Andy Mientus

A queer, dark academia YA story about a mysterious boarding school, a brotherhood that must stay in the shadows, and an ancient evil that could tear it all apart. 
In the fall of 1991, Zooey Orson transfers to the Blackfriars School for Boys hoping for a fresh start following a scandal at his last school. However, he quickly learns that he isn’t the only student keeping a secret. Before he knows it, he’s fallen in with a group of boys who all share the same secret, one which they can only express openly within the safety of the clandestine gatherings of the Vicious Circle––the covert club for gay students going back decades. But when the boys unwittingly happen upon the headmaster’s copy of an arcane occult text, they unleash an eldritch secret so terrible, it threatens to consume them all.
   
A queer paranormal story set during the still-raging AIDS crisis, Fraternity examines a time not so long ago when a secret brotherhood lurked in the shadows. What would Zooey and his friends do to protect their found family?

Fraternity

Dani

I almost DNF’d at 10% because I couldn’t connect with the writing style, which felt childish and rushed, but I’m glad I carried on. It builds up. The beautiful LGBTQ+ representation, the story, the sense of queer belonging, both shared grief and joy, the strong bisexual rep… the last 30% more than made up weak first chapters. Truly a sense of fraternity in the end, I’m glad for what was discovered and learned, for the found family of it all, warmth spreading through your chest.

Maurice Weakley

*This review is based on an eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.*

A queer dark academia novel set in the 90s is pretty much a dream book premise for me, so it is no surprise how much I enjoyed this. 

I went in expecting the occult plot line to provide the main feeling of an impending disaster. While that aspect was as dark and engaging as I’d hoped, the thing that caused me the most anxiety was the character’s struggles. It did not take me long to connect to and fall in love with the three narrators: Zooey, Daniel, and Leo. They each go through tribulations regarding sexuality, and while it fluctuated from anger-inducing to heart-warming, it was always compelling.

The author does not shy away from discussing the AIDS epidemic and its effects on the character's perceptions of their lives. It was felt most towards the last half of the novel and examined with insight. One thing that I wish was explored more was Daniel’s experiences with intersectionality and race in general. He encountered homophobia in the novel, but despite being one of the only Black students at a private school predominantly attended by wealthy White Republicans, the racism was surprisingly all told instead of shown. However, the lack of development in that area is likely due to the story being written by a White man who (understandably) does not have enough awareness of what it was like to be Black in that time and place to analyze it further. It was not a deal-breaker, but considering how well he treated the AIDS epidemic, it was something I wished had been addressed more comprehensively.

Fraternity was both dark and touching. A book about academia and iniquitous magic, but also love, community, and perseverance from a group of people who needed it then and still do now.

Fraternity

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