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kerrygetsliterary 's review for:
An Academy for Liars
by Alexis Henderson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you netgalley and Berkley/Ace for my eARC!
I haven't read too many dark academia stories, but this one was pretty cool.
Lennon catches her fiance cheating on her in their home. With nothing left to lose, she takes off with the plan to die by suicide. A strange call interrupts her, telling her she has been accepted to Drayton University, as long as she attends and passes the interview set for the next morning. She didn't even apply to this academy, but curiosity gets the best of her and she impulsively decides to go. What follows is Lennon learning to wield the power of persuasion -- to infiltrate minds and bend others to her will. But it's far more dangerous than she ever imagined, especially as she gets closer to her academic advisor, Dr. Dante Lowe.
An Academy of Liars poses questions like, what would the world be like with the power to manipulate minds? What would the worst of the worst people do with it? To get it? Is it ethical, even if it's used for good?
It was decent pacing for most of the book, then at about 70%, it really ramped up and I could not put it down. I spent a lot of time confused because of lack of information, but since we are following Lennon as she learns everything about this world too, it seems to be intended. As more and more was revealed that I didn't guess, the more I was hooked into the story and needed to know what happened.
However, I didn't really feel the connection between Lennon and Dante. I believe they got close, but I didn't feel the romantic connection between them much.
Lennon did have some growth, but she is very dependent on others' value placed onto her, especially men. I disliked that she had the strength to leave her cheating fiance, just to be infatuated with another man and couldn't establish her own identity without him.
I may be nitpicking here, but it could have used a bit more editing. The word limned was used repeatedly. My kindle app tells me it's only four times in the book, however, when it's an uncommon word, I notice it each time. Another word used repetitively that I can't remember now. Dante's eyes shrank down to pinpoints twice in one chapter. And perhaps the most obvious was the overuse of em dashes.
After finishing, I still have some questions that weren't answered about things occurring then never addressed again, but most things did wrap up.
Although the book is set over multiple seasons, this is a great fall read.
CWs: suicidal ideation and plan, suicide, death, grief, murder, blood, violence, injury details/broken bones, seizures, animal cruelty, drug use, overdose, adult/minor relationship (past), alcoholism, panic attacks, psychiatric hospitalization (past)
I haven't read too many dark academia stories, but this one was pretty cool.
Lennon catches her fiance cheating on her in their home. With nothing left to lose, she takes off with the plan to die by suicide. A strange call interrupts her, telling her she has been accepted to Drayton University, as long as she attends and passes the interview set for the next morning. She didn't even apply to this academy, but curiosity gets the best of her and she impulsively decides to go. What follows is Lennon learning to wield the power of persuasion -- to infiltrate minds and bend others to her will. But it's far more dangerous than she ever imagined, especially as she gets closer to her academic advisor, Dr. Dante Lowe.
An Academy of Liars poses questions like, what would the world be like with the power to manipulate minds? What would the worst of the worst people do with it? To get it? Is it ethical, even if it's used for good?
It was decent pacing for most of the book, then at about 70%, it really ramped up and I could not put it down. I spent a lot of time confused because of lack of information, but since we are following Lennon as she learns everything about this world too, it seems to be intended. As more and more was revealed that I didn't guess, the more I was hooked into the story and needed to know what happened.
However, I didn't really feel the connection between Lennon and Dante. I believe they got close, but I didn't feel the romantic connection between them much.
Lennon did have some growth, but she is very dependent on others' value placed onto her, especially men. I disliked that she had the strength to leave her cheating fiance, just to be infatuated with another man and couldn't establish her own identity without him.
I may be nitpicking here, but it could have used a bit more editing. The word limned was used repeatedly. My kindle app tells me it's only four times in the book, however, when it's an uncommon word, I notice it each time. Another word used repetitively that I can't remember now. Dante's eyes shrank down to pinpoints twice in one chapter. And perhaps the most obvious was the overuse of em dashes.
After finishing, I still have some questions that weren't answered about things occurring then never addressed again, but most things did wrap up.
Although the book is set over multiple seasons, this is a great fall read.
CWs: suicidal ideation and plan, suicide, death, grief, murder, blood, violence, injury details/broken bones, seizures, animal cruelty, drug use, overdose, adult/minor relationship (past), alcoholism, panic attacks, psychiatric hospitalization (past)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Sexual content