I loved this book. Harlow is in her 20's, raising her sister Opie, performing her own Rune magic, being a cat burglar, minding her own business until one day she is accosted by Typhon, an old crush from a past life who is now a teacher at the school and has taken her sister Opie to Neverthorn and tells Harlow that unless she comes too and helps protect the school then Opie will die.

This is an un put downable romp of a book that has multiple love interests that im still undecided by, has enermies to lovers, slow burn, magic, runes, friends becoming family, and a huge secret that could destroy everything.

Ends on a cliffhanger.

Loved it. Cant wait for the sequel which i assume will be called Heathermoor.

This is a book I've been struggling to review.
I really enjoyed it. It was fast paced, and exciting. It had a few twists that I really didn't see coming. I'm not sure who can be trusted, but I'm pretty sure that Noctis is not the evil we're expecting. The political machinations are interesting, and the various conflicting relationships are adding to the tension throughout. I'm invested, and will surely be picking up book 2.

However, there are clear parallels with Harry Potter. It was immediately noticeable, and meant that I kept superimposing things from Rowling's world into Neverthorn. Forgivable, it didn't really diminish my enjoyment of the book, though I have no doubt I will forget some names and end up referring to Noctis as Voldemort when I'm talking about this book.

My biggest bug-bear was the ages of the characters. Harlow was 29 - yay, an adult! A fantastic premise - pulling adults back into magic school for a second chance. It made for some super interesting dynamics, such as ex-classmates now being teachers - the conflict of power and discipline that could create, the disparity in respect, and manner of communication. Add to that, Harlow was a failing student and left after only a few months tutelage, while these are people that have graduated and gone on to become professors. How would an adult feel about that, what kind of reactions does that elicit? Especially an adult that has struggled, and gone on to run a safe house for abandoned teens.
Well. We don't know. Harlow reads like she's barely out of school. While much is made of her 'street smarts', we don't see much emotionally maturity from her. She isn't jaded and cynical, struggling to get back into the rituals of education, she instead reads like a rebellious teen, perhaps a little older, early 20s.
It's the same with the rest of her cohort in Phoenix. I couldn't place ages. These are all people who have left school, gone out into the real world. Found partners, jobs, houses. Most of them struggled with finding their place, with fitting in, finding fulfillment. They're from various school years, we have a range of ages. But none of that comes across on the page - I couldn't tell you who the youngest is, I didn't see any indication of how that impacted their bonding with each other, where they had commonalities or disparities.

While I will 100% be continuing the series, and am invested in the storylines, Neverthorn was a New Adult book for me - it didn't have the maturity of character to cross the line into adult. There may be gore, and spice, and triggering elements, but the characters feel a bit younger than I anticipated.
As a New Adult fantasy release though, absolutely one to recommend!

I Loved loved loved this book! It has found family, friendships, will they won't they! I love that the FMC is a badass and she has options too, she loves hard!
I want to know who is actually the evil one, I feel like it will change in the next book! I think that Opie is going to play a huge role and I can't wait to see where the next book goes.

Unfortunately I don’t think this book is for me I love the book premise of the plot but somehow seemed very similar to other books I have read .

I couldn’t connect with the characters .

Sorry not my type of writing style and maybe age is f reading seemed clunky and a bit cringy but if I was a teen I’d be lapping it up .

Arc review*
4.25

OOOOOOOOOOH MY GOODNESS well if you want a fun time, like dark academia, urban fantasy and magic then this is for you.
This gave me adult harry potter vibes with the FMC being 29 and thrusted back at school hahaha. Honestly i had fun reading this.
I thoroughly enjoyed it
And already can't wait for the second one.
I need to know things and don't know if i can wait long.
My first book by this author and it was a success, loved the writing style, it was so easy to read and get into

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you @penguinukbooks and @netgalley for the chance to read this one ahead of it's release on 24th July!

Interested? ⬇️

Neverthorn tells the story of Harlow, a twenty something year old drop out of Neverthorn Academy who's made her way by being a thief for hire.

