Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for providing me with an advanced e-reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A Mastery of Monsters by Lisette Sambury is an electrifying YA fantasy adventure that grips you from the very first page! The novel kicks off with a thrilling start, which instantly igniting my excitement to dive into its captivating world. I was thrilled that the book sidestepped a romantic theme, instead embracing a dark academia/monster fantasy with a heart-pounding competition. August Black is a standout character: her relentless quest to find her brother and her bold defiance of the secret society’s enigmatic rules make her truly compelling. While the abundance of information about the secret society and competition rules can feel overwhelming, it only adds to the intrigue and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall, it’s an exhilarating read!

A Mastery of Monsters

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)
I’ll be honest, I had a hard time getting into this one at first. The concept of a system where monsters were subservient to masters made me uncomfortable, and the main character came across as prickly and a little unlikable in the beginning.
But I’m so glad I stuck with it, because the character development turned out to be top tier. The story and world felt fresh, and I found myself drawn deeper in, eager to uncover the mysteries and discover who was truly behind it all.
By the end, I was hooked and now I 100% plan to continue with this series. I can’t wait for book #2!

✨ Ratings
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Worldbuilding: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

August is a good protagonist for a teen fantasy novel; self assured, proactive and tough, but not without flaws. I like the setting, a college campus, which can be seen as a bit of a bottle world; self contained and small. Unfortunately, once the plot kicks in, there is an overwhelming amount of bureaucracy to the society, and adding in college stuff too makes even more. I appreciate the author's attempt to create an ancient society, but I lost interest when the rules and regulations began to overwhelm the plot.

This was quite enjoyable. From the character development to the plot, and world building, I couldn’t put this one down!

DNF at 15%

Just wasn’t enjoying any of the characters so I had a hard time keeping my interest in it. Why do they want to party so hard all the time? They just seem too young for this.

A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle
Sambury
adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix Strong character development? Yes Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4⭐️
Thank you so much to Simon Teen for sending me an eARC of this book. I loved the characters from the start.
The strong sense of self that August has. She is such a unique FMC to follow. She has so much love for her brother and I think it's inspiring how she is confident in herself. The development throughout the book is amazing too!
This is the perfect romantasy for younger adults! I can't wait to continue the series!

August Black is not having the best time. Her mom went missing almost a year ago and now her brother is also missing. After a bad night out she ends up in a scuffle with some guys that think they can take advantage of a drunk young woman. She ends up hiding the backyard of some fancy guys house until he finds her and she leaves. The fancy guy turns out to be Virgil Hawthorne and it turns out he needs Augusts help as much as she needs his.

Virgil teaches August about this society of monsters and why he needs her help and promises to help find her brother in return. He is months away from turning into a raging killing monster if he doesn’t find someone to bind with and he thinks August is the answer.

So I was not prepared for the amount of world building information dump that you get in this book, but it’s totally worth it. I liked the story and I don’t think I’ve ever read monsters done this way. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

♾️/5 ⭐️

Perfect for fans of Immortal Dark and Their Vicious Games with a nice twist of looming near-dystopian feels, I have to say this is one of my new favorites in the dark academia genre. Its lore is fresh and resonant with so much commentary to unpack. the characters are raw and realistic. The overall world building is rich in story, enough that I can see this being at least a trilogy.

Personality, originality, an emotional rollercoaster, Sambury touches on so many relatable topics like identity, societal pressure, family dynamics, self image and so much more. A Mastery of Monsters is dark academia gold.

Before his Sophomore year of University, August's brother, Jules, goes missing. The general consensus is that he was overwhelmed with school, and other things going on in his life, and decided to skip town. August knows that is impossible. Jules has been her rock since their family fell apart, and he would never do that to her. Especially considering how upsetting it was when their mother disappeared. Their family spiraled from there. August is one tough cookie though, and she doesn't care what anyone says. She will find Jules. He left behind a note, and although cryptic, she knows he is in trouble.

After a 10-foot tall creature, resembling a mix between a werewolf and a psychotic Easter Bunny, attacks her in the park, she realizes her brother might be in way more danger than she ever could have guessed.

Virgil Hawthorne, a bookish and mysterious boy she met after a night of partying a little too hard, could be the key she needs to get to the bottom of the creatures existence, and Jules whereabouts. As it turns out, Virgil needs assistance with something as well, and he feels like August could be the answer. All she has to do is join the Secret Society he's a part of. The two strike a deal and set out to achieve both of their goals.

