House of Pain is described as Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl and nothing more needed to be said to get me interested in this one. I also felt like it has strong Zodiac Academy vibes if that interests you. The magic system in this novel was different that what I've read before. Blood is a huge part of this book and is part of the magic system. Their whole goal was to take down other Houses at the academy. The hero Blaze is quite toxic but so are most characters in this novel. Just be prepared for a bully/hate romance between Blaze and Alecto. Overall, this was an interesting read but definitely check trigger warnings.

This book is set up for a new series that is promised to be: "Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl" and this made me so intrigued by it. There are also more - morally gray characters, and this is something that I always love to read about.
Alecto is a girl that rocks it all and will be the boss of her life. As this story is about somehow Dramione feature she's a half-breed, but also comes from a wealthy family - so she comes from power, which will be her win card in some cases. As a witch, she's also powerful so he has a power that needs to be reckoned with! I hope some aspects of her life will be explained in the next book, as Alecto has some hidden secrets that I need to know!
Blaze, o my gosh - a bully... that you will love to hate - terrible things are coming from him to Alecto, but it will be forgiven to him somehow. He is like a well-known character - coming from a background that is not in favor of someone coming from a not-pure family, but this was not out of place and made real by Ms. Wilde.
The beginning of this story was a little bit hard to follow, but after a moment I fell for this book and wanted to read this book ASAP, as the premise was so well intriguing to me. This book is written in this person so it seemed more plot drive, but generally, it was character-driven in my opinion Generally I find "House of Pain " a really good book with a great premise and wonder what will come in the next installment!

This was something different for me however I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down and read it super fast.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this. The premise seemed good but barely anything had happened by 30%. I just couldn't continue. Maybe I'll pick this back up another time? But for now it's a DNF.

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. It was entertaining and I really enjoyed the setting of the book. There was a lot going on, which was hard to follow at time and made me want to read the next book to complete the feeling of the unfinished storylines.

If you want a spicier Zodiac Academy, this is for you!

Very disappointing :( I don’t like to write negative reviews because I know how hard authors work. So I’m just going to say that the world building needed a little bit more work and the characters needed a bit more depth. Perhaps the right audience will love this one, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

This book was not for me. It was more YA than I liked. The relationships felt shallow and some of the names in this book made it hard to take the story seriously.

YA boarding school novel meets erotica. This book is in sexual overdrive and I’m here for it.

It took me a long time to get into this book but once I did it was a solid read. I did feel that it was a little light on the plot and that the sex carried the story, but hey if you like steamy scenes then this book will be your best friend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll keep this as short as possible: I regret requesting this. I’m sure this book will find its audience, but it was definitely not me.

When I first picked up this book I was not expecting what I read. House of Pain is primarily set in a fantasy world with witches and warlocks but at no point did the author properly establish the setting or its rules.
The first few chapters in, I kept hoping it would get better. But it took me two months to read something that would generally have takes less than two weeks, and as I was finishing it I was still confused about most of it. Often I felt like I was reading a second book in a series and I had to check if I'd requested the wrong book.

Apart from terrible world building there's some immature dialogue but that can still be overlooked.

The characters were probably my favourite part, because often authors don't know how to make them stay consistent throughout the book. Blaze is the tall, dark and handsome boy with a really dark twist and the side characters are developed really well too, but Alecto has to be my absolute favourite. Female MCs in fantasy (or general) books are not usually shown as 'cruel' or take charge-type that goes to the extreme, but Alecto sheds all stereotypes and she is THAT bi*ch. One unlikable part, however, was how she was bent on proving her cruelty as a witch despite being half-mortal. It's the main driving force behind her actions and even if I understand it I would have liked to see more depth to her.

Another good part was the smut. The book is VERY sexually explicit right from the first page but I found that I didn't mind it, most of the time. One thing I will say about the author is that she knows how to keep it interesting, because after the fourth fifth sixth sex scene in a book it can get tedious to read, but Wilde kept things, well, wild.

