Book Review: That Devil, Ambition

In the novel, That Devil, Ambition, the story follows Fabian Galloway, a poor but smart student, who has to participate in a deadly competition in his class. To graduate, students have to kill a devil hidden among their professors. Fabian, who is driven by both the ambition to win and the fear of being subjected according to his background, forces him to make allies with two of his classmates: Credence, a math genius with a strong moral compass, and Euphemia, a socially awkward outcast amidst the rest.

I expected it to be a lot more about the competitions, but in actuality the story was more about survival and trust, and also, how willing the characters were able to trust each other in order to survive. 

What I loved most was how each character had a distinct voice and motivation. I thought of Fabian as one of the admirable characters because I appreciated his ability to be calculated and to thinking ten steps ahead of everyone else. During the opening chapters, when he was carefully accessing everyone in his class, it gave me a taste of exactly what to expect from Fabian, and I was right. Credence and Euphemia bring different perspectives: Credence wants to do the right thing, even when the right thing might get her killed, which I disagreed with, but it was still interesting to see in her character. Euphemia is more unpredictable, and hides a lot of her own emotions away from her two allies. It was interesting to see how people with such different personalities are drawn to each other and work together in an effort to achieve their own goals. 

In the end, I would definitely recommend That Devil, Ambition to readers who enjoy dark academia and morally complex characters. I did disagree with some of the characters perspectives, but the story did keep me hooked and I couldn’t have picked a better book as my first introduction to fantasy novels. 

Reviewed by Teen Volunteer, 8/8/25.