***Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I was so excited to return to the world of Adam Binder. Thankfully, Slayton didn’t let me down. Rogue Community College was an excellent addition to this world. It managed to be something new and fresh while also incorporating elements and characters from the trilogy in the background. I appreciated that the cameos never felt gratuitous but instead were utilized sparingly as integral pieces of the story.

An academic setting is one of my favorite things to read. The school in Rogue Community College was unique in so many ways. I loved getting to explore its oddities alongside Isaac. It was truly a school for misfits, and the building having a life of its own fit that vibe so perfectly. The classes were interesting, as well, and provided a great means to impart important information to the reader while also establishing the group dynamic between the students.

The plot of Rogue Community College kept me engaged. I was so curious to see how a building could be assassinated, and the adventures of Isaac and the other students were intriguing and often fun to read. The story had a lot to offer, including the assassination plot, the mysteries of Isaac’s background, and all of the training to become a guardian. I can honestly say that I was never bored. The ending was an absolute gut punch, though, and slightly infuriating. I’ll be disappointed if there’s not more to a certain character’s story in future books. Their fate, while poignant, was just so sad and felt premature.

The characters were my favorite thing about Rogue Community College. The main character, Isaac, was so compelling. He’d experienced so much trauma and was being forced to train as an assassin. Killing the school was to be his final test. Upon becoming a student, he slowly made friends with his classmates and had to determine whether he could stand to continue lying to them. He also struck up a relationship with Vran, one of his classmates. They were so cute together, and I adored every scene that they shared. In general, Vran is just the absolute best and is one of my favorite characters in the entire Adam Binder universe. The entire cast really was outstanding, though, and I hope to get to know more about the supporting characters as the series progresses.

Overall, Rogue Community College was a really fun book. It was dark at times, but there was always an undercurrent of hope and humor, too. The story was a great mix of magic, mystery, academia, and found family. It was a fantastic addition to the world of Adam Binder. Therefore, I rate it 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Isaac Frost is an assassin, an Undertaker who was taken in as a child and raised with his “brothers” to be a killer. Isaac has been tasked to destroy a school for magic holders, known as Rogue Community College, by taking its heart. Isaac has no idea who wants the school eliminated, but his job isn’t to ask why, it is to accomplish his mission no matter what. But the school isn’t an ordinary building and it doesn’t give up its secrets easily, so Isaac needs to infiltrate, get taken in as a student, and figure out exactly how to destroy the school.

Isaac has had a hard life, forced to fight to survive and rely only on himself. He doesn’t expect to care about any of the other students, but he finds himself making friends despite himself. Isaac’s closest friend becomes Vran, a young elf with a complicated past who somehow doesn’t mind that Isaac is a mostly grumpy loner. Even more surprising is that Isaac finds himself making friends with other students as well. The longer he is at the school and the more he gets to know everyone, the less he is interested in harming any of them, despite his duty. In fact, Isaac finds himself falling hard for Vran and having a real connection with him. But Undertakers do not fail in their missions, and if Isaac doesn’t destroy the school, he knows someone else will be right behind him ready to do the job instead. Isaac has come to realize he wants more out of life than that of an assassin, but untangling himself from his past and saving the school and its students seems impossible.

Rogue Community College is the first book in David R. Slayton’s Liberty House series. It takes place in the same world as Slayton’s excellent Adam Binder series and works as a spinoff of sorts. Vran is a side character in the Adam Binder books, and some folks from that series cross over here. For example, Argent plays a key role in this book, and a couple of others have small cameos. I think if you wanted to start here, you could do it, but there is a lot of world building that will make more sense if you are familiar with the other series. There are references to things Vran went through in Deadbeat Druid, for example, that are never fully detailed here, as well as passing mention to other events. So I definitely would recommend starting with the Adam Binder books (and if you do, be sure to read them before starting this one, as they take place chronologically).

One of the things Slayton excels at is world building, and this story continues to build on the existing lore and grow it further. We learn about more magical beings, as we get to know the various students at the school. We also see the after effects of Silver taking the throne and the changes he is trying to make, including training Guardians who are not of the elite races, which is why they have created this school. At first, the story has a bit of a “young X-Men” vibe, as we meet all these students and learn about their abilities. I was wondering if the series would have a big tone shift from Adam’s books, but as things settle and the plot develops, the two series end up having much the same tone and this story fits very well alongside the others. I will say that at times the students felt younger than they were supposed to be, almost like high schoolers instead of college students. Both Isaac and Vran are in their early 20s, and the others are seemingly around their age, but sometimes I found myself forgetting they weren’t younger. But I loved meeting the students and learning about their different abilities, especially as they work together on missions.

