I want more! I'm absolutely obsessed with this story and its characters. It's the first book since the ACOTAR series that has grabbed my attention in a similar way. Combine the heat of ACOTAR and the academia of Harry Potter, and you get House of Pain. Can't wait for the rest of the series!

The synopsis to this book had me clicking request real quick. I was so happy when I was approved and began reading it immediately. The book had a chokehold on me! I was engrossed and on the edge of my seat every chapter wondering what would happen to Alecto next or what would Blaze do. The tension, chemistry and spice between these two was top notch. I couldn't get enough of them. All of the side characters were just as intriguing as the main characters, the magical system and the world building needed a little bit more work as well as the grammar throughout the story but let me tell you it did not lack on the usage of magic and battles with creatures from their world. There are many Houses at the school the characters attend, and the Houses compete against each other because of a Game that the school requires the students to participate in. There are no limits to what you can do to a fellow student just don't get caught! There was an exceptional balance of fantasy and romance. Plot and character driven. I look forward to reading the next book in this trilogy!

Did I mention the ARTWORK?! Because that must be mentioned! It was absolutely stunning!

P.S. This is a dark fantasy, and you need to check TW!

I guess you are here because you've read the blurb that compares this book to a Gothic Harry Potter, the Ninth House, and Zodiac Academy.

I hate to burst the bubble, but you're in the wrong place: House of Pain has nothing to do with them.

I won't indulge in the first two comparisons because there's no comparison at all.
Let's just say that it's actually a poor version of ZA with insufferable characters, more sex&drugs, a paper-thin plot, and non-existent worldbuilding.

Extensive trigger warnings laid out before you begin reading. LOOK AT THIS LIST. There’s too many for me to warn you 😅

“Life is always about choice… Everything has a cost.”

Think Harry Potter is actually a Slytherin and rebels when he goes to college 😅Karolina is a very talented writer. I was intrigued throughout the entirety of the book. Reality meets dark fantasy meets romantasy… smut, magic, friendship. A range of tropes takes you on a complete roller coaster from start to finish. The characters are well built, the story and scenes are all very thought out. I loved everything about this book! I am dying for book 2 already!

•SPIIIIIICE 🥵🥵
•LGBTQ+ rep
•enemies to lovers
•found family
•bully romance
•frienemies/toxic friendships

Out December 6, 2022

Thank you to @netgalley and @karolinawilde for the ARC in exchange for my review! I canNOT wait for more!

🩸House of Pain ARC Review🩸


Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️


I'm just going to start of by saying how much I love this book. It's definitely near the top of the books I've read so far this year, which is saying a lot🙌

I fell in love with the characters (well, most of them) and their unique personalities. I adored our fmc, Alecto, and her strength, how she overcomes any obstacles in her way, and doesn't let anyone push her around.

The tension between the main love interests was amazing, and written so well. But their miscommunication was so frustrating😤 it irked me so much how their feelings were so clear but they said the exact opposite!! ughh!! but, having said that, it was worth it, and made everything else so much sweeter.

If you're looking for a book with:
- witches
- enemies to lovers
- academic setting
- academic heists
- smut
- calling eachother by their surnames (god these characters make me swoon)
- petty revenge on one another
- queer rep
- possessive love interest
- strong fmc
- betrayal
then you are in the perfect place.

House of Pain has all of that and more!
And oh my god, don't even get me started on the absolutely STUNNING character art in the book🙌 literal perfection.

If it wasn't already obvious, this book is my new obsession and I cannot wait for the second one to come out😩

I'm going to share a few of my favourite quotes because why not

' "I would tie you to my bed with a silk tie I keep only for special occasions." '

' it didn't take Alecto long to learn that revenge did taste better than peace. '

' "She's mine to fuck with, and I don't like other messing with what's mine." '

' "You're out of your fucking mind. I love it." '

and the final quote,
' "Words, words, words. Another ocean of meaningless words." '
- I'm not sure why I love this quote so much, but it suck out to me, and has been in my head ever since.

there are so many absolutely brilliant quotes, it was hard to pick just a few!

House of Pain comes out December 6th so definitely have it marked in your calendars!!

also, definitely make sure you check the trigger warnings

(thank you netgalley for sending me this arc)

4/5⭐️ thank you netgalley for this arc!


Thoughts

Whenever I started this book, I wasn’t sure if i was going to enjoy it. I was proved wrong. From about 15% till the end, I was glued to my seat.

Plot

I was really getting Harry Potter vibes the whole time I was reading this. Houses, Witches, forests. From the moment I read the synopsis, I was intrigued.

Characters

• Alecto is our main character, she is a half witch but that doesn’t make her any weaker than any full blooded witch. I loved her fire and determination the entire book.

