Everything about the premise of this book intrigued me.
Harry Potter? Check.
Zodiac Academy? Check.
Ninth House? Check.
The Atlas Six? Check.
Dark academia AND enemies-to-lovers bully romance? CHECK.
Unfortunately, this did fall short for me. The world-building is intriguing, but it did not feel as if it was fleshed out enough. The same goes for our characters, they felt undeveloped. For me, the plot felt almost TOO chaotic, as if I could never focus on one thing for too long, which left me feeling either lost of left behind.

Two Sorority Slytherins who are bad at feelings bully each other until they eff around and find out that the ishy feelings happening between their ribs and their reproductive organs is not indigestion- but love.

Possibly.
Maybe.

Hard to say. They'll probably have to duck a few more times to decide.

...

I appreciate a good villain's story but beyond the theme of independence from crummy elite families, House of Pain left me unsatisfied. Blaze was a yummy protagonist (save for when he found himself making poor choices for no good reason), and Alecto was an unapologetic female lead (though her motivations were largely unconvincing). It was difficult to believe the story's stakes and a lot of the settings/scenes felt repetitive or unnecessary. However, suspense and characterization kept me engaged through the end which is a challenging feat after a certain point. I will keep an eye on Karolina Wilde's future publications to see if she continues to improve in her editing.

[Thank you to the author and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

House of Pain has a promising dark academia vibe, but it falls short. The world-building is intriguing, but the chaotic plot and toxic enemies-to-lovers dynamic make it hard to stay invested. While it might appeal to fans of steamy, morally gray romances, the characters and emotional depth feel underdeveloped.

I think that this book definitely had a lot of promise. The occasional spicy scenes were alright. The plot line and lack of character development/interpersonal relationships were where it lost me though. Certain topics would be brought up but were not mentioned and explored into again as if they just disappeared. Overall, an ok read.

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended

I didn’t know exactly what to expect going into this, but it absolutely blew me away! Alecto Black is barely making it through college,literally,while navigating life as the only half-breed witch on campus. She’s a legacy in the notorious House of Snakes, but being half-mortal makes her an outcast even within her own house.

No one seems to enjoy tormenting Alecto more than Blaze, her insufferably sexy and arrogant housemate. Rich and ruthless, Blaze is determined to make her life miserable, but Alecto isn’t one to back down. When the annual house competition kicks off, Alecto is ready to prove she’s just as cunning and brutal as the full-blooded witches who underestimate her.

This book was pure fun from start to finish! The world-building, plot, magic, and yes, the smut, were all spot-on. Alecto and Blaze’s enemies-to-lovers dynamic is scorching, filled with tension and spice that kept me hooked.

I can’t wait to see what happens next in book two—this series is shaping up to be unforgettable!

I really liked the idea of this book; it was a bit hard to get into. Mainly because of the writing style but it was such a great story. It is a spicy dark academia for fans of Harry Potty and gossip girl. Fans of zodiac academy could really enjoy this book as well.

I went into this book with a more open mind and no clear expectations for the plot or what would occur, I was a little bit afraid to start at first because this genre is not usually one I dabble in (dark romance), but I thought it was worth a shot as the premise sounded rather intriguing. As an overall, House of Pain was quite a captivating book which weaved through a lovely world where I thought the magic system was quite interesting and unique. The world building was done quite well and I found that I was hooked from the very first page. The dark fantasy, mystery, and gothic elements were mixed really well together and I found they complimented the overall plot direction for the book.

Our main character and her journey of self-discovery throughout the book was fairly charming, though I felt that a little bit more focus on her environment and how the magic system interacts with her as a character (and other characters) was lacking a little. Wilde is quite gifted in crafting complex and morally ambiguous characters; the development of the relationship was of the main focus, which is great if you’re expecting pure romance, but it could have really elevated the book and reading experience had there been an equal balance on the fantasy politics and make of the world.

I do like how the relationships are often never ‘normal’ and instead almost constantly filled with tension, since it adds to the novel’s suspense. Her themes for the book were also quite unique; since it delves into the idea that pain can be both a source of power and a pathway to self-discovery.

Her writing style took some getting used to, and I do think there could be more improvement in the future, but as of now, I appreciate the almost lyrical and descriptive quality that she has. Her descriptions of the House of Pain are both vivid and haunting, which really helped me engage better with the story.

Overall, a fairly interesting read! It’s a good book to introduce the world and the romance, but I am not sure if I will personally be continuing with this series, as there just wasn’t a large overarching plot that really stole my interest.

Loved the idea of this book, it was a bit hard to get into. Mainly because of the writing style but liked it eventually

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG!!! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

I felt like the whole time I was reading this, I didn’t really understand where the story was trying to go. Could be fun for lovers of the zodiac academy

This was a spicy dark academia for fans of Harry Potty and gossip girl. Fans of zodiac academy could really enjoy this book. While I really enjoyed most of this story I felt the spice was too forced and too frequent at times it took me out of the story and I felt myself skipping pages. I really enjoyed the characters in this story and the concept of a morally grey heroine really stole the show for me. I really enjoyed the mystery and action aspect of this story and I see myself being very excited for book 2 to see what happens with these characters next.

I think the book achieved what it was aiming for and is a fairly enjoyable read for fans of dark romance - though admittedly it skewed a bit dark for my taste and lacked some of the plot focus to balance that I would’ve wanted. All in all though, it was a pretty quick read that will definitely appeal to its intended readership.

Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl. I'd say it's more of the Zodiac Academy meets BDSM.

It was 400 pages, but I definitely felt it could've been longer. There was plot, smut, dangerous consequences and a fun magic system. Age recommended for 17+ as the adult content is very adult.




Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF this Arc from netgalley

It just wasn’t for me, even thought the summary sounded so good, once I got in a few pages I had question about so much the the author just had a direction for the first 2 chapters I wasn’t seeing coming… making it lack so much I couldn’t continue
But this not to say that it isn’t right for someone else.

House of Pain is a great read if you like dark academia, boarding schools, and dark romance. Please read TW before picking up this book!
House of Pain promised a lot (gothic Harry Potter?). This book was enthralling and took you into a new world of boarding school and magic. It was a pretty long book and at a times I felt the plot was lacking but I stayed entertained throughout my read. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Atlas Six, Ninth House, and Zodiac Academy.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order next year and will recommend it to students.

Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl This I such a great book and I can not wait for the rest of the trilogy

I will be recommending this book, but simply because of the subject matter. I am interested to see where the story goes and how things expand. At the same time I was wanting a little less smut and little more story.

This is not your usual college, it's dark, there's a whole lot of magic and plenty of spice 🔥 A bit of different twist the female mc is quite the morally grey character but so is the male mc pretty much this isn't a school for nice people.