Dark academia
Broody MMC teacher
Magic


This book was definitely a mixed bag for me. I was really excited by the fact the FMC was in her late 20s as opposed to a teen. The slow burn was slow but the tension was there. The runic magic was interesting.

However I really struggled with the style of the book being more YA than I was expecting and the swearing gag they were all under did start to lose its funny side after a while. I found the FMC acted far more like a teen and was immature which took away for me the bonus of her being older.

Overall a fun read with some interesting magic and unpredictable moments but definitely more YA than Adult.

Harlow is reluctantly dragged back to Neverthorn Academy and tasked with training to confront and defeat the Villain of their world even though she can cast a rune without blundering it.
This was a good dark academia book. It was complete with slow burn romance, good actions scenes and plenty of twists & turns. All rounded off with a great cliffhanger.

What an ending - I didn’t see it coming at all.

Loved the school vibes, loved the magic, loved the banter, loved the slow burnnnnn/love triangle kinda vibes?!

I was a bit confused at times but I’m putting it down to the fact that I have been reading this for so long because I’m exhausted and haven’t been able to read for longer stints to keep it all in my mind.

Thank you so much for the arc Micheal J!

This was such a unique world!! I love the whole set up - that there's a whole community exiled after a war and are forbidden from touching land. Alaha is a community isolated, built on a strict heirarchy and rules, which state only matched couples can touch publicaly. Depending on the sea, training soldiers and the yearly market on the wooden dock of Kenta. I love how easy this was to read and how seemless the world building was, every part introduced was brilliant and I loved seeing the world unfurl as the book went on.

I love Brynn - orphaned, lost and no real place in the community - she works hard to become a good soldier, and to be respected in Alaha. Never knowing her true background and reliant on her friends for help (when she lets them), I love how resourceful, strong and smart she is, despite all that happens. No wonder she is untrusting. She is desperate to go to Kenta and see the land. When she gets there though, it all goes wrong. In spite of it all she meets the MMC, a mysterious and dark soldier who tries his best to convince her of her true heritage and her trust. I loved reading this story and never knew where it would go next!! I honestly didn't expect where it would go next and the blurb really doesn't give it justice!!!! I loved ALL the twists and ALL the characters introduced!! Really, I can't give many more details for fear of spoiling it but suffice it to say from this review I think you should read it immediately!!!!

OMG the cliffhanger?! The TWIST?! It is INSANE!!!!!! I need book 2 now...... There's one chapter near the end where I sat staring at the wall, like WHAT DID I JUST READ?!

Harlow is a 29yr old grifter, a thief, a protector and a magical school drop out. When a simple theft goes awry she is forced to go back to school - this time she has to finish her schooling, save her adopted sister...oh and save the magical world as she knows it!

Opie, her adopted sister, is unaware of zero magical ability. She hopes to be a late bloomer. Going to Neverthorn is a dream come true for her. Harlow will jump through any hoop to protect her. Enter Typhon. Former classmate/junior teacher, now fully fledged professor and one of the mentors for Harlow and her fellow misfits.

Whilst there is nothing really new under the Neverthorn sun, the tropes and world building are intriguing. They're a mix of some of the elements from well known fantasy themes and I was quite happy reading and learning of this new world. The characters are a great mix of talents and having Harlow be neurodivergent was handled really well. The way she has to navigate the magical world her way rather than use the same methods as everyone else highlighted how many ways those with neurodiversity/learning differences struggle to deal with the world around them.

Harlow is fantastically sarcastic, witty, a fierce protector but she has her flaws. When she returns to Neverthorn it's quite emotive the way she sometimes reverts back to the naïve, wounded 16yr old she used to be.

The found family theme is definitely strong in the story> I'll take Harlow and the misfits against the world anytime! I'm not a fan of the love triangle but I'll persevere if the story continues to keep me engaged. Typhon is a morally grey mmc with a big dose of grump, Liam has the cheeky chappy, sunshine personality (and in my head a really sexy Irish accent). We shall have to see where this goes.

PS The swearing ban was quite fun but I would have preferred for someone to come up with some kind of counter to it so these adults could swear normally but as it's set in a school I get why the ban would have been in place.