I love Liselle Sambury, and this is a great start to an all-new series for her. I am already anticipating the next book. I wouldn't say this was a perfect reading experience, but it definitely intrigued me and held my attention. It's such a nice blend of SFF-concepts, and I loved the complexity of the 'magic' system, for lack of a better word. It's not really magic, but I'm not quite sure how to describe it. Whatever you want to call it, it's so interesting.

Additionally, this contains one of my favorite tropes, a competition, and I loved learning about the politics and factions within this Secret Society. I'm just hoping I don't forget all of the details by the time the 2nd-book releases. Even though I enjoyed this quite a bit, I'm not sure I would want to reread it before picking up the sequel. It's a long one and that's quite a time commitment.

I sort of had this same thought before picking up the 2nd-book in the Blood Like Magic duology. However, if my memory serves me correctly, Sambury did such a sensational job opening up the 2nd book, refreshing the Readers memory without making it repetitive, that I truly had nothing to worry about. I have a feeling this one is going to be the same. Either way, I'll be grabbing a copy of the sequel as soon as I possibly can.

Thank you to the publisher, Margaret K. McElderry Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. If any of the following buzzwords sound intriguing to you, you need to pick this one up:

Monsters, dark SFF, Dark Academia and a competition trope.

4.5 stars rounded up

Disclaimer: I am friends with the author but all opinions are my own!

The first in a series that has a satisfying conclusion to the main plot arc of the book and doesn't leave you hanging, but does leave you wanting more! I love to see that. A Mastery of Monsters is a fantasy dark academia following a girl who must join a secret society to find out what happened to her missing brother. It's a smart take on the genre that interrogates institutions who say they are about equality and inclusivity, and yet in practice fail to live up to that.

You should be aware that there is a LOT of world-building to digest in early parts of the book and it took me awhile to figure out the details of what exactly was going on. That said, I do think the payoff is worth it - this turns into an action-packed, twisty story with a deadly competition and a couple of mysteries at the center of it. Some things are revealed by the end, but we also get breadcrumbs of more to come. It's a fun and layered book that is pretty fast paced once you get into it. I will read on in the series! The audio narration is great, but if you struggle to differentiate a large cast of characters the physical book might be a helpful tool. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

I really loved Blood like Magic, and for me, this didn't quite hit that same sense of magic and emotional connection. I think the biggest difference was my ability to connect to the main character. In Blood Like Magic, Voya just felt so real, with a complex background and competing motivations. Here, August also has some family issues and trauma, but I just didn't really understand her decision making in how she deals with it. I think sometimes the snarkiness veered into just too unpleasant and uncalled for, for me personally, though I am sure some people will love it.

I did, however, very VERY much like Virgil as a character. He's bookish and calm and tortured. Honestly, if this was all from Virgil's POV, I think I might have liked it better. A number of the other side characters were also compelling (Corey!) and I do feel like it was well rounded. I think this did not, ultimately, need to be some 600 pages or so. It moves a little too slowly, and there just isn't enough there to support the length.

Overall, really intriguing, and I think I will probably pick up book 2 to see what happens next.

I very rarely DNF a book, but I couldn't with this one. I stopped reading at around halfway when it was clear this book wasn't for me. I couldn't stand the main character. She was so unlikeable in every way. Her reactions to finding out there were monsters were so unrealistic, and the way she treats people wasn't cute. I don't care how many abandonment issues you have.

I also couldn't get past the premise. People might turn into uncontrollable monsters but… They have to go through extensive tests to be able to stop that from happening? They're just going to do these tests just months before it's too late and take the chance of being an irredeemable, uncontrollable monster? That's your control method? I didn't buy the explanations offered. Maybe more would have come later if I'd kept going, but I was too annoyed. The info dumping I was getting was already too much without giving me the logical reasons I wanted.

The book felt way too long and I wasn't even halfway through. I think people who are big fans of dark academia and monster stories may enjoy this and appreciate the length, but it wasn't for me.

The comps on this one seem to be right on par for once. I love the academia setting with the secret society and the presence of monsters. The world-building was fantastic, even if dense at times. The characters are very well-written. The FMC is black and fat, and she isn’t the only one who brings diversity to the cast of characters, with a primarily black cast. Virgil and August are fantastic characters and the way their relationship builds is phenomenal. Read this if you love dark academia, monsters, and a story that oozes acceptance.

4.5 stars

Thanks to @simonteen for the eARC! All thoughts are my own

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

Mastery of Monsters is a complex, exciting, and loaded start to a new series. I'm hooked. There's so much to come in future books, and I can't wait to read them.

