A fab story and well written. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. Enjoyed every second of reading.

Thank you Netgalley and Ever King for giving me the opportunity to read the arc!

I am a sucker for anything Greek mythology so when I saw this book was inspired by it, had fated mates and also had a magic school I was hooked. Also the cover is stunning!

I really enjoyed the mythology in the book! The plot itself sounded very interesting and had high potential. I really loved the side characters! They were really interesting and I wish we got to see more of them! Especially Octavia and Tobias!


Unfortunately the book fell flat for me as I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style and the dual point of view. It didn’t feel to me as the characters had a distinct enough voice to justify the dual POV. I personally believe the story would flow a lot nicer if it only followed Kiara.

I also wish we got to see more of the magic school! The two classes we did attend felt really interesting.

The pacing moved really fast. A lot of concepts and ideas were told not shown and moved past at warp speed. A lot of smaller plot points would have benefited from being expanded upon - if the book cut out Lucien’s POV the pacing would feel much better.

I will continue this series as I am interested in the plot to see how it progresses, because I really am a fan of the mythology in the book!

This story follows an assassin girl with no magic and her target is to kill the prince. She somehow falls into the walls of the magic academy and starts her quest to kill the prince. But along the way Kiara, the assassin finds out truths and makes her question her mission. I thought the book started off from the start with a quick pace. There’s plenty of action, magic school, trials, enemies to lovers. Definitely enjoyed this first book and can’t wait to have the chance to read the second book to follow Kiara and Lucian’s story!

The first chapters were engaging and easy to follow, pulling me right into the story. The magic system was clear and interesting, with features like secret passages, ancient libraries, floating mage lights, and grimoires that made the world feel unique. The golden apples were also an intriguing detail that added some mystery

I really enjoyed the trials, which brought action and suspense to the plot. The academy’s slightly sentient nature was a cool twist that added to the overall atmosphere

The romance was built around heartstrings, a fated magical bond, which made it feel meaningful and added to the connection between the characters. Kiara was a strong lead, and her journey was compelling

The cover of this book is beautiful and definitely caught my attention. The quote "I'll burn the world before I let her fall" stood out to me. It’s such a great moment in the story

This book was a great mix of fantasy, action, and romance. If you like magic academies, Greek mythology-inspired stories, and some romance with your fantasy, you’ll enjoy this one

Wow this book was awesome. I loved it, can't wait for book 2. The characters and plot of this book was beyond amazing. I couldn't put the book down!

This was phenomenal! Definitely exceeded my expectations.

Greek Mythology meets Harry Potter and The Mummy

Spoiler free summary:
A woman with no name is sent to kill the King's son but by whom and why? The FMC ends up getting put into the sorting ceremony where it is revealed to everyone including her that she is one of the most powerful mages. The Prince tries to push feelings away and put on a tough face but they are fated. Now they must figure out how to not only how to stay safe from people and forces outside the school but each other as well.

Vibes:
Some of the scenes in here are actually pretty funny. Her first magic fight I reread a couple of times because it was so good. The characters in this book are so different from each other it's insane. Every single person has a completely different identity. I do wish there was more of the magical aspect in this. The puzzles were great in this, you were figuring it out with them. However, it would be great to see more classes/magically challenges.

I do like how forward the MMC is. It cuts a lot of corners and unnecessary fluff. It was also great to have both characters evolving without continuous repetition of the same drama over and over again.

Romance/Spice: 2/5

Tropes
Academia setting
One bed
Fated
He falls first
FMC
Protective
Lovers to Enemies

This book follows an assassin out to kill the prince in a magic academy, when she finds out that she too has magic and a rare one that everyone thought was extinct!

This was YA and whilst I can appreciate the storyline of it, I wasn’t able to get stuck into it or that invested so I unfortunately DNFed the book at 36%.
I think that whilst it wasn’t for me, there will definitely be some people that will fall for this book hard :)

I really loved this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the writing was good, I enjoyed the plot and the pacing kept me avidly reading!!

