A captivating story of Nyx and Erebus.

I really like the writing style of this author. The stereotypical greek romance is always Hades and Persephone. It was great to see something new and refreshing. The romance is a little out there and could use an edit or two. I think this author really stayed on the line of dark romance vs. abuse. but overall it's a quick and easy read.

This book had a lot of potential—a dark magic academy, secret societies, and an assassin sent to kill a cursed prince? I was hooked. The atmosphere is immersive, and the magic system with grimoires is a cool touch.

But while the premise was strong, the execution had issues. The romance felt rushed despite being a "slow burn," and the enemies-to-lovers tension wasn’t fully there. The plot was predictable, and the academy setting wasn’t as dark or intense as expected. Plus, some big plot holes made it hard to stay immersed.

That said, I still had fun reading it. If you love Zodiac Academy or Throne of Glass, you might enjoy this, but go in expecting more entertainment than depth.

Academy of Villains by Ever King is a thrilling and fast-paced fantasy novel that immerses readers in a dark, captivating world of power struggles, secrets, and complex characters. The plot centers around a prestigious academy where the next generation of assassins are trained, blending elements of romance, mystery, and suspense. King’s writing keeps you hooked, though some character development may feel a bit rushed. It’s a fun, action-packed read for fans of dark academia and villain-centric stories.

This book was a simple yet surprisingly complex fantasy with minimal world-building—but honestly, it worked! The magic system stole the show, especially the shadow wielding and that insanely cool star magic. Seriously, *chef’s kiss*.

The romance? Sweet, but not exactly groundbreaking. It was there, it was nice, but I won’t be daydreaming about it.

It’s a quick, enjoyable read, and the Greek mythology inspiration had so much potential—I just wish there had been *more* of it shining through. That being said, the descriptions? Stunning. The way the world and emotions were portrayed left a lasting impression.

Overall, a fun, magical escape that I’d recommend if you’re in the mood for something light yet enchanting!

A great new romantasy/fantasy series that will leave you waiting for the next book. Including elements of magic, deceit, romance, drama, and mystery this one was a real page turner.

I enjoyed every second of this read! The complexity of the plot and the ties to Greek metrology were so well thought out and executed. The flow of the story kept me captivated and wanting to read one more chapter (I stayed up all night finishing this book!). The magic and atmosphere made me so nostalgic and was comparable with reading Harry Potter/ zodiac academy for the first time! Anyone that’s a lover of fantasy and a good enemies to lovers will fall head over heels for this book and aching for more!

✨🐍 Imagine Hogwarts, but everyone is a Slytherin 🐍✨

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Academy of Villains to read and review. This book was a fun read. Set in a magical academy, it had so many element of my favourite Romantasy tropes: trials, fated mates… one bed….

The magic system is unique and well thought out. The FMC, Kiara, is a badass assassin, and the MMC, Lucian, is a broody prince… and her target.

My only complaint is that I wish there was a bit more depth. What was it like growing up as an assassin? What are the psychological effects of not having a name? How did it compare to life at the Academy? Did she leave behind any assassin friends? Was she pumped to have her own room? These things aren’t strictly necessary to the story, but would’ve helped connect with Kiara.

That being said, I did enjoy reading Academy of Villains. It had strong Harry Potter vibes, mixed with some Throne of Glass. There are a good amount of interesting side characters whose stories I hope we delve into in the future.

I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers so this book was perfect for me!

The romance when they actually got together was executed beautifully. It was somewhat confusing in the beginning with their situation, but that feeling disappeared about halfway through the book.

I didn’t like the predictability of the book, the plot was a little too obvious but other than that I loved this book.

Read if you love:
Enemies to lovers
Fated mates
FMC assassin
Forbidden magic

I was so surprised by the depths of this book! the world building was amazing, and so much fun. I loved the magic system so much. And don’t even get me started on the slow burn romance. I cannot wait for book 2!!

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I DNF’d this at 89 pages.. I just couldn’t get into it and didn’t connect to the characters. It picked up really quickly and then kind of went no where? It gave me huge HP vibes and I couldn’t stop comparing it. It just wasn’t my cup of tea!

Alright, so Academy of Villains had me hooked from the jump. A dark academia Greek mythology retelling with Nyx and Erebus at the core? Say less. I was ready for the magic, secrets, and messy characters, and this book absolutely delivered.

Kiara is that girl. An assassin sent to infiltrate a magic academy, only to realize she has magic herself? That’s drama. That’s tension. That’s exactly what I signed up for. The stakes are high, the world is dangerous, and the cursed prince? Let’s just say temptation comes in many forms. If you love slow-burn, high-stakes romance where trust is questionable and the chemistry is chemistry-ing, you’ll be eating this up.

The world-building is top-tier. The way the magic system weaves into the plot? Chef’s kiss. It felt rich, layered, and full of intrigue, especially with the secret societies lurking in the background. Ever King has a way of setting a dark, cinematic vibe that makes this book feel like you’re watching it unfold in real-time. I was invested.

Now, let’s keep it real—the pacing was fast, maybe a little too fast. I wanted more time to sit in Kiara’s past before she was tossed into the academy madness. There were also a few predictable moments if you’ve read other dark academia fantasies. Did that stop me from devouring it? Absolutely not.

