Alius Academy

Thrust into a world of magic, monsters, aliens and secrets, Lori’s in way over her head. And now she must pass a series of treacherous trials… or die trying.

Think Tri-Wizards Tournament but with more meaning. If you lose you're out. Our heroine Lori is making a strong case for a mixed breed. I love her character and her unique cast of allies she's picked up along the way. Also, who will be her romantic counterpart? I guess it's too early to tell. This first installment in the Elemental Mage Series will leave you wanting for more. I need six books please. It's just a really fun read with lots of fun magical creatures. How can you go wrong? Strongly recommend for fantasy readers who love mythical creatures and trials of aptitude.

Thank you @netgalley and #larawray for allowing me to read this delightful book.

When I started reading this story, I could not put it down. I read the book in one day. This author is an awesome writer. I cannot wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book.

3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.
Thank you Net galley for a copy of this book.
I really enjoyed the twist on the i have no idea who am or why I have magic but now I’m at a really specific and special school for it. I wish we could have gotten a little bit farther in the story, at least to see where the second book would take place. I feel like where we left out when book 2 is published it will be more of at part 2 to book 1.
I enjoyed the writing style and the world she built, I feel like we have a pretty good world without the book feeling like just world building. I enjoy our main character and the friends she has made and I’m excited to see how everything connects in future books.

Alius Academy follows Lori, who unbeknownst to her possesses magical powers. She is whisked away from the life she knows and brought to Alius Academy, where she learns she is Alius. She’s told that she has 2 choices: compete and pass the trials, or go somewhere a lot less glamorous. The story is perfect for fans of Harry Potter and Divergent, with the set-up of the trials that need to be passed in order to gain entrance into Alius Academy. That’s where the similarities end, however. I haven’t read any books with elemental magic before, and this certainly will not be my last.

Overall, I really enjoyed Alius Academy. The book started off fast and mysterious, raising a fair amount of questions in the first 2 chapters alone. After the first 2 chapters, the pace slowed down, but the story and world being built are interesting so the slowing pace is not a detriment. It helped me to have some time to digest all the information coming at me while I was reading. Alius Academy was a comfortable, quick, and enjoyable read, with an ending setting up for sequels. The ending leaves many unanswered questions, and I for one can’t wait to find out what Alius Academy has in store for us next! I’d definitely recommend Alius Academy to lovers of magic, trials, and YA novels.

A tale of fantasy and magic to rival any young wizard academy. Lori finds herself facing trials like none before. She must learn about herself and her new magic to protect her family from danger. Allies, boys, hormones all in collision and this serious combat academy. Will Lori pull through, succeed and escape the hidden darkness and secrets that lurk, will she escape with her life. I enjoyed reading this and I guess it is aimed at a young, teen audience of witches and magicians.

Picture this - you’re 18, thinking about your future, and working every waking moment of your life to help support your doting parents, and suddenly you hear a voice in your head and an other-worldly assassin is hunting you. This is where Lori finds herself before being whisked away by members of the Alius Academy.

Lori is not who she thinks she is thanks to memory-altering magic, her parents are not who she thinks they are, and her true identity may just get her killed. She is an unregistered Alius living on Earth which leaves her with two options: complete the Alius Academy trials to secure a spot at the most prestigious magical combat school on the planet (or die trying), or be sent to a detention centre to await her fate.

I cannot tell you how much I LOVED this book!! I read this in one sitting and I will definitely pick it up again. Anything with a magic school premise, I’m there, but Alius Academy is head and shoulders above others in the genre in my opinion. This is the start of very promising YA series with a simple magic system (I mean that in the best way), high stakes and INCREDIBLE social commentary. Lara Wray put a lot of nods into this book around human issues such as racism (or as we see in AA, speciesism) and the hatred towards undocumented immigrants. I can’t praise this book enough!

I see this series being huge, and there are so many directions Wray can take us in. I will be (im)patiently awaiting the next instalment.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Lori is under the impression that she's a normal 18-year-old human, just planning her future and enjoying the fact that her parents really love and get her. And then she finds out — from a voice in her head! — that she's actually an Alius living on earth with altered-memories. An assassin is trying to root her out and kill her; her only option for survival is to join the Alius Academy, a magic school full of other people like her. Triwizard Tournament-style hijinks ensue, only the stakes feel much higher.

