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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🫑-🌶️(closed door)
"When the world is at its darkest, follow the stars."
Fast paced and easy to read YA dark academia, fantasy, romantasy with elements of Greek mythology, mages and assassins. The Greek mythology is sprinkled throughout using different lore which is really intriguing. This novel is inspired by the love story of Nyx and Erebus (and now I want to learn more about Nyx and Erebus.)
Kiara's world goes from being an assassin for the king to being a mage - a mission for vengeance turning into a battle for survival and uncovering truths.
The book pulled me in the beginning, I enjoyed the magic coming from grimoires, the different aspects of the mages magic (elemental, beast forms and affinities) There are also secret societies and an academy with hidden history and more secrets. The secondary characters are also really interesting and I want to know more about them. (I really want Octavia and Tobias to be fated and I need to know more about Tobias and his brother!)
I do wish the pacing slowed down or more that there were more details provided. I would have liked further exploration with the different societies, learning more about the other characters, classes Kiara was in, and her learning or practicing her newfound magic. I'm also not a huge fan of when things are repeated to close to each other or many times (or more so when I notice it) and found that a few instances where the main characters thoughts were a little repetitious.
Overall, I thought this was a really interesting and promising start to the series and I will be on the look out to dive back in the series and see what's in store for the Kingdom of Ithaka, Kiara and Lucien.
Received and ARC for my honest opinion. Thank you so much!
"When the world is at its darkest, follow the stars."
Fast paced and easy to read YA dark academia, fantasy, romantasy with elements of Greek mythology, mages and assassins. The Greek mythology is sprinkled throughout using different lore which is really intriguing. This novel is inspired by the love story of Nyx and Erebus (and now I want to learn more about Nyx and Erebus.)
Kiara's world goes from being an assassin for the king to being a mage - a mission for vengeance turning into a battle for survival and uncovering truths.
The book pulled me in the beginning, I enjoyed the magic coming from grimoires, the different aspects of the mages magic (elemental, beast forms and affinities) There are also secret societies and an academy with hidden history and more secrets. The secondary characters are also really interesting and I want to know more about them. (I really want Octavia and Tobias to be fated and I need to know more about Tobias and his brother!)
I do wish the pacing slowed down or more that there were more details provided. I would have liked further exploration with the different societies, learning more about the other characters, classes Kiara was in, and her learning or practicing her newfound magic. I'm also not a huge fan of when things are repeated to close to each other or many times (or more so when I notice it) and found that a few instances where the main characters thoughts were a little repetitious.
Overall, I thought this was a really interesting and promising start to the series and I will be on the look out to dive back in the series and see what's in store for the Kingdom of Ithaka, Kiara and Lucien.
Received and ARC for my honest opinion. Thank you so much!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgallery for this ARC. This was a great book to finish off 2024 and I really enjoyed it! I have marked this book 5 stars, I nearly did 4.75 but felt that was being harsh which I will expand on.
Academy of Villains introduces us to Kiara who is a fiesty assassin who is given a new target of Lucian, a prince, however her plans unravel as she sneaks into the academy and makes a unexpected discovery about herself and the prince. Kiara is strong, stubborn and fiesty FMC, Lucian is a dark/shadow MMC who is instantly intrigued by her and falls first.
The underlying story is based on the Greek myth of Nyx and Erebus with the representations of light and darkness, which is a lesser common myth to use in stories and definitely made it more enjoyable for me.
My only second thoughts on the five stars was the fast pace, I am hoping there will a little more world building in the next book to help pace it a little. This is a personal preference and didn't stop me getting stuck into this book though hence the 5 stars. I love the unique magical system and cannot wait to learn more in book 2, and would definitely recommend this series.
Themes/Tropes:
Greek mythology - Nyx and Erebus
He falls first
Enemies to lovers
Trials
Assassin x prince
Fated bonds
Secret societies
Academic setting
Dramione/HP coded
Closed door romance
Academy of Villains introduces us to Kiara who is a fiesty assassin who is given a new target of Lucian, a prince, however her plans unravel as she sneaks into the academy and makes a unexpected discovery about herself and the prince. Kiara is strong, stubborn and fiesty FMC, Lucian is a dark/shadow MMC who is instantly intrigued by her and falls first.
