#neygalleyarc. Totally honest review, I did not like this book at all. The summary hooked me but I just couldn’t get into this book. I’m a big thriller/mystery/horror fan and I thought this book would pull me in but nope, not the book for me. Truth be told there was a description about characters in the prologue that rubbed me the wrong way and I think that set my reading off on the wrong path.

I found this book to be a solid entry in the this is a special/magical school you're attending genre of young adult fiction. It was refreshing to have a character that was focused on success instead of romance. I liked the idea that these students were all sociopaths and immune to the emotion of killing. Anathema was an interesting main character and her exploration of her past and eventual emotions was nuanced. The ending of the book was anticipated with the end of year killed a but I found the actual event to be a little bit rushed and the introduction of the doing factions to be a little bit late in the game. I do think the ending leaves is well set up for a sequel that will hopefully flush out more of the conflicting factions.

A School for assassins, the whole concept of everyone at school being a psychopath, the faculty which comprises of actual serial killers and criminals, what else can a fantasy reader ask for. When I stumbled across this title, I just read the title and picked it up blind, and it was one of the most mind-blowing books I have ever read. With the whole school setting, it gave a very Harry Potter vibe but instead of spells, it was elaborate killing methodologies.
Certain killing sections of the books are pretty graphic, but that was expected too as you know we are talking about a bunch of novice serial killers. But the way the story progressed from a strict educational institution to the point where it's evident that there's some bigger power at play, is absolutely commendable.
Ana's story kept me hooked from the start to the very end. Looking forward to the sequel of the book and would love to read it as soon as it gets released.

I really, thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Anathema is one of hundreds in schools to learn to be assassins. Everyone these days are psychopaths and, therefore, make the best killers. Leading up to Killslip Day, the day where the students test their skills on their peers, Anathema starts to discover that maybe there’s a much larger force at work and where exactly does she stand?

The writing was very detailed, so much so that I’m hesitant to agree in classifying this book as young adult. Some of the imagery is pretty graphic and some of the language in the beginning is relatively advanced depending on the age of the reader.

All in all, great book! I gave it a 4.5 and will recommending this to everyone! I also really hope there’s a sequel when the time comes because I love Anathemas story and can’t wait to hear more.

I really enjoyed this one, the description sounded right up my street and did not disappoint. I really liked the concept of this book. There was so much suspense and dark turns, it really kept you on your toes.

reading from a sociopaths perspective is what really engrossed me. the characters weren’t insufferable which was good, it was hard to connect to the main character at first but it didn’t take long to start really liking her.

I liked the idea of the journal however it did leave me with a lot of questions at the end. I wished that someone had purposely planted the journal rather than it being a coincidence. While I enjoyed this book I do feel like the ending could’ve been a tad better as I had many unanswered questions.

At first, i was gonna give up on this book, mostly because the first few chapters weirded out me a little bit with their take on psychopaths, however, I ended up trying again and had a nice time!! It has a very nice hook and it's very easy to read.
This book has a really fun concept, that is pulled off quite well, it is overall quite entertaining and I can see why the comparisons to the Hunger Games ring true, not only in concept but in execution, both are very quick and fun reads. I liked Anathema as a character a lot! Overall, the entire cast of characters was quite enjoyable.
I think this book can find an audience quite easily, the dystopic world it presents is very interesting and it has hints of dark academia-vibes perhaps? Overall, I do think this will be a hit among YA readers honestly!

"Everyone is born with psychopathy now, it is just the levels that differs. It is strange to imagine since the disorder is the norm now. Is it even fair to call it a disorder anymore? "

This book title and description seem already told us everything. Serial killers school with psychopath as teachers and eager students to get all kind deadly studies and bloody exams we only can imagine. Actually I really love the interesting idea of this book. But this intriguing dystopia world building is lack depth and underdeveloped. We only knew plenty from following daily schedule of our protagonist Anathema, a brilliant student who excels in each killing classes. And we learned dark secret behind the school from mysterious diary Ana found.
The plot dan conflicts with political government vs headmaster feel rush, lack explanation and not easy to get through. The ending still hanging, rush and unfinished. This book will appeal to reader who love deadly competition and morally grey characters.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial publisher to letting me read this copy. I am grateful and my thoughts are my own.

This whole book was totally insane. Insanely good. You read from a sociopath's perspective and the world is entirely fucked. But damn, is it ever good.

A really enjoyable read that was atmospheric, twisty and creepy. Well writtem with a gripping story and well developed characters. I loved it.

3 stars.

I thought the concept of this one was really intriguing, mostly because I'm a huge fan of darker stories, and this one proved to be a gripping read throughout. The protagonist, Anathema, was an interesting character to follow and, although I found it difficult to connect with her at first, I really enjoyed reading about her dynamics with the other characters - particularly Vex, her roommate - as well as the various classes she takes in the book. I was a big fan of the journal entries, which gave the narrative a sense of mystery, and some of the turns the plot took definitely caught me by surprise.

