Hood Academy starts out with Mia's father being killed by a huge wolf. It actually wasn't that much of a hardship because her father was abusive. Her long lost uncle shows up to take her in, but instead of taking her to his home, takes her to the boarding school/academy that he is headmaster of. It's a very confusing change because her uncle doesn't really seem to want to enjoy a newfound relationship with her. There are all kinds of secrets that her uncle and the academy are hiding. Mainly that all the students are training to be werewolf hunters!

I feel like this book should have actually been two books. The first half was full of secrets and intrigue. Mia really came into her own in the first part. I enjoyed seeing her grow into her new identity and the confidence that came along with it. Then came the second half. I was honestly surprised when I turned the page and discovered that there was more book! It ended on a good note, with a lot of the answers being found. I didn't really expect that there was more to the story in the same book. The second half reprises a lot of things that really didn't need reprising. It was pretty frustrating because it took so long to get to anything new happening. Mia finally finds her lost brother, but they barely speak to each other. After the amazing first half, it was definitely a letdown.

Hood Academy is most definitely a young adult novel. There's the dead parents, the outsider trope, the discovery of self, the Chosen One (kinda), and the mysterious government agency out to get you. It checks off so many YA tropes, yet it was an enjoyable read (at least the first half). Those who love academy style novels will love it, but there's no denying that it's written for a younger audience.

This was fast-moving, rooting me in my seat until I had read the entire book! I will seek out more from this author, a master storyteller!

Despite the very good beginning, this book slows at the middle until the story became just not interesting. I did not care enough with the characters to know, and I actually could guess what would happen already. DNF.

Hood Academy by Shelley Wilson sadly was not what I was hoping it to be. I debated between two and three stars but decided to give it the benefit of the doubt because I did like the premise and series of events, which included a lot of action that moved the story along. But I felt that all their rescues and adventures were just way too easy to accomplish, there were too many coincidences in their favor, and they were unreasonably trusting of certain characters. I also felt parts of Mia's training somewhat unbelievable (a complete beginner beating people with years of experience?), although I'm not sure if this is more about the difficulty of being able to tell how much time has passed between her arrival at Hood Academy and the events following that. I think Wilson has great imagination but the execution was not quite what I had hoped for.

Hood Academy follows one young girl thrust into a world where werewolves are real, and she is part of a culture bent on hunting them.

Hood Academy is an okay novel. There are times when – and this may seem harsh – where this novel almost feels like a knock off of The Vampire Academy except with werewolves. It is not just the structure and concept of the novel, but the tone as well that resembles that series. It has some exciting plot twists and a fair amount of character development, but the characters, for the most part, do not have many flaws. The only character so flawed is the mean girl, but the antagonist is that stereotypical mean girl. She has no substance to her. Sure, there is an explanation of her brutality, how hatred and bigotry are ingrained in her, but she lacks the substance to inspire the reader to feel any amount of pity for her. A good villain inspires something in the reader, and given her dynamics with Mia; she is almost forgettable. It makes her multiple defeats meaningless to the reader. The world they live in is flawed, but the characters themselves are not compelling enough, they are not flawed enough to make the reader care about them.

The character dynamics function much the same way. The dynamics all seem forced together. It seems so easy for the characters to meld together and become friends, to form a romantic attachment. It seems false and separates the reader from the text.

It is unfortunate because the novel does have a powerful opening, but after that, the pacing falls short; it drags. The building of the story, of the history of this new world, Mia enters, uses too much exposition to guide the story forward without compelling tension to keep the reader engrained in the story.

However, the underlying theme does come through, supernaturally addressing bigotry and racism. It shows how that much prejudice and hatred corrupt’s a person, and for that, the novel is an interesting read.

Title: Hood Academy (Books 1+2 are published together).

Author: Shelley Wilson

Genre: a young adult fantasy-adventure, focusing on a school for werewolf hunters and a local pack of shifters.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Forward: I was given an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Hood Academy was released Oct 10, 2019 in ebook and physical format.

Mia watched her drunk of a father get murdered right in front of her eyes- that’s enough to mess anybody up for a lifetime. But what killed Mia’s father shouldn’t be real, it shouldn’t exist, she must be imagining the large wolf that slaughtered her father.

Yet when her mysterious uncle swoops in to take Mia away to some isolated boarding school, Mia knows what she saw was real. Her uncle runs a school for werewolf hunters, and she’s the newest recruit.

Mia should want to join Hood Academy and destroy the creature that took her father’s life. But Mia can’t help but look deeper into the truth about the Academy and her new friends, despite the threats she received and the dangerous knowledge putting a target on her back.

There’s more going on at Hood Academy, and Mia will discover what it is.

