Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I enjoy this author’s works and I was so excited for a dark academia/ competition book. I loved the characters and world building as well. The MC August is full of trauma and everyone who’s had these mental health issues could relate to her struggles. This was full of thrills and twists as much as the last book I read by this author was. The society and its rules were very interesting and if there is another book I’d love to know more!

Thank you for the chance to read this highly anticipated ARC!

A Mastery of Monsters was gripping, full of world building, layered characters, and high-stakes.
From the start, I was pulled into August Black’s search for her brother. The premise is fresh, and the execution delivers on both plot and emotional depth.

While the novel leans heavily into world-building, especially around the society’s structure and magical systems, it never loss me. The action sequences, especially the trials, are vivid and engaging, reminiscent of Hunger Games but with a darker, more supernatural twist.

My only critique lies in the unexpected cliffhanger—at nearly 600 pages, I assumed this would be a standalone, so the cliff hangers caught me off guard. That said, I’m now eagerly anticipating book two and the continued unraveling of the secrets introduced in this first book.

This book had a lot of great elements, I was definitely hooked. August’s back story and her pursuit of finding her brother was definitely a start that will entice a reader to keep going. Once you get to meet August, you really appreciate the bold character she is. I absolutely loved how outspoken, bold, smart and strategic she is. She never automatically trusted anyone, she had already overcome personal problems herself like her eating disorder, pleasing people and be someone she was not., and on top of that we still se her grow by finally accepting help and letting people in.

I was very thrilled by the idea of the society and how a monster must be bonded to a master plus the process it takes to make it. Very complicated but it definitely gives thrill. The conspiracies, the theories and the political schemes within this society made it even more entertaining. There are so many players and you can’t trust anyone. I personally enjoyed how this wasn’t fully focused on romance but more focused on friendship. I was happy to get some answers at the end but all the open questions are there for a next book, and it definitely makes you to want more.

This is a YA book that’s probably best suited for high school and college students. There are some middle schoolers who may enjoy it, but they may not relate as strongly to August and her friends.

This is a somewhat dark, urban/academic fantasy. Fans of Legendborn will find a lot to love about this book, but they should be prepared for it to be darker. It’s the first book in a series (I hope!!), and in introduces a secret college society with monsters. August gets involved initially to learn more about her brother’s disappearance and hopes to find him, but she finds the society has other (often conflicting) plans for her.

To keep in mind when deciding if it’s for you: There is death, underage drinking, some-self sabotaging spiraling behavior, some graphic violent descriptions, and strong language. There is not really sexual content (though there is romance woven in, don’t worry). There are references to the protagonist’s past disordered eating habits, though she has recovered much by the time she’s introduced, and she has a lot she appreciates about her newer body and refuses to be shamed for it.

I probably won’t add this book to my classroom library, but I can picture some students I’d suggest it to. I did personally enjoyed this book, I’m just not sure how many middle schoolers would pick it up. I will definitely be reading the next book, though!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A Dark, Thought‑Provoking Dark Academia Fantasy

Liselle Sambury expertly launches her Mastery of Monsters trilogy with this intense, atmospheric tale that merges dark academia with high‑stakes supernatural intrigue. The novel follows August Black, a fiercely determined teen whose brother and mother have mysteriously disappeared. When August is attacked by a monstrous creature, she’s thrust into the secretive Learners’ Society—where her survival hinges on bonding with Virgil Hawthorne, a shape‑shifter racing against time to retain his humanity.

What I Loved
1. Relentless, Razor‑Sharp Prose & Pacing
Sambury balances visceral action with introspective tension. From body horror to harrowing competitions, every scene lands with emotional weight while maintaining pulse‑quickening momentum.

2. Layers of Social Commentary
Beneath the supernatural thrills lies a sharp critique of justice, systemic inequality, incarceration, and racism. These themes—woven through August’s acerbic narration—add depth and resonate long after the final page.

3. Rich, Inclusive Character Dynamics
August’s arc—from brash loner to spirited investigator—is compelling. Her partnership with Virgil is fraught with uncertainty and heart, while memorable side characters add color and empathy, including powerful found‑family bonds and inclusive diversity.

4. Dark Academia Vibes with a Bite
If you loved Ninth House or Legendborn, this fresher, teen‑driven version should be your next stop. The closed‑door society, competitive trials, and gothic overtones elevate it into dark academia territory with real bite.

What I didn’t Love
1. Length & Complexity
At nearly 600 pages, the story occasionally feels over‑encumbered—introducing multiple side plots and characters that slightly distort the core narrative flow.

2. World‑Building Overload
The secret society’s rules and politics are intricate and sometimes dense—most readers will breeze through the world lore, but a few might find the rules labyrinthine.

August’s brutal trials, the chilling monster lore, and the winding secrets of the Learners’ Society make this an unforgettable series opener. Sambury’s voice—sharp, thoughtful, and full of grit—anchors a story that’s as thought‑provoking as it is thrilling. Minor pacing dips in parts don’t overshadow the emotional gravity and vivid world‑building.