The romance? TENSION. Kiara and Lucian have this push-and-pull dynamic that had me in a chokehold. If you live for the enemies-to-lovers energy, forbidden attraction, and that ‘I hate you but also maybe wanna kiss you’ vibe, this delivers. Hard.

Final verdict? Academy of Villains is dark, immersive, and full of twists, betrayals, and tension-filled romance. If you love morally gray characters, sinister magic academies, and a romance with actual stakes, add this to your list.

Rating: 4/5

An interesting, ya fantasy with a bit of a darker undertone. I love anything with an academy setting, so I was excited to read this. Our two characters are a slow burn enemies. This gives you a lot of what you’d expect with quest, magic, mages and princes. I found the pacing a bit slow at times, and overall this was lower on the romance side. However the detail it the world was excellent and I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ever King for the ARC!

This book was very entertaining! I really liked the magic system and the physical manifestations of the magic in this book. In my mind I almost imagined a pixie dust sort of quality to it. I could definitely see a harry potter-esque inspiration with a bit of the book, specifically towards the beginning. However, that completely went away as the book moved on and definitely became its own story. The grimoires and the role it played in the system was a very nice touch I think and really enjoyed that aspect. My favorite part of the book however, were the fighting scenes. I think they were so well done and never confused or lost me like some books do. The last half of the book really picked up speed and hooked me in, I can't wait to see what happens next! :)

Before I started reading this story I saw a couple of reviews that referenced Harry Potter and Throne of Glass when describing this book and I can't lie that I was a little nervous going in. However I was hooked from the very first chapter! I love assassins, a dark academia setting and an interesting magic system which Academy of Villains does not lack.

I found the writing to be descriptive and engaging, you can really picture the locations and different settings as you are reading which makes for an immersive experience. The atmosphere was one of my favourite things about this story and it continued throughout the whole book. Not only do you get a magic school but also secret societys which make the story all the more intriguing. The romance is a slow burn and it definitely feels like it but the chemistry between the two main characters is pretty much immediate - the tension and banter they had on the page was top tier!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for a copy of this book.

Thank you to the author for this e-ARC!

I devoured this! From about 30% onwards I could not put it down. Struggled slightly at the beginning with the literal style of writing but the vibes were immaculate from beginning to end. I could feel the atmosphere of the mystical magic academy and really enjoyed the magic system especially as the FMC grew to understand it too. The relationship between the main characters developed beautifully and I was so invested!

I had a very enjoyable time reading this book! The premise sounded very intriguing to me: a story filled with action, adventure, and romance? All in an academic setting? Say less. Sure enough, right from the first page, I was immediately hooked! The author flushed out her characters perfectly to the point where not only could I sympathize with them, but I also kept rooting for their happily ever after to the very end. There were some moments that felt a little over the top in the story, but very few in between. I would highly recommend this book if you are in the mood for a quick, fun, and magical story filled with romance and suspense!

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the book for you if you enjoy magic academies, enemies to lovers, Greek mythology and fated romance.

I was drawn in by the description of this book and was really happy I did, i feel like there was a variety of characters to help build the story and there was a lot of stuff going on, however I did feel like the ending was disappointing, I am intrigued by the second book so will still continue to read the series.

Once I picked this up and started reading, I could NOT PUT IT DOWN. I am not even sorry about this, this really came out of no where. The story progression was good, although a bit predictable at times. I really enjoyed the aspect of unknown power and then trying to catch up to not get left behind. The politics are interesting and I can't wait to see them fleshed out more as the story progresses into more books. I enjoyed the ties back to the Greek mythology basis of Nyx and Erebus, and the grimoires were such a unique twist! I think that may be one of my favorite nuances from this book!

All in all, I am hoping for more overall world building/political development in the subsequent books. So I will be continuing on with this series!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Readers copy for an honest review.


Sigh.

This book has all the right ingredients. Enemies to lovers. Dark academia. Forbidden magic. Political intrigue and strife. All the major ideas to make this a banger. Unfortunately for me it fell completely flat.

Our main character Kiara believes herself to be a mundane and is a part of an elite group of assassins owned by the king. She is tasked to kill the prince while he is at a magic mage academy and somehow in the process gets sorted into a house at the school and is awakened. She is a rare and thought to be extinct starmage. I can't express enough how great this premise is. It's like a mix of Harry Potter meets Zodiac Academy.

Getting through this book was difficult, the pacing was hot and cold, there were parts that lingered that were fairly unimportant while the big moments were written very fast. There were moments I wanted more information of for more time to pass between plot points that could have really benefited from more detail and explanation. The relationship between the 'shadow daddy' and the FMC also fell quite flat for me. There was a very insta love 'my magic is drawn to her' direction in the romance and they quite literally know nothing about each other before the irrational pining starts. I want them to be true enemies and learn the grit about each other before that happens.

Overall it feels like I was watching this book from far above using a pair of binoculars. I couldn't get the full scope of world building. I wasn't able to see the full scope of character development. There were no moments where the view expanded from those tiny binocular lenses and allowed the mind to picture our characters in time or space. I felt as though there was a lot of telling and not showing.

I think that this book would be SO SO great with more rounds of edits and more well rounded character development. I want them to banter. I want them to learn each other's vulnerabilities and subtle intricacies before they head off on a quest together. I just want more.

I love a romantasy that incorporates Greek mythology! This book was very much under my radar but so so good! This grabbed my attention from the beginning, and I felt like it was an easy read to get through and had solid pacing.