Oxford Blood

Name: Oxford Blood
Brand: Macmillan Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Rachael Davis-Featherstone
ISBN: 9781250416049

Author: Rachael Davis-Featherstone

Narrator: Dédé Davi

Unabridged: 8 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners

Published: 01/13/2026

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes, Suspense & Thriller, Crime, School & Education

Synopsis

The first in a series of compelling and skillful dark academic thrillers from a brilliant new voice in YA fiction.

Love, Lies, Legacy…

Eva has one dream: to study English at Oxford University. Not only will she receive a world-class education – getting into Oxford is a path to freedom.

But when Eva and her best friend George are invited to interview week, they find themselves in the cutthroat ultra-competitive world of elite academia, and at the center of gossip on anonymous student forum Oxford Slays. When Eva finds George dead near the steps of a statue in the college, she knows he’s been murdered – but all eyes are now on her. Can she clear her name, catch the true killer and win her place at Beecham College?

Eva has one week to prove her innocence, and Oxford Slays will be watching.

Oxford Blood is a riveting murder mystery thriller, packed with narrative twists and turns, complex and appealing characters and a captivating, authentic setting in its searing examination of the true cost of privilege.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books

About Rachael Davis-Featherstone

RACHAEL DAVIS-FEATHERSTONE is a mixed-raced, Black-British, multi-award-nominated author, literary agent, and cofounder of Creative Roots Studio, which helps writers and illustrators build sustainable careers. She grew up in a low-income, single-parent family and studied mathematics at Oxford University before receiving a master’s in English literature at Surrey University. Rachael has published more than twenty books, ranging from picture books to commercial fiction, and her works have been translated into seven languages. I Am NOT a Prince, illustrated by Beatrix Hatcher, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Rachael was also longlisted for the Diverse Book Awards and shortlisted for the Inclusive Books for Children Awards. Rachael champions diversity in literature and was a judge for the inaugural Jericho Prize. She is a non-executive director for Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society and a trustee for English PEN.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on July 16, 2025

As a lifelong lover of dark academia, I’m always drawn to that heady mix of beauty and menace—where ivy-clad halls hide ancient secrets, ambition walks a knife’s edge, and candlelit libraries whisper of danger. Oxford Blood delivers all of that and more, plunging us into the shadowy, high-stakes wor......more

Goodreads review by Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) on January 13, 2026

The first book in a brand-new YA series, Oxford Blood took dark academia and brought it to a whole other level. Filled with a complex mystery on top of thought-provoking themes, it had me absolutely dazzled from beginning to end. You see, not only did the whodunnit aspect of this murder mystery enga......more

Goodreads review by jo ୨୧ on August 26, 2025

huge thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a advanced copy in exchange for a honest review, all opinions are my own ⋆ i love dark academia. i love smart characters. i love a murder mystery. and this novel had all of those things. except, i had the HARDEST time getting into it. it had so much goi......more

Goodreads review by Lydia on September 28, 2025

What a great book. A real page turner. The author does a great job developing the mystery aspect. There are a small group of suspects but no obvious one throughout. It ebbs and flows with who seems to be guilty and there are twists and turns that catch you off guard. False trails are laid, red herri......more

Goodreads review by ❋ Booked Out Today ❋ on August 16, 2025

Oxford Blood by Rachael Davis-Featherstone ★★★★★ Eva and George’s dream is to get accepted into Oxford University. When her best friend George is found dead during interview week her goals are shattered. Eva immediately looks suspicious as gossip on a student forum begins to circle accusing her of bei......more

Quotes

“Satisfying and briskly paced action enlivens the novel’s smooth plotting.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers who love Holly Jackson, Karen McManus, and E. Lockhart will find this book difficult to put down.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

“This is a dark academia mystery as well as social commentary...Readers will find a quality whodunit that also dares to confront the legitimacy of the social hierarchies created when not everyone was afforded human dignity.” —Booklist

“Eva’s character is written with introspection and nuance...Compelling, while a wide cast of characters—each with a distinct voice—draws readers in, whether to cheer for their triumphs or anticipate their downfalls.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books