🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5 stars)

*Assassins, ancient magic, and one cursed prince? This fantasy romance hits all the right dark-academia-meets-mythology vibes.* 🖤🔮💫

In a kingdom where magic is fading and power is hoarded by the cruel, Kiara—a trained assassin with a mission to kill the prince—discovers she may be more powerful than she ever imagined. When she infiltrates the brutal mage academy, secrets unravel fast: forbidden magic, vanishing students, and a connection to the prince she can’t ignore. ⚔️🏛️💔

Inspired by the myth of Nyx and Erebus, this story blends Greek mythology with dark fantasy and an irresistible enemies-to-something-more romance. Kiara is fierce, conflicted, and utterly compelling, and the world-building is rich with magical lore, secret societies, and political tension. 🧵🗝️🔥

Perfect for fans of *Throne of Glass*, *Harry Potter* (with a shadowy twist), and brooding morally gray love interests. This book is Slytherin-coded in the best possible way—full of danger, temptation, and heart-pounding choices. If you’re craving a story where vengeance meets fate, *this one’s spellbinding.* ✨📖🖤

A fast paced, adventurous story following a nameless assassin who discovers she has magic after being sent on a mission to kill the Prince of Ithaka.
This book had me since the very start, i loved how i was immediately thrown into a piece of action, and how it all unfolded as the FMC learnt things about herself she would never have dreamed of knowing.
I feel like the book generally lacked quite a bit in the world building department, and it didn’t have as much of the passion there usually is in the writing, though it was definitely great as a debut novel, and amazing overall.
I also loved the depth to the FMC’s background and the flawless chemistry between her and the MMC.
Overall, this book was quite amazing, i’ll definitely be sticking around to read book 2

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book, all opinions are my own.

I am a die-hard admirer of the fantasy genre, from YA to romantasy to high fantasy. If you mention spells, magical creatures, adventure, etc., I'm all in, especially if it includes references to Greek or Norse myths, which is exactly what happened with Academy of Villains.

The short version is Academy of Villains is kind of like Hogwarts meets Gossip Girl meets Greek Mythology retelling. In this magical, adventure and battle-filled novel, we follow Kiara, an assassin sent to kill the Prince, and Lucian, a powerful prince with dark secrets studying at the Academy of Magic. This is a story based off the Greek myth of Nyx and Erebus, and while some elements are very clearly based on the original mythology, there are some creative twists and turns throughout the novel that kept me completely engaged in the story, and in love with the characters. Although the age range here is YA/new adult with low spice, the depth of emotion and range of development is amazing in a shorter novel. Noteable tropes and themes include MMC is a shadow daddy, "Who did this to you?" "Touch her and x," trials, only one bed, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, fated mates, and MMC would burn the world down for her. There were many highlighted quotes from this book for me, but one really summarizes the key elements of all the characters: "We're starlight and shadow. Together, we're unstoppable"

If you're interested in fantasy with trials and battle, healing from trauma, finding yourself, romance, and Greek mythology themes, this is a wonderful read!

First of all, thank you to Everkingdom Inc. and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book!
I have to say, I really enjoyed this book! It was giving dark academia/ Harry Potter/ Percy Jackson vibes! Our FMC is a baddie, and our MMC....two words....shadow daddy. Two more words...fated mates. I loved the premise and the retelling aspect, and the magic system reminded me of the anime Black Clover, which I love! If there was anything that I honestly disliked about this book, it's that the trials felt rushed. I definitely think they could have been more drawn out, but I still found them enjoyable. This slow burn from "I'm going to kill you" to "I'll kill for you" was delicious, and I honestly can't wait for the next book!!

This one was a slow read for me- in truth I didn’t really enjoy it. It was presented as a slow burn, but that was also hard to believe given that the love interest was so infatuated with her from the beginning. It was also very short, and I would’ve liked to have seen more academy-related scenes (classes, etc). Thank you to NetGalley for this book.

Okay, so Academy of Villains totally pulled me in with the enemies-to-lovers trope (my weakness, honestly). Chemistry between the main characters. Add in the dark, mysterious vibes of the academy, a touch of magic, and the plot, and I was very interested in reading this book.
We meet Kiara, who is an assassin for the Nameless, the King's assassins. She is on assignment to kill the Prince. Kiara would never have thought of being caught by him. She watches him for some time and, somehow, later ends up in the auditorium with the other students. They assume she goes there, but she isn't a student and doesn't have any magic! Later, she is called to the center in front of all. There are pillars for the mages that were. Thought to be extinct, BUT they light up for her! She's announced as a starmage. Starmages, however, have been found and killed because they were believed to be too powerful. Uh oh! Kiara, however, wants to continue with her plan....
It gave me those classic dark academia feels with a romantasy twist. There’s also a solid bit of intrigue going on with some secrets. The story did have a few plot holes and moments where I was like “wait, what?” That being said, the book is still fun, and I definitely enjoyed it! If you’re into dark fantasy with a romantic twist, morally gray characters, and chaotic school vibes, then I’d say give this one a shot. The plot is thrilling and features some plot twists and betrayals. It's got magic, some curses, secret societies, and a blend of Greek mythology, which I was definitely a fan of.

Overall I would consider this like a comfort read. Something to read when you want something predictable and familiar. It gave me Harry Potter vibes combined with a lot of other popular YA series meshed together. For me there was too much world building and not enough attention given to the actual characters and storyline. The beginning seemed to drag on while the end was done so quickly. Don’t regret reading it but don’t know if I would read the next one or not

It should have been easy. You need to kill the prince so that the curse can be broken. But doesn’t go according to plan. You have found out that you are a star mage which seems impossible as you are nothing special. And what is worse is that the prince now knows about your intent.
Kiara knows nothing has changed she still needs to kill Lucian but things are more complicated as they are heartstrings bonded to each other.
To break the curse they need to learn to trust each other or else they won’t survive the trials.
Will the star mage & shadow mage make it out alive? Will they be able to break the curse to save the kingdom?
A good read good characters
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC copy. This is my voluntary review.

I was not sure at first how I was going to like this but I absolutely LOVED the book! The character of Kiara was badass while also having her soft side as we see develop throughout the book and her character bounced of Lucian’s character arc wonderfully. The world building was wonderful and was very reminiscent of Throne of Glass as well as a bit of Fourth Wing in terms of the world and storyline. Ever King made this her own though! And I loved the story she told of a strong woman discovering who she is and what she is!

Academy of Villains by Ever King is an enjoyable somewhat dark academia romp with familiar vibes. I appreciated the blend of Greek mythology and magical boarding school politics—it had potential and was an easy, fast-paced read.

That said, the plot felt predictable and heavily inspired by other popular series. It gave strong Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing energy, with a mythological twist. While this mash-up made it entertaining, it also made the story feel a bit too familiar. I kept waiting for a subversive twist or a truly villainous punch that never quite landed.

Still, if you’re in the mood for a comfort read filled with magic, secrets, and morally gray characters, this one might hit the spot. It wasn’t a bad book—it just didn’t stand out as much as I hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #ARC #AcademyOfVillains #EverKing #DarkAcademia #GreekMythology #MagicSchool #FantasyReads #MorallyGray #BookReview #AmReading #FantasyARC

Academy of Villains is a YA mythology inspired romantasy with a magical academy, dual POV, fated love, a curse, assassins, secret societies, one bed, and everyone's current favorite, enemies to lovers.

On the surface, this feels like the kind of book anyone obsessed with Throne of Glass or Greek mythology would like; however it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Every conversation is a massive worldbuilding dump making it hard to process and so many plotlines are introduced and then dropped. The book randomly becomes Gossip Girl/Bridgerton with the secret scrolls for a few chapters and then it's gone.

Kiara is supposed to be this great assassin except she's not. She fails at killing her target and recognizing when she's tailed. Actually all the assassins are not good at it despite being trained for the King. I get it's for the plot, but it bothers me that they are so bad. Also, the Headmaster makes an offhand comment about her being an assassin. So he knows and is okay with it? I'm so confused.

The book is pretty short and yet has so much packed in. The trials were so fast and a letdown. I expected more. It seemed like we were going to get some sort of conclusion and then the book just ends.

I was pretty disappointed in this. Everything is too low stakes and happening too fast without any real development to get me to care about the characters or plot. I won't be reading any more of this series.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was incredible, the plot hooked me from the beginning, with characters that held depth. The main characters had so much chemistry between them. the plot was incredible overall however i wished that the book was longer as in some areas the story felt rushed and could have been slowed down into a longer novel. overall this is an amazing book and it was a great experience to receive an arc from the author.

So: this is a grate and unique book ! I love the gothic vibes, and the sentient school? Simple love it! I love good morally gray character.. but two ? They made freak out! The tension, the chemistry between them was everything and the angst insane. So, yeah, if you love fast paced books with morally gray characters full of secrets.. well, this book is for you!

Was like Harry Potter but make it only Slytherin. Super fantastic Greek mythology dark fantasy with enemy to lovers, tons of twists and turns and secret societies. Female assassin meets cursed prince in an epic love story! Obsessed with this book.

I would recommend this to our readers who would enjoy a darker and more intense version of Harry Potter in a dark academia fantasy romance setting, with inspiration from a Greek mythology love story, I quite enjoyed this book myself!

Review will be posted April 16th 2025!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Greek mythology retelling of Nyx and Erebus 🖤🔥
Wonderfully done!
We love a SPECTACULAR enemies to lovers always and Lucian and Kiara have the BEST banter and chemistry.
Absolute perfection.🤌🏼

With secret societies 🤫 and a magic academy, I had a blast through every minute of this book and I HIGHLY recommend giving it a read! 👀❤️

Ever King delivers a lush, intoxicating dive into a world of secrets, shadows, and simmering romance. Academy of Villains follows Kiara, a former assassin with a mysterious past, as she infiltrates a prestigious magical academy tied to ancient Greek powers and dark destinies. As Kiara uncovers her latent magic, she gets tangled in deadly politics, cursed legacies, and a forbidden romance with a brooding, tormented prince. 🗡️ Kiara is a Baddie: She's not your typical heroine. A former assassin with sharp wit, haunted past, and serious fight skills — watching her unravel both her power and vulnerability is incredibly satisfying. 👀 Room for More? Honestly, the only downside is how fast you’ll want the next book. It ends on a high note but leaves you desperate for the sequel (and more screen time for the rest of the Raven Society members).

🔥 Final Thoughts:
If you're craving a fast-paced, romantically charged fantasy with morally gray characters, dangerous magic, and a whole lot of secrets — Academy of Villains will devour your weekend. It’s the kind of book that makes you wish you could walk the haunted halls of a magical academy… while kissing a cursed prince in the shadows.

I’m going to be honest, I did not finish this book because of the way there is no real indentation, and just a space for the starting of the paragraphs. I downloaded it on kindle unlimited as well as I wasn’t aware it was already available and I thought it would be different in the published version and it wasn’t. It honestly made it more difficult to read and it was all I could focus on. I read one chapter and I just couldn’t. I’m sure I’d enjoy it otherwise

Academy of Villains is a dark academia fantasy romance that totally delivers on the vibes—magic, secrets, and a seriously addictive plot. From the very first page, I was hooked on Kiara’s mission of revenge and how quickly everything starts to twist when she discovers she actually has magic. The world is full of secret societies, grimoires, cursed princes, and mysterious trials, and it gave me just the right dose of enemies-to-lovers tension, danger, and dark magic.

I wish there had been a bit more world-building and detail in a few places, but overall, this was such a fun, fast-paced read. If you love a magical academy setting and some morally gray characters, this one’s totally for you. I’m really excited to see where the series goes next!

Academy of Villains
- Magical Academy
- Enemies to Lovers
- Shadow Daddy
- Assassin FMC
- Greek Mythology inspired
- Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing meets TOG
- Dark Academia vibes

I loved that the author weaved Greek mythology into the story in a way that made sense with the story. I was hooked after the first chapter. A fantastic read!
I really enjoyed the FMC as well and the MMC.
I will say, something about this story felt like something I’ve read before. Almost like it took pieces of ACOTAR, TOG, HP, and Fourth Wing and slammed it into a book with some Greek mythology. I mean this of course in the nicest way, because I still very much adored this book, the characters and the story.