The last thing she expects is for the school to make an offer: come back and join seven others with secret magical abilities in House Phoenix.

Because Nocta – a powerful dark wizard who has been plaguing the magical realm for decades – has the mortal world in his sights, and the students of House Phoenix are all that stand in his way.

But Harlow failed at Neverthorn once before. And nothing reminds her of this more than tall, brooding Typhon – Harlow’s old classmate and nemesis – who is now the professor tasked with their care.

Except Harlow is sure that Typhon and the other professors are hiding a dark secret...

⚔️

Perfect for fans of Zodiac Academy and Fate: The Winx Saga on Netflix. This definitely gave similar vibes.

I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers tension and the banter. I felt like the magic system was really interesting and I loved the relationships between the eclectic group of misfits that make up House Phoenix!

However, the actual plot felt quite similar,.like a lot of it has been told before? But overall it was still a solid read that I enjoyed.

Having the FMC at 29 and being dragged back to school, couldn't think of anything worse!

The magic system is intriguing but I want more background/details

The pacing was good, so many layers building into the story with character building and development of the plot was really good.

a good academic fantasy.

An intriguing start! I really loved Harlow as the MC, there's something about her rough around the edges personality that endeared her to me right away, and the devotion she feels for Opie is lovely. The pacing in this did ebb and flow in places, but the last section of the book was brilliant and left me wanting the sequel immediately

This took a bit to get into but it was a great story, a little academy, a little magic, a whole lot of found family. A great bunch of misfits who step into their own with some pretty unexpected twists. Definitely worth reading.

I loved this book, but damn that cliffhanger

I really enjoyed reading this book. Harlow is a 29 dropout from a magic school, who has to go back to Neverthorn academy. There she will join with seven others to help defeat a dark wizard.

I thought the storyline was great and it had plenty of hilarious scenes and enough unexpected turns that I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next which kept me enthralled in the story. .

It was a touch too slow burn for me from the romance side but hopefully that will ramp up in the next book

Overall really enjoyed it and would give it a 4 and a half stars

I adored this book, it has an engaging plot that keeps you invested in the characters and keeps you turning the pages. While it may not be the most well-written book I have encountered, the entertainment value far outweighs any stylistic shortcomings. The world-building has complexity in some areas while remaining straightforward in others and the story moves along quickly, allowing the world and its intricacies to unfold naturally. Harlow is forced back to Neverthorn Academy after dropping out many years ago due to a prophecy suggesting she might become the next hero. The humour throughout the book is both unexpected and amusing, particularly the magical gag on bad language, which consistently made me laugh. The friendships and the romance are captivating from start to finish, and the end leaves you eagerly anticipating the sequel.

THANK YOU Shannon Mayer and Michael Joseph for this ARC

Okay…. So you have no idea what to do now that Zodiac Academy is over? You’ve never received your invite for Hogwarts? - this is the book for you! Not only is Shannon Mayer’s writing style, so funny and filled with soooooo much banter but her character development and internal dialogues are to die for. Not to mention a sidekick talking raccoon?!?!

This story is fast paced, and has all the tropes you need… unknown powers, prophecies, found family, dark academia, teacher to lover, slow burn, YEARNING… fierce protective FMC

I am so lucky to be part of the Neverthorn Street team and this is going to be YOUR NEXT obsession and will explode into the dark academia fantasy lovers out there

The storyline has kept me guessing the whole time, the development of the whole character plot is amazing and there are unanswered questions that I just NEED to find out in book 2.. I can’t wait for you all to read it!!

Absolutely hooked!!

This book has so much going for it, I don't know where to start! Imagine everything you love in a Dark Academia vibes with magic read, and your part way to understanding why I loved this book.

What you get is a perfect mix of fantasy, romance and dark fairytale vibes. Set partly in a school for magic!! (I so want to be there) Like now!! The author creates a world of magic, mistrust and danger as Harlow returns to the magic school she hated. And worse, she still has to deal with her dark and moody professor.

I loved Harlow, as an older FMC with so much sass she was so easy to connect with and route for. I adored her banter with the super hot and moody MC. Talk about hot, slow burn fantasy romance.