• Blaze is so interesting, he is apart of the inner circle, his relationship with Alecto was my favorite thing about the book. Bully trope go insane.

you’ll have to read the book for the other characters *wink*

Romance

This book has enemies to lovers, bully trope, “you prank me, i’ll retaliate 10x worse”, they’re in the same house and i was here for it the whole time.

Final Thoughts

If the synopsis is something you think you’ll enjoy, I highly recommend checking this book out whenever it releases. I cannot wait for the next book.

1.5 ⭐ - This book was not for me.

House of Pain is a Harry Potter x Dark Academia bully romance, and when I read the comparison to Dramione in the blurb I jumped at the chance to read this. I should have corralled my excitement.

Here we have Alecto, a half-blood witch, as the FMC. She’s discriminated against because of it, and his biggest bully happens to be part of the same inner circle she’s in as part of the House of Snakes. Blaze - the MMC - is as fucked up as the rest of the characters in the story, if not more, and he’s conviction that Alecto is inferior to him was hard to read because it happens throughout the entire book. I’m all for morally grey characters, truly, I think they’re far more interesting to read about, but I was rooting for exactly zero characters by the end of this… Well, I liked Jolene and Andro. And I suppose Alecto is not the absolute worst, but she’s pretty close - worst, she looks up to them.

The obvious borrowed themes and plot points from other books didn’t really bother me, but I’ll be honest, this read like a fanfiction, and not the good kind. That being said, I’ve been known for loving trashy fanfics in the past - this was not one of those instances. Also, I feel like there should be a TW about the fact that the physical, psychological, and emotional violence - and specially the molestation - happen at the hands of the characters’ fathers. [*spoiler* I was convinced Alecto’s father had raped her in that scene at the studio, even though the content warnings said that there’s no rapes in the book. *spoiler*]

It was an overly long book with an unsatisfying ending – so, like I said, not for me.

1.5/5⭐

Readers who loved Zodiac Academy, this is the book for you! This book is very similar where there are houses in the school who compete against each other. The main difference is that this competition is the main focus of this book.

DNF’d at 3%. So graphic and unnecessarily so? The word “cock” was gratuitous. there are so many more artful ways to convey these kind of compulsions.

''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.''

The story starts with a ritual, where Legacies from The Venefica Academy, are trying to summon a Guardian, who will help them win an annual and brutal game between rival Houses. They succeed and are rewarded with Rogue Smolder (I can't.. that last name haha) Dangers and heat is rising, trials are happening and secrets are being slowly unraveled.

''Let his smile be as charming as Heath Ledger's, with a dimple in one cheek.''
''Let his hair be as dark as night itself, eyes deeper than the f*cking Mariana Trench, and let his c*ck be long and beautiful and capable, just like every fucking bitch deserves."
''Let him have lean, strong muscles over his dark skin and let his touch be as intoxicating as the taste of any drug. Let his body be painted in the history of the whole witchkind and his dark past.''
''Let him be smart enough to hold a conversation that doesn't include boobs or sports. Let him be charming as one of the demons from Hel. And let him know exactly where the f*ck the clit is and what to do with it.''

What a description, bravo! Every reader would swoon over this. Great job Karolina! 👌 My only wish about Rogue is this - he could have been used more. Creating conflict between Alecto and Blaze, or just causing havoc. There was so much potential for him. I hope we will see it play out in the next book.

House of Pain is many things - over the top, bloody, sexy, drama-loving, and ruthless. You will indeed find some traits inspired by Zodiac Academy, Harry Potter and Manacled. Occasionally I felt that story was rushed and lacked depth or execution. The idea was there, but it was not fully explored. You will get some twists and turns, some revelations, betrayals, and heavy bullying. Students who are attending this school are unhinged and wicked. It's a game of survival there for sure.

The first book was pretty much centered around Alecto, who is half witch and Blaze, who is pureblood. I will not describe what happens between these two, but it's self-destructing. There's a lot of biting, harsh words, swearing and f*cking. They have their own dark secrets and trauma to deal with, but we only get a glimpse of it.

The rest of the characters were there and that's it. Doing their own thing, being sketchy, being helpful, being loyal and crazy. And they sure do love alcohol and parties.

I wish that we got more background for their first year, or more information about their parents. It could have been developed more - especially how long this book was. But if you like gothic setting, drama, witchcraft, magic, monsters and gods, just give this a go!

Thank you to Karolina Wilde, publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a combination of Harry Potter meets Cruel Intentions. I felt the character development was nice and the world building, while minimal, was enough to help tell the story. In a saturated genre like fantasy romance, I felt that this story stood out and didn't really feel like a retelling of another story. There was one thing that didn't work for me though. I was unsure who the antagonist was. There wasn't a clear group or individual that was the enemy. It kind of felt like almost everyone could have been the enemy. There were also some editing errors that could be fixed like missing or repetitive words in places.

Thank you for sending me this ARC, all opinions are my own

This book has a lot of potential and definitely would be a hit for the lovers of Zodiac Academy. I think I struggled to understand where this book was going for the majority of it, and thats why the rating is low. I could not get over how forced the writing felt and it would leave me with a headache after.

There is potential in the plot and the story, but I would definitely say that it need better editing and maybe less of "assumed we'll understand" info dump at the start, like I still don't really know/care who is who in this book.

I had such high hopes after reading the blurb but its just a no for me personally.

House of Pain is a dark, fantasy romance with extremely flawed and devious characters. While I admit it's probably not a book for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely had Gossip Girl vibes and lots of spice. I found both of the main characters to be well-developed, and I liked getting to know the side characters. I flew through this book and cannot wait for the sequel!

I really liked the concept of this book, and am always up for an adult version of Harry Potter. I liked the way the book introduced the ensemble of characters and the dialogue was done well. However, I struggled with the writing style for a couple reasons. First, the book opens in medias res, which is usually a great way to start a book. But here, doing so created a lot of confusion for me as to who the main characters were, what was driving the plot of the book, and why I should care. None of the characters came off particularly likable, which seems to be the point, but I need to like at least one person to want to keep going and find out what happens to them. Second, there was a lot of telling rather than showing, and the parts that were shown probably could have been described better. For example, there would be a short bit of dialogue and then a lengthy internal monologue where the character fills in the reader on lots of backstory. This bogged down the pacing and added another layer of confusion for me. Third, I didn't understand the point of the early bullying and crudeness. I love a steamy romance, and even a bully romance, but some of the foul language, discussions and scenes felt forced and unnecessary. Overall, I felt that this book could have gone through another round of editing as it felt half-baked but I love the concept and look forward to seeing how this author develops in future works.

Roses are red, violets are blue, the nickname Blazy I’d like to sue

3.5 stars, rounded up

This is Zodiac Academy with fewer details, more sex, and a morally gray heroine. This is important because morally gray heroines are my life force.

Before I continue, let me just tell you how I fell down and literally died when this super hot demon came in and revealed his name is ✨ Rogue Smolder ✨ I was shook. I need more Rogue.

"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."

That’s Rogue for you, right there. And I’m firmly standing up for these priorities.

This book dove straight into business, the heroine is in her second school year, with most characters already close or familiar with one another. I don’t see this often, but I actually appreciated getting the facts along the way instead of some classic info dumping. But (and this is rich coming from me because I’m not a fan of flashbacks) I really missed some chapters that explained what happened during the first year. Especially, when it comes to the climate and earlier relation between Alecto and Blaze. In general, I’d like to see more characters and interactions with other Houses. More world-building. It was 400 pages, but I definitely felt it could've been longer.

This book was pretty centered on the relationship between Alecto and Blaze, and I’m not gonna lie, in the beginning I was like why is Blaze so chill this is a bully romance, bring the action 🤡 but it picked up eventually and he didn’t disappoint.

"There are certain things you fucking half breeds are good for. I can’t deny it. Stick with that, why don’t you? It’s what you know best after all."

I’ll always defend enemies with benefits, but more importantly, I’ll always support an excessive amount of revenge. I’m petty AF. I need sweat. Blood. Scheming. Although, Blaze is a simp bully. Dude’s more self-destructive than I am.

3 observations worth mentioning
⌏ Another thing this book has in common with ZA is the need for more editing. Fucking or versions of the word is used so often, that if I’d take a shot every time it appeared, I’d be dead.
⌏ I’m a huge fan of Alecto’s underwear collection
⌏ Blaze needs to spend more time thinking and less time getting wasted

Lastly, I want to give my condolences to all students who got accepted into the most successful academy that exists, to end up being placed in House of Rats

Lots of gross sex, sexual talk and male harassment. No all bad but the plot could use a lot less of the not that sexy side characters.

I’m very grateful to have received an early ebook copy of this book as the synopsis immediately caught my attention.

This is a dark, magic filled story about witches attending a school where it seems like anything goes. Every year there is an event called the Game that each of the different Houses are expected to compete in to come out on top and be the best. Each House works together to get the others Book, and if the Book is taken by anyone else than they lose. These Games are so intense that there can even be deaths that occur.

Alecto is part of the Snake House, and is someone who has always felt like she doesn’t belong, but for the first time she feels like she is starting to find her place with the Snakes. As a half witch she gets a lot of unpleasant reactions and is never fully one of her fellow witches. However, throughout the course of the book the reader can see this connection with her House members grow, as she goes from something of an outsider to a respected member which I enjoyed seeing.

One thing I will say about this book and is the reasoning behind the 3 star rating, is that I really struggled to feel a connection with any of the characters. It took a large chunk of the way through the book before I actually felt like there was anyone, or even just aspects of anyone that I liked. It took quite a while but I did start to enjoy the growing relationship between Blaze and Alecto eventually, when it became clear there was actually something other than animosity.

In order to protect their own Book, the Snake members use magic to summon what they expect to be a Guardian. However, this spell goes wrong and instead they summon a demon. Rogue is the one character I actually liked and wanted more of. I honestly felt like there wasn’t enough of him. However, the beginning of the book started so fast and intensely that it was honestly a bit confusing. You don’t really find out any groundwork laying details in the beginning which is what makes it a bit of a confusing ride to start and I feel like it could have used more details to ease the reader in.

Without giving away spoilers, the ending did make me question some of my own feelings on characters/happenings in the book.

This book is quite dark - something that I do love, so it is not for the faint of heart. There is bullying, and a number of trigger warnings tied with it, so keep this in mind before picking it up.

The blurb for House of Pain drew me in. Gothic Harry Potter, count me in! As others have said, please read the trigger warnings. House of Pain is a dark bully romance. If dark or bully romance isn’t your cup of tea, you might want to skip this one. But if it’s your jam like it is mine, then you’ll absolutely want to give House of Pain a read.

The beginning does start off fairly quick, and it took me a minute to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. Alecto and Blaze have some major chemistry. Also, I really loved the drawings the author had done for the characters in the book.

The book is easy to follow, and the characters are well developed. It has a good level of spice. (The bathtub scene is my favorite!) So, if you like dark academia romance, give this book a try. Can’t wait to read the next one!

House of Pain is described as a Gossip Girl-Harry Potter crossover and I must say that’s accurate. It doesn’t mean it’s well executed though.

Worldbuilding is inexistent. The story is set in Venefica Academy, a college for witches and warlocks. But don’t let this fool you, the book is not dark academia. We know that students attend courses such as Herbalism in Witchcraft or History of Sexuality of Witches (yes, you read it right), where they read erotica (yes, you read it right again). However, students barely attend lectures and let alone study. They are split into different Houses, on which bases we don’t know.
This is as far as the worldbuilding goes, if we not consider all the elements that the author clearly stole from Harry Potter: a forbidden forest, gigantic spiders, dementors, a door that asks riddles.

Moving on to the plot, students in Venefica Academy every year play a game, called Game (wow), which consists of stealing another House’s Book, containing spells reserved to that House. And apparently stealing the Book could lead to the falling of a House forever.
But aren’t Houses just part of an institution, the Academy? Why would they fall because of a game that is played every year?
Anyway, a good part of the story follows House of Snakes members in a series of quests in order to get the House of Tigers’ Book, their main enemy. But when someone steals Snakes’ book they are all surprised and cannot guess who stole it? Please.

As for the characters, there’s Alecto, the main female character, who is an half-blood witch. She fights to be respected, she is in fact discriminated by different classmates. At the same time though, she comes from an important witch family and is part of the Inner Circle, the élite, of House of Snakes, where she is well respected (Andro and Jolene are her friends, while Val admires her as a witch), despite the author insisting otherwise.

Then we have Blaze, also part of the Inner Circle of House of Snakes and the only one who really treats Alecto badly for not being a pure-blood. Blaze has no characterization as his two personalty traits are daddy issues and Alecto, who is quite literally his obsession, with a sprinkle of misogyny. I’m not talking about his relationship with Alecto, since from the presentation of the book I knew what to expect. But, specifically, I am talking about Blaze’s attitude towards his mother who’s described as a “weakling” more than once because she can’t fight his abusive father. So she is “weak” and “fragile” for something, standing up to that man, that not even him dares to do?

The enemies-to-lovers relationship between Blaze and Alecto is well played, even though the whole “I’m bullying you because you’re a half-blood so you don’t deserve respect” could have been left out, I don’t think discrimination was necessary to make them enemies.

Lastly, Wilde’s prose is not bad nor particularly good, but it is prone to repetitions: every few pages Blaze’s eyes are described as dark, black, coal, obsidian-colored and the word “core” during sex scenes is overused. Also, I don’t think it’s necessary to tell the readers what characters are wearing outside of sex scenes.

This book was a spicy and magical romp full of vibey dark academia imagery. I didn't quite know what to expect, as all too often any books that revolve around students at some sort of magical school end up reading like Harry Potter fanfiction, but that couldn't be farther from the truth for House of Pain, barring a silly character name or two.

Both Alecto and Blaze were fully realized protagonist and antagonist, whom I rooted for, from the get go. Their revealed flaws, trauma, and disturbing histories mirror each other in tragic but compelling ways, which makes their central relationship and the ensuing push and pull they have on each other truly believable.

I appreciated the world that Wilde has created, where witches are more demigods than mortals, so there is a flippancy for life and love that adds to the complexity of the characters and the stakes of the story. I'm really looking forward to the other books in this series! Would highly recommend for fans of books like Ninth House.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read copy.