Great read! Loved the mix of fantasy and dark romance. The story pulls you in very quickly. Loved the characters and getting to know the witches/vessels

Okay this review is going to be a tough one. This book was a bit of a conundrum to me. From what I can tell from the reviews, it was originally published last year, and has since had some changes made to it, which I think was a good idea because it made things clearer (ie her age). BUT, to me, this book seems like it was written by multiple people. The tone changes drastically between the beginning, middle, and end. It feels like you're being tossed between different stories and characters.

Grey, the headmaster, is a horrible horrible person (I say person for ease, but as we know he is a 'vessel'). He starts off by forcing himself on Willow and feeding from her without consent, and later goes into her room at night and takes off her clothes while she's asleep. Uncomfortable to read. Then suddenly we're expected to like him!

Willow starts off being this badass witch, then somehow becomes more and more diminished as the book goes on, because of a man. Great.

This book is not a romantasy simply because there is no romance. It's fantasy, sure, but it's also an abusive and toxic relationship. I have read plenty of enemies-to-lovers books, where yes, the man starts off as being a dick, and there's a lot of to-and-froing etc before they get together, but never to the point of him being an actual bad person. Reading this was an entirely unpleasant experience because this man had no redeeming features. I don't understand why people lust over men who are actually abusive. And Willow loses all sense of badass-ery and personality and seems to have somehow lost all her powers that she showed at the beginning. I just feel like you can't set up two characters a certain way then expect an audience to be happy when they change completely in the middle for the sake of some smut. It could have been equally smutty without the drastic decline, or Grey could have been set up in a way that makes more sense with how we're supposed to feel about him in the middle. Then Willow's feelings/actions towards him make more sense. The ending is a different story, and probably the best part of the book, but the 'reveal' could've been so much more impactful if we were more shocked by it. No spoilers, but if Grey was set up better, the reveal would have been way more impactful and an actual surprise rather than expected.

I also don't think you can market this as 'dark academia' because yes, it's set in a school, but from what I can tell Willow goes to one class the entire time she's there and learns nothing. There's not enough world building/events to support the dark academia claim.

**I got this eARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley and Random House/Transworld**

I’ve had this book on my list for so long, I’m glad I finally got to read it. While I wouldn’t count this as one of my favorite books, I was entertained and appreciated the fast pace most of the time.
It you dislike tropey books with age-gaps and insta-lust, do yourself a favor and don’t read it. If you enjoy these, then you’ll probably really like this book so I can only encourage you to give it a try.
I loved the fact that the heroine wasn’t a clueless innocent girl (and no, she’s not 16 years old, although it too me a while to understand that because her age is never explicitly given). She starts the book as a badass witch with secrets and grit, which was really cool. The mmc is an asshole and a lot of situations fall right into the dubious consent spectrum, or even non-con in some instances, but reading the author’s note made this very clear so you can’t say you weren’t warned.
What made me take off a couple of stars is the fact that a lot of scenes or plot elements were too cliché for my taste and that it was pretty predictable at times, so the fmc came off as a bit naive. That being said, I still had a good time and I dove right into the second book.

Upon her mother’s death, a task Willow has been training for most of her life is eventually thrust upon her. She must survive her new school and the headmaster carved from sin, to survive and fulfill her father’s wishes.
Embracing her magic to right the wrongs done to their family.
The nature elements of willows magic are beautiful I could invisage roses and greenery growing around her vividly. She seems to have so much love for the earth in comparison to the more lustful romance between her and Gray.
This book really drew me in and I was very disappointed it ended, wanting to magic up the next book right away to see what else could possibly be expected of willow.

Star rating: 4.75 ✨

Wow, this book was sooo good! I read it so fast. I went into it blind because of all the recommendations I’ve been seeing, and my expectations were high, but this book delivered! “The Coven” features vampires and witches in an incredible gothic romantasy. There’s spice and an incredible plot. I stayed up all night reading because I literally couldn’t put it down.

This book hits all my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, a genuinely badass FMC, gothic vibes, hot vampires, witches, and magic. It even has the “who did this to you” trope. It’s the perfect romantasy.

And Gray? Our vampire MMC? I’m in love. That’s it. I love him and hate him. I’m not always a fan of toxic relationships, but this one I loved because… well, because it was Gray.

I wouldn’t say it’s a literary masterpiece or that the book is perfect, but it was amazing. I loved it and enjoyed it so much. The plot was incredible, and I adored the characters.

The book has a little creepy and gothic vibe, with magic and mystery throughout. The “I hate you, but I want you” dynamic was spot on.

The ending had my jaw on the floor. I’m picking up the second book immediately because I need more.

The Coven reminded me of old school paranormal romance books, and I really enjoyed it. It’s not the most well-written book out there, but it’s certainly not anywhere near the worst, and its addictive story more than made up for that. I was absolutely hooked right from the start, thanks to the immediate Vampire Diaries vibes and plethora of mysterious characters.

