What a gripping dark academia fantasy! The story follows Lennon Carter, who after a personal crisis, receives a mysterious invitation to Drayton College - a hidden school in Savannah where students wield the power of persuasion, manipulating minds and reality itself. As Lennon delves deeper into her studies, she uncovers unsettling truths about the college's history and her own abilities.
It story masterfully combines gothic atmosphere with themes of power, control and moral ambiguity. The lush, moss-draped campus and complex characters create and immersive experience.

I've heard so much about Alexis Henderson's books and when I saw that this was dark academia, my interest was piqued. However, I just couldn't get my head into the story. I'm not someone who gets annoyed at slow pacing and in fact craves for it sometimes, but this one was just a bit of a drag and too slow for me to get into. Sadly this was a DNF, but I'll be trying out her other works sometimes in the future!

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

I’m becoming quite a fan of dark academia novels but I was a little unsure about this one. The author introduces us to Drayton College with a great atmosphere, a creeping sense of dread and foreboding. It’s a place full of secrets and rivalry and Lennon Carter has had an unexpected and unusual invitation to attend. Lennon has had a very difficult past but she also has some unique gifts - she is able to distort reality and influence the will of others - gifts that could prove useful to the unscrupulous. It was a slow burn start and that did make it drag just a little. I persevered and it did pick up pace. I didn’t enjoy the romance because I couldn’t feel a spark. That matters because the relationship really was centre stage at the expense of the parts I was enjoying. Other characters didnt feel as well fleshed out so I couldn’t get to know them. I didn’t get to the end, but I could see fantasy and romance lovers really enjoying it. For lovers of this particular genre I would say give it a go, it just wasnt for me.

Initially I found this to reminiscent of Lev Grossman's The Magicians, but grittier. Granted secret magical school for discontented millennials, but also in it's lyrical depiction of that discontent. Initially I was quite intrigued by this eerie underworld and it's oddball groupings riddled with gripping ominousness. That said I was really taken out of it once the romantic subplot was introduced. From then on I really struggled and ultimately found the ending unsatisfying.

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson is a haunting exploration of power, identity, and the human psyche, set against the backdrop of the enigmatic Drayton College.

Lennon Carter, is a deeply flawed character with a tumultuous past. Her journey begins with a mysterious invitation to Drayton College, a hidden institution where students study the human condition. Unbeknownst to her, Lennon possesses the rare ability to distort reality and influence others' wills, a gift that becomes both a blessing and a curse.

Henderson's world-building is immersive, painting Drayton College as a place teeming with secrets, rivalries, and a palpable sense of dread. However, at times, the narrative leaves certain elements unexplained, making parts of the story feel elusive and somewhat out of reach.

The novel unfolds as a slow burn, with the plot truly gaining momentum in the final quarter. While this pacing allows for deep character development, it may test the patience of some readers.

Overall, An Academy for Liars is a compelling read that delves into the complexities of its characters and the dark allure of power. Despite some pacing issues and unanswered questions, it's a standout addition to the dark academia genre.

I had very high expectations for this title, but unfortunately I was disappointed. I don't know, I found everything extremely cold, rushed, and superficial, so much so that I was unable to connect with the story or the characters! Too bad, because I really liked the idea!

I love Alexis Henderson, and I wanted so badly to love this book, but it was a DNF for me. I tried reading it on my kindle, as a hardback and even as an audiobook. I just couldn’t get into the story.

4.5/5 stars! This is a dark academia novel by Alexis Henderson. I really liked Lennon and this book is full of gothic goodness and unexpected twists. I somehow read this in one sitting without even realizing how immersed I was in this world. I feel like this is a book that is for a very specific audience and fortunately I fit that.

A haunting read, with all the elements I love in a dark academia novel. From the beginning, we see the dark nature of this world and the erratic tendencies of our main character as she navigates her life, and are reminded of this constantly as we go through the academy and Lennon develops her relationship to Dante. This book starkly highlights the cruelty of the academic institution at its core, and how academia itself has been twisted to preserve the power of those few professors who care more of themselves than their studies. The twists this book went on left me breathless, and I’ll forever be thinking of that ending

Lennon Carter feels her life has been saved when she receives a phone call inviting her to a hidden school full of magic and mystery. She hones her abilities and finally feels at home in her lush and vast surroundings. Her studies are draining but her captivation with her peers and the history of Drayton College keep her going going. She falls down the rabbit hole of investigation and uncovers far more than she bargained for in her new home away from home.

I was intrigued throughout by the contents but ultimately struggled with my expectations of this being a more darkly academic novel than the magical realism one it ended up being. Still an interesting and twisted read, if not entirely suited towards my reading tastes.