Overall, an okay fantasy read that I kept coming back to. It may have taken me two months to read something I would have generally DNF'd but I suppose the fact that I finished it does speak for it.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I started this but this book definitely had me on my toes. I enjoyed this dark enemies to lovers fantasy world (and when I say dark I mean it). As I was reading I was getting raw and dangerous vibes and I think I liked it which is ironic because I normally live in the world of contemporary romance. Gave this book a 3/5 because i felt like I was missing something, I found myself having to reread pieces here and there. And while I liked that the book got straight to the plot I would have liked a little more character background. But over all I loved the magic this book worked to create for the reader. I am intrigued to see where things go with Alecto and Blaze in the rest of the series because WOW the hate sex is giving and I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers. I’m also hoping some of these story lines carry on because i had so many questions left over. Overall would give it a try if it’s sounds like something you would like. I was glad I took a jump and tried something new.

Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl, but make it spicy. This isn’t the best thing I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. At first I was scared this was YA, but these kids are university age and they’re slutty as hell so I enjoyed myself. I need everyone to stop calling Alecto a half-breed just because her mother is mortal. It was quite obvious that enemies-to-lovers was happening early on. I wanted a love triangle with the demon. I just wanted the demon. The betrayal was a bit of a letdown, but I assume we’re not here for the plot.

Such an intriguing and titillating supernatural bully romance that reminds me of Zodiac Academy but even darker. Right up my alley.

“Let his smile be as charming as Heath Ledger’s, with a dimple in one cheek,” Jolene said. Alessandro snickered while Blaze closed his eyes and nodded in agreement. “Let his hair be as dark as night itself, eyes deeper than the fucking Mariana Trench, and let his cock be long and beautiful and capable, just like every fucking bitch deserves.”

House of Pain is book one in the Precious Villians series by Karolina Wilde. This book was filled to the brim with all the enemies to lovers bully romance, witches, magic, and steam you could want in a romantic fantasy! I loved that our FMC, Alecto, was a bit of a morally grey heroine. I have a bunch of unanswered questions and would love to see some more world building in book two!

"'You like to hurt me, don't you baby?"' His hot breath was against her neck again. "With your nails,
teeth, your soft little hands?"' And her words. Her sharp glances. Her tongue. Alecto nodded frantically because the tension building inside her
was about to erupt.
"So cruel." He chuckled, his
breathing ragged now.' "'It's a good thing I love it.

House of Pain is the first book in the Precious Villains trilogy by Karolina Wilde. It's also the author's self-published debut novel which came out on the 6th of December. This 476-page book is billed as a Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl, and I AM HERE FOR IT!

The book was sexy; it was fun, and it was fast-paced. I loved the competition that was taking place, and I loved how the house you're in had a genuine impact on how you survived at school and after it. In short, I loved the world Wilde set up here. I was a huge fan of Val and how ruthless she is. I legit don't think she had enough page time! The side characters like Jolene were also cute, and I wish we'd seen more of her and Alecto interact.

There are things that I feel could have been edited out. Some of the names, like Rogue, were just too cheesy. Some things, like what happened to that girl by the lake, were not elaborated on, and I wish we could've found out more. While I liked Alecto and Blaze, things were too heavy-handed. Some subtlety in terms of violence can also be effective. The whole demon they summoned at the start and the spell which was super focused on how hot he was supposed to be felt a bit odd; like the book was smut with some plot and not vice versa. It also didn't really feel very relevant. I also didn't get how Alecto was part of the inner circle when people seem to hate her so much for being a half breed.

That being said, I feel like these are teething problems or even things that can be cleared up in the next book. I have already pre-ordered the next book…

I absolutely fell in LOVE with this book and the characters. I adore a good dark academia vibe, but add in the spice and it is **chef's kiss.**

I will admit, the beginning of the book gave me some pause. I was wary about the character names (Alecto, Blaze, Rogue Smolder...). I usually find names like this incredibly cringe-worthy. As I read though, I found that the names actually fit the characters.

While initially you can tell the Game is a big part of the book, the love story really ended up taking over and being the main focus. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it could have used a bit more balance. Also, the tiny love triangle (square?) with Val, Blaze, Rogue, and Alecto could have been better developed. Alecto was clearly trying to make Blaze jealous with Rogue, and I would have enjoyed seeing more interaction between the two - especially since it seemed like Rogue was into Alecto.

