Interesting concept, but didn't work for me. Wasn't invested in the plot or the characters - I found the main character quite frustrating at times and just wasn't a fan of her overall.

If you like dark academia set in a magic school which also refers to real life issues, this might be the book for you. At first, I wasn't enamored with the impending student-teacher relationship (personal preference) but it did grow on me as the story developed. There are questionable ethics about the treatment of animals. I'm also not entirely convinced it can be classed as gothic. But, this was such an enigmatic fantasy horror that I don't want to go into detail about so you can experience it yourself

I loved this book. I was so good. the twist and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to reading more from this author

This book is much like The Magicians or Harry Potter, about a sort of magical school. People are invited to apply, but like these other books very few make it through the initial testing. We have the relationships among the students and professors that those other books have. when they go home for semester breaks, they cannot tell people where they are or what they are studying. The school is in Savannah, but all that we hear about are magnolia trees. The characters are thin except for those in the central love story. It ends in a great battle of good versus evil. However – there really is no need for the school to exist or for its students to fight for it to continue. Unlike, say, The Magicians, there is no actual evil force that they are fighting. What the school teaches is not only unnecessary but one might say undesirable. As much as I was hooked by the story and the characters and unable to put it down, I was increasingly aware that there was no central motivation for any of this. As the story continued much was revealed, but the central premise was missing. The grand revelation at the end was not much of a revelation. I enjoyed it, but it was disappointing.

This book was so good. I’ve seen mixed reviews and I’m so glad I ignored them as I had a great time reading this. Yes I admit at times it was hard to remember who was a teacher and who was a student but the overall plot was so gripping and the setting was everything I love in a DA read. I sped through it in a day or 2. SO GOOD!

4.5 rounding up to 5 for the vibes. I don't read horror that often, not because I don't like it but more so because it's just not a genre I reach for often. I picked this one up specifically because how of how intriguing the synopsis was and the simple cover also caught my eye. As a fan of dark academia I had such high expectations for this book and it boy did it live up to them. I could not recommend this book more, everyone should read it, I loved the writing and fingers crossed Henderson has more to write for these characters in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Damn I didn't know what to expect but it wasn't this. It's not my favourite Alexis Henderson, it might even be my least favourite, but that bar is so high that it's still a very memorable, impactful read.

I think that the atmosphere was one of the most powerful aspects of the book. I love this unique dark academia, set in an alternative dimension (kind of) morbid world of truly terrible people. The main character was also fascinating and layered. Rarely do you meet a protagonist this self-destructive, yet somehow still likeable. The other characters also felt pretty well fleshed out, even though we don't get to know them that well. The ending had me at the edge of my seat, glued to the page. I also appreciate the themes that were explored and lessons we learned along the way. It's a very complex situation, with a dark conclusion.

I think the biggest flaw of the book was how rushed everything felt. Just as we were getting to know the place, right away our perception shifts dramatically. But if it was given more time to breathe I think we'd have more time to fall in love with the school and MC's new life. And this happened time and time again. The book is so rich in themes and big, big questions that we need some time to sit with it and processed - but instead I was getting whiplash from the constant paradigm shifts. I think being a bit longer and slower would've elevated the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.

I was incredibly excited to get an e-arc for An academy for liars as I love dark academia, gothic settings and all things creepy. It started off a little slow for me and the first quarter was slightly slow. However it definitely met and exceeded expectations, I did not anticipate where this book went and I was hooked because I had to know what happened! I loved the questionable ethics, horror and gore, student-teacher storyline and even didn’t mind the sci-fi elements.

For fans of The Atlas Six, a tale of sinister academia this time focused on the gift of persuasion. But if you’re not limited to bending just people to your will, how far can you push your reach? I enjoyed the character arc here and I’m looking forward to seeing where it could go next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy. These opinions are my own.

I‘m a bit on the fence regarding this book. I liked the academic setting and the whimsical yet dark elements. At the same time I felt that the real plot was in fact relatively limited. I would have wished for it to be bit more “fleshed out”.

“In a world of lies, the truth is the most dangerous weapon.”

Deeply intriguing, An Academy for Liars is not for the faint-hearted. Immediately, the story begins with the dark academia vibes which is relevant throughout the book. With it's dark, unsettling prose and writing style, we follow the characters through a supernatural atmosphere with several twists and turns.

There is a lot I want to talk about this book, but I really enjoyed the development of Lennon and Dante's relationship. I will certainly be reading more of Alexis Henderson's books as An Academy for Liars was my first. The rationales of the characters kept me on the edge of my seat and I honestly could not guess the twists.

