That Devil, Ambition
Published on 3. July 2025
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-0-06-338861-1 (ISBN)
Description
From Lambda Literary Award finalist Linsey Miller comes this thrilling stand-alone fantasy about the lengths we'll go to get ahead-an incredibly fresh, twisty love letter to dark academia...with a body count.
Perfect for fans of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman.
There is only one school worth graduating from, and it creates as many magicians as it does graves...
First in his class and last in his noble line, Fabian Galloway's only hope of a good future is passing his elite school's honors class. It's only offered to the best thirteen students, and those students have a single assignment: kill their professor.
If they succeed, their student debt is forgiven. However, if an assassination attempt fails or the professor is alive at the end of the year, the students' lives are forfeit.
And dealing with the professor, a devil summoned solely to kill or be killed, is no easy task.
Fabian isn't worried, though. He trusts his best friends-softhearted math genius Credence and absent-minded but insightful Euphemia-to help. After all, that's why he befriended them.
As the months pass and their professor remains impossibly alive, the trio must use every asset they have to survive. Or else failure will be on their academic records-and their tombstones-forever.
Dark Academia with a Body Count: At the elite Stellarium, the honors class isn't about grades-it's about survival. For thirteen students, the final assignment is simple: kill the professor.
Kill or Be Killed: Success means a clean slate and erased student debt. Failure means a literal deadline, with their own lives as collateral.
Morally Grey Protagonist: Fabian Galloway is first in his class and willing to do anything to stay there. He chose his friends for their skills, but in a school this deadly, he might need them for more than just their intellect.
Academic Rivals and Shifting Alliances: With a devil as their professor and classmates who are equal parts competition and potential allies, Fabian must navigate a web of secrets where trusting the wrong person could be a fatal mistake.
Perfect for fans of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman.
There is only one school worth graduating from, and it creates as many magicians as it does graves...
First in his class and last in his noble line, Fabian Galloway's only hope of a good future is passing his elite school's honors class. It's only offered to the best thirteen students, and those students have a single assignment: kill their professor.
If they succeed, their student debt is forgiven. However, if an assassination attempt fails or the professor is alive at the end of the year, the students' lives are forfeit.
And dealing with the professor, a devil summoned solely to kill or be killed, is no easy task.
Fabian isn't worried, though. He trusts his best friends-softhearted math genius Credence and absent-minded but insightful Euphemia-to help. After all, that's why he befriended them.
As the months pass and their professor remains impossibly alive, the trio must use every asset they have to survive. Or else failure will be on their academic records-and their tombstones-forever.
Dark Academia with a Body Count: At the elite Stellarium, the honors class isn't about grades-it's about survival. For thirteen students, the final assignment is simple: kill the professor.
Kill or Be Killed: Success means a clean slate and erased student debt. Failure means a literal deadline, with their own lives as collateral.
Morally Grey Protagonist: Fabian Galloway is first in his class and willing to do anything to stay there. He chose his friends for their skills, but in a school this deadly, he might need them for more than just their intellect.
Academic Rivals and Shifting Alliances: With a devil as their professor and classmates who are equal parts competition and potential allies, Fabian must navigate a web of secrets where trusting the wrong person could be a fatal mistake.
Reviews / Votes
"THAT DEVIL, AMBITION is razor-sharp, gut-wrenching, and out for blood, keeping the reader on edge while cutting deep with its masterfully clever plotting and beautifully flawed characters. I haven't been this obsessed with a book in a long time, even as it deftly put me in a chokehold and lovingly tore out my heart. It's a must-read, stand-out entry in the dark academia genre-not just good, but stunningly good." - A.M. Strickland, author of In the Ravenous Dark"That Devil, Ambition is required reading for all dark academia lovers. Every page is a twist of the knife, double edged with dark humor and searingly accurate critique of for-profit education. This is Linsey Miller at her best, brightest, and bloodiest." - Rosiee Thor, author of Tarnished are the Stars
"The detail is astounding. The suspense rises subtly as the year progresses, and the storytelling is engrossing. Stunning." - Booklist (starred review)
"Stakes are high, the premise is fun, and the pacing makes for a delightful binge read." - School Library Journal
"Miller devises a fresh, physics- and chemistry-driven magical system and utilizes cerebral close-third-person storytelling and biting narration to confront the twisted politics of dark academia." - Publishers Weekly
"A brutal and breathtaking dark academia novel that explores the price of education and the sacrifices that are made to attain it, That Devil, Ambition was a heart-pounding read from start to poignant finish. Linsey Miller never misses." - Kamilah Cole, bestselling author of So Let Them Burn
"A richly imagined, wickedly sharp treatise on betrayal, love, and cunning-and more pointedly, who pays the price for all three." - Margaret Owen, author of the New York Times-bestselling Little Thieves series
"Brilliant, meticulous, and viciously surprising, this is dark academia at its most devilish (literally). Perfect for fans of VE Schwab, The Magicians, and The Atlas Six." - Jamie Pacton, bestselling author of The Absinthe Underground
"The claws are out in this compulsive read that's as wicked as it is smart." - Scott Reintgen, New York Times bestselling author of A Door in the Dark
"At turns nail-biting and thought-provoking, That Devil, Ambition is for those who don't flinch away from the nature of death and grieving. With intriguing characters and poetic prose, Miller's latest boasts a full curriculum of sordid, dreadful fun." - Tara Sim, author of We Shall Be Monsters
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Target group
Young adult
US School Grade: Ninth Grade and over, Interest Age: From 14 to 99 years
Dimensions
Height: 212 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
438 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-338861-1 (9780063388611)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Once upon a time, Linsey Miller studied biology in Arkansas. These days, she holds an MFA in fiction and is the author of the Lambda-nominated What We Devour. Her other works include the Mask of Shadows duology, Belle Revolte, The Game, the first three books in the Disney Princes series, and various short stories. She can be found in Texas writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.