Imagine harry potter for adults, instead of wand magic they use their fingers to draw runes & the chosen one is 29 year old Harlow welcome to neverthorn academy!
Harlow dropped out of neverthorn academy when she was 16 & turned into what she liked to call a cat burglar, she also ran a b&b for runaways & took in a young girl called opie whose parents threw onto the streets as her magic didn't develop & thought she was an embarrassment to the family name. Harlow see opie as the little sister she never had & when she finds shes been taken to neverthorn as a way to get Harlow to go back she is understandably not happy about i. Once at neverthorn she is put into a newly formed house, house of phoenix which as 8 other students who like Harlow are adults & ex neverthorn students, they have been drafted in to help defeat the powerful & evil wizard nocta. However, things are not as they seem at neverthorn & Harlow doesn't know who to trust can she trust typhon who was at school with her & hurt her but is now a teacher & is acting like he has hers & her houses best interests at heart, can she trust Liam another teacher who has been drafted in from their sister school to help find their powers or is he up to something else & can she keep opie safe while finding a way to defeat nocta?
This book was so good it had slow burn, comedy, twists & turns & the way it ended on a cliffhanger i need the next book asap as I need to find out what happens next

4.5🌟

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the Arc of Neverthorn! I absolutely ate this up!
I thoroughly enjoyed the banter with in this book, it had me giggling throughout. Also, who doesn’t love teacher x student, enemies to lovers tropes. the slow burn is slow but you can tell it’s there.
I love the Magic system and the way it developed throughout the book and how house Phoenix found their powers.
I can’t wait for book 2 to see how the relationship develops and what happens with the found family trope.

I really enjoyed the first book in Harlow's series as this has lots of my favourite tropes and elements; a prophecy, found family, quick fire banter and a mysterious academy setting. I can also add a fighting tournament with cake as a prize to the list!

This is a high 4.5 star for me. I loved snarky Harlow and the balance of her fire as well as the humour. Typhon is all kinds of repressed right now and in dark and broody mode and Liam is almost his literal opposite. This is slow burn and it looks like a love triangle situation is on the horizon with things about to get super messy in book two. I ALC'd for this book too and one of the best parts of listening to the audio was the swearing gag (particularly when any of the characters were fired up). Donkeyhole and punt really took it out me when they appeared! And Bandit was the absolute star of the show.

Harlow and Opie's relationship is one of the other key elements in this book and I think their sisterly dynamic came across really well. Harlow would do anything for Opie and although part of me wanted Opie to know the truth, I could understand why Harlow continued to lie to bring a smile than draw a tear with the truth, even if she was forced into it. However Harlow is also keeping her own secrets. Despite how much Harlow has helped the others (and they have helped her) I think there are going to be some real hard conversations coming her way when the truth comes out.

My interpretation of the star system;
3 stars - I enjoyed it; would read the author again
4 stars - I really liked it; I am invested and definitely want more from this author/series
5 stars - I loved it; I engaged with this book completely until I finished it and it is one I will re-read

I am knee deep in my romantasy academia era, and I am living for it!

Neverthorn promised to have all my favourite tropes:

● academia
● student x teacher
● enemies to lovers
● magical system
● found family

And it delivered.. for the most part. Harlow, our main FMC, is a Neverthorn dropout. She can only cast runes (magic) in her own, made-up way, which made her a pariah at school. She's forced to return by former student, who tried to kill her, turned Doyen (teacher), Typhon Moreno.

I was so excited for the student x teacher romance, but unfortunately, it didn't quite take off. It didn't feel like there was any real connection between Harlow and Typhon - throw in a potential attraction to another teacher, Liam - and it could almost be classed as a love triangle. Except it didn't seem to go any deeper than surface level attraction so the romance never got going.

The found family aspect was my favourite, with the 7 students who return to Neverthorn, all of whom struggle with their magic. The camaraderie, friendship and loyalty that grew between them was wonderful and really made the book what it was. The side characters were basically the highlight for me.

