If you love Zodiac Academy without the spice and Harry Potter then this book is for you.. I loved the way that the characters grow throughout the book and realise that together they're stronger.. doing what they must to save the kingdom from the Curse and finding themselves along the way.. the storyline and the trials were brilliant and I really enjoyed the flow throughout.. I can't wait to find out what comes next..

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

academy of villains by ever king is the first in the fantasy series which is inspired by greek mythology.

this story follows kiara, a nameless assassin with no magic, who has been tasked to infiltrate the magical academy to kill prince lucian whose family is linked to a curse that has plagued the lands that cost her her parents. she detests magic and mages for her loss and wants vengeance. however, in her efforts, she is forced into the mages sorting ceremony at the academy and discovers she is actually a mage herself and one of the most rare mages.

while she keeps her true identity to herself, she is still onto her plan of killing lucian. she learns more about the academy, secret societies, how to wield her magic and finds herself conflicted with not only her mission and her hatred for all things magic but how she feels with her own magic and most importantly, the prince himself.

this story amazed me from the get go. i honestly enjoy fantasy books set in dark, academic settings and throw in some greek mythology for extra layer of intrigue and… just wow. it’s fast paced with an amazing magic system and world building that feels so atmospheric. the trials at the end? on edge the entire time.

kiara is a badass and strong-willed FC despite her tragic backstory which only adds to the layers of her. her indecision mixed in with self discovery was written so well as she learns more about her own magic and how it influences her mission. lucian made me giggle many times with his sarcasm and broodiness. he is intrigued by kiara from the beginning and wants to know who she is and what her intentions are. (bonus points for being a shadowmage). their chemistry was insane as they both juggling their motives and feelings, conflicting at many times. his protectiveness and her learning to accept his help? their back and forth? the development? just chefs kiss. overall, i am obsessed and i need the next one tomorrow.

if you like harry potter, zodiac academy and throne of glass then this book should be on your TBR. !!!

I was honored with an ARC copy of Fate and Fury provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op. Thank you!

What a fun read! I'm highly impressed with Ever King's writing. She did a great job blending mythology, magic, and romance while adding a healthy dose of action and mystery! What drew me to this series was a review touting it as a blend of Harry Potter and Throne of Glass—some of my favorite stories of all time. They were not wrong!

It was so fun how the action instantly kicked off on page 1. The detailed world-building and thoughtful explanations of how their magic system works were seamlessly incorporated throughout the book, which I appreciated as I could absorb all of the information for safekeeping when mentioned again in the future. The story reminded me of Aelin's arc in Throne of Glass, except Kiara's is compressed from several books down to 1. There are pros and cons to compressing that insane character growth in just one book, but I think Ever King did a solid job.

This was a fast-paced and interesting read. Featuring unique aspects and a nod to familiar themes in other popular fantasy series. I look forward to Ever King's next installment in the Academy of Villains series!

Oh gosh….where to start. First off I want to say I hate writing negative reviews like this, but I won’t every sugarcoat or lie. I never DNF a book, especially an ARC. But it was so hard not to with this book, It was actually torture to finish this.
There really is not anything I like about this book. From the worldbuilding, to the plot, the characters and tropes. Everything in this book is either a copy of another book, or beyond repetitive and unoriginal.

The only few things I can say is that the magic system was interesting, use of elemental magic. The side characters were funny and I enjoyed the scenes with them. The plot was somewhat okay, but not until at least 50% through the book.

First issue is that it really is a knock off Harry Potter. The school, the classes, the sorting process. Even the description of the floating lights in the dining hall, or class of caring for magical creatures. I mean it was incredibly obvious. This was not drawing from inspiration but really copying the books but changing small features.

The female main character Kiara, is a complete generic, but badly done, copy of the “I am the poor nameless girl, but I am overly confident, and actually super special/important” She is supposed to be an assassin to start, but is a terrible one. Like actually horrible, caught twice immediately by her target. The male main character, Lucien, is another copy and paste of the broody troubled prince who craves danger.

But mainly, if I have to hear one of the following statements again. I WILL FREAK OUT.: something about her/him, drawn to her/him, what is he/she doing to me, she is dangerous. They jumped from wanting to kill each other, to immediately obsessed with each other, to together and inseparable. Like we get it! Was literally on every page, over and over again, and was incredibly annoying and immature.

The writing overall was just very childish, the whole book repeated the characters limited mental thoughts over and over again. The plot was somehow both rushed and a total mess, by the end of the book there was so much that was presented but unsolved, I was completely unsatisfied and she really gave us nothing in terms of explanations.

Academy of Villains was like a good, comfort read. It took elements of my favorite books growing up along with recent romantasy releases and combined them. I liked the ease of the world building. Some times fantasy based plots can take up so much time and details to build things up. This was easy to understand and picture. The enemies to friends to lovers was a bit quicker than I expected but can understand why given some circumstances and turn of events. The characters were enjoyable and had entertaining wit and personalities. It sets it up for a sequel and I am eager to follow the characters along.