That being said, although I loved the plot and characters for the most part, there were some points where I found myself losing interest a little bit, especially when the plotline with Hunting came into play. I also wanted to know more about some of the side characters and their motivations.

Overall, a gripping read with a unique premise, but with a few things that were left underdeveloped or unexplained.

This book was definitely a thrill ride! It was well written and interesting. One of my only complaints was that as someone else has seated, it did remind me a lot of hunger games. Even though it was very similar to The hunger games I still really enjoyed the book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for this advance review copy.

This story follows our main character Anathema who goes to a school where she's trained to be an assassin. We're in a world where scientists were trying to solve a problem but accidentally turned everyone into sociopaths (oops). The interactions were fascinating, especially with Anathema and her roommate Vex. They've been together since age 6 or so and Anathema was constantly concerned about Vex attacking her. They're trained by teachers who are experts in their field - either because they've studied, say, poisons extensively, or because they murdered a ton of people. The interactions and events at the school were also engrossing and I loved the first 2/3 of the book.

Where the book lost me was when it switched to talking about the political factions. It reminded me of the Hunger Games (especially Catching Fire and the end of Mockingjay) and once my brain made that connection, I couldn't stop comparing it to HG. Despite the book being about kids being trained to kill, it wasn't until Anathema's first big interaction with Hunting that it felt like HG. We have <spoiler> one group trying to bring down the government structure, a very Snow like character in Hunting (though I know he's on the other side that Snow was), her little sister (?) who she wanted to protect, a target put on her back so all the other students went after her, the chip in her wrist to get her food. </spoiler> Some of them absolutely are looser connections to HG, but once I started to see it, it was all I could see.

I also really struggled with the reveal about <spoiler> the journal. I was fine with her having found a hidden journal. But then when it turns out that it's her mother's - too much of a coincidence for me. I was hoping that it would be revealed that someone had placed the journal for her to find, but it was just a big coincidence. </spoiler>

There were also other parts that didn't make sense to me. <spoiler> How did Glenn know about the journal? Vex later says that she followed Anathema and found the journal that Glenn had been looking for - how did he know about it?? And who wrote that <s>Prim</s> Ryn was still alive? I know that's something Anathema wondered as well, but it didn't make sense for any of the characters to have done it. I also didn't understand about Dexter. He had poison in his liver because he was being fed poison by Hunting... except Hunting told Anathema that she was the first to survive the trial. </spoiler>

It wasn't a bad book by any means, but I was left with more questions than the book answered and it felt unsatisfying.

My copy also had a ton of grammar errors - that could just be because it was an advance copy. Hopefully that's resolved in the official release.

I loved it. The atmosphere, the ambiance, the characters. Everything was great. I loved the writing and I was so in it. Definitely a great read. Maybe more for fall though.

(Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

The concept of this book drew me in instantly and I ended up loving it!

It was well written and easy to read, though there were some parts that were a little over-written and wordy. The plot was super tense, fast-paced and had me hooked the entire time. And that ending!!! I have so many questions!!! The characters were all excellent and I found myself rooting for the main character from the beginning.

I will mention that it is pretty gory and has vivid descriptions of violence so if this is something that you don't like, this definitely isn't the book for you.

This is a clever premise of a dystopian future world where children are groomed to kill for the state and medicated to ensure they have no real feelings.

It's cleverly written and engaging with the lead character of Anathema finding a hidden journal that brings her to life and gives her hope. There were elements of the book that felt overwritten and confusing, but, overall this is a thrilling and at times gruesome YA read.

Thanks to Tara Platt and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview.

I struggled to score this, as, for me it was a 3.5 / so I've scored up to a 4* due to the clever premise and writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this eARC!

The description immediately intrigued me and I was not disappointed. The concept was so interesting and I enjoyed the twists and turns, and all the mystery and suspense. You can't help but feel for the characters and feel like you're with them in the trenches, which makes the ending wonderfully heartbreaking.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

I really liked this book. I love the concept, which, as it was promoted, reminded me of Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Killing Eve. It's an original idea and it's very enjoyable to read about. I loved all the plot twists, the humor, the characters. The story and the characters' experiences were very touching and sweet.

Anathema, the main character, was really good, and I loved reading her POV. She's kind of an antiheroine, and she's very strong and cunning and we can see she's willing to do anything to succeed. We need more protagonists like that. The pacing was good and the themes are fascinating. I liked the writing style too and I loved the mystery and the suspense. It was great.

The ending was heartbreaking but I loved it, it's so important to me and it was done very well. I strongly enjoyed this book and would love to read more by this author.

I really enjoyed reading this, the description is what drew me in from the beginning. I loved the idea of a school that trains killers. Then when I read this book it had all sorts of twists and turns that once I started I couldn't stop til the end. It had a great dark humor that I was looking for and I loved the main character. You really felt for the characters in this book and it was wonderfully heartbreaking.

"Whoever finds this, I hope you have escaped. That you have found a way to overthrow the governing forces and build a life for yourself. It may be too late for me. I will never know freedom – what it feels like to travel the world without fear, to make choices that are not imposed by the state, to choose who I love…and what I fight for."