The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
on July 22, 2025
Published by Tor Nightfire Genres: Action & Adventure Fantasy, Dark Academia, Dark Fantasy, Dark Fantasy Horror, Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Fiction / Gothic, Fiction / Horror, Fiction / Occult & Supernatural, Fiction / Romance / Suspense, Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological, YA Dark Fantasy, YA Fantasy Horror, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Pages: 272 
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Source: NetGalley and the PublisherThank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to an early audiobook copy of The Library at Hellebore.
Let me start with this... Cassandra Khaw can write! I mean really write. Her style is rich, sharp, and unafraid to lean all the way into the eerie and grotesque. Her prose is like a knife wrapped in velvet, and it’s the reason I kept going even when the story itself hit a few bumps for me.
This book is dark academia reimagined as a survival horror story. On graduation day, the faculty turn into something monstrous, and what follows is pure chaos. The remaining students barricade themselves in a strange, sprawling library while the timeline slips between the "before" and the brutal "after." The tension builds steadily, and the atmosphere is thick with dread in all the best ways.
Where it excels:
The writing... Always the writing. Khaw has a gift for painting extremely vivid, haunting scenes that stick in your brain.
The concept is wild and fresh. Think magical school meets blood soaked nightmare.
The shifting timeline is used well, keeping things tense and layered.
But here’s where it falters a little for me:
Some of the dialogue tries a bit too hard to be clever and ends up feeling a little stiff or out of place.
A few characters, (especially Rowan), felt a little flat, like they were missing a layer or two of real depth.
If you’re hoping for heavy world building or a traditional dark academia vibe, you might be left wanting. This one leans much more into action and gore than magic theory or moody classroom scenes.
As for the format, this was one of the rare audiobook ARCs I’ve picked up. I’ll be honest, I'm just not an audiobook person. I'm a visual reader, and I read fast, and I tend to lose focus when listening. That’s a personal quirk, not a knock on the narration, but it definitely shaped my experience.
There’s no real romance here, so spice fans keep that in mind, unless you count blood, guts, and some sharp psychological edges. It’s not that kind of story, and it doesn’t try to be.
Bottom line? The Library at Hellebore is a grim, gripping story with an unforgettable voice. It’s not flawless, but it’s bold, bloody, and exactly what a certain corner of horror loving readers will devour. And even when the story stumbled for me, the writing alone makes it worth the read.
My Rating: 3.75 ⭐
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
I received this book for free from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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