Lara Wray's first entry into the Elemental Mage series is full of charm, with an engaging voice, an exciting magical world, and some important social commentary. It reminded me less of Harry Potter and more of Divergent, even though there's a magical school. It's a fast read that drops you right into the action and never looks back, and I found the protagonist compelling and easy to root for, including the cringey things that make teenagers, well, teenagers.

The real thrill was meeting all the magical creatures, and getting to the end and realizing how much story Wray still has to tell.

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

This surprised me in a good way. Lara Wray is a new-to-me author and she created a world different than I expected. I am a big fan of plots where the mc doesn’t know they have power, comes to find out they’re rare and really powerful, and then has to master said power. That was this story to a T. Add in the interesting friends and allies Lori began to make during her time at the school, multiple possible love interests, and the trials she was thrust into which made for an entertaining read.

Lori discovered early on in the book that she had powers, was an unregistered immigrant with tampered memories and had no recollection of where she came from/who her parents were. There’s a lot of potential to where this story will go and I’m excited for it!

This is the first book in a series, which meant it ended before the story really began and I was really sad to when I was all of the sudden at the “about the author” bit. All in all, I’d read the rest of the series when they come out, especially since they’re easy reads and I love the covers!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this magical school, meets hunger games meets paranormal romance.

Fun, pacy, decent plot, the magic is interesting and a lot of the characters are great.

Few criticisms. There were so many new characters it was a bit hard to keep track. I get it’s a series, but it just sort of seemed to end half (a third? Part?) way, rather than feeling like a finished book. Would have been nice to have a bit of resolution and a complete story leading into the next one, rather than it being one long novel split into several. Also - I found the writing a bit immature in places.

All that being said. I liked to world, I love the creatures, I’m into the story. I’ll definitely read the next (whenever it’s out).

Although it’s a bit slow in the beginning, it definitely ends up sucking you in to Lori’s new thrilling world. I would definitely reread this book and look forward to future books in the series as it ends on a cliffhanger that leaves the reader wanting more. However, the ending does feel a bit rushed and wished it was a little bit more detailed when it comes to Lori’s love interests.

A magical school ya fantasy. The world built in this book was fun and creative. The story was compelling to read and kept the reader engaged. The different types of magic are introduced but not fully explained. I really enjoyed this book, but I wish they would have gone further with the plot as it doesn't feel like a book ending but the end of a chapter. Also, a lot of the character names are alliteration, which seems to read a bit strange for me when there are so many. The writing and characters are very ya but likeable even with a few teenage cringe moments. I recommend this book to magical school and fantasy readers. I will definitely continue to read this series to see what happens next!

I really enjoyed this first book in this new series. I love books featuring magic and schools and this one was perfect. I love meeting all the different kind of magics and species featured in this book.
The main character Laurel-Leah Fields has just found out about being a magical being after being attacked. Now faced with the decision of passing the school trials or going to a detention centre Laurel- Leah chooses to face the trials.
I enjoyed all the characters we met in this series and found them well rounded. I enjoyed the plot but did feel that the ending was kind of cut a little short.
I really enjoyed this authors writing style too.
I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC book in exchange for my honest reviewZ

I enjoyed this book. Good storyline and subject. Characters are interesting and relatable. I did feel like the ending left you wanting a little more story. Will be waiting for the next one. Thanks #netgalley and #BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me an ARC of this book!

An enjoyable YA fantasy! Our FMC, Lori, is suddenly taken to a mysterious school to learn about powers and magic users that she never knew about. She needs to learn quickly to secure a spot in the school during their annual trials. All while also navigating mean girls, trying to make new friends, and learning her past may not be what she thought it was.

Whenever there is a main character dropped into a new fantasy world, there is the danger of just dumping a ton of new information at once! I was pleasantly surprised with the pacing of this information and really only ever felt overwhelmed during the first "trial". Luckily, some of that information was repeated later and explained more when it was relevant. I hope the author continues to do that with the upcoming books because there is a lot of different magic types and users in this world!