Two little details I love and have to mention from book one: Virgil is a bookish MMC. He's an aspiring English major with a love for post-modern and contemporary lit, a total fiction guy! Second, this book has one of my favorite fantasy tropes: secret tunnels! The presence of an underground, secret tunnel system that only a few know about is deliciously executed in this book.

Big things I love: the unique magic system with its body horror elements, magical artifacts, and system of covenants. I am finding the imperfections and moral grayness of the decisions August the main character has to make (and live with) very interesting and real. I appreciate how Liselle Sambury puts themes of teenage burnout at the forefront of the book. It's so necessary and refreshing to read that I found myself wishing I had this book in the early aughts when I was a senior year of high school and in my first years of college. Watching August choose herself after a lifetime of pleasing others is so eye opening. I'm committed to this series because of August. I like being in her complicated mind, and I NEED to see how she survives everything that's thrown at her.

Ok so I REALLY need to start reading the synopsis. I can honestly say I went into this one completely not knowing anything and it worked 100% in my favor. Yeah this is a slow burn, but because I had no idea what was going on, I was waiting on pins and needles to see what happened next!

Ok so you know I don’t usually like slow burns, but this one was actually good. I needed to know what was happening. And let me tell you, none of what happened I was expecting lol this is one of the coolest most unique worlds I have ever read. I don’t think I ever would have though about something like this being what it was about without me having read the synopsis. It was so weird. So basically, they meet and then out of nowhere she finds out that he’s a monster and there’s an entire world of them tho.

Other than the slow burn, the writing was so good! Sambury put so much into this book that mirrored today’s society and how they treat monsters. It will really have you questioning how you would react to monsters and if you would treat them the same way people are treating us. Which I thought was reflective of how they see us as monsters anyway. There are so many layers in this book and I think Sambury delivered a master class on how to handle them. And the descriptions of the monsters? I want this to become a movie JUST for that. They all sounded terrifying! And they made the vibes for this book more like a fantasy horror. Idk how to explain it besides I would NOT want to meet one of those things in the park, late at night with nothing and no one to tell me what tf was going on

For the narrator, we have one of my all time favorites, Angel Pean. Which is probably another reason I didn’t mind that it was longer. I can listen to Angel narrate a grocery list. She is and always is amazing. I especially love the way she made the tense moments where the monsters were around, actually seem tense. The words set the tempo yes, but the way Angel read this had me captivated. Long and all I finished this in 2 days because I needed to know what happened and because I was listening to Angel lol

I do think it was a bit too long tho. Or it could just be me. Y’all know I’m not usually a fantasy girlie. But it seemed like it was just a bit drawn out and could have used some editing down. But it does match other fantasies out there, so I didn’t hold that against her. I was entertained, and I’ll be reading the sequel.

I wanted to try Liselle Sambury for a while now and apparently I picked the longest book possible to finally do so. But the "Legendborn" meets "Ninth House" pitch was right up my alley and also quite accurate as it turns out. This book is actually very similar to "Legendborn" in my opinion: there's a black girl starting university and getting involved in campus secret societies that revolve around monsters and, possibly, the apocalypse. No King Arthur stuff in here, but if you're a fan of "Legendborn" you will probably like this book too.

17-year-old August Black is spiraling. Her mother disappeared without a trace and her brother goes missing some time after that too. She spends all the money from her unenthusiastic job on drinks and partying and, frankly, has no idea what she's doing. After a horrible night out and an attack by a terrifying creature she gets involved with Virgil Hawthorne and the society he's part of. Virgil promises to help her searching for her missing family members, but only if August joins him as his partner in a possibly lethal competition. Turns out that he is months away from turning into a human-killing monster and in dire need of a partner who binds to him and prevents him from losing his mind. Binding monsters is the whole deal of the society, but monster and master have to pass multiple challenges and tests first. August joins Virgil and the book then more or less only covers her way into the society. She's considered an outsider with no prior supernatural knowledge and she has a rough time to say the least. She's starting intense physical education, she's learning about the monsters and the history of the society and she's supposed to take normal university classes on top of it all. August is under a lot of pressure with the constant feeling of not being good enough and I thought her a very well-developed character. She's insecure about some things but still not ready to please anyone. She's blunt and snarky and she does take no shit from nobody. She might seem unlikable to other people, but I loved her, honestly. She has to deal with literally everything and still has such a strong voice. Virgil, a certified good boy, calm and academic, is a good match for her and they had a great dynamic. There is no romance (imagine that) and instead we get August settling into a new friend group and that was just lovely. I see romantic potential for the sequel, though.

