*This article contains spoilers for the novel A Lesson in Vengeance

Picture this.  You’re a young woman, sent by your wealthy parents to a gaunt and haunted boarding school in the forested hills of New England. Secret societies are abundant, and technology is thrown out the window. You spend your days as an academic, researching your thesis, getting tarot readings, and researching the ancient deaths of past students.

A Lesson In Vengeance by Victoria Lee is a full embodiment of the dark academia aesthetic, which makes it such an enjoyable read. (For context, I finished it in less than 24 hours. It was that good.)

The girls are always clutching cigarettes, dressing in tweed, and lighting candles to illuminate the room. It’s a budding environment that allows the reader to envision the novel in a timeless manner. 

Underneath the academic school, is a web of competition and secret societies. Girls spill their blood over skulls, swear themselves as witches, and are then haunted by their past. Some only see it as a game, and others, like main character Felicity, realize just how real it all is. 

With them doused in this aesthetic, there is still a clear portrayal of them as modern teenagers. Some of them have cell phones, their hobbies are modernized, and their parties, surely, haven’t changed from typical teenagers. With this aspect fitted in, the style and tone of the school isn’t seen as unrealistic. They are still modern teenagers; they are just also academics.

Along with the gorgeous setting and mood, there is a heartwarming romance between Felicity and her fellow house-mate Ellis. As Ellis joins the school to write her second novel, she ropes Felicity into helping her, and this leads to them being nearly inseparable.