Overall, I enjoyed the plot and the story building really made the story more interesting. Some of the characters were enjoyable, though some seemed to lack much personality, like Devon. I really disliked that though this was about a high schooler, it contained language and some mature content. There wasn't too many details (thankfully) but I still felt myself skimming some. Some of it had no business being in a YA book, especially when a majority of the characters are like fourteen....While Maeve has reason enough to be a bit rough around the edges, given her circumstances, she didn't read like a female typically does. I had a hard time connecting with her as the protagonist because not only her actions, but her speech and gut reactions felt really foreign to me. However, it was still interesting. I am glad the ARC was an omnibus as it kept me reading beyond the first book, which I may not have otherwise. It does pick up steam and get better.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting take on the classic magical school trope. The writing is good and the MC relatable and engaging.
A good read.

This series is a breath of fresh air. The author is inventive in his magical world with slight nods to the ultimate magical school series, Harry Potter. When you initially open this in your kindle it's easy to be overwhelmed with how long it is but it really flies by. The first book sets up this magical world and is a quick read. the second book picks up right where the previous finishes and the action really begin to heat up. The second book ends on a major reveal that will shock. The third book wraps up all the major storylines from the first few books and while the main story is not over, the story concludes with a good resolution.

I loved Maeve as a character, she is confident and courageous but she isn't an idiot. cross her and you'll feel her wraith. She isn't one to quickly forgive, even family. The supporting characters are intriguing and it's hard to know who to trust in this rollercoaster ride.

I can't recommend this series enough. It's creative, engaging and highly entertaining. This is a must for anyone who loves YA Fantasy.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When agreeing to read this book I had no idea that it was a bindup of three books in the series. due to time constraints I only managed to finish the first book in the series.

The magic system in this book is quite interesting, Upon assisting a dying woman Maeve is transferred a rare powerful magical power, that she chooses to share with her brother to allow him to join her at spellcrest academy rather then remaining in foster care. I struggled to connect to Maeve finding her rather unlikeable and struggled to understand many of her actions. I enjoyed the twist on the typical magic school setting and enjoyed Maeve's school mates

Well written collection of books, a bit slow in places and the main character likes to punch her way through a lot of situations, but the books kept me well captivated and I want to read the next collection now!

I normally love a supernatural academy book so I had high hopes for this one, unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

The writing was ok and the pace was fine, I just couldn’t connect to the characters which in turn made it difficult for me to stick with the book. I decided not to continue on after book 1.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4 solid stars for the trilogy.

Book 1:
This was a quick read and I definitely enjoyed it enough to want to move forward in the series. Still, this book ended rather abruptly, and I'm not sure if it's because it's part of the omnibus year one collection and they edited it so that it would read more like a single book, but this first book really does just stop and the next book (I've started book 2) picks up immediately where the first book leaves off. So if you're going to read this, I would recommend you just read the year one omnibus edition rather than the individual books and just think of it as a single book.

So on to the story itself. In some ways, it reminds me of Harry Potter (they even have references to the book in a few of the places), except Harry Potter WAS born as a wizard, but he was raised ignorant of that fact. In this one, the magical world exists, and Maeve is ignorant of it, but she is not pulled in until she meets a mysterious woman at the beginning that starts her journey in the magical world. She goes to Spellcrest Academy with her brother as a first-year student.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, and I really liked some of the other characters, but I was iffy on Maeve, the main character. She is quick to anger, especially when it comes to her little brother (both at him and at anyone who she perceives as a threat to his well-being), but she is also funny (well, snarky) and there are definitely times when I like her. Still, time will tell how she turns out. I'm hoping the continuing story will find her growing and learning and being a bit more likable!

