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Dark Lessons #1
Mary Quirk and the Secret of Umbrum Hall
Mary is a fire elemental, capable of creating flames from the very air around her. But to keep her place in the magic school of Umbrum Hall, she'll need more than that skill to impress the professors. After all, anyone with a match can start a blaze.
Her first year, she worked hard and kept her head down. Something feels different this year, though, right from the start. Secrets are unfolding in front of her: about the nature of the school itself, about who her classmates truly are, and what they can do when they’re all called to step up.
And the biggest secret of all may be who Mary Quirk really is…
Her first year, she worked hard and kept her head down. Something feels different this year, though, right from the start. Secrets are unfolding in front of her: about the nature of the school itself, about who her classmates truly are, and what they can do when they’re all called to step up.
And the biggest secret of all may be who Mary Quirk really is…
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2020
23 people want to read
About the author
Anna St. Vincent
7 books9 followersAnna St. Vincent has a mysterious past she doesn't reveal online. Let's just say there was a hometown, a high school, and a college, all somewhere in Oklahoma or Texas. Mary Quirk and the Secret of Umbrum Hall is her first YA novel.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 11, 2020
I received a gratis galley of this book for review.
Mary Quirk and the Secret of Umbrum Hall starts off a new YA series in fun fashion. After reading several intense, dark adult books in a row, I had no idea how much I needed THIS book until I was already immersed--and that immersion happened within a few pages of the start. There was just something delightful about an entrance to a magical school found via a portal in a rural Oklahoma farmhouse. Plus, Mary is an easy character to relate to--a goth with family drama she'd rather forget about, and who really wants to get good grades and become better at her fire magic.
The whole cast is great, really. The book follows the familiar trope of the start of the school year with new classes and social dynamics, plus magical twists. One of the many eye-rolling things about Harry Potter (because such comparisons are unavoidable with any magic school novel now) is the whole instant-enemies thing. In Mary Quirk's world, her schoolmates and teachers are quite nuanced. She is, too. She starts out the book with some very set biases but learns and matures. The magic in the book is fun, as is the gradual exploration of the school grounds. Umbrum Hall is hiding more than one secret, that's for sure!
I look forward to reading more in this series. This is the cozy YA fantasy escape from reality that I need right now.
Mary Quirk and the Secret of Umbrum Hall starts off a new YA series in fun fashion. After reading several intense, dark adult books in a row, I had no idea how much I needed THIS book until I was already immersed--and that immersion happened within a few pages of the start. There was just something delightful about an entrance to a magical school found via a portal in a rural Oklahoma farmhouse. Plus, Mary is an easy character to relate to--a goth with family drama she'd rather forget about, and who really wants to get good grades and become better at her fire magic.
The whole cast is great, really. The book follows the familiar trope of the start of the school year with new classes and social dynamics, plus magical twists. One of the many eye-rolling things about Harry Potter (because such comparisons are unavoidable with any magic school novel now) is the whole instant-enemies thing. In Mary Quirk's world, her schoolmates and teachers are quite nuanced. She is, too. She starts out the book with some very set biases but learns and matures. The magic in the book is fun, as is the gradual exploration of the school grounds. Umbrum Hall is hiding more than one secret, that's for sure!
I look forward to reading more in this series. This is the cozy YA fantasy escape from reality that I need right now.
September 29, 2020
Thanks much to the author for providing a copy of this for review purposes. This did not affect the content of my review in any way.
I went into this one not knowing exactly what to expect and wound up having a lot of fun with it! If you're looking for a YA magic school fantasy with a bit of a mystery, this book might be for you!
I'm not super big on magic school settings however, this one worked well for me. The school is more than a magic school where potentials go to learn and develop their powers. Not everyone will advance to the next grade because not everyone will actually develop their power. But aside from that, this school has secrets. The school itself, the building, is very unusual. I don't want to say too much because spoilers, but suffice to say that it's not just a building. As the kids explore the school, and the vast canal that runs under it, they make all sorts of discoveries about how Umbrum Hall works and what it really is. I thought all of this was pretty cool and I'm looking forward to learning even more about the building. I love me some metaphysical magic stuff.
