewolfandherbooks]

The problem (which was my problem) is that people are reading it literally. I didn't realize it was satire/absurdist/dark comedy until after I finished it. There are so many themes to unpack.

[@melonramune]

agreed. it's not for everyone but saying it's nonsense just isn't true

[@sdg3639]

Weird seeing a video like this without The Secret History on it lol. Bunny has me so nervous, I own it but I’ve been procrastinating reading it for quite a while now. Glad you got close to your goal though , and now you know you’re reading taste a bit better.

[@chandlerainsley]

i have a copy of The Secret History but just couldn't bring myself to read it. tbh i have a 99% sure feeling that i'll hate it so why torture myself haha

[@SarahEsmaeWolfe]

I LOVE The Secret History!

[@t.a.summers]

Really glad you made this video and to hear your thoughts on these books.. "Bunny" and "If We Were Villains" are among the most polarizing Dark Academia reads I've heard from others, so I would have definitely said not to pick them up to start with. "Atlas Six", "The Lake of Dead Languages," or "Catherine House" are all ones I would have recommended alternatively along with the others you picked up. I'm also really enjoying "How We Fall Apart" by Katie Zhao, though I haven't finished it yet.

[@chandlerainsley]

i didn't personally love Catherine House but i'm reading Atlas Six later this year!

[@Magnolia29]

@@chandlerainsley I absolutely loved atlas six, until the last section. I really fell into the book and the characters and I thought It merged philosophy and magic together in such a cool way it really made me think. I just thought the ending absolutely dropped the ball, it felt empty and disconnected from the rest. I’m so excited for the next book to come out and redeem it though!

[@ninjaturtles12121]

such a great thumbnail!! it immediately popped/stood apart in my sub feed!

[@SamanthaPlansandReads]

I adore Bunny but totally get why most people hate it. It’s one of those books that I think you “get” if you’ve been in Samantha’s shoes before/have been in the literary or fine arts side of academia, but it seems totally insane to normal people. I loved that Mona Awad had a group of unhinged Borg-like writers literally killing their darlings and that she tapped into the sexual metaphor of “birthing” art/the self-indulgent act of creative writing. As you go on in the book it becomes clear what the actual distinction between Samantha and the Bunnies actually is, and it’s brilliant, perhaps one of my favorite twists ever in a novel. But again, I don’t think most people would like it - definitely not the novel to broadly recommend!

[@camilleareads355]

So glad to hear you enjoyed Ace of Spades!! Been excited to give that one a try!

[@eleonorarosato3766]

I loved Bunny, so much, but yeah it's weird and probably not for everyone. To be fair, although I have read it all, and loved it, I still have no idea what it is actually about. And that is one of the things why I love it so much, which makes it even more weird to me! A bit of the confusion could also be that I read probably the first half in English in ebook form while the second half in my own mother tongue in physical form so perhaps my head sees it as two different books.

[@jennawapstra3504]

the THUMBNAIL. 😍😍

[@KatieColson]

Omg I loved this video! I totally understand you not liking Bunny. It is definitely not palatable for everyone. I always cringe when someone says they’re reading it, ha. Cause I know they probably won’t like it. But I agree 1000% on For Your Own Good and Ace of Spades!!! I flew through those books with a quickness

[@sofiastj]

I'm obsessed with dark academia and I am so excited for this!

[@joellem625]

Highly recommend “Hollow Heathens” by Nicole Fiorina and “Gothikana” by author RuNyx they both have witchy, dark, fall, academia vibes with romance. And if you want mystery, academia, Knives out vibes “The Inheritance Games” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is an atmospheric fun read.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

ALL OF THESE ARE ON MY TBR 😩 well except ace of spades, already read that and loved it

[@thehornoftheunicorn]

I’ve read all the books you’ve mentioned excluding for your own good. Ace of Spades was probably my fave of your list and bunny was my least favorite. Love the video and your perspective!