I loved the world building and want more of it! I got dark Harry Potter vibes from this book and I can tell there is more to the witches' world, but there were only vague mentions of the mortal world. It would have been great to hear more about Alecto's life with her mom and how her life being half mortal/half witch made her different. Instead, Blaze just refers to it and we see Alecto feeling negatively about it because the others consider her different. But WHY? How is she so different. Everyone else thinks she is, but we're never shown that she actually is.

I am super excited for House of Ruin. Is it out yet?! 4 stars from me! Can't wait for the next book in the series!

"To be admired for her cruelty, for the darkness that stained her half-mortal soul, was, even better than feeling desired."

🖤Dark Fantasy
🖤Enemies to Lovers
🖤Academy for Witches
🖤Deadly Competition
🖤LGBTQIA Friendly (side characters)
🖤Spicy
🖤Zodiac Academy x Dark/Gothic Harry Potter x Gossip Girl
💥Check TW

Alecto Black, a half-witch, just started her second year at Venefica Academy, the prestigious witch academy. Last year she joined the House of Snakes, where she is a legacy, and is determined this year to 1) land the lead role in the school play of Carmen 2) shed the stigma of a half-mortal and become more merciless and cruel and 3) help her House win this year's Games.

This book reminded me very much of a darker Zodiac Academy series, which is one of my favorites. The students are divided up into 12 different houses, with each house being an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. I thought this was a fun take and just wished you saw more of the different houses and how the students got into them besides those who were legacies. Alecto and Blaze's enemies to lovers to enemies cycle reminded me also of Tory and Darius from ZA. Enemies until they can't deny their attraction for each but then go right back to being enemies.

I did enjoy this book and though the witches were all quite twisted and cruel yet all of them had redeeming qualities. I was a little confused about the whole acting subplot in the book. It seemed like it was thrown in there even though the book is supposed to center around the Games. I hope to see more of the acting subplot in the next book. There were a bunch of unanswered questions that I hope will be answered in book 2 and am intrigued as to what will happen next in the story. Solid 3.25 stars, rounded down to 3.

This book is well written. The reader has a clear understanding of the characters and the reasons they make the choices they do. The setting is very high school with high drama that is reminiscent of some of the shows I watched in the early 2000s. The magic element to this story is very dark from the beginning. The story moved at a good pace and I was engaged throughout the story.

I would highly recommend reading the trigger warnings before starting this book.

The blurb described it as Dark Harry Potter meets Gossip Gossip girl - and I can see this. It does also have Zodiac Academy/Ninth House vibes, as well a bit of Dramionie. And of course, Dark Academia. All things I absolutely love.

The story follows Alecto, a half witch-half human (which makes her lesser then the other full-blooded witches) who attends school at the prestigious Venefica Academy. And while the Academics are important, nothing is more important then the GAME - a school wide competition. Alecto is part of the infamous House of Snakes, as a legacy member, and becomes the target of not another house, but another legacy member in the house of Snakes, Blaze Leveau. This rich boy, tormenter is the bane of her existence, until one day things change. Can they put their differences asides for the good of the House of Snakes and the game? Or will they crumble?

I really enjoyed this book - it honestly has everything I enjoy in books, a dark academia setting, smut, witchy coven Hogwarts house vibes - and Blaze, he could run me over and I'd thank him. Plus, some of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, bully romance and forced proximity.

The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star, is because I wish there was more world-building. The world the author has created is amazing, I would love to know more about it. I think it would really add to the story!

I cannot wait to read the next book and I think Karolina Wilde and Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holy enemies to unlikely allies. This book was pure chaos and snark and viciousness and I'm THRIVING after finishing it. It very much has the vibes of If We Were Villains, but at a school for magic with a house system and dangerous games for one of them to come out on top. Definitely check the content warnings before reading, but I absolutely loved this book and can't wait for the next one! Great for fans of Zodiac Academy and any book where you're not really sure who you're supposed to be rooting for.