One of the other things I appreciated about this is that the characters actually felt like teenagers. They're young almost adults and they're preoccupied with the things that teens are preoccupied with--friends, cliques at school, schoolwork, who is dating who, etc. That's not to say they don't have other worries, but it was nice to see teens in fantasy actually acting like teens. Overall, I thought the characters were really well written. They've all got their own goals and motivations that are propelling them through the story. Even though there is a main plot and several subplots that are neatly tied together, it still feels very character driven. Mary made for a good protagonist--she's got just a touch of sass that I love in a character, but she's actually very sweet and caring when she lets her guard down and gets to know others.
The pacing was pretty good even though it may have started out just a tad slow for me, but by the time I hit the twenty percent mark I was fully invested. It takes a little while for the main plot to reveal itself and we're mostly dealing with various subplots but I have to say, I really appreciated the way these all came together in the end. Of course, there is a bit of a mystery--actually more than one--and I love a good mystery. Of course some of this will carry over into the next book and I'm eager to find out what happens! I had a lot of fun with this book and am looking forward to the next one. 4/5 stars.
I went into this one not knowing exactly what to expect and wound up having a lot of fun with it! If you're looking for a YA magic school fantasy with a bit of a mystery, this book might be for you!
I'm not super big on magic school settings however, this one worked well for me. The school is more than a magic school where potentials go to learn and develop their powers. Not everyone will advance to the next grade because not everyone will actually develop their power. But aside from that, this school has secrets. The school itself, the building, is very unusual. I don't want to say too much because spoilers, but suffice to say that it's not just a building. As the kids explore the school, and the vast canal that runs under it, they make all sorts of discoveries about how Umbrum Hall works and what it really is. I thought all of this was pretty cool and I'm looking forward to learning even more about the building. I love me some metaphysical magic stuff.
One of the other things I appreciated about this is that the characters actually felt like teenagers. They're young almost adults and they're preoccupied with the things that teens are preoccupied with--friends, cliques at school, schoolwork, who is dating who, etc. That's not to say they don't have other worries, but it was nice to see teens in fantasy actually acting like teens. Overall, I thought the characters were really well written. They've all got their own goals and motivations that are propelling them through the story. Even though there is a main plot and several subplots that are neatly tied together, it still feels very character driven. Mary made for a good protagonist--she's got just a touch of sass that I love in a character, but she's actually very sweet and caring when she lets her guard down and gets to know others.
The pacing was pretty good even though it may have started out just a tad slow for me, but by the time I hit the twenty percent mark I was fully invested. It takes a little while for the main plot to reveal itself and we're mostly dealing with various subplots but I have to say, I really appreciated the way these all came together in the end. Of course, there is a bit of a mystery--actually more than one--and I love a good mystery. Of course some of this will carry over into the next book and I'm eager to find out what happens! I had a lot of fun with this book and am looking forward to the next one. 4/5 stars.
December 26, 2021
A cozy YA fantasy that kept me engaged, entertained, and satisfied. Highly recommend.
April 12, 2021
What I loved about this book:
1. The protagonist, a teenage girl, is practical, sensible, and (even though she experiences some understandable strong emotions given the events that occur) capable of calming herself down and getting on with the job at hand. She's the kind of person whose goal is to keep her head down, her grades up, and her sarcastic thoughts from escaping her mouth, because she doesn't want any drama.
2. Of course, she gets a big heaping portion of drama. But not in the usual YA "the adults are incompetent or neglectful, therefore the kids are forced into heroism" way. The adults are pretty competent, but they do need the kids to step up as well, for believable reasons.
3. She knows the difference between illusive and elusive. The writing is, in fact, literate in general, doesn't make any of the usual errors, and is one of those books you can just relax into because (as a reader once said of Roger Zelazny) within a couple of paragraphs you know you're in good hands.
4. It's set in a magic school, but it isn't just another bad photocopy of what the characters call "the H place" with a cast and plot that are thinly disguised fanfiction/made from box mix. The setting has an entirely new and fresh kind of sensawunda, the high-school shenanigans are kept to a minimum, the romance is slow-burn and low-key, and all in all it's a good ride.