I feel like this book could have potentially been better if Harlow was aged down. I understand why she was older (Harlow is 29 and Typhon is 32) but she genuinely came across as a teenager. She was fiercely loyal, determined and had a tough past, but she was incredibly immature, irresponsible, and looked for trouble then acted surprised when it found her. It's not that adults don't make bad decisions, we absolutely do. But Harlow was meant to have been smart enough to evade capture, foster kids and commit complex heists, yet she made silly decisions within Neverthorn that didn't quite seem to fit with the character we were introduced to. Her sarcasm and quick wit were fun though but I really disliked the non-swearing magic they were placed under - these were full grown adults, it was really cringe.

Typhon also lacked character. He's really not in the book very much at all - which is probably why the romance fell flat for me - and when he was, there wasn't much personality I could see. It did peak out a little towards the end, but I could've done with that a little earlier so I could become invested in him and Harlow. As it stands, I'm more interested in Liam and how that relationship will turn out - same with other side characters. Fable & Zeed, Opie's villain arc and the wraith.

The magical system was great, I loved the idea of casting runes as magic and the action scenes were genuinely exciting, if not a little short. There were very strong HP vibes, which I tried to ignore but there were similarities with the house sorting, uniform etc. I'll probably pick up the next book but I dont think it'd be a priority.

Neverthorn by Shannon Mayer?? Was ✨chef’s kiss✨ absolute chaos, magic, banter and BITE — I devoured it in two days and I’m still reeling. Like. I had no business enjoying a magical academy book this much in 2025 but here we are 😂🪄
________________

🪄 PLOT VIBES:

Imagine Harry Potter meets Zodiac Academy meets Fourth Wing with a sprinkle of ✨snarky sarcasm✨ and ✨Greek mythology references✨ thrown in.
We’ve got:

⭐ A drop-out jewel thief FMC with serious ✨sass and trauma✨
⭐ An enemies-to-lovers slow burn so tense I nearly combusted 🔥
⭐ A professor who growls more than he speaks 😮‍💨
⭐ A group of chaotic misfits destined to save the world (but barely following the rules while doing it)
⭐ A raccoon named Bandit who deserves his own spinoff.
________________

🖤 HARLOW DAYGON = MY SPIRIT ANIMAL

She’s older, grittier, scrappy AF, and honestly?? I loved her from page one. She had me CACKLING at lines like:
"Still on the ground and not sure if I have use of my limbs yet, so if you two are done measuring your ducks…"
and
“You know. Just out here fighting a bunch of teenagers for cake. Living the dream.”
Like, same babe. Same 😂

But underneath the snark and survival instincts, she’s grieving, raw, and deeply human. Her bond with Opie made me WEEP. 🥹
________________

🔥 NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT TYPHON 😮‍💨

Tall. Brooding. Nemesis-turned-professor. Asks her:
“Are. You. Hurt?”
and also this conversation:
"Going to try and choke me again, are you?"
“Not unless you say please. 😵‍💫
AND HE GAVE HER A STONE THAT HELPED HER READ THE SPELLS??? I mean pls.
“It really helped a lot. It was like someone turning a light on in a dark room.”
He sees her, even when she doesn’t want to be seen, and that moment where he says:
“Gods, I dream about this every night.”
I had to CLOSE THE BOOK AND PACE. It was too much. In the best way.
________________

👑 THE PHOENIX CREW

Found family tropes will never not destroy me. Fable? Brilliant. Zeed? Loveable. Ellie? Heart of gold. Marina, Zeed, Caterina, and Phyllis (Our 65-year-old Queen of the savage one-liners)?? ICONS.
“When Phyllis fired shots, she went straight for the heart.”
Also shoutout to Bandit for saying:
“Was it just me, or was that seriously hot?...Yeah, that was definitely steamy. I mean, I don't know what it's like with humans, but a good bite on the neck is some serious foreplay in the nocturnal mammal world.
🦝💀💀💀
________________

⚔️ PLOT TWISTS + VIBES

Not gonna lie, some twists I clocked early...but I didn’t even mind. Because the pacing? The chaos? The banter? The DWIMMER WORLD??? I was entertained every damn chapter.

