What a beautiful cover! I want it tattooed on my eyelids. Besides the beautiful cover, we have a beautiful story in Endless Anger. If you’ve read the Monsters and Muses series, this is the second generation! This book in particular follows Lucy Wolfe and Asher Anderson through the spooky and dangerous Avernia College. This story really kept me on my toes and had me unsure what was going to happen next. I really loved the dark academia vibe. Besides the story, I thought the ADHD representation was wonderful and very accurate in Lucy’s character. I also love how we watched Asher and Lucy’s relationship progress since they were newborns! It made me feel more connected and invested in the characters. I honestly feel like you should go into this book blind, but I definitely recommend it to dark academia lovers, those who like friends-to-lovers, those who want more ADHD representation, and people who want to see an MMC who will burn down the world for the FMC. Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exhange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this books. The cover is beautiful, the description really drew me in. I’ve seen so many instagram trope descriptions and artwork from others who have already read it. However I had trouble getting through this book because there are so many pieces happening in the story and it’s overwhelming. You have Lucy and Asher and their childhood friendship to their fallout to their coming back together. Then you have the fact that Asher is the son of Anderson’s from the Monster and Muses series and introducing all those characters. Once they get to Averina college, we have college mystery, murder, and secret society thrown into the story. All this and more really slowed down the story and made it harder to get through. It was hard for the author to flesh out so many plot lines. I will say Asher’s pinning and the relationship between him and Lucy, like the actually romance bits saved this story.

This is my first time reading this author, and I don't know if it was this particular book or if her writing is like this, but I couldn't get into it.

Asher and Lucy grew up together, both keeping their feelings towards each other a secret. Even then, Asher is always Lucy's protector and best friend, until he realizes just how dangerous Avernia College is, where Lucy dreams of attending. They end up having a friendship breakup and basically don't speak to each other for 2-3 years. But now Asher is back and protecting Lucy from a college where students keep mysteriously dying and no one is doing anything to stop it.

First of all, these two truly are idiots for ending their life-long friendship over Asher not wanting to attend Avernia. I kept reading because I was intrigued by the family curse surrounding Asher's family, as well as wanting to discover the murders' resolution and to see the romance flourish between Asher and Lucy. Unfortunately, I made it to 44% before calling it quits.

I also lost interest in Asher and Lucy, as individuals and as a potential couple—potential because at 44% there still hasn't happened anything between them in present time, not a glance, not a hint of anything. I could've kept reading without a problem if the story would hook me, but I found the plot to be stagnant most of the time. I thought that with the students getting murdered angle, this book would move at a steady, medium, or somewhat fast pace, but again, not only was it slow, but it was repetitive and didn't feel like it was moving forward.

Full disclosure I haven't read the Monsters & Muses series. This is the first book in the 2nd generation series and is supposed to stand independently. While the parents do make several appearances, I wasn't confused going into the story.

Lucy Wolfe and Asher Anderson have been friends their whole lives. Neither can imagine a future where the other isn't prominently there. When Lucy becomes determined to attend Avernia College, Asher knows he can't go. He breaks a promise he made to her, and what follows is years of separation. When he finally decides to follow her there even he can't imagine what will follow.

I absolutely loved this book! The angst and yearning between Lucy and Asher. Both deeply in love with each other but absolutely awful at expressing their feelings. I will say I was frustrated with Asher. He never even tried to explain why he couldn't go to Avernia or why Lucy should steer far away, too. He does mention why later on but still not happy with him. As for Lucy, she was so stubborn to the point where I was like, yes, this will not end well.

The entire book I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and when it finally did? It's absolutely brutal. I'm going to definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series. I want to see the campus burn because at this point, I'm thinking everything needs to go.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The cover is the best part about this book, and it makes the book seem like a YA or New Adult dark academia romance. The dark aspect was dark in a very disturbing, unnecessary way, and not in a thrilling, interesting way. The "academia" and setting were barely realized. The main characters had potential, but I couldn't enjoy them in this story, and I especially could not care less about any other character. Overall, the writing felt juvenile. I have not read any books by this author before, so I am not sure if typical fans of her work will enjoy this, but I will not be reading any more books by this author.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley — thank you!

This was a solid 4-star read for me — not an all-time favourite, but an addictive, fast-paced romance I’d happily recommend to anyone in the mood for something spicy, trope-filled, and dark.

Asher is every inch the broody bad boy. He doesn’t care what people think, starts fights a little too easily, and only has eyes for one person. Yes, he’s a bit of a walking trope, but in this case it works and it wasn't irritating or anything. His redemption arc landed well for me; he made a huge mistake as a scared teen, then owned up to it and took the consequences to protect Lucy, which really showed the depth of his feelings.

Lucy’s passion for the environment is at the heart of her character. She can pretty over the top with her eco-warrior stance, but her heart is always in the right place. I especially appreciated the ADHD representation woven into her character. It felt authentic and accurate — from the hyperfocus on causes she cares about, to that slightly removed feeling of being just outside the circle most people are in.

The romance starts out with emotional weight, but once the spice begins it quickly becomes the focus. This is very much open door and explicit, and the jump from slow burn to heat is abrupt, but because there’s already an emotional connection between them it didn’t feel out of place. Asher’s constancy throughout — always showing up for Lucy, even when their interactions were prickly — was one of my favourite parts.

The plot isn’t overly complicated and it’s well-paced. It moves quickly without feeling rushed, with just enough mystery to keep things interesting. The dark academia element gives a great sense of setting and the tension in the school that they all feel rather than being an in-depth dive into academic politics or philosophy.