Book 2:
Overall I enjoyed this second book more than the first--the action was non-stop and I definitely wanted to find out what was next. I still don't love Maeve, but she's starting to grow on me. And I really like her best friends Nym and Razielle. As was the case in the first book, it's hard to tell who are the bad guys and good guys, although some of the characters are pretty nasty. I think part of what annoys me about Maeve is that she often acts like she is 14 rather than 18, maybe because she is a neophyte, but I think it's been part of her survival mode that makes her lash out as the first instinct. She does mature a little bit more in this one, although her anger still gets the best of her. But she's learning to channel that anger in a more productive way and for me, that's a sign of maturity. There were a number of surprises in this book, but the ending is not quite as abrupt as in the first book. It feels more wrapped up than the first book. I'll be continuing the series to find out what happens. One good thing about this series is that it moves so quickly!

Book 3:
Of the three books, this was my favorite of the books, partly because Maeve has definitely matured, and while she still has her faults, she acknowledges them and tries to work on them. This third book was definitely non-stop action and I ended up reading it in one sitting. I won't include any spoilers, but I do like how it ended. While this 3-book ARC ends nicely and I could totally stop right here and not feel like I'm missing anything, I plan on reading year 2 next. So overall I would say it was a slow start for me, but then the characters started growing on me and by the end, I loved it.

If I were to score the books individually, the first two books would get 4 stars and the third book would get 5 stars.

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

This is an easy to read book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I like the concept however I was t enthralled by the storyline. Thanks to the publisher an netgalley for an egalley.

Wow - I tore through this 3 book collection in a couple days and I am torn between wanting to dive back in to the next collection right away or sit with this nice resolution at the end of this story arc.

3 books in one is a bit of a heavy lift, and when you load this set it shows it will take forever to finish, but that didn't deter me from diving in and learning about the wonderful world of Spellcrest Academy. I had never heard of the series before and read limited summaries, so was along for the ride 100%. The story revolves around Maeve. She's tough and was raised in the foster care system with her brother, Finley. Together, they take on the good and the bad, while trying to find their individuality, too.

What starts as a simple tale ends up taking a sharp turn when Maeve ends up being bestowed some magical seamstress powers by a dying woman. This is what ultimately leads her, and her brother (who they essentially need to sneak in) to the Spellcrest Academy. This is an elite magical school, complete with rich students, lots of hazing and bullying, and high pressure academics. I've got to say, Maeve's roommates and lunch friends are a definite highlight of these books. Finley, however, is not. While at first I thought Maeve may have been too paranoid or controlled, she ends up proving me wrong when she gets betrayed by just about... everybody! Jeez.

Book 1 show Maeve grow into a magical powerhouse, only to get thrown on her butt at the end. Book 2 picks up with Maeve in the "real world," but again, life has some surprises in store for her. A part I didn't mention from book 1 is Maeve's sort-of kind-of boyfriend, Devon, who is just... a problem. By book 2, I was pretty much done with him, but Maeve ends up taking him back when she returns to school. Book 2 is pretty much a build up to Maeve getting stronger and believing in herself. By Book 3, Maeve is a powerhouse with oodles of entanglements, which ends up making her easier to manipulate, but also so much stronger.

By the end of this crazy sprint through "year one" we ended in a place I never expected us to. This 3 book collection gives you a great rollercoaster ride through Maeve's first year at school. I'm 100% in, but also so exhausted! I think I'm going to take a quick break and then dive into box set 2 - where I hope we finally get to see Maeve punch youknowwho.

A highly enjoyable, easy read.
Highly imaginative, with a cast of magical characters who are engaging and likeable. A spellbinding and twisty tale, with plenty of surprises along the way.
I couldn't put it down

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Maeve is a girl who lost her parents when she was a child, since then she and her brother only have each other. So, when a strange woman attacks her and she wakes up with powers and having to go to a special school, she doesn't think it twice, gives some of her powers to her brother and they both go together to that school.

"Year one" is a compilation of the first three books of the saga Spellcrest Academy, which happens on Maeve's first year on the school, so I got the opportunity to read the first three books of an amazing and magical saga. I have to say that I was grateful for having all three books because I was able to finish Maeve's first year all at ones and the beginning and endings of the books were kind of linked, it was like reading one big book instead of a single one.

