The Book of Autumn is a romantic dark academia novel written by Molly O'Sullivan, published by Kensington Books. An ambitious and beautiful debut that shapes a murder mystery with a narrative form that mimics an anthropological research paper, adding plenty of footnotes, diary entries and extra information that helps to compose the story of Cella and Max, ex-lovers and the two halves of a magical whole, who return to their magical alma mater to investigate a brutal murder.

Cella left college a little before graduation, moving away from the other half of her magical soul, Max, after a difficult last year that included the death of her younger brother Aaron; however, she returns after receiving a letter demanding her to investigate as there has been an "accident". Someone is using hexes, and the afflicted student reminds her of Aaron, so Cella is desperate to help; she will submerge together with Max in the complicated web of history, magic and deceit that has been weaved into the school since her departure, while also having to confront her complicated feelings towards Max and the ghosts from her past.

The reader quickly empathizes with Cella, who will act as our narrator and as one of the main characters: a person with incredible potential but scarred by the past; we can quickly advert how she puts everything out of her to help the afflicted student, even at the cost of her own health/sleep. She might be too perfectionist, asks too much of herself, but here's where Max, the other half of the dimdium, enters.
I recognise that I have conflicted feelings about Max: I can totally see how he tries to be protective of Cella, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't slap him a few times during the book. He's a great complement to Cella, making the perfect pair, but results a bit too agressive. The slow-burn romance between these two totally suited the plot, and it is quite enjoyable to see how they finally acknowledge their feelings towards the other, even if almost needs a catastrophe.
The rest of the cast is not as developed as our pair, but O'Sullivan manages to flesh them enough to make them interesting, almost fascinating at moments (especially when talking about the villain).

The setting is also part of what makes this a refreshing proposal: while we still have some of the classical dark academia elements, shifting the location towards New Mexico and the Sangre de Cristo Sierra contributes to a really distinctive imagery. The fact that many of the texts referenced during this book are real also shows how O'Sullivan has put the necessary research to give more authenticity to her novel.
The atypical way of narrating this story, including the footnotes and other texts entries, makes the pacing a bit weird, but overall, I found myself enthralled in the novel, so I guess it worked perfectly.

The Book of Autumn is an excellent debut novel, a romantic dark academia proposal perfect if you are looking for a shift in the narrative style and in the settings, bringing a fresh take to the genre. Molly O'Sullivan is a voice to continue watching in the future!