This was a good easy read. I loved the characters in this one and the magic system was so good! I also enjoyed the academy setting and the different lessons.
However I felt some things were a bit odd. The first chapter talks about how much the FMC hates magic and wants to destroy the rulers of her kingdom. But then as soon as she discovers she has magic she instantly accepts it and wants to learn more, a very quick shift in character. There was a couple more elements that didn’t get explained properly and left a few plot holes.
Overall this was a good story with lots of potential!

Academy of Villains is a compelling opening to the Academy series. King skilfully weaves Greek mythology into a magical academy setting. At its heart is Kiara, a former assassin hiding an extraordinary magical gift. Tasked with infiltrating the academy to eliminate Prince Lucian—a cursed royal whose fate is entwined with the kingdom’s deepest secrets—her mission takes unexpected turns.

Kings' world building of the academy’s atmosphere was beautifully crafted as I could visually picture the scenes from her descriptions. The integration of secret societies and a meticulously crafted magic system deepens the suspense and enriches the plot.

A central thread of the narrative is Kiara’s dynamic with Lucian, an intricate blend of enemies-to-lovers tension and heartfelt emotional depth. Kiara’s moral conflict and Lucian’s protective, enigmatic nature add layers to their relationship. However, their bond develops a bit too quickly, missing moments that could have strengthened the emotional impact.

The boys of the Raven Society remain somewhat underexplored, though this seems intentional—likely setting the stage for deeper development in future installments of the Academy of Villains series.

Overall, Academy of Villains' dark academic atmosphere, compelling romance, and morally complex characters make me eager to continue with the next installment, Lessons in Loyalty, releasing later this year.

Dark and twisty, magical academy? HP if Slytherins were the main house? This is everything I look for and more! Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, it took me a little while to start this book but once I started, I couldn't stop!

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5 stars)

*Assassins, ancient magic, and one cursed prince? This fantasy romance hits all the right dark-academia-meets-mythology vibes.* 🖤🔮💫

In a kingdom where magic is fading and power is hoarded by the cruel, Kiara—a trained assassin with a mission to kill the prince—discovers she may be more powerful than she ever imagined. When she infiltrates the brutal mage academy, secrets unravel fast: forbidden magic, vanishing students, and a connection to the prince she can’t ignore. ⚔️🏛️💔

Inspired by the myth of Nyx and Erebus, this story blends Greek mythology with dark fantasy and an irresistible enemies-to-something-more romance. Kiara is fierce, conflicted, and utterly compelling, and the world-building is rich with magical lore, secret societies, and political tension. 🧵🗝️🔥

Perfect for fans of *Throne of Glass*, *Harry Potter* (with a shadowy twist), and brooding morally gray love interests. This book is Slytherin-coded in the best possible way—full of danger, temptation, and heart-pounding choices. If you’re craving a story where vengeance meets fate, *this one’s spellbinding.* ✨📖🖤

A fast paced, adventurous story following a nameless assassin who discovers she has magic after being sent on a mission to kill the Prince of Ithaka.
This book had me since the very start, i loved how i was immediately thrown into a piece of action, and how it all unfolded as the FMC learnt things about herself she would never have dreamed of knowing.
I feel like the book generally lacked quite a bit in the world building department, and it didn’t have as much of the passion there usually is in the writing, though it was definitely great as a debut novel, and amazing overall.
I also loved the depth to the FMC’s background and the flawless chemistry between her and the MMC.
Overall, this book was quite amazing, i’ll definitely be sticking around to read book 2

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book, all opinions are my own.

I am a die-hard admirer of the fantasy genre, from YA to romantasy to high fantasy. If you mention spells, magical creatures, adventure, etc., I'm all in, especially if it includes references to Greek or Norse myths, which is exactly what happened with Academy of Villains.