The underlying story is based on the Greek myth of Nyx and Erebus with the representations of light and darkness, which is a lesser common myth to use in stories and definitely made it more enjoyable for me.
My only second thoughts on the five stars was the fast pace, I am hoping there will a little more world building in the next book to help pace it a little. This is a personal preference and didn't stop me getting stuck into this book though hence the 5 stars. I love the unique magical system and cannot wait to learn more in book 2, and would definitely recommend this series.
Themes/Tropes:
Greek mythology - Nyx and Erebus
He falls first
Enemies to lovers
Trials
Assassin x prince
Fated bonds
Secret societies
Academic setting
Dramione/HP coded
Closed door romance
Ratings
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setting: 🌎🌎🌎🌎
Characters: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
What to Expect
-Enemies to Lovers
-Greek Mythology Retelling
-Magic Academy
-Dark/Shadow Magic
-He Falls First
-Powerful FMC
“Love is the frequency of magic.”
This was such a fun read! It had all the elements of a fantasy romance that I love and it felt oddly nostalgic the entire time I was reading. It gave me so many Harry Potter feels as I was getting to know the academy and the classes and as the story progressed, it really set itself apart and had so many unique aspects!
The magic system is really interesting and something I’ve never seen before. There is so much to build on and I can’t wait to see how this develops as the series continues. The plot was high-stakes and kept me engaged the entire time without a ton of fluff and unnecessary scenes. This is perfect if you are looking for a quick and overall fun/easy read in the romantasy space.
The FMC Kiara was someone I could really get behind, I liked that she wasn’t perfect and had some rough edges, it made her super relatable. The MMC Lucian is everything you can expect from a shadow-wielding mage, arrogant, charismatic, but also so very sweet and protective. The side characters are lovable and I can’t wait to see more of them in the books to come.
I think this was a great start to the series and will definitely be continuing this series!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 💕
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setting: 🌎🌎🌎🌎
Characters: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
What to Expect
-Enemies to Lovers
-Greek Mythology Retelling
-Magic Academy
-Dark/Shadow Magic
-He Falls First
-Powerful FMC
“Love is the frequency of magic.”
This was such a fun read! It had all the elements of a fantasy romance that I love and it felt oddly nostalgic the entire time I was reading. It gave me so many Harry Potter feels as I was getting to know the academy and the classes and as the story progressed, it really set itself apart and had so many unique aspects!
The magic system is really interesting and something I’ve never seen before. There is so much to build on and I can’t wait to see how this develops as the series continues. The plot was high-stakes and kept me engaged the entire time without a ton of fluff and unnecessary scenes. This is perfect if you are looking for a quick and overall fun/easy read in the romantasy space.
The FMC Kiara was someone I could really get behind, I liked that she wasn’t perfect and had some rough edges, it made her super relatable. The MMC Lucian is everything you can expect from a shadow-wielding mage, arrogant, charismatic, but also so very sweet and protective. The side characters are lovable and I can’t wait to see more of them in the books to come.
I think this was a great start to the series and will definitely be continuing this series!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 💕
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a great YA fantasy, drawing on elements of classic Greek mythology, but it didn't feel like a straight parallel. While there were recognizable nods to those myths, the story of was unique. It had a Harry Potter vibe, which I loved. The MMC was dark and passionate, obsessed with the FMC. She was smart, dangerous, and clever, and she let hum know that she didn't need him to save her. She wanted them to fight together to save his kingdom.
If you say Greek Mythology you're basically yelling my name. I've been reading those myths ever since I was twelve and it's an old love that never disappears completely. So, when I saw this book on Netgalley I had to request a copy and luckily the author granted me one. I even got a message on my instagram to tell me that I was approved. I was really excited about reading this book and therefore fit it in as soon as I could.
What I absolutely loved about this book was the magic. Although we haven't seen everything yet, the author is luckily not boring us with loads of info dumps, I like the idea of a grimoire appearing when you need it and spells being shown when you need them. I also loved the whole idea of star mages being eradicated for their unique powers and seeing what happened to the world when this magic was eventually brought back.