I do have to say that the introduction to the society was a bit convoluted. There were multiple infodump passages and there are so many characters introduced all at once that it was kinda overwhelming. There were way too many side characters to really keep track of, but a few, like Corey or Margot, did stand out and were nice to read about. The different challenges weren't really my favorite either, because some kinda gave child birthday party games, like the corn maze or the egg hunt. The execution of the challenges was good and there often were intense moments with other competitors, but I just wish that the whole setup was different to begin with. The last few chapters were wild though, and I really liked how the old ways of the society were constantly questioned by August and Virgil. Let's just say that the society doesn't go out of its way to actually help the people who turn into monsters and that the system is also prone to corruption. I love it when the main character gets dragged into a supernatural world that's just not the solution to all problems, but complex and rather complicated in its own way.

The book didn't exactly drag, but it was still very long and I think that some scenes could have been cut to make the story a bit more compact. There is a lot of great commentary on all different kinds of topics in here (body image, performance pressure, academic privilege, black heritage) and I think that a shorter book would have highlighted these themes even more. I am interested in continuing in this series, but a sequel hasn't been officially announced yet and I also don't know how well this story will stay on my mind. For now I can call it a refreshing YA fantasy that doesn't rely on common tropes or romance but that still provides an intriguing plot and great characters.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing / Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Liselle Sambury is an auto-buy author for me, so I was thrilled to read A Mastery of Monsters. August has been struggling since her mom went missing. When her brother disappears under mysterious circumstances, August will do anything to find him. To do so, she has to team up with Virgil and enter a world of dangerous magic and monsters. Can August find her family without getting trapped in a deadly competition?

I loved Sambury’s take on the dangers and secrets of academia. The magic system that she has created is incredibly well-thought out and detailed. In classic Sambury fashion, one of my favorite parts of the book is the found family and friendships. She creates such realistic and warm connections. I love how August is a complex character who has to deal with the effects of missing her family. August and Virgil have a slow-burn between them and the growth of their friendship was fantastic. The side characters are compelling and I love the LGBTQ+ and disability rep. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Readers who love dark academia, complex magic systems, and found family will enjoy A Mastery of Monsters.

Thank you to Liselle Sambury, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

3.5 rounded up

First, I enjoyed the monster plot and will always be here for deadly competition. The trials were easily my favorite part and I couldn't read fast enough when August and Virgil were fighting the other candidates and kicking butt.

The author put work into world-building which was nice, but it made the book long and there were times I got a bit distracted. Since this is set in our world, just with hidden monsters and secret societies, I think we could have scaled back on some of the info dumps and just let things unfold.

August isn't a likeable character really, she's so mean to her family and doesn't get much better throughout the story. Virgil is a sweetheart and I would put myself through trials to help him if I could. I also liked the friend group that was formed and they helped pick up slack from the MC.

I'll definitely read the next book to see the Monster's Ball and how messy it gets.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books and NetGalley for the copy.

Liselle Sambury's newest novel dives deep into the world of dark academia, but with her signature twist—monsters, mystery, and emotional depth. Set in modern-day Toronto, the book begins grounded in our own reality, following August, a skeptical, sharp-witted protagonist whose world turns upside down when her brother disappears under strange circumstances. As she searches for him, August is forced to confront the truth: monsters are real, and one of them is offering to help.

What unfolds is a thrilling mix of secret societies, supernatural danger, and a deadly competition that August must survive if she wants to uncover the truth. The world-building is immersive without ever feeling overwhelming—Sambury feeds us information piece by piece, and I appreciated the clarity in how the monster lore and society worked. There’s political intrigue, violence, and stakes that feel genuinely high, especially as August begins to realize how little she actually knows about the people closest to her.

I’ll admit, the book starts off a bit slow—it’s nearly 600 pages—but once it gets going, it *really* gets going. The pacing picks up as August is pulled deeper into the hidden world, and the pages start flying. I didn’t immediately click with her as a protagonist, but I grew to love her resilience, her honesty, and the way she slowly opens up to others. The supporting cast is strong, and I especially loved the budding connection between August and Virgil, her monster "partner" with secrets of his own. There’s a hint of romance, but the focus remains on August’s personal journey and the bond she shares with her brother.

Overall, whether you're a die-hard dark academia fan or someone just looking for a fast-paced, emotionally rich supernatural mystery, this book is absolutely worth your time. It balances world-building, character development, and high-stakes action beautifully—and with that ending, I’ll definitely be first in line for the sequel.