| First Written | 2026 |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Origin | US |
| Publisher | Harper Voyager |
| My Copy | library audiobook |
| First Read | August 25, 2026 |
Katabasis
Notes
I read this at the same time as Casey Scieszka's The Fountain, and both books feature a young woman protagonist who is sort of emotionally stupid. Like in the Katniss Everdeen model of 'I don't know when someone is trying to help me' and 'that guy I can't stand also hates me, he is definitely NOT in love with me'. I think it would have been less noticeable if I hadn't been reading both books and comparing them at the same time.
Noted on August 25, 2026
Sadly as the book progressed I started thinking of it in terms of the tropes it probably was marketed by ('Dark Academia', 'Enemies to Lovers') and this was kind of distressing. It's not a trope-y book, it's really better than that. It just broke my reading a bit.
Noted on August 25, 2026
Two Analytic Magick grad students undertake a Dantean journey through the Eight Levels of Hell to find their advisor, so he can write them one last letter of recommendation. And all the hells are grad-school themed. This is more fun than it sounds like it's going to be?
Noted on August 25, 2026
I could have sworn this book was on all the front bookstore tables when I did my Dracula Daily tour in 2023. But apparently this was only published this year in 2026?
Noted on August 25, 2026