This is a dark academia romance. It has a balance of romance suspense with some mystery. The MMC is exactly the unlikable guy that he’s supposed to be. There were a few other crazy characters that came out to make you question who the real trouble is. It’s a YA book so it’s not a dark romance that crosses all the boundaries. For a first in the series it does a lot of world building. This is a good book and I look forward to what’s next.