An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson Published by Penguin on September 17, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Fiction / Fantasy / Historical, Fiction / Fantasy / Paranormal
Pages: 464
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780593638316A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come from outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel.
Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.
Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.
After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.
As Lennon continues in her studies, her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton College. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns, for it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption...and it’s a test she’s terrified she’s going to fail.
I really thought this was going to be a five star read. It started out so well, Lennon’s life falling apart, the mysterious phone call, this mysterious campus that is hidden from all of Savannah. It had such potential!
For starters, I did not like the Lennon and Dante relationship. Even before they got together, it just felt forced and not really developed. He was completely rude to her most of the time, then he avoided her for ages, then they reluctantly kept on as her mentor. Yes, I understand that they’re both adults, so it is slightly different from a regular college teacher dating a college student, but there is still that imbalance of power at play. I mean yes Lennon does say it doesn’t exist. But with her previous bad relationships, I still don’t think it’s healthy for her to be with Dante.
The other aspect that made the book a bit of a let down was that it dragged for a while. There was so much filler in the middle that I sometimes lost the plot and the point of the novel. I still enjoyed it, but I do feel another pass or two couldn’t hurt.
I’d say if you enjoy dark academia a la The Secret History or Ninth House then definitely pick this one up!
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