WHEN WE WERE MONSTERS by Jennifer Niven
Elite boarding school. Isolated mansion. A handful of ambitious teens and their enigmatic mentor. What could possibly go wrong?
Pre-Reading Thoughts
I love a good “dark academia but make it claustrophobic” setup, so the premise had me hooked. The promise of psychological unraveling + storytelling-as-weapon felt very me.
Post-Reading
As I thought… The setting was deliciously gothic—snowstorms, candlelit secrets, and the slow tightening of a noose around the characters. Perfect atmosphere.
It surprised me by… Leaning more on introspection than thrills. There are plenty of moments where the characters sit and ruminate, which wasn’t always my speed—but I know lots of readers who love that kind of psychological peeling-back.
Music Pairing
🎵 Featured Song: “Seven Devils” by Florence + The Machine (because obviously).
🎶 Vibe Album: Strange Mercy by St. Vincent.
🎧 Artist Recommendation: Billie Eilish for the whispery menace that always feels one heartbeat away from chaos.
Vibe Check
🎨 Colour Palette: Snow white, candle-gold, and ink-black shadows.
🎼 Soundtrack: A string quartet tuning up in a haunted theater.
🍂 Season: Winter, sharp and endless.
😶 Mood: Creeping dread in an elegant package.
🌹 Scent: Old books, spilt wine, and smoke from a half-burned log.
Tarot Pull
🗡️ 7 of Swords, Nightfall Tarot — A man sneaks away from a camp under the moon, arms full of stolen blades. Secrets and betrayals cut sharp in this story, with ambition turning friend against friend in the dark.
For Fans Of
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (dark academia rivalries & betrayals)
The movie Black Swan (artistic obsession and psychological unravelling)