Oxford Blood by Rachael Davis Featherstone
Oxford Blood by Rachael Davis Featherstone ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5)
🩸📚 Dark Academia | Murder Mystery | Oxford Secrets
Welcome back to SPOILEDBOOKS.BLOGSPOT.COM, where we absolutely do spill the plot — and today we’re heading straight into the blood-soaked quads of Oxford.
This one is intense, layered, and dripping in dark academia vibes. I was hooked early… and then slowly started to feel the weight of one too many layers. Let’s get into it.
🚨 SPOILER WARNING 🚨
This review contains FULL spoilers, including the ending.
Proceed only if you’re ready to know who did it, why they did it, and how deep Oxford’s sins really go.
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Murder
Death of a romantic partner
Racism & classism
Sexual assault (off-page discussion)
Drugging
Emotional manipulation
Institutional corruption
Violence
🏛️ Dark Academia, But Make It Personal
Oxford Blood follows Eva Dawkins, a smart, hardworking, biracial student from a disadvantaged background who’s interviewing for English at Oxford’s Beecham College. She’s there with her boyfriend George, who’s interviewing for Classics. This trip is everything — for Eva, for her late mother’s unfulfilled dreams, and for the future she’s fought her way toward.
Then George ends up dead beneath a statue.
And Oxford politely closes ranks.
What really works here is that Eva feels real. Her outsider status isn’t decorative — it’s the lens through which this entire story unfolds. Featherstone clearly draws from her own experiences as a biracial Black student at Oxford, and it shows. The casual elitism, the coded language, the old boys protecting old sins — all of it feels painfully authentic.
🩸 FULL PLOT SUMMARY (ALL THE SPOILERS)
Interview Week Turns Deadly
Eva arrives at Oxford with her father, a police inspector who immediately makes himself unpopular by… doing his job. She meets fellow candidates, including James, Tessa, and Lily, and encounters the smug, elite students from Reapington Manor College — the self-proclaimed “Oxford blood.”
George starts acting strangely. He reveals he used to attend Reapington and is considered a traitor by the group, especially by their leader, Sebastian (Seb).
At a formal dinner, George is pressured into a cruel dare: jump blindfolded from a cloister roof onto the statue of Sir H.C. Glanville, a known enslaver whose legacy still funds the college.
George insists he won’t do it.
George Is Found Dead
The next morning, Eva finds George’s body in a pool of blood beneath the statue.
The police initially suspect a fall — until the autopsy confirms blunt force trauma. This wasn’t an accident.
Eva becomes the prime suspect.
The anonymous gossip app OxS (Oxford Slays) turns on her immediately, circulating photos and accusations. Eva realizes that if she doesn’t uncover the truth herself, she’ll be buried by it.
Secrets Beneath the Stone
Eva discovers:
George was a direct descendant of Sir H.C. Glanville
He was receiving threatening notes linked to an elite secret society called Rex Factorem
A missing gargoyle may have been used as the murder weapon
With help from Xander, a bullied scholarship student with ties to the Reapers, Eva deciphers a key clue from George’s notes: “Janey Pratchett.”
Janey was a local nurse who supposedly drowned years ago.
Supposedly.
Rex Factorem & The Sins of the Fathers
Eva infiltrates Rex Factorem and learns it’s led by Dr. Peters, a respected Oxford academic. The society exists to protect elite families and bury their crimes.
It’s revealed that:
Seb drugged and assaulted Tessa, and George intervened
Dr. Peters protected Seb in exchange for silence
George had uncovered the truth about Janey Pratchett’s death
Then Dr. Peters is murdered.
The Final Confrontation
Eva realizes Danielle, the admissions officer, is Janey Pratchett’s daughter.
Danielle orchestrated everything.
At the river, Danielle attempts to drown Seb as revenge. A recorded confession reveals the truth:
George’s father pushed Janey into the river years ago
The elite families covered it up
Danielle killed George and Dr. Peters to expose the rot at Oxford
Danielle is arrested.
The old guard finally falls.
Aftermath
The statue is removed.
The guilty families turn themselves in.
Eva finally allows herself to grieve George — truly grieve — after learning he intended to dismantle his family’s legacy from within.
She accepts her offer to Oxford.
🤔 What Worked (and What Didn’t)
✅ What I Loved
Strong dark academia atmosphere 🕯️
A layered mystery that starts very strong
Authentic exploration of race, class, and power
Eva as a capable, resilient protagonist
❌ What Fell Flat
Compared to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Ace of Spades, the character development isn’t as deep
The mystery became repetitive as layers piled on
George’s death felt oddly glossed over — emotionally, Eva didn’t seem as affected as I expected
I understood what the book was doing — but emotionally, it didn’t always land.
⭐ Final Thoughts
Oxford Blood is a strong debut with a compelling premise, real emotional authenticity, and sharp social commentary. While it didn’t fully stick the landing for me, it absolutely delivers on atmosphere and ambition.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5)
Dark academia fans will still find a lot to love — just don’t go in expecting the same emotional punch as its most famous comps.
📚 If You Liked This, Try These Next
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Babel by R.F. Kuang
💬 Did this one work for you more than it did for me? Or did the layers lose you too? Let’s talk in the comments 👀📖
Comments
Post a Comment