3.75 stars

I really enjoyed this read! It’s being marketed as Ninth House meets Legendborn and while I haven’t read Legendborn- I can definitely see the similarities to Ninth House! Especially when it comes to the dark academia theme and the political intrigue which involve different societies. I found the conflict amongst the different factions a bit difficult to follow but I LOVE the concept of the connection between Masters and Monsters as well as the tests that have to go through physically and mentally to complete a bond. August is a character that has so much strength and she is absolutely hilarious! I loved reading through her perspective! I am excited to see how the story progresses in the sequel! I will definitely have to do a reread to really try and digest everything having to do with the faction groups and anything I may have missed during this first read through!

Thank you so much to Simon Teen for the Netgalley ARC of this upcoming release!

I actually quite enjoyed this one. It definitely delivered on the "secret society full of monsters" it promised. And I love that the FMC was a take-no-shit kind of girl.

I haven't yet read any of the author's previous works. But I definitely want to, now.

This YA dark academia fantasy is packed with monsters, trials, and a fierce heroine—and I couldn’t put it down!

August’s brother has disappeared from college, leaving behind only a cryptic note to stay safe and protect our family. When August is suddenly attacked by a 10-foot-tall beast, she realizes her brother is in far more trouble than she ever imagined.

🔥 What I Loved:
✨ August is a strong, independent main character who refuses to follow convention. She’ll do whatever it takes for the people she loves.
✨ Corey—one of my favorite characters—wears a prosthetic and is an absolute powerhouse. She trains August to fight, proving that nothing holds her back.
✨ Virgil is turning into a monster and needs a bonded master to survive. He and August team up for the trials, and his kindness makes him the perfect balance to her fire.

If you love secret societies, political intrigue, found family, and epic trials, this book is for you!

When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.

The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.

Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne…and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.

Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.

Liselle Sambury is easily one of my favorite authors. I am picky about starting a new series over standalone but I didn't hesitate when I saw her name. This is a dark academia fantasy so you get those great secret society plots on top of the monsters. August is a headstrong main character that is willing to take risks and make big choices for the people that she cares about. August's tenuous partnership with Virgil makes for a good foil and there is a level of suspense added because they are each together only because it serves their own purposes. I am so excited to see where this series goes from here!

3.5 stars! I’ll admit it took me a few tries to get into this one. It was a bit hard for me to keep track of all the factions and groups and characters, but there’s a unique premise and interesting worldbuilding. The highlight of this book was definitely August and Virgil, I thought they were so great together and there were multiple moments that I thought were really cute. I also loved Corey! I dislike ALL of the authority figures bc I ain’t trusting nobody LOL. There were times when the pacing lagged, and the overall book felt a bit too long, but the final act was entertaining and I’m super interested to see where the story goes!

As a lover if books under 400 pages, I wa leary about this one because of how long it was. But, of course, Ms. Sambury absolutely rocked my world. I resonated so much with August's struggle with her body/weight and saw great empowerment in her learning to love herself regardless. The dynamic between August and Virgil was *chef's kiss*. My only critique is that the dynamic of the Society were kind of confusing. I couldn't keep straight what the rules and customs were. Overall, It didn't take away from the overall impact of the story.