[@GracewithBooks]

I loved watching you read all of these! I now definitely want to read "for your own good"

[@carolineblueskies]

Weirdly ok with "the things we thought were supernatural had a rational explanation," as long as it makes sense, but I HATE the reverse, when things are just explained away by a supernatural element at the end. But glad you enjoyed some of these reads! Ace of Spaces and If We Were Villains have been on my tbr for awhile and For Your Own Good sounds interesting.

[@courtney9602]

i'm only here to say your lipstick in the end of ace of spaces/beginning of if we were villains portion is absolutely *chef's kiss*

[@chandlerainsley]

thanks so much!!

[@aimun5255]

What I really loved about a lesson in vengeance is that it's genuinely confusing if there's supernatural elements or just psychological stuff going on

[@sydneemurphy7035]

I'm much more into gothic romance taking place at a dark academia setting. Like Gothikana by RuNyx

[@chandlerainsley]

i'm hoping to read that one soon!

[@wonderyearsdouche475]

The worst thing about prison was the dementors

[@LisaV87]

Since you liked For Their Own Good, I would highly recommend They Never Learn by Layne Fargo. I just finished it and loved it. Also, it’s an older book but one of my favorite dark academia books is Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris.

[@chandlerainsley]

i just read They Never Learn for a video coming in december! really enjoyed it

[@fena_reti]

Excuse me? How dare you with this thumbnail! The audacity of unapologetically looking this good ✋

[@yvetteb.4549]

Love your black bookshelf 🖤

[@chandlerainsley]

thank you!!

[@beetljam792]

i really liked iwwv andi think thats because i never thought of it as dark academia. even though the characters quote shakespeare it never really seemed pretentious or overly academic, just actors who really appreciate shakespeare, like the vibe was more character based and loose

[@maryhelen7588]

Bunny is one of the only books I've DNF'd in the last few years. I finished Part 1 and I was just like I CANNOT.

[@nathaliereads]

Yes yes yes to all your points about Bunny 👏

[@bebella9005]

I haven’t read any of these books so I don’t really have anything meaningful to say here, but still wanted to leave a comment for the engagement. Loved the video! 💜

[@chandlerainsley]

thank you!

[@eliananoei652]

Dark Academia : Goth sexy librarian is back on the menu boys! I should research hot academia characters * disappears down a google rabbit hole*

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

Goth sexy librarian is literally my dream job

[@meggieskettie]

Chandler my heart is broken at your Bunny review 🥲

[@lua_ferraz]

"This book is everything it's trying to critique" -- tbh this is spot on! I still can't tell if I found it was genius or just absolutely pretentious

[@bernadettemary2135]

i really liked "for your own good"! i gave it four stars too.

[@BookedandBusy]

Lmaooo I do not foresee you getting to 17.5 miss ma’am

[@BookedandBusy]

I love how put together you are in all your vlog clips. I could never 😂

[@avidlyreads2254]

I hated Bunny by Mona Awad (it was a DNF for me) but I loved All's Well by Mona Awad and that has dark academia vibes. You might like that one.

[@pandareads]

I want to read Ace of Spades and For Your Own Good so badly after watching this!!

[@wiktoriabadora1243]

this thumbnail omg 😍

[@aimun5255]

iwwv has such a specific target demographic so I get why you didn't like it that much, it's theatre kids taken to the max and the vibe is very particular, you'd only like it if you also liked the secret history

[@Magnolia29]

Absolutely, and I loved it. I loved that it told you exactly what was going to happen, a Shakespearean tragedy, and yet I was still completely hooked the entire time. It was the same as the secret history, in that it was following the characters decent into academic madness. It was great

[@aimun5255]

@@Magnolia29 righttt, like sometimes I just want to see characters spiral AND the story has to be engaging enough to let me sink into it, if you keep thinking about how pretentious and ridiculous things are you're just not going enjoy it!!

[@haileyhughes]

let’s go girly i just filmed my dark academia vlog & i’m so excited to see if our tastes align hehehe

[@haileyhughes]

OK CHECK ✅✅ i felt the exact same way about the ending of ace of spades !!!

