Academy of Villains
Nyx and Erebus Greek Mythology Retelling
by Ever King
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Pub Date 15 Oct 2024 | Archive Date 15 May 2025
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Description
★★★★★ — "The magic system is unique and really cool!"
★★★★★ — "This is soooo Slytherin coded!"
★★★★★ — "A nice blend of romance, magic and mythology!"
“Think Throne of Glass meets Harry Potter with a Greek mythology twist.” —INKLORE
A dark fantasy romance inspired by the Greek mythology love story of Nyx and Erebus.
In a kingdom where magic is slowly disappearing, an evil king expands his territory to gain more power, destroying towns and villages along the way. He collects the orphaned children with no magic and trains them as assassins in his army to be used as weapons against his enemies. Meanwhile, those who possess magic are sent to a ruthless academy to train as mages, ruling with cruelty under the evil king’s expanding reign.
Kiara, once an assassin for the king, infiltrates the magic academy to slay the prince and end the royal bloodline. But within the academy's walls, she discovers a startling truth—she has magic.
The Cursed Prince will tempt her.
Secret societies will hunt her.
And the mysterious headmaster hides sinister truths of his own.
As students begin to vanish and Heartstrings are forged, Kiara's quest for vengeance turns into a battle for survival—and a choice between love and destiny as she finds herself torn between killing the prince or saving the world with him.
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This is Book 1 in the Academy of Villains series! Each book in this dark fantasy romance series is inspired by a Greek mythology love story. Prepare for hidden secrets, powerful spells, and heartfelt relationships.
Available Editions
EDITION | Ebook |
ISBN | 9781069104007 |
PRICE | |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Ok this met my expectations and the pacing was wonderful, it didn’t mess around one bit.
Kiara is fierce and determined, this character and the plot dynamic really gave me Throne Of Glass vibes which is amazing because I miss the feeling that book gave me.
Lucian is broody and well connected as the prince which also leaves him trusting few people, especially Kiara.
The romance, magic and evil plaguing this realm created some HIGH stakes. I’m so excited to find out more about the magic systems and what it will take to bring the villain of this story down.
Tropes/themes included are: enemies to lovers, curses and greek mythology.
**Academy of Villains** by Ever King is an exciting dark academia fantasy romance with a Greek mythology twist. Following Kiara, a former assassin discovering her magical powers, the story is packed with intrigue, secret societies, and a simmering romance with the cursed prince. With a unique magic system, thrilling twists, and a perfect balance of action and emotion, this is a must-read for fans of mythology and dark, magical worlds!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)
4.5 stars
This gave me dark Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl vibes. I read this in one sitting. The world building and character development were great. I enjoyed the side characters as well. I liked the slow burn between Kiara and Lucian. (Closed door)
I'm hoping there's more because I'd like to see more from the characters and this world!
A sorting ceremony ✅
Harry Potter style school but students and teachers that actually unalive each other ✅
Slow burn ✅
I absolutely loved Academy of Villains. The characters and plot are well written and held me hostage for a weekend.
I need book 2 asap!!
Such a good story... I loved every single detail in this story... the plot, the characters, wowww!!! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can.
Academy of Villains is if you wanted a slightly darker version of Harry Potter that meets Black Clover. This was giving me major if 'Slytherin were the main point of view versus Gryffindor' vibes. Let’s not forget the nods to the retelling of Nyx and Erebus’ Greek Mythology Love Story. If you’re not fully paying attention you’ll miss many clues. I, however, was just super excited to see this retelling done as Nyx has always been one of my favorite Goddesses.
I did not get bored of this novel and found it evenly paced. There was something new in every chapter which I thought would get overwhelming but I surprisingly did not see it as such. The Bromance is bromancing. The mysteries, the vengeance, and the betrayals were 'yes, thank you'. The romance between our leads is a bit of a slow start but will become more flourished about halfway and I know that might take a bit for some readers to get through but I promise, it’s worth it.
The Raven Society? I hope you all get your own novel.
I’ll be looking forward to book two.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.
The first time I read this author and I did enjoy it. This gave me dark Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl vibes. This does have romance but not smut. It seems to be appropriate for high school age readers as it reads as a younger YA book. The world building and character development were great. I enjoyed the side characters as well. I liked the slow burn between Kiara and Lucian.
I absolutely loved this book! The tension, twists and turns are everything! I love the romance between Kiara and Lucien and how they get through everything thrown at them together. Every page I turned was full of adventure, romance and friendship and I couldn't stop reading! The adventure is addictive and I found myself wanting to know what happens next after every page. Ever King is a fantastic writer and I cannot wait to read book two!
I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys romantasy.
Thank you Net Galley, the publisher and Ever King for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Read this if you like a dark academy YA romantasy!
A magic schoole with action and adventure - oh and did I mention romance?
This blew me away
A prince with dark powers, an assassin with a lost power, lot of secrets and an epic quest. It's a some what unique magic system with all the academy vibes you need and defently action-packed!
