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A review by kaabtik
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"Good lies are rewarded with belief. Great lies are rewarded with conviction. In my experience, persuasion is a great lie, well told."
The first half is painfully slow, building the world brick by brick but still remaining the air of mystique. It isn't until after the first half that we actually get to the academia part — the powers, the persuasion, the whole nine yards.
One thing I have to note is that it is palpable over the book how Lennon changes, the first chapters with the undercurrent of uncertainty and insecurity, before she finds her footing in the walls of Drayton College.
My favorite part of this book would probably be the action scenes — specifically
Overall, I did enjoy reading it but I do wish that we had more of the Academia like classes part of it, seeing as it is 400+ pages.
Now for my nonsensical rants:
HUGE SPOILER ALERT THAT I CANNOT HIDE BC OF A BUG ON STORYGRAPH RN 😭
Lennon and Danger
after reading the book i noticed that there is a shift between how lennon perceives and interacts with danger as the story progressed which i thought was interesting.
In the beginning she is all flight — she says it herself, she's a runner. at the first sign of danger she runs.
however, she actively seeks it as well, albeit subconsciously. she runs from one form of danger, only to run headfirst to another.
it isn't until towards the end that she uses this to her advantage, using the dangers of persuasion to her advantage to turn the tides in her favor.
I did not care for the romance between Lennon and Dante at all.
honestly i would even go as far as say that it was the least enjoyable part of the book. on my end, i personally don't like the fact that they're professor/adviser and student. i dont give a fuck if they're consenting adults — the power imbalance shook me to the core. maybe bc i'm still stuck in that uni make it or break it mindset but messing around with a professor has never ever appealed to me — both irl and in fiction so that explains my distaste.
now in the book, lennon is 24 and dante is 33. that's a pretty defined age gap and those are two very different stages in life. however, the book makes it out as if dante is ancient when the man is IN HIS EARLY 30s ‼️‼️ 😭😭
copying directly from my annotations:
"But Dante said it differently, without smugness or innuendo. When he called her dangerous, it was stated like a simple fact."
i hate na theyre pushing this "not like other (old) men" narrative ky dante. it's giving manic pixie geriatric but it's not landing to me because
1. he's 33 😭😭😭😭😭 that is Not Old but definitely oldER compared ky lennon
2. it's not his age na hadlang nila but the power dynamic — which, again, i'm not a fan of
3. he's a bit dry as a romantic interest tbh
honestly if their relationship was tweaked into the much older mentor & lost mentee then i don't think a lot would change. the motive definitely would but maybe i would have preferred an almost familial attachment between them rather than a romantic one.
I probably have more thoughts but they're not in my mind rn so yeah there's that!