Shannon Mayer nailed that feeling of "who tf can I actually trust?" which kept me paranoid until the final page.

Also. The ending??? I knew that cliffhanger was coming but it still hit like a brick to the face. BRING ON BOOK 2 IMMEDIATELY 🔮
________________

🧠 FINAL THOUGHTS:

This book felt like coming home to the magical fantasy books I adored as a teen, but with adult edge and banter. The world-building was lush, the characters were all vibes, and the language gag (aka no swearing) had me absolutely wheezing with every “duck” or "punt" reference 🐥😂
"Over my dead body was I going to willingly spend time with that...punt."
She couldn’t actually say what she wanted to. And that just made it funnier 😭

So if you love:
✨ Magical academies
✨ Morally grey love interests
✨ Older FMCs
✨ Found family chaos
✨ A good enemies-to-lovers grrrr dynamic
Then Neverthorn is 100% for you.
________________

Now if you'll excuse me, I’ll be staring at my calendar waiting for book two to drop because I have QUESTIONS.
Like. Urgent ones.
"Let's get the damn cake."
Yes queen. Let’s get the cake, the sequel, and the chaos 🔥🖤

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠 (4.5 sparkly stars)

Thank you to Shannon Mayer, Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this in exchange for my honest opinions.

Neverthorn is a gripping and intriguing read that had me hooked and needing more! I really liked the whole premise of this one and loved the darker side of this magical academia story.

First off, I love having an MC in her late twenties and being badass and unapologetically herself. Harlow has had to fight to survive, and she fights hard for those she loves. She finds herself forced back to Neverthorn Academy, a place that holds only bad memories, with a group of other misfits who apparently are the key to saving the world. I loved how protective she became of this group and the found family trope as a whole. I'm an absolute sucker for a rag-tag bunch of misfits coming together!

Typhon was such a mysterious and brooding character that you can't help but want to know more about him and his life. I loved his interactions with Harlow and the pure slow-burn, enemies to lovers vibes their relationship has. He's so possessive of her, and honestly, I was here for it!

I'm so intrigued to see how this story progresses, especially considering how this one ended! Neverthorn is dark, wild, and also really fun and incredibly gripping. I found myself flying through this one and now desperately need the next book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book started off with a promising and intriguing concept, which initially drew me in. However, as the story moved forward, the pace slowed considerably, and the plot began to feel repetitive. What initially seemed engaging gradually lost momentum.

While the writing clearly leans into a young adult style, which isn’t inherently a problem, I found the portrayal of the main female character a bit confusing given her age. Despite being 29, her behavior often felt far too juvenile and inconsistent with someone of that maturity level. Several of her decisions and reactions reminded me more of a teenager than a woman nearing her thirties, which made it difficult to fully invest in her character.

Another aspect that detracted from my reading experience was the author’s choice to impose a swearing ban, replacing expletives with terms like “fruck” and “sheet.” These substitutes were repeated so frequently that instead of coming across as clever or humorous, they quickly became grating and distracting. It was hard to take the dialogue seriously when these words popped up constantly.

The romantic storyline held some promise, featuring slow-burn tension and an enemies-to-lovers dynamic between a professor and student. Unfortunately, the execution felt lackluster and failed to deliver the emotional payoff I was hoping for. Adding to this was the inclusion of a love triangle, a trope I’m generally not fond of, which muddied the romantic tension rather than enhancing it.

In the end, this book didn’t resonate with me. It may appeal to a younger audience seeking a light, straightforward read, but for me, the story felt cheesy and predictable, lacking the depth and character development necessary to make it truly compelling.

⭐️.5/5

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I have to start this, by saying I very rarely DNF a book and even less so provide bad reviews - I will push through and try to finish all books to at least provide a thorough and accurate representation of the book, but on this occasion, I could NOT force myself to finish the over 500 pages of this book to try and find something positive about it.

I requested this book as the premise seemed intriguing and it appeared to have the elements of a good fantasy.