This is definitely a book I'll be raving about for some time. And as this is the first book I've read by this author I now get the fun book addict joy of back reading her other books!

okay hear me out – i really wanted to love this. i’m a sucker for gothic fantasy and anything with an academic setting, but this just didn’t deliver the way i hoped it would

the premise is solid: harlow, a 29-year-old wizard school dropout, is blackmailed into returning to neverthorn academy to help fight off the dark wizard nocta. now she’s back in classes she once failed, stuck under the eye of the infuriatingly hot professor typhon, while trying to uncover whatever secret the staff are hiding. and of course, the clock’s ticking because nocta is on his way and harlow might be the only one who can stop him

unfortunately, i lost interest somewhere around the 50/60% mark. the pacing dragged in places, and while the stakes were high, i just didn’t feel them. it had flashes that reminded me of harry potter, but without that same magic or spark that makes you want to stay up all night reading

harlow being 29 but acting more like a teenager didn’t help. the ban on swearing was funny at first (the word “sheet” had its moments), but it was way overused and started to feel more cringe than clever

as for the romance – it had all the ingredients i usually love (slow burn, professor x student, a hint of enemies to lovers) but it ended up falling flat. the love triangle didn’t add much either and felt underdeveloped

there’s definitely some solid world-building here, and i can see what it could have been, but overall, this just wasn’t for me

I was sooo excited to get my hands on this book, and it did not disappoint!

I love an academy setting and a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers dynamic. The world-building and the characters were top tier- I was so happy to see a 29 year old FMC! There were twists and turns that kept me so drawn to this book.

It started a tad slow, but the pace really built up throughout the book.

I am very excited to see what the author does next!

Firstly thank you to penguin publishing house and netgalley for the ARC of this incredible book. Secondly, this is set up to be an absolutely phenomenal series and the ending is making me internally scream for more.

Having the FMC at 29 and being dragged back to school gives me nightmares cause honestly at 30 I can think of nothing worse than having to go back into education. The magic system is intriguing and I love that it's rune based but I want more background and details so I can get my teeth into how it all works properly.

The pacing was fast and addictive, so many layers building to so much were woven into the story with character building and development of the plot was fantastic. I honestly recommend anyone to read this if they love a good academic fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 4.5-4.75 stars.

I had been absolutely feral to get my hands on this book and it was worth it!

I am a sucker for a fantasy book with an academic setting and this really didn’t disappoint. The magic is unique and the reason for our characters path is just as unique. The story has quite a mysterious darkness to it and I still have many questions, I’m excited to see what happens next. I can already tell there’s more than meets the eye to the characters we’ve gotten to know so far and it’s incredibly hard to trust a single soul right now. I feel a little betrayed by one or two characters as their motivations feel a little inconsistent and I can’t tell if they are good or bad or just making the best of their situation.

Suffice to say I am totally locked in for book 2.

Absolutely fantastic YA fantasy. If you love Harry Potter and Shadow Hunters then you will love this. A school full of magic, secrets, trouble and more. Can't believe the ending and look forward to the next book

This book is right up my street. Academic setting, slow burn enemies to lovers. At points it did feel a bit repetitive however the story had me hooked and that ending... I don't know how I can wait for book two. This needs to be on your TBR list!

If Harry Potter was a female and in her late 20s and dropped out of wizarding school to fend for herself only to be forced back into the magical world. The villain also has a child and they along with a group of dropouts must stop him from destroying the world. Add in the magic summoning of The Magicians with the gothic style vibes of Wednesday and you have the aesthetic.

The world building, characters, and magical nuances were easy to picture and understand. I appreciated the setting being modern and relatable to our own with clear explanation of how the 2 worlds are separated (magical and non-magical).

Throughout the story, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop - who should you trust, who is acting suspicious, who is being coy for safety. You know it’s coming and the build up kept me entertained and didn’t always fall in line with my predictions. Not a spoiler - it does leave it open for a sequel and I’m enticed for the story to continue and see what happens next.