Day’s YA: OXFORD BLOOD

OXFORD BLOOD by Rachael Davis-Featherstone
9781250342300
1/13/26
Wednesday Books
Ages 13-18

E-galley available on Edelweiss and NetGalley

Eva has always dreamt of studying at Oxford University, so when she and her best friend / boyfriend, George, both snag invites to Interview Week—a cutthroat week of interviewing with tutors and professors—she’s excited and nervous to have a chance to secure her place at Oxford, and at Beecham College. Within Oxford, Beecham College is highly regarded as the top college for students studying English, and Eva has planned to spend her week trying to set herself apart from the ultra-competitive elite academics and impress the tutors enough to be offered a coveted spot. But when she finds George dead at the base of a controversial statue in the quad, and the anonymous student forum, Oxford Slays, names her as the prime suspect, she suddenly has one week to not only secure her future, but also solve George’s murder and prove her innocence.

This dark and twisty thriller had me on the edge of my seat. It’s a high-stakes murder mystery, but made even more fun with an ivy-clad school setting, a nefarious secret society, and an anonymous forum that adds a touch of Gossip Girl drama. It’s also an honest examination of privilege, classism, and racism, as Eva navigates the interview process as a mixed-race Black student. This is dark academia at its best, diving into the darker side of the genre. Not to mention that the author is an Oxford alum, so the writing is authentic and inspired by some of her own experiences (minus the murder). I’d recommend this to anyone who devoured the academic setting of BABEL, the secret societies of NINTH HOUSE, the thrilling drama of ACE OF SPADES, or the murder-solving protagonist of A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER.

Happy reading!
<3 Emily

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