I really enjoyed this book. The magic system was so unique and I couldn't help being gripped by this book.

Loved the start of this book - gave a lot of Zodiac Academy vibes, strong magic in someone who doesn't know they have magic, group of bonded boys trying to control the situation, add to that a overarching evil that needs to be conquered and seems like it's a great action adventure combo. The start of the book at the academy looked like we were going to learn bits and pieces of magic that would be needed later in the book to complete some quest, but several pieces just got left behind. The whole greenhouse and poisons combined with the boys having their own "potions master" who's constantly fiddling with unknown vials, but then it just didn't go anywhere. I was waiting for an "ah ha" moment where that would be woven back in, but it didn't happen.
The quest at the end was a bit under the mountain feel, but without the page flipping risk of will she won't she, it's a bit flat in that they just proceed through the trials without having much go wrong. We're left at the end without the curse being broken, the magical heart string was a bit anticlimatic and since we left behind most of the other characters when we went into the trials - we don't really have much connection with them.
Overall - there was a lot of great world building and setup that felt like it wasn't used as strongly as it could have been. Maybe it's setup for a book two - so I'll still be looking for that when it comes out to see what happens next.

The world-building and character development are strong, and the novel’s twists and suspense will keep readers hooked.
Also, the mythological aspect is the best

Imagine a mash-up of all of your favorite fantasies and then give it its own twist.

Thank you NetGalley and Ever King for providing me an eARC of this book!

This is what it felt like to read Ever King's Academy of Villains. I found the magic system to be fun with the grimoires required to harness magic. The concept for this was great. I will devour any story that features an assassin FMC, a magic academy, and shadow wielding love interest. Kiara's magic was very cool and I loved watching her learn to use it. There was so much potential for this to be a 5 star read. it unfortunately just did not meet the mark.

There are many bits in the story that are too strongly connected to other widely known fantasies. From the magic academy with sorted houses, the character named Bellatrix, and the names of many classes to the young girl raised in an assassin's guild after her parents were murdered, it all just hit a little too close to the Harry Potter / Throne of Glass realm. Regardless of this, I think the writing was just not very strong. There were so many moments that had great potential that were but too short, not given the time they needed to resolve in a satisfying manner. There were also scenes that felt useless or confusing.

It was overall an enjoyable read which is why it is getting 3 stars! I think a strong editor could really help this series reach it potential that I feel it has.

A twist on Greek mythology, set in a school for mages to learn to control their magic. Yes there was only one bed in the inn but the spice level is implicit at best.

You've got your shadow daddy and your fated mates which made this an enjoyable read.

It started out strong but it starts to flag towards the end. Not enough to spoil the book, it's a great story but it dropped it from 5 stars to 4. I'm not sure I knew the characters too much better at the end compared to the beginning.

Great for lovers of Romantasy set in magic schools.

Cool world. Great for fans of Harry Potter and Zodiac Academy. The plot was very typical for this type of world. I hope to learn more about the raven society.

3.75 ⭐️
rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley and Ever King for the ARC!
This book started off very trope-y and I didn't really have high hopes. Especially when I read the line- "there you are, l've been looking for you." That is very high lord of the night court coded and to be honest I still don't see a point in that particular line being in there.
Nevertheless as I went on I was captivated by the story and it started to develop into something fairly unique!
I would love to see more world building and also more of a back story on Kiara, I feel like we don't really know much about her other than she is one of the Nameless and an assassin.
This is definitely YA and if I would've read this when I was 16 l would've been absolutely obsessed. With that being said, I still really enjoyed the story and am curious to see where it goes. It has so much potential and is pretty well written!

Delightfully dark and wickedly fun, Academy of Villains throws readers into a school with a cast of morally gray (and sometimes downright devious) characters. The story crackles with tension, competition, and plenty of sharp-edged banter. The main character’s journey from underdog to potential menace is thrilling to watch, and the world-building adds just the right amount of danger and intrigue. While some plot points feel a bit rushed, the fast pacing, scheming, and chaotic energy make this an addictive read for fans of villainy done right!

