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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
*This book was gifted to me by the author*
I truly enjoyed this book so much.
From the world building, the spice, the characters, plot twists, trials, duals and their backstories I loved it all. It reminds me of Harry Potter but an adult version
I truly enjoyed this book so much.
From the world building, the spice, the characters, plot twists, trials, duals and their backstories I loved it all. It reminds me of Harry Potter but an adult version
medium-paced
First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the author, Ever King, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Truthfully, I loved the premise of this book, especially the unique magic system. What do you mean they summon magic using a book, the Grimoire??? And the rules that govern it are so cool! These elements alone had me instantly hooked.
I loved the brotherhood within the Raven Society and how quickly Kiara became friends with Octavia. They opened up to each other so naturally and started uncovering the truth about the kingdom’s magic together. Even the magical history of the kingdom was incredibly intriguing.
However, the romance fell flat for me. I was expecting a proper enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but I didn’t feel much chemistry between them, especially with how quickly Lucian seemed attracted to Kiara, mostly due to the “bond” they unknowingly shared. When it was revealed that they were connected by the Heartstring, their relationship started to feel forced.
I loved Lucian’s obsession with Kiara, which made sense, especially with how she was described as such a strong-willed girl (𝘠’𝘈𝘓𝘓 𝘕𝘌𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘖 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋 𝘏𝘖𝘞 𝘖𝘉𝘚𝘌𝘚𝘚𝘌𝘋 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘋𝘌𝘓𝘜𝘚𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘈𝘓 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚 𝘗𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘊𝘌 𝘐𝘚), but I struggled to enjoy their moments together. Kiara’s attraction towards Lucian felt mostly physical, and the Heartstring just pushed them closer without enough emotional development.
Plot-wise, I think the confusion was partly on me. I started this without revisiting the blurb, so I was caught off guard when the characters were suddenly thrown into a series of trials to break the kingdom’s curse. It felt like those trials were more of a setup to give the MCs more scenes together. I was hoping for more intense challenges, especially with the mention of magical creatures, but the trials ended too quickly. (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 🫣)
Overall, it was still a good read, and I had a great time while reading it. However, I don’t feel compelled to pick up the next book, even though this one ended on a cliffhanger.
Truthfully, I loved the premise of this book, especially the unique magic system. What do you mean they summon magic using a book, the Grimoire??? And the rules that govern it are so cool! These elements alone had me instantly hooked.
I loved the brotherhood within the Raven Society and how quickly Kiara became friends with Octavia. They opened up to each other so naturally and started uncovering the truth about the kingdom’s magic together. Even the magical history of the kingdom was incredibly intriguing.
However, the romance fell flat for me. I was expecting a proper enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but I didn’t feel much chemistry between them, especially with how quickly Lucian seemed attracted to Kiara, mostly due to the “bond” they unknowingly shared. When it was revealed that they were connected by the Heartstring, their relationship started to feel forced.
I loved Lucian’s obsession with Kiara, which made sense, especially with how she was described as such a strong-willed girl (𝘠’𝘈𝘓𝘓 𝘕𝘌𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘖 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋 𝘏𝘖𝘞 𝘖𝘉𝘚𝘌𝘚𝘚𝘌𝘋 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘋𝘌𝘓𝘜𝘚𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘈𝘓 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚 𝘗𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘊𝘌 𝘐𝘚), but I struggled to enjoy their moments together. Kiara’s attraction towards Lucian felt mostly physical, and the Heartstring just pushed them closer without enough emotional development.
Plot-wise, I think the confusion was partly on me. I started this without revisiting the blurb, so I was caught off guard when the characters were suddenly thrown into a series of trials to break the kingdom’s curse. It felt like those trials were more of a setup to give the MCs more scenes together. I was hoping for more intense challenges, especially with the mention of magical creatures, but the trials ended too quickly. (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 🫣)
Overall, it was still a good read, and I had a great time while reading it. However, I don’t feel compelled to pick up the next book, even though this one ended on a cliffhanger.
adventurous
fast-paced
Lions, and Tigers and bears oh my... nah, Mages, Starmages, and Shadowmages oh my. Academy of Villains starts off right in the thick of things which left me a little confused, but that's okay. This book is fast paced and action packed. A lot of information is thrown your way, but keeping up wasn't a huge problem.
Kiara was sent to assassinate Prince Lucian, so yes this was a true enemies to lovers story. Besides being hired to kill Lucian there was other obstacles in their way and watching them navigate through it all was heartwarming and I could't help but smile through out their journey.
Lucian I loved and Kiara had to grow on me. She was so abrasive, but I could understand why she was.