When we are pulled into Mia’s story, it starts with her watching her father’s murder. Instantly, we are drawn into the word of werewolves and hunters with Mia, feeling the fear and tension she feels. As we learn more about Mia’s deadbeat family and their ties to the Academy, we are just as curious as she is.

I loved the tension and thrill of the mystery that is Mia’s life and her association with the hunters and wolves. It gripped you from the first chapter and took you on a ride through Mia’s story with her. I loved the creativity, the twisted secrets, the light romance, the strong female characters- I loved basically all of it.

As we transition into the ending of book one, I felt a bit of a drag. I found that all the mystery and build up was lost, and into the start of book two it seemed the tension was replaced with mediocre dialogue and action. I could tell what was going to happen, and didn’t feel that the tone of the beginning of the novel was kept up.

If it wasn’t for that lag, I would have enjoyed this book so much more. The secrets were out of the bag, and Mia was learning to handle them, and it was slightly boring to read her be bossed around by everyone and lose her fierce streak.

I was glad that Mia has a well rounded story, and none of the characters were cut and dry. The action was full of tension and there was no “tame action”- aka “the hero wins everything with a grain of salt”. I can’t stand that in any story, even a young adult. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Overall, I enjoyed Hood Academy and would recommend this to my werewolf lovers. I loved all the content you get in this book, and I love werewolf romances with the perfect dash of thriller.

A full and thorough review will be posted at CelticsLibrary.com by 11-1-19

This was an enjoyable read and I loved how the werewolves were described, including their transformation. I believe this may be one of the books making their way into my niece's hands once it has been published. The main character has to push through and overcome her abusive childhood and learn who she wants to be, even when the time comes to choose sides becomes dark and twisted. Sometimes a friend's love is stronger than any bond a person may have with their family, and when they are in trouble...decisions must be made.

The academy seemed awesome and I enjoyed learning about the girls and their curriculum and the history to this secret school.

One thing that annoyed me was that after the halfway point, because it’s actually two books in one, we do get reminded of past events in book one, but I didn’t realize this until after I finished reading, so, just know, this is actually two books, the two parts are the titles of the original two. There’s ‘Oath Breaker’ and ‘Oath Keeper.’

This actually makes so much more sense and I wish I had done a bit more research before getting annoyed haha as I read both books as one rather larger book.

Anyway, you get to see Mia go through some huge changes and not just to do with being a hunter, or the werewolves or even the academy but she learns to find her place in the world, to find her own ‘pack.’

There’s a great mentor, the answers to where her brother went, the truth of the werewolves and hunters and so many startling revelations about Mia and her life.

I think for me it may have been a little too much action at times which is why I gave this only 3 stars, I wanted more down time, to get to know Mia more as it felt like we were rushing through her development and the plot because there was so much to do.

But that could be exactly what makes this a four star/five star read for you!

If you like things like werewolves and YA you’ll enjoy this, I know I did. Also I would recommend this to fans of ‘Twilight’ or maybe ‘Vampire Academy,’ if you’re looking for a more compact read.

Gripping page turner that has you hooked until the end.
Shelley Wilson's Hood Academy is one of the best portrayal of Werewolf's I read since Kelley Armstrong's Bitten. Absolutely fantastic read.

I couldn't stick with it. I should have known better, but I guess I'm wistful and miss my days of reading the likes of Hex Academy. If you like the usual tropes, then this is definitely for you.

Rounding to 3.5 stars.
It’s been long overdue that I’ve read a good werewolf book and this totally did it for me! The story was original and great.
Although, I do believe that maybe this could be a series rather than a standalone since there was so much info jammed into one book.

This book was ok but I really had a hard time getting into it. I know this is a young adult and I do like some young adult books but this one just wasn't for me. I might have liked it if I were younger but not now at 42.

*** I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much to NetGalley and BHC Press for the opportunity to read and review Hood Academy! ***


It's been a couple of years that I have read a werewolf book and I tell you I miss reading werewolf books. So I was really glad and happy when I stumble upon Hood Academy on NetGalley and saw that it was a werewolf book I had to check it out. And I am so glad and happy that I got approved to read this amazing book which I loved and enjoyed reading so much. Now since this was an e-arc that I read there were some errors in the e-arc and some repetitive sentences in this book but I don't think the errors will be on the finished copy. But with all the errors in the e-arc, it didn't stop me from enjoying and loving Hood Academy. At the very beginning of the book, it starts with police officers trying to interview Mia after she witnesses the murder of her abusive father who was killed by a werewolf and Mia was in complete shock on what she had seen. She knows the police won't believe her so she gives a vague description of the killer but won't say that it was a werewolf that killed her father Frank because she didn't want the police to send her to a mental institute. And I don't blame Mia one bit for being that vague with police at all I know they would not have believed her at all if they would have sent her to a mental institute right away thinking she was mentally unstable or worst yet the police would of blame her for her father death. Now Mia was an orphan and had nobody for her to go too when all a suddenly her estrange uncle Sabastian that comes to the rescue to take Mia in his home. But when Mia finds out that her uncle's home is a school for hunters who hunt werewolves. Mia knows that it is going to be hard to trust people that she hardly knows. But then Mia life is turned upside down when she finds out the secrets about the Hood Academy, the death of her mother and also finds out what happens to her missing brother Zak, she has to prepare for all the twist and turns that her life throws out on her and she has to be ready for everything that will come up next in what she wants to do with her life. All and all I thoroughly loved and enjoyed reading Hood Academy that I can't wait to read more werewolf's books soon!