4.5 out of 5 stars — A deeply immersive, socially conscious dark fantasy that leaves you eager (and slightly unnerved) for its sequel. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Simon Teen and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you heard screaming all the way from Norway at like 2am- it was me. Liselle… we need to talk because WHAT THE HECK?? I’m not sure how I deluded myself into thinking this was a standalone, but here I am, unsure where to go from here because holy moly. This was INCREDIBLE. I loved August. She was so strong and fierce. I loved Virgil. He’s so sweet and considerate. I adore them so much. The found family was on point. The forbidden romance was everything. I just can’t get enough. So much so that I may have annoyed all my friends to order it. 😂

The ending of this? Yeah. I’m unwell: I’ve been unwell. I stared at the ceiling for over an hour unsure how to process. I need book 2 like I need air.

Fantasy is admittedly a genre that I'm still trying to get into. This also had elements of dark academia that I enjoyed, but overall it was really had for me to get into and hold my attention. I really don't think it's the book, I think it's more of a me thing. I think this book had good bones, but I think the length of it also intimidated me as a newbie to the genre. I wasn't prepared. I do think the premise of is interested, but I found it hard to keep my focus with the book overall. It was hard for me to connect and I think that affected my experience overall. Because I think this book has wonderful potential I can see myself revisiting in the future. I like Sambury's writing and storytelling, so I definitely want to give her other books a try.

Thank you Simon Teen for this arc!

Wow! I really really enjoyed this one. It was part hunger games and part 9th house. It had all of the fantasy elements that I enjoy. It was academia, games and trials, magic system, magical beings, and of course an action packed plot.

Thank you so much for letting me read this one early!!

To find her brother, August Black ends up joining a society that she didn’t know existed. While saving her brother was the main reason she joined the society, saving Virgil became her secondary reason. Throughout her time in the society, August has uncovered some secrets that are connected to her missing Mom, but what August doesn’t realize is that the secrets are bigger than she can imagine.

DNF at 17%. Slow and boring, and I didn’t realize how long it was until just before I picked it up. I also didn’t find any of the characters interesting.

Black girl magic and actual monsters? Sign me up.

This was my first dive into dark academia, and wow—what an unforgettable introduction. The book delivered everything I didn’t know I needed: secret societies, high-stakes trials, layered world-building, and characters who refuse to be confined by expectations.

At the heart of the story is August, a fierce and determined girl on a desperate hunt for her missing brother. She is battling people-pleasing, mental health, and racism. While also struggling with family issues, including the absence of her mother and brother, and estrangement from her father. Her journey pulls her into a powerful yet flawed secret society—one with a chilling mission: to pair "monsters" with "masters.” It’s a partnership of power, control, and mutual survival... and the consequences of imbalance are deadly. Then there's Virgil, haunted by a monstrous truth, searching for someone who can help him stay grounded. He needs a master to survive—and fast. He has lived most of his life in quiet surrender to his reality but now he has a reason to fight. Their partnership is complex, intense, and filled with tension in all the best ways.

If you're into stories with mystery, meaningful representation, and characters who fight like hell to survive and protect what they love, this one is for you. The plot is full of twists and secrets, and just when you think you've figured things out, another layer peels back to reveal more. I loved every page and already want to reread it to catch what I missed the first time.

Final Verdict: 10/10. Vibes passed. Expectations exceeded. Monsters embraced.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and Liselle Sambury for the advance reader copy for my honest opinion. All my opinions are my own!

Unfortunately wasn't for me-- really wanted to like it and was super intrigued by the premise -- love academia, secret societies, and competitions-- but could hardly get to that part. Got about 33% in before DNF-ing. Tried to stick it out longer, but with this being an almost 600 page book, that was already 200 pages in. It was moving quite slowly for me, with a lot of info dumps in dialogue that were very confusing and hard to follow. There were also tangents in between scenes about other topics or issues that made it hard to keep track of where we were and what was happening. The characters were not very likeable or memorable, with their personalities being all kind of bland to me. I could barely remember the MC's name was August, and she seemed so prickly and rude for kind of no reason, I didn't really understand her POV or internal feelings despite it being first person.

I felt like the description of the book gave a very different impression of the vibes than the actual writing and story. I was expecting something a little more fantastical, or academic feeling, but it felt very contemporary, especially with the first two chapters having to do with clubbing/night outs and taking place in the summer-- it might help to have section distinctions like "Summer" "Fall" so we know when the academic/competition part begins-- the first 15-18 ish chapters before that kind of felt like a really long prologue.

I think it could have been truncated a lot and edited down, and found more interesting ways to explain the magic and society system that didn't get overly complicated or bogged down with terminology. It also made it confusing that the terms used in the society are also real life terms like "Masters" "Doctorates" "Progressives" "Libs" - in theory this could work (at least for the academic distinctions) but I found the rules of magic/monstery mastery really hard to follow and the explanation was via a dialogue info dump.