This was such a highly anticipated read for me but it didn't come through. The characters felt one dimensional, it was too slow paced and I didn't understand why it was made a point that the FMC wanted to separate herself from her old love interest and find her own identity just to be defined by a new man. And on top of that they had absolutely no chemistry or spark, I mean what is this? "From then on, they did what they did in silence". After they started having sex? Nothing in this book makes sense to me it's like we just sprinkled some tropes in there with some bland characters and didn't go any deeper

This book started off strong, but lost me somewhere near the end. I loved the school setting and the magic, but I could not get behind the main character. It felt like she was making progress, choosing certain things, only to then revert back to her former self and regretting her choices. She was pushed into these situations where her choices made sense, and I supported them (even though they were a little questionable), but then she would just devolve and turn into this mess that I couldn't stand.

Also I was really disappointed in the ending of the novel. It hinges very much on the power of "friendship" but there was never any friendship building in this book. The main character is a horrible person, which is not bad, and usually I enjoy reading horrible people, but somehow she was bad at being a horrible person? And I just didn't enjoy it.

The most disappointing aspect of this book was the romance though. I was in for the student teacher relationship, but there was never really any of the forbidden dynamic that I wanted. The students of this school have a very casual relationship with their professors, and that didn't translate well to the main relationship. It was also just a little bland. Like I just didn't care.

Overall the concept of this book was good, but the execution left something to be desired.

This wasn't for me sadly, I found the writing quite dry and Lennon was not someone I wanted to be stuck with as such for over 400 pages. This was my first Alexis Henderson but I've heard great things about her other books so this won't put me off trying her other releases, despite my dislike of this one.

Interesting concept, but didn't work for me. Wasn't invested in the plot or the characters - I found the main character quite frustrating at times and just wasn't a fan of her overall.

If you like dark academia set in a magic school which also refers to real life issues, this might be the book for you. At first, I wasn't enamored with the impending student-teacher relationship (personal preference) but it did grow on me as the story developed. There are questionable ethics about the treatment of animals. I'm also not entirely convinced it can be classed as gothic. But, this was such an enigmatic fantasy horror that I don't want to go into detail about so you can experience it yourself

I loved this book. I was so good. the twist and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to reading more from this author

This book is much like The Magicians or Harry Potter, about a sort of magical school. People are invited to apply, but like these other books very few make it through the initial testing. We have the relationships among the students and professors that those other books have. when they go home for semester breaks, they cannot tell people where they are or what they are studying. The school is in Savannah, but all that we hear about are magnolia trees. The characters are thin except for those in the central love story. It ends in a great battle of good versus evil. However – there really is no need for the school to exist or for its students to fight for it to continue. Unlike, say, The Magicians, there is no actual evil force that they are fighting. What the school teaches is not only unnecessary but one might say undesirable. As much as I was hooked by the story and the characters and unable to put it down, I was increasingly aware that there was no central motivation for any of this. As the story continued much was revealed, but the central premise was missing. The grand revelation at the end was not much of a revelation. I enjoyed it, but it was disappointing.

This book was so good. I’ve seen mixed reviews and I’m so glad I ignored them as I had a great time reading this. Yes I admit at times it was hard to remember who was a teacher and who was a student but the overall plot was so gripping and the setting was everything I love in a DA read. I sped through it in a day or 2. SO GOOD!

4.5 rounding up to 5 for the vibes. I don't read horror that often, not because I don't like it but more so because it's just not a genre I reach for often. I picked this one up specifically because how of how intriguing the synopsis was and the simple cover also caught my eye. As a fan of dark academia I had such high expectations for this book and it boy did it live up to them. I could not recommend this book more, everyone should read it, I loved the writing and fingers crossed Henderson has more to write for these characters in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Damn I didn't know what to expect but it wasn't this. It's not my favourite Alexis Henderson, it might even be my least favourite, but that bar is so high that it's still a very memorable, impactful read.

I think that the atmosphere was one of the most powerful aspects of the book. I love this unique dark academia, set in an alternative dimension (kind of) morbid world of truly terrible people. The main character was also fascinating and layered. Rarely do you meet a protagonist this self-destructive, yet somehow still likeable. The other characters also felt pretty well fleshed out, even though we don't get to know them that well. The ending had me at the edge of my seat, glued to the page. I also appreciate the themes that were explored and lessons we learned along the way. It's a very complex situation, with a dark conclusion.

I think the biggest flaw of the book was how rushed everything felt. Just as we were getting to know the place, right away our perception shifts dramatically. But if it was given more time to breathe I think we'd have more time to fall in love with the school and MC's new life. And this happened time and time again. The book is so rich in themes and big, big questions that we need some time to sit with it and processed - but instead I was getting whiplash from the constant paradigm shifts. I think being a bit longer and slower would've elevated the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.