In all, this book is perfect for those who enjoying a mystery storyline filled with dark secrets and an dark academic setting.

This was an intriguing blend of mystery and dark academia. The story follows a group of students at a mysterious academy where secrets and deception run rampant. Henderson’s atmospheric writing pulls you right into the eerie setting, and one line that caught me was, “In a world of lies, the truth is the most dangerous weapon.”

I loved the intricate plot twists and the way the characters' motives kept me guessing throughout. The tension between them was palpable, adding layers to the story. However, I found some parts a bit convoluted, which made it hard to follow the threads at times.

Overall, An Academy for Liars is a captivating read that beautifully weaves suspense with a touch of the supernatural. It’s perfect for anyone who enjoys navigating a dark, twisty tale filled with secrets.

Aside from a dark academia-esque fantasy (of course), I was not really sure what I was expecting with this book. I have read an Alexis Henderson book before, her debut The Year of The Witching, which I gave a three but I was open to giving her another go, hence me reading this book. First thing I will say, I highly doubt this will have mass appeal. It's currently sitting at a 3.57 on goodreads, which while I don't necessarily agree, it does prove my point. I think for the most part the writing was good, however I think the character work leant heavily into telling vs showing. For example, Alexis Henderson would do a thing where she would tell us the traits of this character, and I would think to myself, but she hasn't actually shown us that though. However, besides Lennon, Dante, and a handful of others, the side characters are not too relevant, so this was only a light bug bear for me. I don't think this story is really that unique, but I do like what it did and said in terms of persuasion and power, which are integral themes to the plot. I've seen someone compare this to Middlegame (by Seanan McGuire), and I do think it has a similar atmosphere. An Academy for Liars is one of those books that I was thinking about when not reading, something which happens very rarely for me nowadays, which is another point for the book. It ends on quite an open note, and while I don't necessarily think more is necessary, if there was a sequel, I would read it, and I do not say that lightly!

Another superb story from one of my favourite newly discovered authors. You've got to love a story that grabs you on page 1 and doesn't let you go until you finish the last page.

This is such a brilliantly written dark academia fantasy, and had the PERFECT autumnal/November vibes. This was my first Alexis Henderson and I'm very intrigued to read more of this author's works. I really liked our main character Lennon; she's very unsure of herself and her life, a college dropout, cheated on by her fiance, and desperate to prove herself when she is introduced to Drayton College. I loved seeing her character development throughout this.

The whole cast of characters are very morally grey, with ambition and power at the heart of everyone's goals, and I loved the setting of this mysterious college where everyone is being trained in the art of persuasion. Horror elements slowly trickle into the story as well, which I found very interesting, and pretty brutal at times. It's definitely going to become one of the set dark academia recommendations, and it absolutely should - I just wasn't totally sold with how the ending played out, unfortunately.

This should have been perfect for me, but unfortunately it really missed the mark.

The main character was insufferable and I could not bring myself to care about her - I don’t think we’re given enough to really relate to Lennon.

Alexis Henderson is a master of gothic writing, sympathetic and yet morally grey female characters and mysteries that will have you gripped until the end. After reading The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger, I truly thought she couldn’t get any better but An Academy for Liars is a worthy follow up to her previous books. Lennon was so cunning but still remained as a character I could empathise with while being keenly aware of her flaws. Dante’s intrigue made him all the more compelling. I’m not sure I’d make it into Drayton but there is just something about the fever dream of that school that kept me reading. She’s great.

Another amazing one by this author. I loved her previous two books so know I needed to request this one too.
It’s masterfully gothic and dark academia which I loved

this book had so much potential. the premise seemed very unique and could've made for a fantastic story, but all its potential got wasted in an array of plot holes. and while the elevator concept was really cool and unique, i wished that there was a little more world building, explanation and "rules".
in addition to that, there was just way too much telling instead of showing. show me the character development! show me how the friendships and realtionships blossom! i don't want to be told that two characters are no friends, i want to see it. this made the characters and relationships feel really shallow.

Dark, bloody and engaging! I really enjoyed Alexis Henderson’s writing style - it was easy to read and emotive. Her characters are broken and entertaining to read about (and, for some, get their just desserts). I liked the relationship between Dante and Lennon but the flip on Dante’s side didn’t seem as worked through as it could have been. I’m happy that the story ended happy for all the harsh events that took place throughout the book. This worlds ‘magic’ as well was very cool and unique.