[@haileyhughes]

let me be honest for a moment……. the only reason i enjoyed bunny was bc i felt so seen as a grad student lmfaooo.. the story/plot itself was frustrating to me but it captures the higher education experience in such an accurate way that i fell in love with it. i guess you could call it……stress rep🥲 that’s the best way i can describe it hahaha

[@dr_ficticitybooktube3911]

Loved this 🤩

[@booksandlifewithlaura2143]

Ace of Spades and For your own good are great books. I was 90% sure that you will love them 😄 I thought that If we were villains was okay book and that's why I didn't understand why so many readers gave five stars to If we were villains. If you want the really good dark academia book which is thriller, I can highly recommend They never learn by Layne Fargo 😊

[@crystalsbookishlife]

I'm dying to hear what you think of If We Were Villains BUT I'm gonna be good and not speed through it lol

[@crystalsbookishlife]

100% agree...I did not understand why everyone loves that book. Pretentious AF and...dull lol. BUT you haven't gotten to the end yet...

[@KS-ks6wz]

Really hope you also try In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. It’s a friendship group that’s really twisted and scandalous. It jumps between two timelines- college reunion and college days, so dark academia. Short chapters and quite fast paced.

[@chandlerainsley]

recently purchased that one! it's on my tbr for next year :)

[@shiannebowlin2736]

I relate to this so much. I want to be the person who loves Dark Academia, but I can never get into them. I need to accept it at this point and just move on🤷‍♀️

[@haileyfaust5240]

Lol as someone who was a drama major in undergrad, I can attest. People in theatre really do talk like the characters in If We Were Villains haha

[@lbhreads]

devastating that ‘the secret history’ isn’t in this

[@chandlerainsley]

i would have hated it tbh

[@monikaliane]

Bunny is sounding like that episode in charmed where a group of girls made pets into their lover which then turned bad

[@Robin-qd9yf]

The thumbnail!!!!! Pretty asf!!!!!!!

[@aimun5255]

For ace of spades, I'm kinda disappointed bc the marketing of the story just told TOO much so I was unsurprised by almost all the plot twists, I'd recommend you go into it knowing as little as possible

[@wrigleyextra11]

HAIR UP CHANDLER THO unfair how pretty you areere

[@iarpita]

okay, just one question: did you like the ending of For Your Own Good?? It was a touch of something wicked, wasn't it??

[@chandlerainsley]

i did enjoy it!

[@aliciaguzman]

Maybe it is just me but I don't gravitate towards Shakespearian works.... I find them to be dense and dated.

[@kaetlynblazon6311]

I totally agree that books should either be supernatural or not. I hate when they pretend it is and then there’s a different explanation.

[@alliewithbooks]

As much as I love Shakespeare, I've never been able to get past page 100 of If We Were Villains and I've attempted to read it twice. I want to try to give it one more try, but unless it goes a total 180 I probably wouldn't give it more then 3 stars.

[@Magnolia29]

Definitely give it another try! It’s one of my favourites, if you like the secret history it is a similar story of a group of students falling into academic madness. It’s so good

[@booksourexistence2153]

Great! Thanks.... 💜♥️💜

[@dancersmind]

Ah your nail color is all the fall vibes! What color is it pleas

[@chandlerainsley]

thanks! it's actually dip powder... i don't know the brand but the shade is chocolate chip

[@Hillary429]

That thumbnail! 🤩

[@ninjaturtles12121]

i want dark academia romance ! any suggestions?

[@moodyfloral6234]

Gothikana by RuNyx is a gothic dark academia (dark-ish) romance!

[@wiktoriabadora1243]

completely agree about Oliver being boring! his motivations made absolutely no sense and the Shakespeare quotes were so pretentious 💀

[@mariaeduardacoelho1104]

i loved this video!

[@thebestiebooksleeve]

I think a “better” version of if we were villains (without Shakespeare) is In My Dreams I Hold A Knife.