For me the amount of Greek Mythology could have been a little more. I understand that this is a retelling and the plot does reflect this tale quite nicely, but the world could have felt a little more Greek. Maybe the descriptions just didn't work for me. Maybe I just wanted some more familiar sights and elements. In a way the author built a more original fantasy world, while I was somehow hoping for a more classical world.
However, the characters and their journey absolutely made up for that. I have to admit that the part where the characters actively hate each other doesn't last very long. I therefore wouldn't really call this a haters to lovers. The author did find a way though to build up tension between the characters without giving us too much before the characters are ready for it. I'm also really excited that the next book will star another couple. The waiting for them to fall in love is, after all, the best part!
What I absolutely loved about this book was the magic. Although we haven't seen everything yet, the author is luckily not boring us with loads of info dumps, I like the idea of a grimoire appearing when you need it and spells being shown when you need them. I also loved the whole idea of star mages being eradicated for their unique powers and seeing what happened to the world when this magic was eventually brought back.
For me the amount of Greek Mythology could have been a little more. I understand that this is a retelling and the plot does reflect this tale quite nicely, but the world could have felt a little more Greek. Maybe the descriptions just didn't work for me. Maybe I just wanted some more familiar sights and elements. In a way the author built a more original fantasy world, while I was somehow hoping for a more classical world.
However, the characters and their journey absolutely made up for that. I have to admit that the part where the characters actively hate each other doesn't last very long. I therefore wouldn't really call this a haters to lovers. The author did find a way though to build up tension between the characters without giving us too much before the characters are ready for it. I'm also really excited that the next book will star another couple. The waiting for them to fall in love is, after all, the best part!
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
•ARC REVIEW•
So just want to begin by thanking the author for the ARC!! And also to apologise for taking so long to read it (life got in the way)
So just want to begin by thanking the author for the ARC!! And also to apologise for taking so long to read it (life got in the way)
Anywho starting off, this book is a nice short read giving really strong Harry Potter aesthetic which I LOVE!!!
The romance didn’t really start till about 40% through which is completely fine as you meet and learn the characters history. I was expecting it to be an enemies to lovers as that’s what other reviews have put down as tropes, however I found the mmc seemed to be interested in her almost straightaway it was more just light banter and bickering.
I was also very intrigued by the magic system, how the magic takes form and how they have grimoire’s that provides them with spells, hoping the next books go deeper into that.
Another fun little thing is the mention of secret societies, I think they could thicken the plot a little bit more and add some extra razzle dazzle which would be fun.
However towards the last 40% I didn’t feel as connected to the story and plot (I do think this is because of life and how long it took me to read this) the trials were fun to read about but they felt rushed and also didn’t really have a big outcome (except for what the readers know what happened) I was hoping for more and felt a little let down.
Overall the book was still good I would definitely recommend for people who are beginning their romantasy journey, not so much for those who have already started it.
Tropes
- Fated mates
- Trials
- Elemental magic
- Greek mythology
I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. This was just not for me. I just didn't understand a whole bunch of stuff, it just didn't get explained very well and I was very confused.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a masterpiece. It got it me out of a several-months-long reading slump, and I’ve finished it in under a day. I was genuinely impressed by this, so I’m glad to share my opinion on yet another Romantasy recommendation.
First of all, I’d like to mention the world building. You know I love criticizing it. Well, not in this case. It had the perfect amount of all the needed information, it didn’t make me confused at any point, and I was immersed in the idea from the first pages. Talking about the first pages, I have to mention that I just knew I’d love the book from the first line - it was that good and promising.
But it doesn’t stop here. The characters and their relationships were the absolute best of the story. They were smart, funny, complex. In other words, everything a girl might expect from a good book. I’m in complete awe of the FMC, because now I know of another amazing knife wife that I can’t stop comparing with Inej and Jude. Oh, and how good was the MMC! Shadow guys always hit different, especially the ones so nice and sincere, no matter the power they wield.
As a huge fan of enemies to lovers, I definitely recommend this novel, and I can’t wait for part 2!