Harlow Daygon is a magic school drop-out, who never grasped the ability to use her magic properly and is notoriously terrible at creating and using runes. After leaving Neverthorn at the age of 16, under a year after first attending, she returns to the Dwimmer world (non-magic). Alone after the death of her mother, she lives on the streets and in motel rooms, becoming a thief in order to survive. At nearly 30, she is a thief with a purpose, stealing magical objects to sell to the highest bidder in order to support her adoptive sister Ophelia and the other orphaned children. But when she is set up and finds herself forced into returning to Neverthorn Academy, she soon discovers her life will never be the same. After the death of the legendary Hero, who stood against the dark forces raised by Nocta, the best the world has to offer to prevent the end of the world as they know it, is a once-was thief and seven others, now placed in a once-donounced house, House Phoenix, due to their propensity for dangerous and destructive behaviour and an insatiable thirst for power. Harlow is tasked with training to confront and defeat the Villain of their world.

However, the challenges are stacked against

Professor Hot-As-Sin makes it clear she’s a failure.

Professor Used-To-Be-A-Mean-Girl has a vendetta.

And lurking in her past is a secret so dark it could reveal she’s not the Hero the world needs—but the next Villain

This book promised:
✨ The Chosen One Trope
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ Found Family
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Second Chance
✨ Professor x Student

This book was a STRUGGLE. I managed to get a quarter of the way through, before having to call it quits; the redeeming factors were few and far between. The book was CLEARLY influenced by Harry Potter and read akin to a poorly written self-insert Wattpad fanfiction; and as a Fanfic girlie I am no stranger to fanfiction tropes and storylines, however, there are good ways for these to be executed and this book was NOT IT.

The world-building was an amalgamation of popular YA fantasy series, namely Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Neverthorn Academy is heavily influenced by the four houses in Harry Potter, as were the classes and runic concepts. There were so many elements and components upon arriving at the Academy that were blatantly taken from other fandoms that it lacked originality. Even the villain appeared to be HEAVILY influenced by a certain infamous wizard. There were some rather bizarre inclusions, such as the suble Greek Mythology references?

The writing and character development read as EXTREMELY juvenile. This book is marketed as an NA dark fantasy, but the writing and characters are much more akin to a YA novel. In terms of the writing style, the author has attempted a casual and very unserious, witty tone, however it was poorly executed. Early on in the book, a rune is cast on the fmc to prevent her from swearing BECAUSE SHE IS ATTENDING SCHOOL WITH LITERAL CHILDREN, which results in all swearing coming out as "funny" alternatives which are really fugging irritating. Equally, the fmc, a supposed no-nonsense badass, is also extremely immature. At nearly 30, she holds the personality and mannerisms of a 15-year-old. Similarly, the mmc, TYPHON?! just comes across as an ass and has the same generic recipe "tall, dark and broody".

There are also several oddities which I found really bizarre. She is a 29-year-old, forced to go back to school, with literal SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN. This includes wearing a school uniform at the ripe age of 29. Also, prior to returning to Neverthorn she "fosters" unwanted children, taking them in and ensuring they are safe and fed, etc - a noble aim, but she does this out of a motel room?!? The concept of a grown ass adult taking underage children into a shady motel under the guise of caring for them - clearly CPS was NOT involved. Also, in order for Harlow and Typhon to reach the school they had to cross their version of the "styx" where they paid Charon with a magical coin, but yet the Dimmers were able to get to the castle and see it "as ruins" without this palava.

Conceptually, the book had promise, but the story, writing, and characters left much to be desired. The book feels like it is aimed at the adults who loved HP and would 100% attend Hogwarts as adults; don't get me wrong I loved the series when I was growing up but as someone who does not support nor condone the actions of said once beloved author, I feel like it may be time for people to MOVE ON. I would not recommend.

Welcome to Neverthorn
Lesson one: Save the World

What happens when the school dropouts are forced to come back to fight for their safety?
Harlow never wanted to return to that awful place, ever since her mom died and she took Opie under her care, she would never leave her.
The people at the academy will bring her back at all cost in order to fight against evil, even if that cost is taking Opie away from her and enrolling her as a student, Harlow has no choice but to go.
After finding out the boy who always made her flustered is a professor and no longer a boy but a man, Typhon, she must do whatever it takes to stay away from him. But he’s hiding secrets, many secrets, along with all the others. Harlow doesn’t know who to trust, but she must protect Opie at all costs, even if that means discovering all the horrible secrets Neverthorn Academy is hiding.