It's tough to write this cause I had really high hopes, and I have been following the author for a while and want to support her stuff! Maybe I'll try Blood Like Magic or revisiting this in the fall once it's more academia vibes time, but just couldn't get myself to stick with this one.

4⭐️

A secret society developed around pairing monsters with human masters who can control them in preparation for the apocalypse is a wild premise but I think A Mastery of Monsters did it right! August was such an interesting character. Watching her deal with the grief of her mother's disappearance, the fear over her brother's disappearance, and the stress of making it into the bachelor program was fascinating. I loved the growth she went through; she was repeatedly told she was selfish and never thought about anyone else and at the beginning of her partnership with Virgil she still was planning on betraying him. But watching how hard August fought to win in order to keep Virgil and the friends she'd made along the way was so heart warming. Virgil was also such a great character and I loved that he wasn't just willing to take the anger the members of the society threw at him because of his parents actions.

This book covered such deep topics and really showed that the secret society mirrored our society as a whole. Between the sexism, racism, micro/macro-aggressions, and fat phobia, The Learners' Society was ultimately another 'good 'ole boy's' club that is against change. This book being described as Ninth House meets Legendborn was a perfect comparison as August and Co. try to force change.

I did think that the world building was a bit dense at times and made things hard to follow. The fact that there were two societies at the college with their own main characters and rules that end up overlapping was a lot. I appreciated the mystery behind August's mother's disappearance and how it related to her brother's disappearance but it took awhile to get to the point it was important to the main story. As the first book in a series, I think world building is often dense so I kind of expected it. Now I just have to wait for the second book because I need to know what happens next!

Thanks Netgalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing this ARC to me!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon Teen for providing me with an ARC!

DNF. It took me over a month to not even get halfway through. There were so many characters that it was hard for me to keep track of them. The premise was very unique, but it put me in a massive reading slump that I am still trying to get over.

As much as I love Liselle Sambury’s books this one didn’t work for me. The only thing really keeping me invested was the secret society aspect I think the premise of the book was unique… a society of monsters being tied to humans is cool! But the whole thing didn’t feel fully fleshed out.

The pacing was entirely to slow. I was skimming the middle waiting for something to happen. There was so much going on (different factions, characters, plot lines) that it was hard to feel connected and overly complicated the story. The ending left me interested enough to read the next book.

I enjoyed Mastery of Monsters. I think that with a lot of fantasies that are establishing a series you run into the issue in the first book of building out how the elements work and the politics. That can be a little bit of a slog to read through. Unfortunately, this wasn't an exception. The book was on the longer side and did feel long in some areas. That is my only complaint.
I enjoyed the characters. August could be a little petulant and immature at times but I think that was to be expected. I really enjoyed watching her character growth throughout. I also really enjoyed the competition element that was fundamental to the master/monster dynamic. That made for a really fun read. I am excited to see where this story is going. I would definitely anticipate an easier sequel read as most things were established in book 1.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This had a great concept and characterisation, but the pacing felt off and the middle section dragged slightly for me. It feels like it could have been condensed a little more.

This is my 1st ARC read and it definitely did not disappoint! I loved the world building and character development the most. I enjoyed the MC and was rooting for her and her journey throughout the book. I liked the added elements of real places in the book which gave it more of a real world feel. I’m excited to see where this series goes!

I really wanted to enjoy this one—the premise had so much potential with missing family members, secret societies, and monsters hiding in plain sight. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite land for me.

The pacing was surprisingly slow, especially for a story with such high stakes. I kept waiting for the action or tension to really pick up, but it never quite got there.

The writing style also made it difficult to stay engaged. The main character’s inner monologue frequently interrupted dialogue to the point that conversations lost their flow. A simple back-and-forth between characters would get bogged down by pages of internal thoughts, making it hard to stay connected to the scene.

On top of that, the lore around the societies and factions felt overly complicated without enough clarity or grounding. I kept expecting things to click into place as I read further, but I ended the book just as confused as I was in the beginning.

While the premise was intriguing, the story never fully pulled me in.

This was an anticipated release for me based not only on the description, but also on the comp titles, as I immensely enjoyed both Legendborn and Ninth House. A Mastery of Monsters follows a headstrong August, as she joins a secret society to find her missing brother.

I can see why this story was compared to Legendborn, as both have on-campus secret societies, monsters, and include similar themes.

While it did take me several chapters to feel invested, once I got past the 10% mark and began to better understand August's motivations and history, I became enveloped in the story. I quite enjoyed watching the relationships develop between August and the supporting characters, especially Virgil, as it felt incredibly realistic and genuine. I also particularly appreciated the heavy themes woven into this story, including:
- Navigating the pressures of parental and societal expectations and the necessary defiance of these in order to be true to oneself, and
- The implications of promoting "equality" over equity, by downplaying differences and ignoring factors such as privilege, class, race, etc.

While I did enjoy the story overall and am intrigued enough to continue on with the series, I do think there were some pacing issues and wish the delivery of some of the reveals at the end were handled differently.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.