I love a good romance and while there isn't a ton in this book, I feel like some groundwork was laid out for it in the series. But really, secretly, I am hoping for a why choose :)

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I cannot wait for the next one. The story was easy to follow for the most part and had good pacing, but sometimes I would get a few of the more minor side character mixed up. This was because some of the more unique names would almost be similar to each other in the book, or I would forget their magic type/power. However, that is really only my biggest issue with this book.

I love a good supernatural academy book and this doesn’t disappoint. Lori is a short and spunky survivor whose father taught her to stay positive. Staying positive and surviving has become a real challenge since being attacked in her human world by a magical-fire -snake dude, kidnapped by another magical group and thrown into supernatural trials to qualify for a training academy for magically budding youths …or fail and be thrown into a low level magic job for life. The only way out of the trials is by death, which is bad enough except for enemies everywhere trying to help dig her grave. Add a secrete identity that even she doesn’t know, making unlikely friends with fae , vampire, dwarf, shifters, and all the mixed steamy signals from cranky super hot guys and you’ve an adventure! I can’t wait for the next one!

A big thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the first in a new series. This was a bit convoluted and had a lot of different world building. Probably more for young adults/teens. There was no true conclusion. It did have good characters. I did like Laurel-Leah and the book. I would recommend, and I would read the 2nd. 3.5 stars

introduction to this YA series is compulsive and mysterious. . A teenage girl suddenly discovers that she is not who she thinks she is. When attacked by some mystical beings, she is transported to Alius, where she discovers a whole new world. Various mystical beings who occupy another dimension take her under their wings where she embarks on the most magical journey.

She struggles with her identity trying to make sense of her new discoveries. She devotes herself to the trials which either she undertakes or face an alternative. She adapts fairly well by making new friends and meeting the other supernatural beings. She has a long journey ahead, but she faces it head on. Is she in danger of being identified as a spy? Will she find out who removed her bond?

She is strong and perseveres with all her challenges,no matter how hard they are. There are some interesting characters as well as various supernatural beings. The pegasus is a novelty worth being part of the story. She attracts unwanted attention and sometimes feels insecure of their intent. A great start to this series.

Alius Academy is a wonderful escape, perfect for those moments when we need a bit of fantasy to help us take another look at reality. I'm a fan of the genre, but also a fan of the way author Lara Wray brought this story to the page. It's clear, concise, and immersive.

A Multitude of Dreams is a beautifully intricate and atmospheric tale inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Masque of the Red Death.'

The writing was impeccable and the characters were well developed with deep backstories. My favorite thing about this book was probably the setting - I love the gothic castle vibe.

The story takes place during a time after the plague ran rampant. The king has barricaded all the nobles in his castle while the rest of the world dies. While the nobles live well off with masquerade balls and no worries, after 4 years' time, supplies begin to dwindle. It alternates between 2 perspectives; Princess Imogen is locked away in the castle and Nicodemus “Nico” Mott is locked outside the castle.

Overall I enjoyed it.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This book follows Lori as she is thrown into a world that she had no idea existed. Now she is expected to compete in trial or be locked away. She is still figuring out who to trust if anyone at all. There are still questions to be answered since we as the readers are learning everything along side Lori so there are going to be some holes in the information she has. I want more of this series. I love how the magic works in this book.

The writing in this book was phenomenal. I would never believe this was the author's debut novel. The writing style has such a perfect flow with a great combination of dialogue and internal monologues. I also loved the way the plot unfolded, Beautifully written with good characters and dialogue. It's a very detailed book with interwoven characters with good character development. The driving force behind this though is the story, it moves effortlessly and is so engaging

The premise of this really pulled me in but it was unexpected how much I loved it. Firstly, my favourite part of this story was the world. It was so well put together and it just felt like a real place. It almost had a life of its own, which I think is perfect for the fantasy genre. The plot was full of twists and turns and it certainly kept me on my toes! I’m excited to see where this story goes and I’ll definitely be continuing on with the series!