I liked the idea of the story more than how it was carried out. It had a similar feel to Harry Potter and Throne of Glass, but it didn't quite measure up to them. It has a solid start, but the future books in the series will need more development.

The characters didn’t feel very real or interesting. The male characters were all shades of grumpy without distinction. If there were fewer characters, the author could have focused more on developing each one.

The plot was okay, but it needed more detail to make it engaging. There wasn't enough background information to help us connect with the characters or the story. Some parts of the story took up too much time and didn't relate to the main plot, which distracted from the novel itself.

Finally, we all enjoy tropes, as they can be fun. However, using them right from the first chapter felt too obvious and set a predictable tone for the rest of the book. Also, there was no enemies to lovers or slow burn. He was obsessed immediately. Even though the idea was interesting, the writing felt too formulaic.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for giving me an arc of this book.

This book has such a great theme and I found it quite interesting. Some parts were hard for me to get through, but that may just be me because I need to be in the right mood for this type of book. Overall, there was good banter, enemies to lovers and parts of it truly reminded me of HP. I think so many people would enjoy this and really have a good time reading it! :)

This is a fun YA fantasy read. The magic system and world are well developed and interesting. The dark academia setting mixed with secret societies, and a Greek mythology retelling kept me immersed in the story. Great read for those looking for enemies-to-lovers, academia setting, secrets, and magic.

Ever King’s Academy of Villains is an enthralling dark academia fantasy romance that blends a magical school setting with Greek mythology. The story follows Kiara, a former assassin with hidden magical abilities, as she infiltrates a dangerous academy. Packed with trials, secrets, and an enemies-to-lovers romance, the book delivers gripping twists and an immersive world. Fans of morally gray characters, intricate magic systems, and complex relationships will find much to enjoy. It’s an exciting start to a promising series.

Dark academia and a enemies to lovers book is a yes for me! Was it any good? Yes, I like Kings writing style. It has a nice pace and the banter is so much fun. I would love to read more about the magic system, but maybe that will be explained more in the next book. Because I really hope there is a next book. I need to stay some more time in this setting.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ever King, and the publisher for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.5 stars

I devoured this story. I loved all the elements in this story: the school for mages, secret societies, an evil king, and a strong FMC. The only things that would have made it even better were more about Kiara’s lessons in class, more inner dialogue, and longer. I wanted more of the story. I can’t wait to continue the series.

If you're a Harry Potter and/or The Serpent and the Wings of Night fan, you will more than likely enjoy this one too.

This book has:
• Dark Academia
• Enemies to Lovers
• Shared room / one bed
• Magic!! And lots of it!
• A cliffhanger

This book is quite fast-paced compared to other similar books. The Enemies to Lovers happens quite fast (imo). But for the first book it definitely gets to the point and leaves you wanting to read on to the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ever King for this ARC.

I would like to give this book 3.5 stars but it won’t allow me to. I was unsure at first if I would like this book, but honestly, I really enjoyed it. The plot was beautifully written and I enjoyed following the story of the characters. I look forward to reading the next book.

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and has your attention the whole time. Character development is wonderful & sets up the future of the series nicely.

Dies war das 1. Buch, welches ich von der Autorin gelesen habe. Cover und Klappentext haben mich neugierig gemacht und ich wollte direkt in die Geschichte eintauchen. Da das Buch relativ kurz ist, hatte ich anfangs die Befürchtung, dass eventuell zu viel Inhalt in relativ wenig Zeit gepresst sein könnte und sich die Handlung dadurch sehr schnelllebig anfühlen würde beim Lesen. Dies war jedoch überhaupt nicht der Fall. Ich konnte mich sehr gut in die Geschichte und die Charaktere hineinfühlen und fand den Plot gut ausgebaut. Der Schreibstil ist einfach gehalten und auch die Fantasy- und Mythologie-Aspekte sind so eingebaut, dass ich als Leserin nicht mit Fakten überschüttet wurde. Beide Hauptcharaktere gefielen mir sehr und haben sich gut ergänzt. Der MMC hat mit einem Fluch zu kämpfen, ein Schattenmagier und flirtet neckisch mit Kiara, der FMC - zusammengefasst also alles was ich an MMCs liebe. Was mir besonders gut gefallen hat, war, dass die Autorin Szenen mit viel Spannung und Action so geschrieben hat, dass ich beim Lesen die Emotionen der Charaktere sehr gut mitfühlen konnte und ich das Gefühl hatte Teil der Handlung zu sein. Spice technisch war es ein toller Slow Burn, mit ganz wenig Spice am Schluss, der jedoch nur sehr oberflächlich beschrieben wird. Da wünsche ich mir für die nächsten Bände definitiv Spice Szenen, die mehr ins Detail gehen. Alles in allem fand ich die Geschichte sehr gelungen und freue mich, vor allem nach dem offenen Ende aus Band 1, auf die weiteren Bänder dieser Reihe.