A well written, all comsuming and captivating fantasy world!
This book is giving Harry Potter and Percy Jackson vibes...
Post on IG 14. January 2025 ⭐️
This book was shockingly good! I chose the book based on the title and cover and boy am I glad I did. This book is for people who like dark academia Romantasy with a magical school and a Greek mythology retelling. It is about an assassin Kiara who has to survive in a dangerous academy and discover it secrets. I plan to pick up the next book as soon as I can and recommend this to everyone.
This story IMMEDIATELY hits in the ground running from the very first page, jumping straight into the action. While I do adore the wonders of world building, it was refreshing immediately being absorbed into this new, fantastic world.
This has the most immaculate dark academia vibes. Anyone who is a Harry Potter fan will fall in love with this book as it feels very nostalgic with a mature storyline. As a true Hufflepuff, it feels like I am moonlighting as a Slytherin, and it feels delectably naughty.
I will always be a sucker for a dual POV, and I really enjoy that both of our MCs are morally gray. It really adds a new perspective and depth that I don’t often get from the fluffy romances I read.
I admire the strength of Kiara. I will admit though, the whole book does amp her up like she is an exceptional assassin, however, the number of times she was caught, or she was being followed feels like the complete opposite. I still love my girly though.
I was swooning for the mysterious, protective nature of Lucian. I also am obsessed with his Raven boys. Surprisingly, I do think I was more infatuated with Kaspian or Atticus.
I know that the author has stated that this was the first book in the series and that “each book in this dark academia fantasy romance is inspired by a Greek mythology love story. Prepare for hidden secrets, powerful spells, and heartfelt relationships.” That makes me think there will definitely be a story for each Raven boy, and I cannot wait. I am absolutely desperate and completely feral for the next book.
4.25! Okay, this one was a BIG surprise! The title and cover caught my attention and I’ll be forever grateful because I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. It was such a fun read and it reminded me a lot of the feeling of watching Harry Potter for the first time. I loved the characters, the friendships and especially the romance. I’m a sucker for a well-done enemies-to-lovers and I felt this one nailed it. I’ll definitely be recommending this book to everyone!
Academy of Villains - by Ever King
I enjoyed this read, an interesting world full of culture and an interesting new magic system. A packed dark academia fantasy with trials and lessons, this was a great start to the series. I read this in one night and couldn't put it down.
Kiara and Lucien are drawn to each other and I absolutely loved their romance and characters both together and apart. So interested in hearing more about the Raven Society too! The closed door romance was well written and went well with the plot.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
4.75 ⭐
I loved the concept of mages and the academy followed in the story. It was similar to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone with the set up except for the things like the magic systems and the characters being teenagers.
The book is said to be "Nyx and Erebus Greek Mythology Retelling" but I'm not really familiar with that myth so I don't know how in line it was to it. However, the plot had me hooked right from the beginning. The 2nd half of the book gave Reckless vibes which I enjoyed a lot.
At some places, I felt like things weren't explained better, like when Lucian's friends reacted some way to something he said and I didn't get why it was a big thing. Small things like that, which made me want to reread the part to understand better. Other than that, it was a good one. I would very much like to read the next one in the series when it's out.
A huge thank you to NetGalley , the publisher, and Ever King for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Academy of Villains by Ever King grabs your attention right from the first page. This fast-paced, captivating upper YA dark academia novel draws inspiration from the Greek mythology love story of Nyx and Erebus, with plenty of mythological Easter eggs sprinkled throughout.
The story follows Kiara, our fierce female protagonist and an assassin who discovers she is a starmage, gifted with celestial magic. The male lead, Lucian Darking, is the Crown Prince of Ithaka and a shadowmage wielding dark, cursed magic. Their dynamic leans heavily into the Enemies-to-Lovers trope, with Kiara determined to kill Lucian in order to break a dark curse that haunts the Kingdom of Ithaka. However, Lucian is instantly captivated by Kiara, and despite being opposites in almost every way, their connection is undeniable. Without giving too much away, the plot takes us on a thrilling journey as they meet at the Academy and set out to unravel the mystery of the curse.
Academy of Villains offers a darker, grittier take on Harry Potter, combined with the rich, complex world of Greek mythology—a heady and intriguing blend. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't wait to dive into the next installment. Below are a few quotes that really resonated with me, giving a taste of the magic and tension you can expect from this book.
