Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a completely beloved author of sumptuous, historical novels so maybe you’re wondering why we’re tackling one of her novels for ‘The Dark Academicals’ - well, stick with us.

Gothic fantasy can be dark academia, plus it’s set in a big mansion, the summary speaks of secrets and mysteries and we’re a sucker for beautiful writing.

Now, Sophie has a tricky relationship with historical fiction and both of us had actually tried to read this before a few years ago and didn’t quite connect with it, but will the magic of the podcast transform this book for us? Will Gothic fantasy become dark academia?

Come along and find out.