This book was so good, I do love a good dark academia, enemies to lovers with strong friendships and found family tropes, basically all my favorite tropes in one book. It did get a little bit confusing at some points, with the different timelines but I loved it nonetheless.

Thank you to netgalley and Penguin for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Another school setting fantasy I loved!!! So good and fun and fast paced. A bit silly at times and far fetched but still very enjoyable and romance was very good

This was a fun read, I took it with me on holiday and it did a good job keeping me entertained. The story is relatively fast paced, the magical system an world building easy to follow, the characters well fleshed out and interesting, some good plot twists to keep me turning the pages, a super cute racoon familiar and found family done well.
There are a few things that jarred a bit. Overall the writing and language was not what I expected, it read quite young and given the FMC is 29 I had to wonder what the intended audience actuall was. The rune for cursing was not great either tbh. Finally, on the side of romance, a lot was left to be desired, I wish we had been given a bit more.

The premise of this book is great and it's an interesting take on contemporary fantasy. Maybe the fact that I predominatly read fantasy didn't allow me to enjoy it as much as I ended up comparing with other stories quite a lot.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for my review copy, all opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As soon as I saw Dark Academia, I knew I wanted to read this book! The story is full of twists and turns and a Raccoon that is just adorable!

Other tropes include:

✨️Found Family
✨️Enemies to ??
✨️Magical Games
✨️Urban Fantasy
✨️Cute Animal Sidekick

Harlow is a 29 year old who is forced to return to the school she once escaped alongside 6 others who are believed to be the key to defeating the evil forces and save the world.

I love how this mismatched group become like a family, working together to overcome any challenges they face! Also, Harlow's development throughout the book as she starts off selfish, only caring for herself and her sister, to a leader figure this new group look to and who will do anything to protect them all!

Oh, and I couldn't possibly forget the professor/ student tension between Harlow and Typhon. There's a real slow burn to it, and it's delicious!

That ending, though, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book!

Thank you to Michael Joseph/ Penguin Random House for the arc of this for my honest review 🫶

Unfortunately I have DNF'd this one - but I may come back to it again. I was really excited to read this and I enjoyed the beginning of the book but once the FMC got to the school I felt like there were so many elements pulled from other fandoms that I couldn't get past feeling like it was a multi-fandom fanfic. I also felt the FMC was rather juvenile for having been so independent in her life - she didn't act like a 29 year old. I think many readers will enjoy this but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. Though I thought the gag curse was hilarious - that was a great addition!!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a preface - I ended up not finishing this book fully.

I feel like this book was perhaps marketed wrong, I went into it with the expectation that this was going to be written more as an adult fantasy but the writing was more YA.

From the 40% of the book that I did read I can tell you that this book was very unserious and written too childishly for me.

The start was promising and I did like the MC, but I felt like her behaviour was just plain weird at times. Her maturity was sitting at that of a 15 year old at best. There was also a swearing ban which was funny at first but the replacement words were used so often it quickly became annoying.

I was promised Student x Teacher, thinking it would be more of a mature read as the MC was older but in reality they barely interacted.. and when they did I just didn't feel any chemistry.

Ultimately I'm disappointed by Neverthorn, I tried multiple times to finish this book but I know when to accept a book is not for me.

Many readers will love this book, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you for the e-ARC.

I’m always sold by an animal companion so firstly loved that. I loved the setting - Neverthorn Academy was such an atmospheric backdrop with dark academia vibes - and the magic system was really interesting. Pacing was good overall, although it did lag a bit for me after the halfway mark but did pick back up again.

I liked the premise of a student returning to the academy later in life and was very excited about having an older fmc but I did struggle with believing she was 29 and reconciling that with her actions, some of which just didn’t make sense to me which did hamper my enjoyment a bit. I almost wish it was YA as it could have made it a 5 star read.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend!