Unfortunately I had to DNF this. The premise seemed good but barely anything had happened by 30%. I just couldn't continue. Maybe I'll pick this back up another time? But for now it's a DNF.

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. It was entertaining and I really enjoyed the setting of the book. There was a lot going on, which was hard to follow at time and made me want to read the next book to complete the feeling of the unfinished storylines.

If you want a spicier Zodiac Academy, this is for you!

Very disappointing :( I don’t like to write negative reviews because I know how hard authors work. So I’m just going to say that the world building needed a little bit more work and the characters needed a bit more depth. Perhaps the right audience will love this one, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

This book was not for me. It was more YA than I liked. The relationships felt shallow and some of the names in this book made it hard to take the story seriously.

YA boarding school novel meets erotica. This book is in sexual overdrive and I’m here for it.

It took me a long time to get into this book but once I did it was a solid read. I did feel that it was a little light on the plot and that the sex carried the story, but hey if you like steamy scenes then this book will be your best friend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll keep this as short as possible: I regret requesting this. I’m sure this book will find its audience, but it was definitely not me.

When I first picked up this book I was not expecting what I read. House of Pain is primarily set in a fantasy world with witches and warlocks but at no point did the author properly establish the setting or its rules.
The first few chapters in, I kept hoping it would get better. But it took me two months to read something that would generally have takes less than two weeks, and as I was finishing it I was still confused about most of it. Often I felt like I was reading a second book in a series and I had to check if I'd requested the wrong book.

Apart from terrible world building there's some immature dialogue but that can still be overlooked.

The characters were probably my favourite part, because often authors don't know how to make them stay consistent throughout the book. Blaze is the tall, dark and handsome boy with a really dark twist and the side characters are developed really well too, but Alecto has to be my absolute favourite. Female MCs in fantasy (or general) books are not usually shown as 'cruel' or take charge-type that goes to the extreme, but Alecto sheds all stereotypes and she is THAT bi*ch. One unlikable part, however, was how she was bent on proving her cruelty as a witch despite being half-mortal. It's the main driving force behind her actions and even if I understand it I would have liked to see more depth to her.

Another good part was the smut. The book is VERY sexually explicit right from the first page but I found that I didn't mind it, most of the time. One thing I will say about the author is that she knows how to keep it interesting, because after the fourth fifth sixth sex scene in a book it can get tedious to read, but Wilde kept things, well, wild.

Overall, an okay fantasy read that I kept coming back to. It may have taken me two months to read something I would have generally DNF'd but I suppose the fact that I finished it does speak for it.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I started this but this book definitely had me on my toes. I enjoyed this dark enemies to lovers fantasy world (and when I say dark I mean it). As I was reading I was getting raw and dangerous vibes and I think I liked it which is ironic because I normally live in the world of contemporary romance. Gave this book a 3/5 because i felt like I was missing something, I found myself having to reread pieces here and there. And while I liked that the book got straight to the plot I would have liked a little more character background. But over all I loved the magic this book worked to create for the reader. I am intrigued to see where things go with Alecto and Blaze in the rest of the series because WOW the hate sex is giving and I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers. I’m also hoping some of these story lines carry on because i had so many questions left over. Overall would give it a try if it’s sounds like something you would like. I was glad I took a jump and tried something new.

Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl, but make it spicy. This isn’t the best thing I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. At first I was scared this was YA, but these kids are university age and they’re slutty as hell so I enjoyed myself. I need everyone to stop calling Alecto a half-breed just because her mother is mortal. It was quite obvious that enemies-to-lovers was happening early on. I wanted a love triangle with the demon. I just wanted the demon. The betrayal was a bit of a letdown, but I assume we’re not here for the plot.

Such an intriguing and titillating supernatural bully romance that reminds me of Zodiac Academy but even darker. Right up my alley.

“Let his smile be as charming as Heath Ledger’s, with a dimple in one cheek,” Jolene said. Alessandro snickered while Blaze closed his eyes and nodded in agreement. “Let his hair be as dark as night itself, eyes deeper than the fucking Mariana Trench, and let his cock be long and beautiful and capable, just like every fucking bitch deserves.”

House of Pain is book one in the Precious Villians series by Karolina Wilde. This book was filled to the brim with all the enemies to lovers bully romance, witches, magic, and steam you could want in a romantic fantasy! I loved that our FMC, Alecto, was a bit of a morally grey heroine. I have a bunch of unanswered questions and would love to see some more world building in book two!

"'You like to hurt me, don't you baby?"' His hot breath was against her neck again. "With your nails,
teeth, your soft little hands?"' And her words. Her sharp glances. Her tongue. Alecto nodded frantically because the tension building inside her
was about to erupt.
"So cruel." He chuckled, his
breathing ragged now.' "'It's a good thing I love it.

House of Pain is the first book in the Precious Villains trilogy by Karolina Wilde. It's also the author's self-published debut novel which came out on the 6th of December. This 476-page book is billed as a Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl, and I AM HERE FOR IT!

The book was sexy; it was fun, and it was fast-paced. I loved the competition that was taking place, and I loved how the house you're in had a genuine impact on how you survived at school and after it. In short, I loved the world Wilde set up here. I was a huge fan of Val and how ruthless she is. I legit don't think she had enough page time! The side characters like Jolene were also cute, and I wish we'd seen more of her and Alecto interact.

There are things that I feel could have been edited out. Some of the names, like Rogue, were just too cheesy. Some things, like what happened to that girl by the lake, were not elaborated on, and I wish we could've found out more. While I liked Alecto and Blaze, things were too heavy-handed. Some subtlety in terms of violence can also be effective. The whole demon they summoned at the start and the spell which was super focused on how hot he was supposed to be felt a bit odd; like the book was smut with some plot and not vice versa. It also didn't really feel very relevant. I also didn't get how Alecto was part of the inner circle when people seem to hate her so much for being a half breed.

That being said, I feel like these are teething problems or even things that can be cleared up in the next book. I have already pre-ordered the next book…

I absolutely fell in LOVE with this book and the characters. I adore a good dark academia vibe, but add in the spice and it is **chef's kiss.**

I will admit, the beginning of the book gave me some pause. I was wary about the character names (Alecto, Blaze, Rogue Smolder...). I usually find names like this incredibly cringe-worthy. As I read though, I found that the names actually fit the characters.

While initially you can tell the Game is a big part of the book, the love story really ended up taking over and being the main focus. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it could have used a bit more balance. Also, the tiny love triangle (square?) with Val, Blaze, Rogue, and Alecto could have been better developed. Alecto was clearly trying to make Blaze jealous with Rogue, and I would have enjoyed seeing more interaction between the two - especially since it seemed like Rogue was into Alecto.

I loved the world building and want more of it! I got dark Harry Potter vibes from this book and I can tell there is more to the witches' world, but there were only vague mentions of the mortal world. It would have been great to hear more about Alecto's life with her mom and how her life being half mortal/half witch made her different. Instead, Blaze just refers to it and we see Alecto feeling negatively about it because the others consider her different. But WHY? How is she so different. Everyone else thinks she is, but we're never shown that she actually is.

I am super excited for House of Ruin. Is it out yet?! 4 stars from me! Can't wait for the next book in the series!

"To be admired for her cruelty, for the darkness that stained her half-mortal soul, was, even better than feeling desired."

🖤Dark Fantasy
🖤Enemies to Lovers
🖤Academy for Witches
🖤Deadly Competition
🖤LGBTQIA Friendly (side characters)
🖤Spicy
🖤Zodiac Academy x Dark/Gothic Harry Potter x Gossip Girl
💥Check TW

Alecto Black, a half-witch, just started her second year at Venefica Academy, the prestigious witch academy. Last year she joined the House of Snakes, where she is a legacy, and is determined this year to 1) land the lead role in the school play of Carmen 2) shed the stigma of a half-mortal and become more merciless and cruel and 3) help her House win this year's Games.

This book reminded me very much of a darker Zodiac Academy series, which is one of my favorites. The students are divided up into 12 different houses, with each house being an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. I thought this was a fun take and just wished you saw more of the different houses and how the students got into them besides those who were legacies. Alecto and Blaze's enemies to lovers to enemies cycle reminded me also of Tory and Darius from ZA. Enemies until they can't deny their attraction for each but then go right back to being enemies.