[@chandlerainsley]

i've been hearing that and i'm glad since i just bought a copy haha

[@wonderyearsdouche475]

FIRST! WOOOOO! PARKOUR!..... you're a beautiful spirit, fly free and know that love follows you miss

[@blackcockdown8516]

What a sweet comment stranger👍

[@ali_enchanted]

Lol "needlessly verbose" is the PERFECT description for Bunny. I didn't like it either 😬

[@user-bk8qv4lv6o]

i can’t believe you read if we were villains (the knock off secret history) instead of the secret history:(

[@chandlerainsley]

i had a really good feeling i would hate it so i chose not to do that to myself ;)

[@toribrookss]

loved Ace of Spades although the ending wrapped up a little TOO easily for me and i wanted a bigger "fuck you" moment for the perpetrators too!

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

“When your whole personality is being a theater kid” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fans: 👀

[@tamzinlittle5295]

What is your lipstick in the end of the ace of spades section? It’s gorgeous!

[@chandlerainsley]

tbh good question, it's one of the maybelline ink crayons but i can't for the life of me remember the color. i'm thinking probably enjoy the view!

[@ReadwithStefani]

Where is your necklace/pendant from please Chandler? It looks like a compass and I've been for one for ages. Thank you!

[@chandlerainsley]

ferkos fine jewelry!

[@andrewannotates]

Oh hell yeah

[@emilyfellows3341]

That thumbnail is 👩🏼‍🍳💋

[@maddyvogel4525]

My problem with dark academia is that most times, the book is more about the vibes than the story. Vibes are important, but the plot actually has to be interesting. When I saw the thumbnail, I thought you might read The Atlas Six, and am just gonna say you’d probably not be into it. Very much style over substance.

[@chandlerainsley]

oh noooo lol i'm reading it later this year!

[@eminasljivo9241]

i actually completely disagree, i honestly think dark academia is one of the only aesthetics that focuses on actual relevant subjects and lifestyle as a whole. people may perceive it as only vibes and what not, but honestly its so much more than that i reccomend doing a bit of research and not focus on mainstream dark academia aspects.

[@annibtj]

why did i think u were going to say ‘very straight’ instead of ‘very strange’ when u were talking abt the bunny girls LOL

[@lakeshagadson357]

i love only romantic i really dont realate to action books or movies.

[@andrewseegulam8682]

Can someone explain the 17 thing to me? 😂

[@amberrhea5293]

I feel like you really can't say anything about Bunny because if you say what it's actually about, it ruins the whole thing. It came together in the end. I don't think it has anything to do with academia. That wasn't really what I think the overall theme was supposed to be. That being said, I hated it. Every single moment of it. I've never seen someone use the word masturbate in every sentence when it makes absolutely no sense. I probably won't ever read anything by her again. It felt like "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" but done in a very poor way.

[@tamannxsharma]

i think your reviews were a little too spoilery this time chan (especially the one for a lesson in vengeance) sksksksk but im still going to pick up all 5 books so you did what you had to, queen

[@viktoriabazyk8193]

if we were villains is probably the most overhyped book on booktube🙄 it's got the flattest characters i've ever seen and no substance at all. i wish someone wrote a better ya-adjacent dark academia book already so that iwwv falls into oblivion like it should

[@chandlerainsley]

i've heard good things about Atlas Six! might fit the bill though i don't totally know because i'm not a synopsis reader haha. reading that one later this year and will report back!

[@ManEatingTeddyBear]

Bunny does not get better. You did yourself a service by DNF-ing it. God, I wish that were me.

[@jlee8948]

Interesting experiment! Do you think you'll continue to pick up dark academia in the future?

[@chandlerainsley]

i think if it's a thriller probably! not really into the more "literary" stuff

[@elize3137]

I don't know who said Ace of Spades is dark academia, but it's not. It has nothing to do with dark academia.

[@chandlerainsley]

i mean there's no formal definition of dark academia. but it's got dark themes and is set at school so :)

[@listenwithprecious]

Bery scientific 🧪 🧫 🤯

[@lakshmimohan1248]

Staring at the thumbnail a little too much