A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.
Lennon Carter's life is falling apart.
Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.
After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion's heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton's lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.
As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton college, and the way her mentor's tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it's a test she's terrified she is going to fail.
Title : An Academy For Liars
Author : Alexis Henderson
Format : eARC
Page Count : 464
Genre : fantasy / gothic
Publisher : Ace
Release Date : September 17, 2024
Reviewer : Hollis
Rating : ★ ★
Hollis' 2 star review
Despite an intriguing start that really pulled me in with the mystery of a call out of nowhere, directions to a school that shouldn't exist, and powers that the recipients of said call didn't know they possessed, this definitely lost traction along the way. And by that I mean the atmosphere was working overtime to try and make up for a cast of characters I felt nothing for and a very thin plot that had absolutely no tension or stakes or, for me, sense.
And don't even get me started on one of the weak interpersonal conflicts that we then spend too much time agonizing over once it's done. Or the romance that had absolutely no legs to stand on. And then the big climax? I mean.. there was one small element once we got a peek behind the curtain that I did sorta like but honestly it wasn't enough to salvage this. And despite how uninvested I was, I feel like I have a whole host of unanswered questions; or rather, it feels like certain things that were dangled in front of us to add to mystique and uncertainty were never revisited and I'm annoyed by the lack of follow-through.
Ultimately, I don't know if it was the writing that failed to pay out the promised dividends or what but clearly I'm just not meant to enjoy the labour of this author's offerings because this makes for strike two and I don't think I'll be coming back for a third.
I'm really disappointed but considering all the appealing ingredients that make up this story I'm sure other readers will be satisfied by the meal it makes.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
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