The only thing I didn't like is that there wasn't more of it, and I'm eagerly waiting for the sequel.
1. The protagonist, a teenage girl, is practical, sensible, and (even though she experiences some understandable strong emotions given the events that occur) capable of calming herself down and getting on with the job at hand. She's the kind of person whose goal is to keep her head down, her grades up, and her sarcastic thoughts from escaping her mouth, because she doesn't want any drama.
2. Of course, she gets a big heaping portion of drama. But not in the usual YA "the adults are incompetent or neglectful, therefore the kids are forced into heroism" way. The adults are pretty competent, but they do need the kids to step up as well, for believable reasons.
3. She knows the difference between illusive and elusive. The writing is, in fact, literate in general, doesn't make any of the usual errors, and is one of those books you can just relax into because (as a reader once said of Roger Zelazny) within a couple of paragraphs you know you're in good hands.
4. It's set in a magic school, but it isn't just another bad photocopy of what the characters call "the H place" with a cast and plot that are thinly disguised fanfiction/made from box mix. The setting has an entirely new and fresh kind of sensawunda, the high-school shenanigans are kept to a minimum, the romance is slow-burn and low-key, and all in all it's a good ride.
The only thing I didn't like is that there wasn't more of it, and I'm eagerly waiting for the sequel.
October 17, 2022
I like comfortable books where you know horrible things won’t happen to your favorite characters, and I like different systems of magic, and I like magic schools. So this book had a lot going for it, and I was not disappointed. The first part of the book is gentle exploration of the world(s) of the school and exploration of new friendships. I quite enjoyed Mary’s descriptions of her classmates and how her perceptions change as she gets to know some of them better. Mary is also unknowingly exploring her own past and discovering that her family is not quite what she remembers. The ending wrapped up enough of the story while leaving room for much more. I’m looking forward to the sequel!
Note: I read A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik a month or two after Mary Quirk, and while Novik’s book has a significantly darker tone, I thought the two were nicely complementary.
Note: I read A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik a month or two after Mary Quirk, and while Novik’s book has a significantly darker tone, I thought the two were nicely complementary.
November 1, 2020
We have a fast discussion and nix the idea of splitting up. Instead, we go together to bring this problem to the attention of the proper authorities. This proves we’ve paid attention to every single horror movie in our combined past.
Mary Quirk and the Secret of Umbrum Hall is about a magic school. That, plus the way the title is phrased, makes Harry Potter comparisons so obvious that St. Vincent has Marry referring to "The H place" (that made me laugh) at several points during the beginning of the story. However, aside from both being schools that, well, teach magic, there's nothing similar about Hogwarts and Umbrum Hall.
The magic system, for one, is completely different. Various magic systems are one of my absolute favourite parts of fantasy books, and the world building in this one was great. It's the friendships that really cement the story, though (okay, fine, one more similarity with HP); it's Mary's friendship with Isla that gets her tangled up in the story of how Umbrum Hall exists and how it's falling apart, and her friendship with Finn that really kicks off her self-exploration. The mystery that's woven through the story is written really well and quite intriguing. A last thing I really liked: no cliques, no drama, no gossip. Because for one, Umbrum Hall puts high value in cooperation since that's where the real powerful magic comes from, and two, Mary just is not interested. How refreshing.
Recommend if: you love magic and discovering other systems (and there's so much to discover!)
Avoid if: you're looking for queer content
Possible triggers: death, abandonment, drowning
January 29, 2022
Despite being a huge fan of St. Vincent in her other classic fantasy guise as J. Kathleen Cheney, I resisted reading the Mary Quirk series because I wasn't in the mood for YA magic school books...or so I thought. (I mean, the King's Daughter series is basically a YA academy (magic/military) book, so don't know what I was thinking)
I should have trusted St. Vincent. This is YA, but really its got the curious and reasonable tone of several of her other-world fantasies marketed for adults. There's a young girl realizing her own power, friends who are supportive and with complicated family backgrounds, a world to explore (in The Horn series basically they're exlporing vast fortresses built long ago with tech not fully understood, ditto here although Umbrum Hall is built by magic not fully understood) that includes a magic system based on math (vectors! tides!) and science so the academy part is truly pertinent.