This was the first book I read by Ever King. The beautiful cover and the blurb of the book intrigued me and made me want to read the story immediately. As the book is relatively short, I was initially worried that there might be too much content crammed into a relatively short space of time, which would make the plot feel very fast-paced when reading. This was not the case at all. I was able to empathise with the story and the characters very well and liked how well developed the plot is. The style of writing is kept simple and the fantasy and mythology aspects are included in such a way that I, as a reader, was not overwhelmed with facts. Both main characters are sympathetic and have good chemestry with eachother. The MMC is cursed, a shadowmage and likes to flirt shamelessly with Kiara the FMC - sums up everything I like about MMCs. What I particularly liked was that the author wrote scenes with lots of suspense and action in a way that I could really empathise with the characters' emotions while reading and felt like I was part of the scene. Regarding the spice it is a great slow burn with a little bit of spice at the end which unfortunately is not described in much detail. I would definitely like to see Spice scenes that go into more detail in the next volumes. Overall, I really enjoyed reading the story which left me wanting more at the end. I am looking forward to more Books of this series.

I had a great time reading this book, but I felt a time it was getting a tad repetitive! Overall a super enjoyable book that had me contenting to turn the pages !

When Harry Potter smashes into Percy Jackson and Throne of Glass, you get Academy of Villians. This book was a fantastic introduction to Ever King's fantasy world. There are some normal trope types in the book but also some really unique concepts such as the magic system and settings. Give this book a read!

If you say Greek Mythology you're basically yelling my name. I've been reading those myths ever since I was twelve and it's an old love that never disappears completely. So, when I saw this book on Netgalley I had to request a copy and luckily the author granted me one. I even got a message on my instagram to tell me that I was approved. I was really excited about reading this book and therefore fit it in as soon as I could.

What I absolutely loved about this book was the magic. Although we haven't seen everything yet, the author is luckily not boring us with loads of info dumps, I like the idea of a grimoire appearing when you need it and spells being shown when you need them. I also loved the whole idea of star mages being eradicated for their unique powers and seeing what happened to the world when this magic was eventually brought back.

For me the amount of Greek Mythology could have been a little more. I understand that this is a retelling and the plot does reflect this tale quite nicely, but the world could have felt a little more Greek. Maybe the descriptions just didn't work for me. Maybe I just wanted some more familiar sights and elements. In a way the author built a more original fantasy world, while I was somehow hoping for a more classical world.

However, the characters and their journey absolutely made up for that. I have to admit that the part where the characters actively hate each other doesn't last very long. I therefore wouldn't really call this a haters to lovers. The author did find a way though to build up tension between the characters without giving us too much before the characters are ready for it. I'm also really excited that the next book will star another couple. The waiting for them to fall in love is, after all, the best part!

this book is so good and addictive, I love the plot where our main character tries to kill the princ at the academy but then get’s enrolled in the academy itself where she finds out she is a mage as well. I really liked the setting, but that is pretty easy when it’s set at an academy I really like those boos. the romance did move pretty fast I did not mind that because I love them and their banter. and it’s pretty enemies to lovers. the mythology was good maybe would love to see even more in book two. the magic is fun and for me original, love the secret society and the characters themself. maybe I would have liked to see more academy stuff like different classes.

- dark academia
- enemies to lovers
- mythology
- trials
- badass female main character

will post mine other reviews on Monday December 2 of 2024 on instagram and tiktok

Academy of Villains is a thrilling dive into a world where magic and mayhem collide, delivering a dark academia fantasy with layers of romance, mythology, and intrigue. Ever King weaves an enchanting tale inspired by the Greek myth of Nyx and Erebus, creating a unique narrative that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

The story centres on Kiara, a former assassin turned undercover mage, who infiltrates a ruthless magic academy with a mission to end the royal bloodline. But her journey takes an unexpected turn as she uncovers hidden powers within herself and becomes entangled in a web of forbidden secrets, dangerous alliances, and a romance that blurs the line between destiny and desire.

King’s world-building is atmospheric, capturing the eerie yet captivating essence of a kingdom teetering on the edge of ruin. The interplay of Greek mythology with dark academia tropes feels fresh and compelling, making the book stand out in its genre. Kiara is a strong, multifaceted heroine, and her internal conflict between vengeance and love is beautifully portrayed.

However, the pacing in some sections feels slightly rushed, particularly in the transitions between action-packed scenes and character-driven moments. A deeper exploration of secondary characters and the mysterious headmaster could have added more depth to the narrative.

Despite these minor critiques, Academy of Villains is a gripping start to what promises to be a mesmerizing series. Perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers romances, hidden truths, and magical academies teeming with secrets. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for these characters in the next instalment!

Available now from Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

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