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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I am a die-hard admirer of the fantasy genre, from YA to romantasy to high fantasy. If you mention spells, magical creatures, adventure, etc., I'm all in, especially if it includes references to Greek or Norse myths, which is exactly what happened with Academy of Villains.
The short version is Academy of Villains is kind of like Hogwarts meets Gossip Girl meets Greek Mythology retelling. In this magical, adventure and battle-filled novel, we follow Kiara, an assassin sent to kill the Prince, and Lucian, a powerful prince with dark secrets studying at the Academy of Magic. This is a story based off the Greek myth of Nyx and Erebus, and while some elements are very clearly based on the original mythology, there are some creative twists and turns throughout the novel that kept me completely engaged in the story, and in love with the characters. Although the age range here is YA/new adult with low spice, the depth of emotion and range of development is amazing in a shorter novel. Noteable tropes and themese include MMC is a shadow daddy, "Who did this to you?" "Touch her and x," trials, only one bed, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, fated mates, and MMC would burn the world down for her. There were many highlighted quotes from this book for me, but one really summarizes the key elements of all the characters: "We're starlight and shadow. Together, we're unstoppable"
If you're interested in fantasy with trials and battle, healing from trauma, finding yourself, romance, and Greek mythology themes, this is a wonderful read!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the title alone piqued my interest. anyone who knows me knows how much i love villain-gets-the-girl and enemies-to-lovers tropes. add in a dash of fantasy mystery, greek mythology, and a fearless FMC, and this book was right up my alley. Ever King's take on fated mates with the concept of heartstrings was a refreshing take on a well-loved trope. i wish the book was a bit longer to allow for more world-building, more hate-filled banter between kiara and lucian, and more development of side characters (octavia deserves her own book!). however, the ending was satisfying and left me wanting more. i truly hope this isn't the end for these characters! i can't wait to learn more about them (especially kaspian 👀)