I liked the story and was excited to see their journey continue because I felt like it was unfinished so to my surprise the second book is about different characters. I'm confused to say the least.
*Thank you to the Author, Ever King and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
Kiara was sent to assassinate Prince Lucian, so yes this was a true enemies to lovers story. Besides being hired to kill Lucian there was other obstacles in their way and watching them navigate through it all was heartwarming and I could't help but smile through out their journey.
Lucian I loved and Kiara had to grow on me. She was so abrasive, but I could understand why she was.
I liked the story and was excited to see their journey continue because I felt like it was unfinished so to my surprise the second book is about different characters. I'm confused to say the least.
*Thank you to the Author, Ever King and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
Absolutely loved this! It’s such a fun, addictive read with a fantastic magic system, secret societies, and some challenging trials thrown in. Lucian and Keira are both strong, layered characters with amazing chemistry. Their romance is definitely a key part of the story, but it never takes over the plot—which I really appreciated. If you’re into dark academia vibes with magic, mystery, and a bit of spice, this one’s definitely worth picking up.
Kiara is an assassin tasked with killing the prince of her kingdom. She must enter the magic academy the prince attends and complete her kill, but instead finds herself entering the academy with magical abilities she was previously unaware of. Kiara believes she can end the curse on the kingdom by completing her task.
In a magical academy setting, with games and trials and secret societies, there is plenty to love about this story. Kiara is headstrong and struggles with the introduction to her magical abilities as a rare and powerful mage. She has to integrate into the school and form relationships, and trust her new friend Octavia to help her through classes.
Lucian, the cursed prince, learns about more about the kingdom and non magical people from Kiara, who has grown up away from mages and high society. Though he is privileged and powerful, he shows he is so much more than that.
The minor characters in this story were vibrant, whether the spoilt students challenging Kiara’s right to be there, the professors who make an example of her, Lucian’s friends or Octavia supporting Kiara.
The plot was well structured, though I’m not familiar with the story of Nyx and Erebus to know whether this aligns closely to it. I loved the trials toward the end of the story.
I enjoyed this story and will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in the series, and future releases from Ever King.
In a magical academy setting, with games and trials and secret societies, there is plenty to love about this story. Kiara is headstrong and struggles with the introduction to her magical abilities as a rare and powerful mage. She has to integrate into the school and form relationships, and trust her new friend Octavia to help her through classes.
Lucian, the cursed prince, learns about more about the kingdom and non magical people from Kiara, who has grown up away from mages and high society. Though he is privileged and powerful, he shows he is so much more than that.
The minor characters in this story were vibrant, whether the spoilt students challenging Kiara’s right to be there, the professors who make an example of her, Lucian’s friends or Octavia supporting Kiara.
The plot was well structured, though I’m not familiar with the story of Nyx and Erebus to know whether this aligns closely to it. I loved the trials toward the end of the story.
I enjoyed this story and will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in the series, and future releases from Ever King.
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fast paced, adventurous story following a nameless assassin who discovers she has magic after being sent on a mission to kill the Prince of Ithaka.
This book had me since the very start, i loved how i was immediately thrown into a piece of action, and how it all unfolded as the FMC learnt things about herself she would never have dreamed of knowing.
I feel like the book generally lacked quite a bit in the world building department, and it didn’t have as much of the passion there usually is in the writing, though it was definitely great as a debut novel, and amazing overall.
I also loved the depth to the FMC’s background and the flawless chemistry between her and the MMC.
Overall, this book was quite amazing, i’ll definitely be sticking around to read book 2
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book, all opinions are my own.
This book had me since the very start, i loved how i was immediately thrown into a piece of action, and how it all unfolded as the FMC learnt things about herself she would never have dreamed of knowing.
I feel like the book generally lacked quite a bit in the world building department, and it didn’t have as much of the passion there usually is in the writing, though it was definitely great as a debut novel, and amazing overall.
I also loved the depth to the FMC’s background and the flawless chemistry between her and the MMC.
Overall, this book was quite amazing, i’ll definitely be sticking around to read book 2
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book, all opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Academy of Villains is a dark academia fantasy romance that totally delivers on the vibes—magic, secrets, and a seriously addictive plot. From the very first page, I was hooked on Kiara’s mission of revenge and how quickly everything starts to twist when she discovers she actually has magic. The world is full of secret societies, grimoires, cursed princes, and mysterious trials, and it gave me just the right dose of enemies-to-lovers tension, danger, and dark magic.
I wish there had been a bit more world-building and detail in a few places, but overall, this was such a fun, fast-paced read. If you love a magical academy setting and some morally gray characters, this one’s totally for you. I’m really excited to see where the series goes next!