Academy of Villains follows Kiara, an assassin trained since birth to be one of the Nameless. Her latest mission? Kill the crown prince of Ithaka and break a dark curse. But when things don’t go as planned, she realizes the only way to complete her task is by working *with* him instead. As tensions rise and trust is tested, their partnership becomes more complicated than either of them expected.

I was immediately drawn to this book because of its ties to Greek mythology, which is my hands down favorite. Thankfully, it delivered! The story leans into familiar fantasy tropes, but with plenty of action and twists that kept me turning pages. The writing was fluid and easy to sink into, making for a quick read.

Where it lost me a bit was with the characters and their romance. Lucian’s overprotectiveness went *way* overboard. I get that he cared about Kiara, but she’s been a trained assassin her whole life—she doesn’t need someone constantly hovering over her. And while I liked Kiara, I expected her to have more conviction. Her feelings for Lucian shifted too fast for my taste; one second, she wanted nothing to do with him, and the next, they were kissing. I would’ve liked to see their dynamic develop more gradually.

Despite those issues, I still enjoyed the book! If you’re into fast-paced fantasy with assassin-royalty dynamics and a bit of Greek mythology woven in, this one’s worth picking up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Ever King for my free e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great book hangover cure that has also now put me back into a book hangover. This was so much fun and checked all the boxes I needed.

I made it about 40% of the way through this book before I had to make the choice to DNF. While the initial world and magic systems held so much promise, the characters all felt flat and it felt like none of the story was being fleshed out at all. It gave me no reason to feel engaged. I wish I could have loved it because the idea was great, but I couldn’t connect with the plot or characters.

Wow! I really enjoyed reading this book. It was like a more adult Harry Potter with other romantasy tropes added in. It was easy to understand the world and I loved all of the nods to greek mythology!

This was not my favourite. Good and interesting premise, but I felt it was a bit springy. Good potential and fancy magic system.

I have a lot of things to say.

I have been hired to kill this prince

This quote caught me off guard. Reading this sentence made me realize I might just enjoy reading this book—which I did.
This book follows the journey of an assassin named kiara with a mission to kill the crown Prince of the country.
On the night they gain their powers as mages she is mistakenly misidentified and thus gets mixed with them. She also finds out she’s a very unique mage.
I loved it’s unique magic system and the author’s writing style, I would have given this book a five stars if not for something.
As much as I loved the vibe and all, I found some statement contradicting each-other. Also it was very weird that the nobody knew she wasn’t enrolled into the academy until after some days.
But if I were to ignore that, the book was very lovely.
I loved the main character vibes and my favorite character was Tobias

3.5 rounded up to a 4 ⭐️

This has a lot potential. The story has a lot of uniqueness to it and overall I liked it.
I would have liked a bit more of a why they start to like each other. And I think that’s a big part of why I can’t rate this higher.

But as I said, overall a nice story. If you like YA and trials give it a go.

In the beginning, I loved the idea of this book. The plot is creative and is a good mix of tropes. It got pretty overwhelming though and felt like there was a lot missing. Like it was moving too fast and not touching on things it should. Just kind of running through the story too quickly and not developed enough where I need it. Also the writing style felt very pointy and not poetic enough. I didn't really know the characters very well. I made it to 30%, but then I had to dnf it. I think the plot is a great idea, but I just needed more from the writing style.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy

Thank you Netgalley and Ever King for this arc!

I love a Greek Mythology retelling. Especially Enemies to Lovers. I like how fast the plot moves. It didn't linger as much as some enemies to lovers tropes do. I would like to explore the Academy and magic systems more. Some predictable moments but all over well executed story. Looking forward to the next installment.

This was my first time reading a retelling of the Nyx mythology, and I loved it! The magic system is so unique, and the plot is heavy and in-depth. It definitely takes all of your focus to get into this, so don’t pick it up expecting it to be a light read! The dynamic between the FMC and the MMC had me swooning (can we say shadow daddy??). It’s YA so don’t expect any spice, but there’s definitely LOTS of tension and banter.

Loved this book and how it was written. It was funny but it didn’t take over the plot. Can’t wait to read the next one!

DNF 20%
I wanted to like this really bad but unfortunately I couldn't connect with the characters or the story. I'll may return to it another time but for now I'll leave it unfinished.