The school building itself is almost sentient, so there is this fun dynamic where the school morphs and changes, adapting to the students and their needs. It also means the school can be killed, which is where Isaac comes in. He is an Undertaker, trained from childhood to be a killer. It becomes clear that Isaac was abused, tortured, and forced into this life, but he knows no different. When Isaac first arrives, his indoctrination as an Undertaker is still clearly in place. He only wants to be there to do the job and get out. He doesn’t care about anyone else — or want to. But over time, we see Isaac start to learn more about the world outside of his sheltered upbringing. He was taught to be a loner, to rely on no one. Yet the school teaches collaboration and working together, and Isaac begins to open his eyes to the value of community. He questions many things, but he also comes to realize he wants more from his life, he cares about the school and it students, and he doesn’t want to hurt any of them. Of course, it may be out of his hands, as Undertakers have no room for failure and if he doesn’t do the job, he knows someone else will.

I really enjoyed Vran as a side character in the Adam Binder stories, so I was excited to see he would be featured here. Isaac and Vran connect early on, and while they have lived such different lives, they also have plenty of similarities and ways they connect with one another. They begin to build a friendship that slowly turns into more. While things are pretty chaste, with only a few kisses, it is clear that Vran and Isaac form a deep connection. The men also get to go on some missions together, as they try to discover who is stealing blood from various supernaturals, and I enjoyed seeing their different styles work together.

I will warn folks that this the book does have a bittersweet ending, and I wouldn’t classify it as a true genre romance at this point. I think for a lot of folks, their feelings about the book are going to rest on what they think of the ending. I kept hoping for things to work out more smoothly than they did, but I think Slayton builds the groundwork for these events well and the story worked for me. I am intrigued by where we leave things in the larger series arc and there is so much interesting potential here. I really do love this world Slayton has created and am looking forward to seeing where things go as we continue this new series.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Adam Binder novels and was overjoyed to see David Slayton return to the same universe.

The characters were great, I loved the continued world building and I look forward to more in the Liberty House Series in the future

It's was a so good to return to the world of Adam Binder, especially with Vran, one of the intriguing characters! This time the story revolves around Issac, who stumbles upon a captive elf. However, his rescue attempt does not go as planned - it turns out that Vran was not out to get rescue, but was pursuing his own larger plan, which Issac unwittingly bombed.
The story is fast-paced, captivating, full of humor and mixes suspense with a feeling of comforting familiarity of the earlier books. As with the other books in the world, the writing style was totally mine and drew me straight into the story. It was a bit like coming home. The characters and the plot were also very convincing. I couldn't put the book down - an absolute must-read!

I am a big fan of David Slayton's Adam Binder books, and it was a pleasure to dive back into that world with Rogue Community College. The novel builds on the Binder books, introducing a school for burgeoning Guardians with odd abilities. Isaac Frost, an assasin and kinda-vampire called a Phage, is there for...well, let's say less than noble reasons. But he has mysteries to solve.

The world-building is, as usual with Slayton's books, excellent. And the characters are fun and focused. I am struck at how visual Slayton's imagination is and how he does a good job of conveying the imagery of the world.

It's not quite a perfect book- there are a few plot points that are tied up a little too quickly- but the story is full of emotion and quite interesting. I look forward to more of this series.

Rogue Community College was a fun, wild romp with some academia, orphan assassins, magical x-men, a touch of intrigue and a soft bit of romance that i would have loved more of ngl. The characters were all awesome, the narrative was energetic, and overall it was a dynamic, lightweight read that i enjoyed on my flight back from London!

And though this was a different vibe than Dark Moon, Shallow Sea, which i also enjoyed, i thought David Slayton's creative first installment in The Liberty House Series was pretty amazing! i had a great time, even though i wanted just a bit more of the love story, but i get why everything went the way it did! But still, hopefully the rest of the series will deliver an HEA for Vran and Isaac that would add another facet of emotional dimension to everything awesome happening here already, which i know David has in his wheelhouse BECAUSE SAMUEL!!! Lots of tears for my best boy 😭💔😭💔😭💔😭 i've not read the Adam Binder series yet, but as RCC is set in the same world i'm definitely excited to give that a go some time in the future!

This was a fun, quick read that I enjoyed, but I wish it had been a little longer and had a little more depth.

I loved the characters, both main and side, and all of their interactions. I wanted them to get their happy endings and all be friends. As I said earlier, I wish there was more. I wanted to see more everyday interactions, more missions, and more of them using their powers. This book could have had more training sequences of them honing their skills. The same goes for the angst. I could have used more, with more angsty backstories and the class coming together despite it all.

The writing and setting felt a little YA and I kept thinking they were in high school, not college. That did not take away a lot of enjoyment, but it took me out of the story a little. The characters felt very young and I got a bit jump-scared when one of them mentioned graduate school.