Also there's a bit of school politics, but mostly the friendships are already established other than our heroine Mary who combines forces with two ex-popular crowd boys to figure out the true nature of their magic school. And incidentally save it from a magical incursion. There's a sweet, slow romance that culminates in a hug/hand squeezing. There's exploration of responsibility tied to powers.
And there's a bunch of Mary and her friends exploring the different fallow rooms (and architectures) of Umbrum hall. Definite parallels to a D&D quest.
I'm definitely going on to the next in the series.
I should have trusted St. Vincent. This is YA, but really its got the curious and reasonable tone of several of her other-world fantasies marketed for adults. There's a young girl realizing her own power, friends who are supportive and with complicated family backgrounds, a world to explore (in The Horn series basically they're exlporing vast fortresses built long ago with tech not fully understood, ditto here although Umbrum Hall is built by magic not fully understood) that includes a magic system based on math (vectors! tides!) and science so the academy part is truly pertinent.
Also there's a bit of school politics, but mostly the friendships are already established other than our heroine Mary who combines forces with two ex-popular crowd boys to figure out the true nature of their magic school. And incidentally save it from a magical incursion. There's a sweet, slow romance that culminates in a hug/hand squeezing. There's exploration of responsibility tied to powers.
And there's a bunch of Mary and her friends exploring the different fallow rooms (and architectures) of Umbrum hall. Definite parallels to a D&D quest.
I'm definitely going on to the next in the series.
November 30, 2022
It's been a while since I picked up a YA book, in part because they've all been so very dark and gritty lately. I enjoy dark and gritty, but I also want to lighten things up sometimes. The first book in the Dark Lessons series fits that bill nicely.
Set in a magic school in Oklahoma, it is decidedly unlike that magic school. While the magic and drama in Harry Potter is often over-the-top, the magic and drama here feels more grounded. I can relate to Mary, who is a goth student who tends to keep to herself (although her bff/roommate is great). She's definitely not cool enough to hang with the elf squad. She just wants to do well in school and figure out her magic. But she also has a mysterious past with a brother who disappeared and a father who left her family.
The romance is light and sweet. The friendships are real. The school is pretty darn cool, and so is the magic. Book 1 left me wanting more!
Set in a magic school in Oklahoma, it is decidedly unlike that magic school. While the magic and drama in Harry Potter is often over-the-top, the magic and drama here feels more grounded. I can relate to Mary, who is a goth student who tends to keep to herself (although her bff/roommate is great). She's definitely not cool enough to hang with the elf squad. She just wants to do well in school and figure out her magic. But she also has a mysterious past with a brother who disappeared and a father who left her family.
The romance is light and sweet. The friendships are real. The school is pretty darn cool, and so is the magic. Book 1 left me wanting more!
September 22, 2022
This is a new YA series by Anna St. Vincent (aka J. Kathleen Cheney). It's set in a magic boarding school that's a mix of high school and college. This book started a little slow for me, but then I got into it and really enjoyed it. The title character really just wants to find out her element (fire) and learn to control it, and just get through school. But in the process, she discovers she's something much more, and that knowledge puts her and her friends at risk.
The writing style is very easy to read, and I wouldn't say there are any huge surprises here. But it's still a nice book to read, and I want to get the next book to see where this story goes.
The writing style is very easy to read, and I wouldn't say there are any huge surprises here. But it's still a nice book to read, and I want to get the next book to see where this story goes.
September 13, 2020
4.5 stars.
Really wonderful worldbuilding, nuanced characters and good pacing. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next in the series as there are plenty of mysteries left to be solved.
Really wonderful worldbuilding, nuanced characters and good pacing. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next in the series as there are plenty of mysteries left to be solved.
October 30, 2021
Fun, imaginative and interesting—good story and characters! Definitely checking out second installment.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews