Alexis Henderson has haunted my dreams, both waking and sleeping for the past two years, ever since I first read The Year of the Witching.

An Academy for Liars lived up to my internal hype. The character of Lennon is complex in the sense that she has made poor decisions and built her life around those decisions with little remorse. Her relationships throughout the book give the reader a strong sense of how she could be dangerous and the juxtaposition of her between her "normal" family was endlessly fascinating for me.

The way that this book was fantasy but not was interesting. I often enjoy speculative fiction. I do not tend toward thrillers and mysteries, as often I find them to be too easy to figure out but the twists in this were unseen, stunning, and brilliant.

Each character was nuanced as developed well, even those with minor roles seemed like real, flawed people.

I read several other books while reading this one, whenever my anxiety would spike, I would switch over. I also wonder if subconsciously I was trying to draw this out. It is one of those books I want to read for the first time again.

I highly recommend throwing yourself into this world of dark academia!

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkely Publishing Group for the eARC!

This was fantastic. Henderson's books are cuh immersive experiences. She has a rare, atmospheric talent and I feel like it's only improved with An Academy for Liars. Perfect for those who love dark academia being more than just set at at a school, and also for lovers of deeply twisted morally grey characters. So many parts of this narrative progressed in ways I wouldn't have dreamed. Now for me, I do find that Henderson's endings are the weakest parts of her work, including this one, but the journey always more than makes up for it. She's an automatic read author for me, for sure.

Alexa, play Rats by Ghost.

#AnAcademyForLiars:

Thank you @prhaudio @berkley for my free copies! #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner

“Good lies are rewarded with belief. Great lies are rewarded with conviction. In my experience, persuasion is a great lie, well told.”

I originally had the alternate title: Wyatt is trash, let’s throw him away - but it got better after chapter.. 8ish. I did feel very autopilot until we hit chapter 12. After that, it was on. The horror was definitely horrifying, the suspense thrilled me, it was an absolute adventure that I’m glad I started.

I always feel like Henderson wraps up her stories with Rufus wild floor to the petal action in the last 45-90 minutes or 5 chapters. I was thinking I’d finish this book the next day, but there I was gripped at every word at 2:45 AM unable to stop until I got resolution.

The audio was the audio. I personally preferred to read the print version, but it’s not a horrible audio at all!

Overall, Alexis Henderson never misses. This actually be my favorite of hers. (I’m sorry I’m a dark academia sucker. Plus doors to go to places - absolutely yes)

Just released so worth it. Check it out.

Predict text: An Academy For …
An academy for the best of the world’s program.

I love dark academia and I’ve enjoyed Henderson’s previous horror work, so this was one of my most-anticipated books of the fall. Henderson didn’t let me down — I think An Academy for Liars is my favourite of her books so far.

This one follows Lennon, a woman adrift in her own life, as she flees and engagement and is called to join the hidden, mysterious Drayton College.

An Academy for Liars definitely scratched my dark academia itch.  It’s extremely compelling, with morally grey characters and a serious amount of darkness.

My only criticism is that I would have liked more world-building.  I wanted to know more about what the college’s students do with their power after graduating, and what made different people stronger at compulsion than others. 

I especially recommend this one to fans of A Deadly Education or Babel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley / Ace for my review copy of this book.

I’ll start off by saying, I have been in a reading slump these past couple of weeks which definitely affected my reading experience. Not to say the experience was bad, but unfortunately I did struggle through this book.

I’m actually really surprised because I literally devoured this author’s previous works. Nothing gets me flipping pages of a book like Alexis Henderson’s writing.

And that was true for the first chunk of this book. The atmosphere is absolutely phenomenal, it’s eerie and very much dark academia in the best way.

I loved learning about the school and the magic system. Most of all, I loved meeting the different students and teachers and following our main character through the first days in this mysterious academy.

However, I started getting a little bit lost in the plot. While things were happening, I enjoyed what I was reading but didn’t understand where the story is going and what it’s trying to do. There were so many elements to the plot. A romance, rivalry, a murder mystery, a sci-fi element - but no real direction, which made it hard for me to get invested in the story. I also think it was a little bit too long.

I’m so sad I didn’t absolutely love this book but I’m still so happy that this author keeps growing and expanding her writing. This was still one of the most unique dark academia fantasy books and I’m just so excited to see what brilliant ideas she comes up with next 🖤🖤

I have to say that this one really disappointed me. Although I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and the overall premise of the story, I just didn’t jive with the execution of the story. This one felt long and took me a while to get through. I don’t mind world building or a long book, but this one felt like it had a lot of unnecessary detail. And I think a lot of this stemmed from characters that felt very one dimensional and flat. There were many emotional scenes in this novel that because I didn’t feel connected to the characters left me feeling very unaffected. The magic is really the star of this one, and I did love the idea of the secret school that harnesses the power of persuasion in students. Those parts of the story were exceptionally well thought out and created perfect dark academia vibes. I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading this one, particularly if you like dark academia, but I think the characters really do weaken the overall story.

Lennons life is falling apart when she gets a mysterious call. She is invited to interview for a place at Drayton College, a magical school, hidden in Savannah. It’s a place for people who have certain powers of persuasion. There she finds the feeling of belonging, power, friendship and the possibility of love. The longer she’s there, secrets come out and she gets involved with the secrets and magic of the very essence of the school and it conception.

The vibes were great. I loved the atmospheric setting and the power was unique. Dark academia and magic schools never get old and I loved the writing. It was a little slow to get started for me but once it got going I was enthralled. The relationship between Lennon and her advisor, Dante, was just enough. I enjoyed the slow build and anticipation but also not fully knowing who could be trusted. There were a few things not explained but the ending was great:) I’m hoping this leaves the possibility of another book.

Thanks to @berkleypub and @letstalkbookspromo for the arc for review.

3.5 stars

After a series of mental health struggles, dropping out of college and chasing men who take advantage of her, Lennon Carter is ready to end it all. That is, until a mysterious phone call informs her she’s been accepted into Drayton College—a hidden academy where students learn the mystical art of persuasion. With a semblance of direction and purpose, Lennon ventures off to Drayton, only to discover that academic rivals, eerie demons, suspicious professors and many more secrets await.

AN ACADEMY FOR LIARS started off so strong—I was hooked in the very first chapters and intrigued by the mystique surrounding Lennon’s history, hauntings and journey to Drayton… but then everything fell apart. There are few more disappointed in this book than I.

This feels like a classic case of “great concept, poor execution.” The premise is extremely exciting: A secret college, a unique magic system, dark academia vibes, an MC with a troubled past seeking purpose and acceptance. But with all of these elements came a whole lot of confusion, loose ends and unexplained phenomena.

The good:

-Lennon was an engaging main character. I appreciated the ways her background led her to the desperate, somewhat vicious place she finds herself in. She’s a pretty consistent character throughout (some might say TOO consistent by the end), and I rooted for her.

-The magic system was very unique, albeit too unexplored. The idea of persuasion to impact people, animals and the surrounding world is something I haven’t seen much of before, and I liked the idea of classes teaching principles of this concept.

-I found the questions raised about good vs. evil and the role this magic could play in our world interesting. Character motivations varied, showcasing the ways persuasion could help or hurt.

-The ending of the book was action-packed and pretty gripping.

The disappointing:

-Pretty much every character aside from Lennon felt really flat, and in a lot of cases, entirely unimportant. There’s a found family aspect to the story, but Lennon’s classmates could largely be interchanged with one another with little to no consequence. By the end, I barely remembered certain students’ names because they were so undeveloped—but, for some reason, they’d play a major role in an escape, death or plot beat.

-I wanted so much more from the magic system and school. The classes started off interesting, but then the plot flew by and we barely learned anything about how the magic was used. Over time, it became a little too limitless, as well. All of the sudden, people could not only influence other people but also impact matter, persuade entire cities, create full illusions, etc.

-Lennon’s academic growth was unbelievable. When she first begins her studies, Lennon is at the bottom of her class, struggling with no concept of how to pull ahead. But all of the sudden, she’s mega-powerful and being recruited to the prestigious Logos house, which barely showed interest in her prior to their induction ceremony? The “chosen one” narrative was too convenient and didn’t pay off.

-I still have SO many questions. There were entire scenes in the first half of the book that I thought were building up to some big mystery reveal, but they never were discussed again or amounted to anything. Who was the boy Lennon saw through the elevator and why was not mentioning him important? What was up with all the moths? What was the purpose of the Amsterdam scene and the “monster” they ran from? There were so many pieces that felt extraneous to the puzzle Henderson was putting together here.

Ultimately, I wanted so much more from this novel. It didn’t feel tight enough to propel me through the story, and the ending didn’t have the payoff required to feel worth all the mystery. I definitely feel like there are stronger dark academia books to turn to than this.

I’m not sure I think this is truly Dark Academia, but it’s hard to care about that because it’s just a really good book.

This is an interesting spin on the magical college setting, and while it’s a bit short on atmosphere (especially for something billed as Dark Academia), the setting works really well and it has a unique spin that feels fresh. The system and basics of the plot feel a little bit like a less irreverent Magicians or a better-plotted Vita Nostra, but it’s very much it’s own original story in the end.

I liked the magical system here, which is complex without being incomprehensible and fits tightly with both the character development and the story.

And of course, there’s Lennon, a complicated, fascinating, and utterly lovable protagonist. Henderson does such a good job of writing flawed but likable characters and placing them in situations that demonstrate both the best and worst of who they are as well as their ability to evolve.

I would have loved more atmosphere and day-to-day details about the school, but overall this is really well done. I’m now very curious to check out Henderson’s other novels.

I did almost DNF this at one point but I am so glad I pulled through. I think if you liked ms peregrines home for peculiar children as a kid, you'll enjoy this. The beginning felt extremely slow to me and I wasn't super intrigued. I couldn't picture some of the characters and there were quite a few so it made it hard to keep track of. I liked Lennon and I thought the plot was very mastermind. There were totally fall vibes and the school was cool. Around 40% is when it really started to pick up and I flew through but it took a while to get there. For fans of the atlas six and if we were villains.

Creating a well-done, non-ironic story about a secret magical school is not easy - but this book got it right. It is beautifully written, succinct where it matters, and has a plot that, for the most part, holds well.

The "will they, won't they" bit of a romance had lots of buildup with a lackluster resolution, but I didn't hate it.

The book was surprisingly gruesome at times, verging on horror - I wasn't upset about it, and it was fitting for the scenes/to move the story along. I still don't get why Lennon got so much hate for the elevator incident, and no one really mentioned what Ian was trying to make her do.

I enjoyed the inner struggles of Lennon and Dante and their desire to be better people and the fear of not quite measuring up.

The part where we get a story about a minor student being involved with a much older teacher (who is now in a leadership role overseeing this now-grown man - also working in the school) was a bit startling. They also share a child? What in the Letourneau?

I am guessing the boy with the bloody knuckles is William, who was trying to tell Lennon about his fate. I never got the meaning of the moths. Anyone?

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for sharing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Ace books for my stunning copy.

Lennon Carter's life is not so stunning when she discovers her Fiancé with one of her close friends hooking up in the bathroom together on their engagement party YUCK. Lennon takes off, and finds herself in a mall parking lot when she hears a phone ringing from a strange vintage phone booth. When she picks up, she is being told by a voice that sounds just like her, that she has been selected for an interview for the prestigious Drayton College, will she accept?

This book was dripping with dark academia, the character and setting descriptions are just stunningly on brand. The students and professors smoke clove cigarettes, have their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, there is vintage and stately furniture around every corner (not to mention skulls) in these large homes on a Southern campus around the 25th square.

I loved that this world existed on the non-existent 25th square in Savannah, my hometown. It made the setting so much clearer for me, and having a campus set up around a square just makes sense! The descriptions and setting were my favorite part of this book.

This book blended magical realism, dark academia, and horror really well, it definitely can get a bit gory and sinister. I did not love our main character, as she is very morally gray along with a lot of the characters. However, Lennon does suffer from depression and panic attacks which comes through on the page. I particularly disliked the scenes of Lennon falling for her professor, which was on brand for her, just not enjoyable to read for me.

The magic system was also not my favorite but it REALLY did lend it to the more darker magic. What these people can do…is truly messed up. And if you are wondering what it is like without spoilers, it very much is giving Eleven from Stranger Things. Mind manipulation, and LOTS of nose bleeds.

All to say I love Henderson's descriptions, settings, and plots. If you can handle the TWs definitely check this one out!!

Full review:

This is “Divergent” if it was set in Savannah, Georgia and focused on illusion and mind control rather than physical strength training. Just replace trains with elevators.

There’s a rigorous academic environment where the FMC is constantly having to fight to stay at the school and prove herself. The students grades are ranked and shown publicly. She’s also a bit of a “chosen one” and different than her peers. So she’s like Tris from Divergent.

She also has a professor/advisor who’s very intense and kind of rough around the edges. He’s trying to help her and continues to pull strings to assist her in some way. So basically like Four from Divergent. His personality is also the same. He even helps her and cleans her up when her knees are bleeding. (Also a Divergent scene).

Down to the plot line, several scenes, the secretive and mysterious school politics, the threat from powerful school officials that want to control everyone, and the relationships between the FMC and MMC as well as the side characters.

LIKE IAN!! Her competition/enemy at the school. Literally exactly like Al in Divergent. He even tries to kill her in the same way!

I really hoped it would change the further into the book, but as the story went on, it only got more and more similar to Divergent.

I guess you could say that it’s slightly witchy though. The school teaches persuasion and illusion, so it’s almost magical. Although the setting feels less magical and more of a steril, stressful, private school to me.

Aside from that, it also lacked the “gothic environment” that I was promised. So both the story and setting were super disappointing.

I’m not a fan. It’s just not sitting well with me.

I understand that there are stories similar to this (like Fourth Wing) but this one feels too much like a copy of something rather than being its own unique story. It didn’t feel like it stood out enough on its own for me the way that similar books did.

I’m gonna DNF this at 70% because it’s really bothering me. I was trying to push through because “House of Hunger” by this author is one of my favorites.

as lennon’s life begins to come apart, she receives an odd phone call from the mysterious drayton college, a school of magic hidden in savannah. at drayton, she learns how to wield her gift of persuasion like a weapon. she also becomes enamored with her advisor, dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her. as the school year progresses, though, she begins to learn more and more about this secret world she has stumbled upon.

i’ve read alexis henderson’s other two books, so i had some expectations going into this, mainly that this would be a haunting story. i also knew this would have dark academia vibes. besides these two aspects, i really didn’t know what i had in store for me. while these expectations did come to fruition, this book was so much more than that. one of my favorite aspects was the depiction of grief, not only for what could have been, but also for those lost throughout the story. by the end of the story, i was tearing up (which is always a compliment from me).

overall, this story was hauntingly beautiful, and i’d recommend it to anyone looking for a dark academic book intended for adult audiences.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 464 / Genre: Dark Academia

On the night of the lowest point in Lennon Carter’s life, she gets a mysterious call from a phone booth in the parking lot of an abandoned mall. An invite to apply for acceptance to a secret academy offered only to those who have special hidden talents. Talents of incredible psychic powers of persuasion. Is Lennon really one of them? Is it something she should hone or hide?

This dark academia thriller was so engrossing and hypnotic. The characters are intriguing, the storyline intense. I loved it! This one tops my spooky reads list for the year.

Thank you, @NetGalley, @BerkleyPub, and @Lexish for my gifted copy.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Fantasy/ horror 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Such a unique plot- I was hooked in right from the start

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Rivalry and special talents
Dark academia
Secret societies / hidden schools
Morally grey characters
Complex and captivating reads
Side of forbidden romance
Paranormal elements
Academic politics
Found family

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Gregory!
I was hooked in from the start

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
A little slow a times

Thank you to @prhaudio @berkleypub for the #gifted copy!

Dark academia horror fans this is for you! I am Pretty sure I am dreaming about rats. Eek! 🐀 Lennon’s life is falling apart until she is invited to Drayton. Then she learns how to use her gift of persuasion, but is it a gift or a curse?! As she learns more about her teacher Dante’s shady past and the darkness that shrouds her school she has decisions to make. It was mysterious and atmospheric. I loved the school setting and story line. The pacing was just a tad slow for me. Overall a great read! I really enjoyed the audio narrator.

The beginning of this was really intriguing, and I was fully invested in what was happening with Lennon at this mysterious school. From the get-go, It seems like she is a hot mess, and the only thing holding her together is Drayton. She and the other students are learning Persuasion which I found a super unique concept, and Lennon feels like she has finally found something she is good at and doesn't want to let that go, which does cause her to make some pretty poor decisions. But that felt very on-brand for the person we met when this story started and I was fine with that.

At some point after that halfway mark, I started to really lose interest. The romance between Lennon and Dante was non-existent. They had zero chemistry, and really no moments that felt to me like they were on their way to catch feelings for each other. There were a lot of interesting concepts and big moments that happened, but I felt like a lot of it felt like it was left unexplained.
Normally I'm all about vibes in a book, and this story definitely delivered that, but the characters kind of ruined it for me.

“𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝑒𝒶𝓈𝒾𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝒾𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓉𝒽.”

Eerie and thrilling with way more horror than I expected. An Academy of Liars had a unique concept of using persuasion to bend reality to your will. It really made you ask yourself moral questions throughout in a very twisting way.

It took a little bit for me to really get pulled in. With the main characters, I thought the relationships felt disconnected. Between Lennon and Dante, yes, he kept her at arm’s length for a reason, but even when the tipping point occurred I never truly felt a switchover. For some reason, Kieran and Sawyer were my favorites in this. I liked their personalities and the parts they played in the story.

I think there is a really awesome concept here. It is extremely dark academia with a thriller twist that will definitely keep you questioning throughout.

I enjoyed the writing and the development of the characters. The setting felt real and well thought out.