Willow and Gray are nothing new to readers of PNR and romantasy, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from their story. They’re both flawed in their own ways, with Gray being shrouded in darkness while Willow is harnessing her magic. He’s your typical perfect-looking, sarcastic fictional man, which I absolutely will not hold against him. Willow is a badass that won’t stand for his games, and her use of magic is very interesting to learn about. The setting of a school for witches is great too, and I ate it all up like I was watching an episode of the goings on in Mystic Falls (no Damon though, unfortunately!).

The Coven is such a fun book, especially for anyone who likes vampires, witches, and other such creatures. It’s a quick read with some really cool ideas, and I’m looking forward to picking up the sequel. The ending was absolute madness, but I enjoyed it nonetheless — I never see twists and turns coming, and this one was particularly shocking. I can’t wait to see if, and how, it all gets resolved!

3.5/5.

I find myself oddly conflicted with this one. Theoretically it should have been right up my alley. Demons, witches, badass FMC, decently written sm¥t… What’s not to love? But it was just okay. I liked it but I didn’t love it. Having said that, I’ll probably pick up book 2 just to see what happens.

I’ll start with what I enjoyed. The magic system was wonderful. Willow’s affinity with plants and the earth was gorgeous. I loved how feisty she was and the banter was perfect. I really enjoyed the unique approach to the demons/vampires/vessels and I thought the sm¥t was decently written.

However, I called the ‘twist’ in the first few chapters. I really didn’t enjoy the insta-lust and I thought Willow and Grey had pretty poor chemistry beyond the insta-lust. I didn’t really emotionally connect to any of the characters and I didn’t connect with their relationship at all, It just felt a bit forced the whole way through.

Overall, I think it was just okay. Not a poor book by any standard but not an excellent one either. My autistic ass cannot leave a series unread unless the book is utterly awful, so I’ll pick up the second book regardless.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper L Woods and Random House U.K. for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the story, on terms of fantasy and plots surrounding a magic school I always give these a go and it was done fairly well. The characters weren’t my favourite people ever but the plot made it engaging enough to follow the story.

This book transports readers to a fascinating world full of complex characters. The world is rich in detail. The author has created a vivid and breathing world that captivates from the very first pages. The descriptions are so vivid that one can easily imagine being part of it.
The plot is exciting and full of good twists. There are many moments of great suspense that keep the reader glued to the pages. The character development is believable.The writing style is gripping and fluid, with a successful mix of dialogues, action-packed scenes, and in-depth descriptions.

*SCREAMS FOR 20 MINUTES INTO A PILLOW*... I'm fine.

I wasn't too sure what to expect going in and honestly... I'm blown away. This book is written in dual POV from Willow, our sassy and stubborn witch, and Headmaster Gray Thorne. Following the death of her mother, Willow is forced to join the Hollow Grove's University to protect her younger brother. Willow and Thorne have an instant connection, and their back-and-forth was hilarious (and extremely hot). Willow was such a fun and sassy character, and I'm really excited to see how she develops in book 2.

Now, Daddy Thor-- excuse me, I mean Headmaster Thorne... *fans self* was the perfect morally grey MMC that I love. Are some of his actions questionable? Absolutely. Did I love every moment? No comment at this time.

Tropes included:
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Age Gap
- Headmaster & student
- Witches & demons

The tension and chemistry between Willow and Thorne lit up the page and I honestly couldn't read this book fast enough. The pace, the plot, the writing style were all perfection. This is the type of book that engages you so deeply that you don't even realise you're reading.

But honestly, this may be one of my favourite reads of the year so far. The last page has genuinely left me speechless and I'm counting down the days for book 2.

Please ensure you check the trigger warnings before reading.

I received an advanced review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Literally Yours Pr & now Bantam and Harper L. Woods for providing me an ARC to read and review.

Last year I read and loved Harper L. Woods’s What Lies Beyond The Veil Series so when I saw this up for request I applied and I’m so happy that I did. This book is darker than What Lies Beyond the Veil but it is just as amazing. I was so excited to see that Harper was writing darker fantasy romances and this was exactly what I wanted.

Willow has been in hiding from The Coven but when her mother dies, they come after her so in order to protect her brother she lets them take her. In a Coven where she is an outsider and only wants revenge she has to find her ancestors bones to take back the power that is her family’s birth right. But when she starts falling in love with the Headmaster who captured and brought her to the school things start to go not quite as planned.

Harper L. Woods does a great job again of creating morally gray characters that you can’t help but love. I truly loved Willow and I can’t wait to see where she goes in the next book especially with the cliffhanger.

If you are looking for a witchy dark romance I highly recommend this book.

This book was a solid 2 stars, 2.75 for the last 10%.
The concept is strong but not well executed. The love story is weak at best and the characters are not well developed.
If it wasn´t for the ending it would have been a no for me, but that last 10% cough me by surprise (in a good way).
Having read also What lies Beyond the Veil by the same author I found this one similar in plot development but much weaker in writing style. As I said the ending was unexpected and I enjoyed the plot twist.

I tandem between kindle and audiobook and I have to be honest here and say that I didn´t love the voice of the narrator. Maybe also that didn´t help with the rating.