Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Readers copy for an honest review.
Sigh.
This book has all the right ingredients. Enemies to lovers. Dark academia. Forbidden magic. Political intrigue and strife. All the major ideas to make this a banger. Unfortunately for me it fell completely flat.
Our main character Kiara believes herself to be a mundane and is a part of an elite group of assassins owned by the king. She is tasked to kill the prince while he is at a magic mage academy and somehow in the process gets sorted into a house at the school and is awakened. She is a rare and thought to be extinct starmage. I can't express enough how great this premise is. It's like a mix of Harry Potter meets Zodiac Academy.
Getting through this book was difficult, the pacing was hot and cold, there were parts that lingered that were fairly unimportant while the big moments were written very fast. There were moments I wanted more information of for more time to pass between plot points that could have really benefited from more detail and explanation. The relationship between the 'shadow daddy' and the FMC also fell quite flat for me. There was a very insta love 'my magic is drawn to her' direction in the romance and they quite literally know nothing about each other before the irrational pining starts. I want them to be true enemies and learn the grit about each other before that happens.
Overall it feels like I was watching this book from far above using a pair of binoculars. I couldn't get the full scope of world building. I wasn't able to see the full scope of character development. There were no moments where the view expanded from those tiny binocular lenses and allowed the mind to picture our characters in time or space. I felt as though there was a lot of telling and not showing.
I think that this book would be SO SO great with more rounds of edits and more well rounded character development. I want them to banter. I want them to learn each other's vulnerabilities and subtle intricacies before they head off on a quest together. I just want more.
Sigh.
This book has all the right ingredients. Enemies to lovers. Dark academia. Forbidden magic. Political intrigue and strife. All the major ideas to make this a banger. Unfortunately for me it fell completely flat.
Our main character Kiara believes herself to be a mundane and is a part of an elite group of assassins owned by the king. She is tasked to kill the prince while he is at a magic mage academy and somehow in the process gets sorted into a house at the school and is awakened. She is a rare and thought to be extinct starmage. I can't express enough how great this premise is. It's like a mix of Harry Potter meets Zodiac Academy.
Getting through this book was difficult, the pacing was hot and cold, there were parts that lingered that were fairly unimportant while the big moments were written very fast. There were moments I wanted more information of for more time to pass between plot points that could have really benefited from more detail and explanation. The relationship between the 'shadow daddy' and the FMC also fell quite flat for me. There was a very insta love 'my magic is drawn to her' direction in the romance and they quite literally know nothing about each other before the irrational pining starts. I want them to be true enemies and learn the grit about each other before that happens.
Overall it feels like I was watching this book from far above using a pair of binoculars. I couldn't get the full scope of world building. I wasn't able to see the full scope of character development. There were no moments where the view expanded from those tiny binocular lenses and allowed the mind to picture our characters in time or space. I felt as though there was a lot of telling and not showing.
I think that this book would be SO SO great with more rounds of edits and more well rounded character development. I want them to banter. I want them to learn each other's vulnerabilities and subtle intricacies before they head off on a quest together. I just want more.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and Ever King for the opportunity to review this book! This is my honest opinion.
Kiara, a hired assassin, infiltrates a magic academy and discovers that she has magic of her own. Using this to her advantage, she enrols in the academy while staying focused on her ultimate goal: to kill the Prince and break the curse.
The story is compelling, and the writing is easy to follow. The magic system is particularly well done - I loved the concept of summoning grimoires, with each one being unique to its master. However, the pacing of the book is uneven at times, feeling either rushed or overly detailed. For example, the trials felt too quick for my liking and could have been explored in more depth.
Kiara, our FMC, is strong-willed and determined in her mission, and Lucian, our MMC, is the broody, enigmatic prince who becomes fascinated by her. Their romance was lovely! While it doesn't quite follow the enemies-to-lovers trope due to their immediate attraction (especially from his part), there is still palpable tension between them. Was the romance predictable? Yes. But was I still swooning every time Lucian interacted with Kiara? Absolutely yes!
I also wish we had learned more about the side characters, especially the Raven Society. I’m hopeful they will get more attention and development in the next book!
Overall, this is a fun read, perfect for those wanting to dive into the romantasy genre with a dark academia setting.
Kiara, a hired assassin, infiltrates a magic academy and discovers that she has magic of her own. Using this to her advantage, she enrols in the academy while staying focused on her ultimate goal: to kill the Prince and break the curse.
The story is compelling, and the writing is easy to follow. The magic system is particularly well done - I loved the concept of summoning grimoires, with each one being unique to its master. However, the pacing of the book is uneven at times, feeling either rushed or overly detailed. For example, the trials felt too quick for my liking and could have been explored in more depth.
Kiara, our FMC, is strong-willed and determined in her mission, and Lucian, our MMC, is the broody, enigmatic prince who becomes fascinated by her. Their romance was lovely! While it doesn't quite follow the enemies-to-lovers trope due to their immediate attraction (especially from his part), there is still palpable tension between them. Was the romance predictable? Yes. But was I still swooning every time Lucian interacted with Kiara? Absolutely yes!
I also wish we had learned more about the side characters, especially the Raven Society. I’m hopeful they will get more attention and development in the next book!
Overall, this is a fun read, perfect for those wanting to dive into the romantasy genre with a dark academia setting.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Academy of Villains is a dark academia fantasy romance that weaves Greek mythology into a magical school setting. The story follows Kiara, a former assassin with a hidden magical gift, who infiltrates a dangerous academy with one mission to kill Prince Lucian, a cursed royal entangled in the kingdom’s darkest secrets. With an eerie atmosphere, secret societies, and an intriguing magic system, the book delivers a suspenseful and immersive reading experience.
The romance between Kiara and Lucian is intense, balancing enemies-to-lovers tension with emotional depth, though their connection feels a bit rushed, especially in the second half. The pacing slows at times due to heavy exposition, and while secondary characters like those in the Raven Society could have been explored more, there’s hope for deeper development in future books. Overall, this is a strong start to what promises to be an exciting series, perfect for fans of dark academia, morally complex characters, and high-stakes romance.
The romance between Kiara and Lucian is intense, balancing enemies-to-lovers tension with emotional depth, though their connection feels a bit rushed, especially in the second half. The pacing slows at times due to heavy exposition, and while secondary characters like those in the Raven Society could have been explored more, there’s hope for deeper development in future books. Overall, this is a strong start to what promises to be an exciting series, perfect for fans of dark academia, morally complex characters, and high-stakes romance.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
From the first page, I was hooked! This story is full of adventure, banter, tension, heartbreak, trials and so much more. This will send you through a rollercoaster of emotions while keeping you enthralled. What a great first book to the series and I can't wait to see what book 2 brings us.