Maeve has to face lots of obstacles in this first year because Spellcrest Academy can be lots of things but easy is not one of them, lots of difficulties will appear in Maeve's way and she will have to solve them choosing carefully whom she can trust because not everything is what it seems. There are twists on every corner and treasons from the least expected characters. You can put your guard down any moment with this book because even the less expected can happen.

If there is something in this book it is action, you don't have any down or quiet part, the events are going from one to the next one, although there are some scenes of simply class I would have loved to see more about what classes Maeve is in and the interactions with her classmates, which I felt that, except the important ones, it is always the same with the other. Although I feel like there are some characters that don't have an important paper in the book and don't get much of a background, there are others with an amazing evolution (for good or bad) that made my feeling change a lot through the reading. I hope in the next book ("Year two", which I will obviously read) we get the opportunity to know more about those secondary characters and how the others grow even more in their next year.

To sum up, I could feel this was a good book from the first pages, the writing is easy to read and gets you into the book from the first words until the last one. I am sure Maeve's future is full of new surprises and adventures I can't wait to read.

I don't think this series was for me. I struggled to make it through book one and decided I wasn't interested enough to finish the series.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This is a set of the first three books in the series known as Year One. I have previous done a review for just the first book in the series. It is often you find the female lead character to be strong from the start of the book and she continues to build and keep her confidence in Book 1 Spellcrest Academy on to book 2 Crestfallen and into book 3 Crystallize. That story line is strong, but I had my doubt that it would be like any other magical academy books and that something I go. I am glad I continue to read for the world was wonderfully put together. I can't want to read Year 2.

Maeve is a young woman who is kicking ass and taking names. Her growth throughout the books is tangible and honestly surprisingly refreshing. For once we see a character who reacts to their circumstances, not with meek acceptance, but with righteous anger. This is a character that I'd love to follow for several more books!

This wasn't a winner for me, I struggled to make it past the first chapter and just couldn't get on with it at all. Good ideas but the writing was just not for me.

ARC from NetGalley

This was a decent YA fantasy for a reader new to the genre. I don't really have any specific complaints. There were no glaring errors or plot holes, although there were some times I found myself frowning, raising an eyebrow or rolling my eyes. It was just generic and kind of uninteresting, towards the end in particular. I think that if you are not well-versed in YA fantasy, you might like this series. If you have read plenty of YA fantasy, this will just fade into the background for you, as it did for me.

A academy paranormal story a little slow in parts.
Like Maeve and her friends how they are there for each others.
Some angst,mystery,intrigue,drama and romance.
Voluntarily reviewed.

This omnibus of 3 of spellcrest was amazing!! It was such a thrilling read and the storyline was just phenomenal... I really love the character of Maeve and the way she just does anything that she sets her mind to and makes sure that she and her friends do what is right. I do like the character of Devon.. he is always there for Maeve not matter what and always has her best interests at heart even though he does some stupid things... also, the way they work together at the end to stop tarquin is very inspiring and I'm so glad that maeve was able to kill him as she was the one who seemed to be most affected by him. Overall, this was an incredible book and I highly enjoyed reading it... cant wait to read year 2 !!
Thanks to netgalley for this early read.

Guys This is a 3 book boxset and I devoured it in like 3 days. I am on an academy kick and this completely fit the bill. Michael is a wordsmith in this genre and I am officially hooked.

The first book in the set took a little while for me to get into but once I did I was hooked. It had the typical Magical Academy setup and a cast that you decide you absolutely love. The book had some great twists and after I got hooked it really kept my attentions, especially in book 2 and 3.

I love the twists that completely catch you off guard because you don’t eee them often in this genre and the author did a great job of that which is one of the reasons I loved the book. I can’t wait to read more.

I almost cried when this book ended, I want more! I have too many books on my TBR at the moment and need to get through them first.

This was such a cozy, comfy, and exciting read. The perfect amount of romance, action, and magic. This book isn't going to become a classic but it made me feel better on the hard days and was so satisfying to read on the good days. I would recommend this book!