Overall I had a fun time reading this book and will definitely read more of this series when it comes out.

A lovely new addition to the Adam Binder universe. The plot might be a bit predictable, but the characters are fun.

Absolutely loved this spin off to the adam binder series!
I loved Isaac the train assassin with 0 kills

Now he has to enroll in a school and find and eliminate his target.. does it do it?

If you lived white trash warlock and the following books you need to read this!

In Rogue Community College Book one of the Liberty House series, David R. Slayton captures community and friendship. The world that Isaac Frost lives in is a dangerous and difficult one but Isaac is a survivor. What is most interesting is how through undertaking his mission, Isaac slowly opens up and grows closer to those around him.
I liked that from the start both Vran and Isaac are intriguing characters. You want to know more about each of them and through their time together, we learn more about the world but also discover more about each of them and the other students at the school. Much like a real community college, spending time there forces Isaac to make friends and develop other skills than the ones he was raised in. It broadens his world but also deepens his sense of community. And the novel does an excellent job of demonstrating found family, giving those who are different a place of belonging and a world where the weird characters get a chance to shine. And while the ending is not what you expect, it is a revelation.
If you like David R. Slayton, urban fantasy or stories about found family, I think you’ll love this story about an assassin who learns about community and friendship. His dilemma is choosing between two different families, not an easy choice which makes the narrative that much more intense and complex. I loved how the author resolved that dilemma and I loved both Isaac and Vran. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Isaac Frost is one of The Undertaker’s boys, a group of unmatched trained assassins; his latest mission involves ingratiating himself into the newly-formed Rogue Community College and killing it. Things are complicated by the feelings he develops for a sea elf named Vran as well as making friends with his group of misfits classmates.

This book is set in the world of the Adam Binder novels which I really enjoyed so I was excited to get a chance to return. Isaac is such an interesting and unusual character being something called a Phage who has the ability to take on the powers of whoever’s blood he drinks. He spends a large portion of the book figuring out his place and realises that he might actually have somewhere where he belongs in Rogue Community College. He is an engaging character and it was really good to see Vran again as well as to see the romance blossom between the two.

I am intrigued to see where future books in this series go and am just so glad to be back!

Rogue Community College by David R Slayton
The Liberty House series #1. Urban fantasy magic college. Minor romance. Spin off and in the same world as the Adam Binder series.
Isaac Frost is an assassin and although he’s been trained, he has no kills yet. The profession was not his choice. The Undertaker owns him and he must accept his assignments or suffer the consequences. His current assignment is to infiltrate the school, enroll undercover, and kill a specific target. Isaac is a Phage. With a taste of a person’s blood, he can find out all their secrets and memories.
Rogue Community College is a magic school for unique and wayward students. The school changes its paths and doors, protecting the heart until the student is trusted. As Isaac learns the secrets of the school and the students, he finds unexpected friendships and acceptance. Things he’s never had before. He knows his mission and that he truly has no options, but he also starts to wonder if there is a chance for himself. There’s not. But….

A wonderful cast of unique and personable students. And, of course, Argent, who made herself known if he Adam Binder series. The other students acceptance of Isaac is sweet and endearing. They become friends.

Spoiler follows***********
The ending is heartbreaking. Not what I expected. It’s clearly going to be a series so maybe there is a reason. In the meantime, I’m so sad.

4.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I’ve purchased a copy as well to reread.

This is urban fantasy at its finest. I loved the White Trash Warlock trilogy and Rogue Community College sets the tone for another great book series. While it's not necessary. I do recommend reading the White Trash Warlock series first, as most characters in the book are introduced there.

David R. Slayton revisits the world Adam Binder helped build in the White Trash Warlock series, focusing his attention, this time, on Argent, Silver, Vran, and Isaac—a new student at Rogue Community College. But Isaac’s purpose there is far more than a simple education. Isaac is a useful tool, though it takes time for him to suss out how and why. Oh, and he falls in love with Vran, a Lost One, in the process. Complications abound in this superlative addition to this -verse.

This beautiful, exceptional heartbreaker of a book. If reading through tears is a favorite pastime, Rogue Community College is the perfect trigger for it. Everything, up to and including the point of the anguish of love, sacrifice, and loss, is so worth the journey and the aftermath. There is intrigue and danger, to be sure, but the payoff for all the suspense is watching Isaac find love, family, and a place where he belongs, a place and people who choose him. He finds truths and perhaps some closure on his journey, and he discovers a certain peace in knowing where he came from. It’s not happiness, not even close, but rather more the need to absorb those truths of his beginning in order to start from scratch and make a new present and future. He won’t do it alone. But he will do it with a heavy heart. I hope that’s only a short-term affliction, for both Isaac and me.

