Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy)

By I.V. Marie

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

Six ‘inconvenient acquaintances’, four trials, one chance to escape an eternity of nothingness. New York Times Bestseller Immortal Consequences, the debut novel by American author I.V. Marie, is the first half of a duology about the trials of students at Blackwood Academy. The school is a training ground for magic and reapers, a mysterious space in purgatory that holds the balance of the Underworld in the hands of not-quite-dead teenagers. The only escape is being chosen for the Decennial and becoming Ascended, where the full spectrum of magic can be accessed and reaping souls is off the cards for eternity. Everyone wants to be chosen – until they are.

Ten students are chosen, an unprecedented announcement is made that the Decennial will be a competition, and suddenly it is every student for themselves. Or is it? Amid unlikely alliances, uncomfortable feelings, and undisclosed secrets, the six top students of Blackwood find themselves unquestionably linked in their quest for the top spot and the salvation of both the academy and the Underworld.

Skipping between multiple points of view, allowing the layers of each character to unfold like a slow-blooming flower, teenage angst is brought to life amid rich magic and dark fears of the unknown. With trickles of rivals to romance bleeding through tiny crevices woven within the story, and enough mystery and intrigue to make readers wonder what is actually happening and who is really doing the right thing, Immortal Consequences would suit anyone beginning to wade into darker fantasy books. For readers 14-years and up, Blackwood Academy is a great place to get lost in the pages of dark academia.

Teaching Resources

Electric Monkey 2025

I V Marie