I did enjoy this book and though the witches were all quite twisted and cruel yet all of them had redeeming qualities. I was a little confused about the whole acting subplot in the book. It seemed like it was thrown in there even though the book is supposed to center around the Games. I hope to see more of the acting subplot in the next book. There were a bunch of unanswered questions that I hope will be answered in book 2 and am intrigued as to what will happen next in the story. Solid 3.25 stars, rounded down to 3.

This book is well written. The reader has a clear understanding of the characters and the reasons they make the choices they do. The setting is very high school with high drama that is reminiscent of some of the shows I watched in the early 2000s. The magic element to this story is very dark from the beginning. The story moved at a good pace and I was engaged throughout the story.

I would highly recommend reading the trigger warnings before starting this book.

The blurb described it as Dark Harry Potter meets Gossip Gossip girl - and I can see this. It does also have Zodiac Academy/Ninth House vibes, as well a bit of Dramionie. And of course, Dark Academia. All things I absolutely love.

The story follows Alecto, a half witch-half human (which makes her lesser then the other full-blooded witches) who attends school at the prestigious Venefica Academy. And while the Academics are important, nothing is more important then the GAME - a school wide competition. Alecto is part of the infamous House of Snakes, as a legacy member, and becomes the target of not another house, but another legacy member in the house of Snakes, Blaze Leveau. This rich boy, tormenter is the bane of her existence, until one day things change. Can they put their differences asides for the good of the House of Snakes and the game? Or will they crumble?

I really enjoyed this book - it honestly has everything I enjoy in books, a dark academia setting, smut, witchy coven Hogwarts house vibes - and Blaze, he could run me over and I'd thank him. Plus, some of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, bully romance and forced proximity.

The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star, is because I wish there was more world-building. The world the author has created is amazing, I would love to know more about it. I think it would really add to the story!

I cannot wait to read the next book and I think Karolina Wilde and Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holy enemies to unlikely allies. This book was pure chaos and snark and viciousness and I'm THRIVING after finishing it. It very much has the vibes of If We Were Villains, but at a school for magic with a house system and dangerous games for one of them to come out on top. Definitely check the content warnings before reading, but I absolutely loved this book and can't wait for the next one! Great for fans of Zodiac Academy and any book where you're not really sure who you're supposed to be rooting for.

Damn, this was intense. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Morally grey everything. Hell borderline morally black. Dark academia sort of, since it’s based in a school, but more of a house tournament from hell than actual academia. With sex magic, I should mention. Though the mechanics of that weren’t super defined?

Which was my one gripe with the novel- the magic system wasn’t super well defined. But if we’re being honest most people probably weren’t here for a deep dive into a magic system there here for the PWP.

And damn is the plot interesting. Be aware, this is very adult! I mean, sex magic, for chrissake. I really appreciated that the author included trigger warnings and I hope that people read them before reading the book! I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel and figuring out what’s going on between the MC and the MLI

Wow! Where do I even begin. It was definitely different than most books I read. I was really intrigued when it was described as being a cross between Harry Potter and Gossip Girl.

I feel like I had to force myself to get through this book. I found myself wishing for more information on the magic system and world building. It did have some great steamy romance, but SO many F words. I don’t mind the F word, but it seemed a bit excessive.

House of Pain is one of those gleefully fvcked up books that is an absolute DELIGHT to read!

Set at a cutthroat school for witches, Alecto Black’s half human status keeps her on the outside, no one thinks she has the viciousness needed to make it a witches world.
And she is sick of that sh!t and ready to prove them wrong.

She has a hâte/hâte relationship with her classmate Blaze, their pranks always escalate with both needing to get the last word until they turn potentially deadly and they realise that perhaps this isn’t the kind of satisfaction they should using each other for.

This is a dark, s3xy, and just incredibly fun read that I would definitely recommend to anyone who believes spooky season is a state of mind and not a calendar square.

Alecto is figuring out how to be as unrepentant and vicious as the full blooded witches and Blaze is realising that maybe all the back (and front) stäbbïng just isn’t worth the effort. There is definitely more to both these characters that I’m looking forward to finding out about in the next book.

Oh and not for nothing there is a s€xy demon named Rouge Smoulder, and if you’re anything like me that information alone will be enough to have you smashing that preorder button, which you should do anyway!

Thanks to @karolinawilde and @netgalley for letting me read this ARC! House of Pain comes out on 06/Dec. It’s a fvked up BLAST to read and I promise it’s a good time!