Oxford Blood by Rachel Davis Featherstone

Title: Oxford Blood

Author: Rachel Davis Featherstone

Genre: Mystery, Dark Academia, Young Adult

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 1^st September 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352

Price: $22.99

Synopsis: For fans of A Good Girls Guide to Murder and The Secret History, this riveting murder mystery thriller from a brilliant new voice in YA fiction explores themes of privilege, prejudice and identity.

Eva has one dream: to study English at Oxford University. Not only will she receive a world-class education, getting into Oxford is a pass to freedom.

But when Eva and her best friend George are invited to Interview Week, they find themselves part of a kill-or-be-killed competition on an anonymous student forum, Oxford Slays. When Eva finds George dead on the steps of a statue in the college, she knows he’s been murdered – but all eyes are now on her. Can she clear her name, catch the true killer and win her place at Beecham College?

Eva has one week to prove her innocence, and Oxford Slays will be watching.

Ace of Spades meets The Secret History in this riveting murder mystery thriller, full of narrative twists and turns, complex and appealing characters and a captivating, authentic setting – set against the backdrop of an important message about the true cost of privilege.

~*~

Dark Academia is gaining popularity, and there are so many great new books in this relatively new genre coming out. One of the latest dark academia books for young adults is Oxford Blood by Rachel Davis Featherstone. Eva Dawkins is headed to Beecham College for interview week with her best friend, George. But when they arrive, they’re greeted by competition, elitism and outdated attitudes from a private school where every boy expects they’ll get in. The Reapers, or the Reapington students have an agenda, it seems. Get in at all costs. Don’t let anyone they see as less than achieve something more than them. Eva slowly makes friends with Lily, Tessa, Xander and James, but there’s always something lurking in the shadows.

And when that thing lurking in the shadows ends with George lying dead next to an important statue, Eva is drawn into a murder investigation, which seems to be driven by gossip on an anonymous student forum called Oxford Slays. And as one of the only Black girls there for interview week, she’s determined to solve the case and prove that she belongs at Oxford. After all, she’s worked just as hard as the toffs she’s up against during the interviews to get there. As a mixed-race student, Eva knows that the world is complex, that things aren’t fair or equitable and that there’s a hefty dose of racism or discrimination going around. It might not always be obvious, but it is there. And Eva is never afraid to call things out, to state how she feels, and to fight to make change. Even if that change and revolution has to start small, and build to something bigger. Every little bit counts.

Throughout the novel, there are trails and clues that indicate what is going on might not be as straightforward as it seems at first. Assumptions lead to mistakes and revelations about certain people. And for Eva, learning to trust some of the other students there for interview week is crucial. She can’t solve George’s murder on her own, especially as the local Detective seems to have it out for her and isn’t that keen on digging deeper into what is really going on. The old traditions of protecting a secret society linked to who gets into Oxford and what is really going on, as well as old crimes are something that nobody wants to mess with. Nor do they want to admit it exists. They know, but until Eva and Xander in particular start digging around, it’s a group that cannot be messed with.

These conflicts of class, race, and the interrogation of difficult histories, crimes of the past, and connections to the past that the characters in the current time can’t erase or change create the backbone of the novel with its diverse cast centring a fantastic mixed-race, Black character who loves books, her friends, and is fiercely loyal. She’s determined to uncover the truth about what happened to George ad why, and about the dark history and dark recent events that led to his death. It’s exquisitely done, honouring the legacy of Oxford and its name, its buildings and library whilst also navigating the tricky and fraught areas of racism, slavery and the histories of these issues and the implications they are still having. The way we interact with people from different cultures shows how willing we are to learn from history. For Eva, it’s about fulfilling her dreams, and working with her new, diverse group of friends to work towards some kind of change, even something small to help create a more equitable world. Because change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a million little things that build and take time, take dedication.

Books like Oxford Blood are great mysteries, but also reveal the darker side to things that a lot of people may not be aware of. Even when fictional, they highlight the lengths people in power will go to so they can maintain the status quo and keep secrets from being known.  Everything comes together cleverly and in unexpected ways whilst maintaining a powerful message about education and equality.