“They’re coming for her … And I’ll be damned if they touch her”
“He was the darkness I craved, and I was the light he couldn’t escape”
“Nothing stays the same, not forever. The sea teaches us that. You may think you know the course of your journey, but the current has a way of shifting beneath your feet”
“Sacrifice is often the price of change”
“I won’t let fear or doubt hold me back. I am the one they should fear”
“As long as there’s breath in my body, nothing will touch her. Nothing will take her from me. If she hates me for it, so be it. Curse, or no curse, I’ll burn the whole world down before I let her fall”
“If his love is a curse, I’ll wear it like a crown”
“Loyalty can be a fragile thing easily swayed by ambition and fear”
4.75⭐ if you guys know anything about me, its that i LOVE myself a greek retelling and this is no different. im also not someone who can picture books easily in my head as read but this story and these characters came alive as a movie in my head and i devoured this ARC in two days.
just picture this: darker fantasy, antihero MC's, harry potter-esque world building, slow burn fated enemies to lovers, and chosen one FMC. these are the perfect ingredients for a fantasy book.
our FMC is Kiara, an assassin sent to kill Prince Lucian, our MMC (romantic right?) Kiara was such a badass magic warrior girly and seeing her development in her trust in Lucian and her own powers was just 🤌🤌
Prince Lucian... *screams in book boyfriend* your honor I fear I love this man. like how are you a prince of a corrupt kingdom with shadow powers yet also a cutie?? and this man was DOWN BAD for his girl. their relationship and bond was so precious because they are both such complex characters and i just love them.
I don't read fantasy that often but best believe I will be returning for this sequel and I would loveee to read more of the Raven Society boys and their bonds.
this book is criminally underrated and anyone who likes magic and romance should pick this up!!
this book is so good and addictive, I love the plot where our main character tries to kill the princ at the academy but then get’s enrolled in the academy itself where she finds out she is a mage as well. I really liked the setting, but that is pretty easy when it’s set at an academy I really like those boos. the romance did move pretty fast I did not mind that because I love them and their banter. and it’s pretty enemies to lovers. the mythology was good maybe would love to see even more in book two. the magic is fun and for me original, love the secret society and the characters themself. maybe I would have liked to see more academy stuff like different classes.
- dark academia
- enemies to lovers
- mythology
- trials
- badass female main character
will post mine other reviews on Monday December 2 of 2024 on instagram and tiktok
When Harry Potter smashes into Percy Jackson and Throne of Glass, you get Academy of Villians. This book was a fantastic introduction to Ever King's fantasy world. There are some normal trope types in the book but also some really unique concepts such as the magic system and settings. Give this book a read!
Dies war das 1. Buch, welches ich von der Autorin gelesen habe. Cover und Klappentext haben mich neugierig gemacht und ich wollte direkt in die Geschichte eintauchen. Da das Buch relativ kurz ist, hatte ich anfangs die Befürchtung, dass eventuell zu viel Inhalt in relativ wenig Zeit gepresst sein könnte und sich die Handlung dadurch sehr schnelllebig anfühlen würde beim Lesen. Dies war jedoch überhaupt nicht der Fall. Ich konnte mich sehr gut in die Geschichte und die Charaktere hineinfühlen und fand den Plot gut ausgebaut. Der Schreibstil ist einfach gehalten und auch die Fantasy- und Mythologie-Aspekte sind so eingebaut, dass ich als Leserin nicht mit Fakten überschüttet wurde. Beide Hauptcharaktere gefielen mir sehr und haben sich gut ergänzt. Der MMC hat mit einem Fluch zu kämpfen, ein Schattenmagier und flirtet neckisch mit Kiara, der FMC - zusammengefasst also alles was ich an MMCs liebe. Was mir besonders gut gefallen hat, war, dass die Autorin Szenen mit viel Spannung und Action so geschrieben hat, dass ich beim Lesen die Emotionen der Charaktere sehr gut mitfühlen konnte und ich das Gefühl hatte Teil der Handlung zu sein. Spice technisch war es ein toller Slow Burn, mit ganz wenig Spice am Schluss, der jedoch nur sehr oberflächlich beschrieben wird. Da wünsche ich mir für die nächsten Bände definitiv Spice Szenen, die mehr ins Detail gehen. Alles in allem fand ich die Geschichte sehr gelungen und freue mich, vor allem nach dem offenen Ende aus Band 1, auf die weiteren Bänder dieser Reihe.
This was the first book I read by Ever King. The beautiful cover and the blurb of the book intrigued me and made me want to read the story immediately. As the book is relatively short, I was initially worried that there might be too much content crammed into a relatively short space of time, which would make the plot feel very fast-paced when reading. This was not the case at all. I was able to empathise with the story and the characters very well and liked how well developed the plot is. The style of writing is kept simple and the fantasy and mythology aspects are included in such a way that I, as a reader, was not overwhelmed with facts. Both main characters are sympathetic and have good chemestry with eachother. The MMC is cursed, a shadowmage and likes to flirt shamelessly with Kiara the FMC - sums up everything I like about MMCs. What I particularly liked was that the author wrote scenes with lots of suspense and action in a way that I could really empathise with the characters' emotions while reading and felt like I was part of the scene. Regarding the spice it is a great slow burn with a little bit of spice at the end which unfortunately is not described in much detail. I would definitely like to see Spice scenes that go into more detail in the next volumes. Overall, I really enjoyed reading the story which left me wanting more at the end. I am looking forward to more Books of this series.