The short version is Academy of Villains is kind of like Hogwarts meets Gossip Girl meets Greek Mythology retelling. In this magical, adventure and battle-filled novel, we follow Kiara, an assassin sent to kill the Prince, and Lucian, a powerful prince with dark secrets studying at the Academy of Magic. This is a story based off the Greek myth of Nyx and Erebus, and while some elements are very clearly based on the original mythology, there are some creative twists and turns throughout the novel that kept me completely engaged in the story, and in love with the characters. Although the age range here is YA/new adult with low spice, the depth of emotion and range of development is amazing in a shorter novel. Noteable tropes and themes include MMC is a shadow daddy, "Who did this to you?" "Touch her and x," trials, only one bed, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, fated mates, and MMC would burn the world down for her. There were many highlighted quotes from this book for me, but one really summarizes the key elements of all the characters: "We're starlight and shadow. Together, we're unstoppable"

If you're interested in fantasy with trials and battle, healing from trauma, finding yourself, romance, and Greek mythology themes, this is a wonderful read!

First of all, thank you to Everkingdom Inc. and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book!
I have to say, I really enjoyed this book! It was giving dark academia/ Harry Potter/ Percy Jackson vibes! Our FMC is a baddie, and our MMC....two words....shadow daddy. Two more words...fated mates. I loved the premise and the retelling aspect, and the magic system reminded me of the anime Black Clover, which I love! If there was anything that I honestly disliked about this book, it's that the trials felt rushed. I definitely think they could have been more drawn out, but I still found them enjoyable. This slow burn from "I'm going to kill you" to "I'll kill for you" was delicious, and I honestly can't wait for the next book!!

This one was a slow read for me- in truth I didn’t really enjoy it. It was presented as a slow burn, but that was also hard to believe given that the love interest was so infatuated with her from the beginning. It was also very short, and I would’ve liked to have seen more academy-related scenes (classes, etc). Thank you to NetGalley for this book.

Okay, so Academy of Villains totally pulled me in with the enemies-to-lovers trope (my weakness, honestly). Chemistry between the main characters. Add in the dark, mysterious vibes of the academy, a touch of magic, and the plot, and I was very interested in reading this book.
We meet Kiara, who is an assassin for the Nameless, the King's assassins. She is on assignment to kill the Prince. Kiara would never have thought of being caught by him. She watches him for some time and, somehow, later ends up in the auditorium with the other students. They assume she goes there, but she isn't a student and doesn't have any magic! Later, she is called to the center in front of all. There are pillars for the mages that were. Thought to be extinct, BUT they light up for her! She's announced as a starmage. Starmages, however, have been found and killed because they were believed to be too powerful. Uh oh! Kiara, however, wants to continue with her plan....
It gave me those classic dark academia feels with a romantasy twist. There’s also a solid bit of intrigue going on with some secrets. The story did have a few plot holes and moments where I was like “wait, what?” That being said, the book is still fun, and I definitely enjoyed it! If you’re into dark fantasy with a romantic twist, morally gray characters, and chaotic school vibes, then I’d say give this one a shot. The plot is thrilling and features some plot twists and betrayals. It's got magic, some curses, secret societies, and a blend of Greek mythology, which I was definitely a fan of.

Overall I would consider this like a comfort read. Something to read when you want something predictable and familiar. It gave me Harry Potter vibes combined with a lot of other popular YA series meshed together. For me there was too much world building and not enough attention given to the actual characters and storyline. The beginning seemed to drag on while the end was done so quickly. Don’t regret reading it but don’t know if I would read the next one or not

It should have been easy. You need to kill the prince so that the curse can be broken. But doesn’t go according to plan. You have found out that you are a star mage which seems impossible as you are nothing special. And what is worse is that the prince now knows about your intent.
Kiara knows nothing has changed she still needs to kill Lucian but things are more complicated as they are heartstrings bonded to each other.
To break the curse they need to learn to trust each other or else they won’t survive the trials.
Will the star mage & shadow mage make it out alive? Will they be able to break the curse to save the kingdom?
A good read good characters
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC copy. This is my voluntary review.

I was not sure at first how I was going to like this but I absolutely LOVED the book! The character of Kiara was badass while also having her soft side as we see develop throughout the book and her character bounced of Lucian’s character arc wonderfully. The world building was wonderful and was very reminiscent of Throne of Glass as well as a bit of Fourth Wing in terms of the world and storyline. Ever King made this her own though! And I loved the story she told of a strong woman discovering who she is and what she is!