Book Review: The Exorcism of Faeries , J.L. Vampa

A dark academia setting, a splash of little faeries, a mortician studying botany and her spooky professor, and what better time to read this book than the fall approaching Halloween. The Exorcism of Faeries was first indie published in 2025 but was recently picked up by traditional publishing for a rerelease. Set in 1990’s Dublin where a strange plague has been afflicting the Irish residents, our main female character, Atta Morrow, has been covertly studying the affliction on cadavers at the morgue she works at. After seeing flowers beneath the skin of one of the victims, Atta decides to continue her graduate studies at Trinity College in botany. The risks she’s taking finally catch the attention of the professor of morbid anatomy, Sonder Murdoch. Much to his chagrin he finds himself with an ally and a perilous temptation. As they dig further into the root of this plague the lines between folklore and reality begin to blur, but Atta and Sonder must uncover the truth before the world as they know it is changed forever.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press for sharing an advanced readers copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I rated this book 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve recently discovered that I really like books that are set in dark academia but only if the main characters wear tweed and study folklore with a sprinkle of horror. The Exorcism of Faeries is perfect for those who also love those things and enjoyed books like A Study in Drowning, Don’t Let the Forest In, Divine Rivals, or A Discovery of Witches.

❤️ The romance had me kicking my feet

This is such a well done slow-burn that I was taking my time just because I didn’t want it to end. When you read as much as I do sometimes the romance just doesn’t hit anymore because everything is too predictable or too tropey, but this one had me kicking my feet with little girl giddiness the entire time. I was initially a little nervous when I saw the student X professor trope, but Atta was an older student and Sonder was a young professor so their timelines lined up well and didn’t give me the inappropriate ick.

🏰 Amazing atmospheric vibe

There’s a list of books I’d read again just for the vibes, and The Exorcism of Faeries definitely fits the bill. Settings like the spooky morticians office transition so well into the fall vibes of an old college which transitions back to a secret society studying a nation wide plague. I also love a book based in folklore, especially when it’s a little bit haunted.

😖 The title ruins the book

If I could change one thing about this book it would be the title. It absolutely spoils the entire book. I knew where we were heading because of the title of the book, so when the discovery twist happened I was like “yeah duh!” I think the book and storyline has so much potential that essentially ruining the ending with the resolution to the book makes the entire thing anticlimactic. You’re supposed to be taking your time reading and thinking about what this plaque could be, but if you put any thought into why the title is what it is then you already know what’s going to happen.

In conclusion…

I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a gothic romance with a folklore backdrop. 1990’s Dublin. Dark academia. Professor X Student. Secret society. Mystery plot. It definitely checks all of my boxes for a good time. After reading this as an ARC on my kindle I’ve already went out and bought the indie published (OOP) and traditional published versions of this book for my collection—so that should tell you everything you need to know about how much I enjoyed it. P.S. Let me know if any special editions come out because I’ll be buying those too.