Imagine this; You’re a 15 year old girl, your abusive father just got murdered and a strange uncle you don’t even know is picking you up to come and live with him. Weird enough right? Well, in fact, things can become even weirder.

That estranged uncle runs Hood Academy deep in the woods. Not just any ordinary academy, but one that trains werewolf hunters. And as a cherry on top he wants you to take the oath to become a hunter.

Well, meet Mia, the protagonist in this story. Her life just completely changed because of all of the above. She is taken away from everything she knows to come live at Hood Academy. Eventually Mia takes the oath to become a werewolf hunter, but is that what she really wants to be?

Shelley Wilson created a fantasy world filled with werewolves, hunters and other things that go bump in the night. And at the same time she made it collide with the real world, exploring the intricate teenage world of friendship, loyalty and emotions. Hood Academy is the backdrop of it all with its old castle feel and secret rooms.

I think the feeling of teenage angst and exploring who you are is recognisable for a lot of people. Because it’s something most of us can relate to when we think back to our teenage and middle school years. Also, Mia was a very likeable character and I hoped she would find her true self through all the troubles she encountered.

At the same time I felt that in Mia’s quest for the truth and the hunt for werewolves things would often end up in her favour. Which seems a little too good to be true. Yes, I know it’s fantasy and things don’t have to “make sense” but I sort of like it when things don’t always go our protagonist’s way.

There are some plot twists, some people whose loyalty is questionable and some unlikely friendships in this book. But unfortunately it’s also a little predictable at times.

If you’re a fantasy fan and like werewolves this book could be for you.

Unfortunately Hood Academy just didn't do,it for me. Maybe a young YA reader would enjoy it more than I did, but it felt simplistic and juvenile to me. Mia's character didn't work for me for several reasons. She seems very immature for 16. Especially considering her only family member was an abusive father. And with that being said she is way too trusting. And her acceptance/lack of curiosity drove me crazy. Beyond Mia I didn't feel like there were any surprises, it was fairly predictable.

Great book. Loved the way the story was told. It drew the reader in and made them seem like a part of the story instead of a bystander.

I Sadly didn’t like this book. It was not my type of book but I’ll still like to thank netgally and the publisher for sending me this e-arc.

*thank you to Netgalley, Shelley Wilson and BHC Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars

In every pack, a cub is born, which unleashes the hunter to protect and serve. 

I enjoyed this. It had a bit of a similar and familiar feel to it of Buffy the Vampire. Except this was with werewolves and not vampires. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The characters were interesting and likeable, or unlikeable depending on who they were. Aka Felicity. After everything that Mia had been through, with her abusive father, I really admired her strength and the person she is. She was also a character I wanted to keep reading about. I can't think of anything that I didn't like about this. It had a great flow to it and the author is wonderful at storytelling. This was such an easy and engaging read and I would definitely pick up another copy of this author's work. I also really like the cover of this omnibus version.

Mia is taken to Hood Academy by her uncle after her father is killed in front of her eyes by a wolf. Yet Mia feels nothing for her father, as he has abused her all her life. The only person she trusted; her brother, who left and promised to return for her naver came back home.

Mia learns that the Hood Academy is not just another boarding school for young girls, but is in fact a place to train. A place to become a werewolf hunter.

From the very first chapter, I knew that this is the kind of book I would have enjoyed in high school, with a girl trying to discover secrets of her true heritage and falling instantly in love with a boy she meets in the woods.

For someone who didn't trust people in her life, she begins to trust her friends and the boy she meets in the woods almost instantly.

This is highschool type story set with werewolves and hunter lore in the background, we have these 16-year-old girls giggling, crying and some mean girl drama. Along with insta-love, which I am not a fan of.

I feel like younger YA audience would enjoy this book more, but at 24 I found myself not able to relate with Mia, with the highschool like setting.

I don't like to compare books, but Hood Academy was actually better then Twilight. Oops I said it. The writting flow was easy to follow and all the characters connected in the end. I had my doubts about this book but it was actually pretty good, and the cover art is great.

Rating 3.5