The building of empathy is foundational to Isaac and his connection to the people who matter to him. His world wasn’t made smaller by leaving the only home and brotherhood he’d ever know. His world expanded to include the people he was meant to betray. Of course, that betrayal is thwarted not by Isaac’s weakness but by the unbreakable bonds of connection. There may be no I in team, as the old saying goes, but there is an I in friendship, and Isaac both befriends and becomes a friend to his schoolmates in ways he could never have imagined when his assignment began.

One of the many hallmarks of David R. Slayton’s work is his full-throated investment in both his characters and the worldbuilding. Neither suffers under attention to the other; they only complement to build a stronger platform to secure his readers’ connection to what’s happening along the way, as well as in the outcome of the story.

Isaac’s journey isn’t anywhere near complete yet. In fact, he has even more impetus to fight, to go where others may fear to tread, and to find what he might not yet be aware he’s seeking. I’m all in for the adventure.

Very happy to read this book early! The first scene introducting Isaac and Vran was fun. I feel like the story was developing pretty well, introducing us to the school and its changing landscape, getting us involved in a mystery. I was enjoying getting to know the students and professors, making a visit to Alfheim. There's even a visit to Vran's home kingdom while investigating a broadening mystery. I feel like I missed a chunk of the story because it jumped from there into a key fight, and then straight into a big battle, so I'm hoping there is more of a complete story thread as the series progresses. I like the new additions to the Adam Binder universe and am looking forward to seeing how the mystery evolves.

While this book is set I;the same world as the White Trash Warlock books I don’t think you need to have read that series to enjoy this one. There’s minimal overlap of characters and plot lines so the mentions in this book are plenty for this story. I’d also highly recommend this author’s other series if you like urban fantasy but with the caveat that the child abuse that main character had endured is described in enough grim detail that it could be too much for some folks. He’s a really entertaining writer and I look forward to his future books.

Isaac Frost has ulterior motives when he gets into the Rogue Community College for magical beings. But a cute boy, possible answers about his past, and actual friends might be the world changing shift he needs to break from the group of assassins that took him in.

I knew Slayton wouldn’t steer me wrong! I have been a huge fan of the White Trash Warlock series for years now, and I was absolutely delighted to see this new but separate installation in that universe.

Set in the Adam Binder universe, this nicely balanced everything it had to offer. We got further intriguing world-building through the introduction of the Undertakers and their pocket plane & further interactions with the Sea Elves. There is also some really powerful character development in Isaac as he begins to process his abusive upbringing. And there’s also a fast paced mystery that kept me intrigued through to the end.

I definitely feel like I should have reread at least Deadbeat Druid before reading this, as I had almost completely forgotten about Vran’s situation. Overall a satisfying ending, but open ended enough for a sequel! And making me hope for more in this universe, no matter where it comes from.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this arc!

This was a really solid story, set in the world of Adam Binder. It's told from the POV of someone completely new, Isaac Frost, who is supposed to be infiltrating the Rogue Community College in order to bring it down, as a mission from the Undertaker. Things don't quite go to plan, when he ends up enrolled in the college and actually liking his fellow classmates.

This also has Bran in it, whom I think everyone loves! I'm so glad that we get to see more of him in this book, and I hope that he will be in future Liberty House books as well. Despite getting to know him a lot more in this book, I feel like he still has so many secrets and I want to know everything about him!

Enjoyed this one and will definitely be on the lookout for more in the series.

I enjoyed this book. Frost is a great addition to Adam Binder's universe.
I like the introduction of new lore, magics, magic races, tech magic, dinosaurs because of temporal plane things. Lots of fun world building stuff going on.

I do think there were some misses though. Like it's very difficult to tell how much time is passing. One chapter that happens like three days(? it seems) into Frost's classes something is mentioned and it gets a quippy reply that they won't learn about that until next semester. Then the next chapter they're in that next semester class but also still working on essays for last semester?
And I don't really feel like the relationships were established enough.

I think more focus would've made this a 5 star for me. There was a little too much going on to get enough details and characterization in and get all the plot in.

I will absolutely be reading the next book. I can't leave my boy where he is at the end of this. I know David R Slayton has a plan and I just have to let him get there.

Rogue Community College by David Slayton was an absolute delight from the very first page. I was immediately drawn to Isaac as a character—his story grabs you right away, and I found myself rooting for him throughout. The side characters were just as engaging, each bringing their own charm and quirks to the mix.

The book gave me major The Librarians vibes, with a dash of Doctor Who and a good dose of irreverence thrown in. It’s fast-paced, witty, and full of surprises. Once it hooks you, it doesn’t let go until the very end. The snark, action, and heart all come together in a way that makes this a truly fun and satisfying read. Honestly, it was such a joy—I couldn’t put it down!

4.5* rounded up.