Overall, this was a well-written and entertaining standalone in a connected series. If you’re looking for an intense romance with a morally grey/black hero, a determined heroine, and plenty of spice wrapped in a slightly dark, atmospheric setting, this is worth picking up.

I have been impatiently waiting for this book since the second Sav announced we were getting a next gen series featuring the kids of one of my favorite dark romance series. BUT nothing could have prepared me for the absolute masterpiece this was….I am still trying to pick up my jaw from the floor, Sav did not come to play about these babies.

This follows Asher, the son of the infamous Kallum Asher Anderson and mafia princess Elena, and Lucy, the daughter of our favorite corrupt mayor Allister Wolfe and his eccentric wife Cora, and some of the other Monster & Muses children and families from late teenage drama to the haunted hallowed halls of Avernia College. This was packed full of angst, yearning, secret societies, dark academia vibes and a healthy dose of spice. I fear that this series will only continue to be on an upward trajectory to one of my favorite series as it progresses if this is just book one.

5 ⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Holy mother of all things, this book was insane in all the best ways. First and foremost, Savs mind is truly brilliant with gen twos mythology comparisons (IYKYK!!!!) and once I realized this, it made me love Asher Anderson even more.
Like father like son am I right? 🙂‍↕️

Lucy was such a relatable character throughout this book for me though. As someone who also struggles with ADHD, I felt it in my soul when she would struggle keeping focus in class (and also forgetting to take her meds lol). But I also completely relate to the abandonment issues she struggles with. Asher is all she'd ever known and then suddenly shes thrown into school alone the first three years, all without her person.

I loved seeing the cameos of the monster and muses series couples, including seeing how they are as parents. One thing I gotta say is I'm rooting so damn hard for Foxe and Aurora like I need them bADDDDDD.

I had to DNF this book at about 15% in to the book. Now I have not read the first gen series before this but I got more of a rundown of those couples then I did of the current couple in this 2nd gen series. I just felt no connection to the people or to the story. Again barely know anyone about the story’s main couple compared to the parents. I struggled to even get to the 15%. I’m glad that most people have enjoyed this book. It’s just not for me unfortunately.

A good mix of dark academia and dark romance. The characters were pretty interesting and I think the next books in this series is going to be super interesting and intriguing! I hadn't read the first gen books but after reading this I think I have to pick them up cause Sav does a good job at writing a compelling dark romance! A pretty intense, but still good, story!

This was a solid read. It's definitely a darker read for some while lighter for others. There are scenes in this book that may not be suitable for all so make sure you check the trigger warnings before diving in.

I liked the characters. They already had a connection prior to any relationship which was good, The chemistry between the two is evident from page one. The emotional weight between the two was a good was to show the "drama". I enjoyed Asher's broodiness and his inability to stay away from Lucy, even when she is prickly with him (as she should be). This is a slow burn to spice and when it gets to the spice, its a lot. I didn't find it to be too fast as they already had that connection so it felt natural to me.

This is a fast paced, dark academia book that pulls you in. It has enough mystery that keeps you interested.

Endless Anger was an intriguing combination of childhood friends to enemies to lovers, dark academia, mafia?, and more. This book can't be defined by tropes though. Asher and Lucy have been connected since infancy by a tie that neither of them can manage to break, even after staying apart for years. Their characterization wasn't as deep as I would've liked, but it was still solid. You can definitely tell this is the beginning of a series of interconnect love stories. There was character development and information I really wanted about some of the side characters, but based on this authors previous series and plans for this series, I understood not getting into it in this book. While you don't need to read the first series to read this book, I'm more interested in it after getting a sneak peak of some of the things that happened in the past.
Spice was great. Virgin male characters, simping for his woman. Love it! That's so rare in romance and it made me really squishy. I also loved how invested Asher was in figuring out what made Lucy happy and prioritized that. This book has one of my favorite spicey tropes.
Plot- I am not a plot girlie, I am here for the vibes. The mystery was solid, I was engaged but not overwhelmed. It's part of an overarching plot that I'm assuming will go through the series. That was the hardest thing for me, dark academia is just not my vibe. But any dark academia romance fans are going to absolutely love this.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca. All opinions are my own.

This book was not for me. I read in some summaries that this was a spin off book based on a previous series. Not sure if I have that correct or not. I have not read those other words so this book felt very disjointed to me. The pacing felt a off as did some of the plot event. I felt like events that should have had more build up and a longer explanation were cut very short. Felt odd to have scenes of murder almost seem like a foot note. Aside from that I was just really confused by the plot of the book 🤔. Even when I was over 100 pages into the book I didn't really know where it was going. Overall I think this was a much darker book then I typically enjoy and so it just wasn't my style.

Before picking up this book, I didn't know it was a spin-off. The synopsis had me interested, but I didn't read the last paragraph that mentioned it was part of the series. If I had, I wouldn't have read it—and I would have bitterly regretted it. This book is for those who like obsessed heroes—and when I say that, I mean "OBSESSION." I've never really liked this trope, but the author managed to do it in a way that didn't seem too crazy. I thought the couple had a nice chemistry and it was interesting to read.
I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the eARC.

Where Lucy goes Asher goes too, he knew for years she was his, and she wanted him too, till one night pushes her away, she heads to Avernia college, but soon In her senior year Asher returns, but there's more to the college mystery, murder, a secret society and well Ashers anger isn't the only thing he got from his father! Well written engaging steamy, college, always mine, friends to lovers second generation and more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casabalanca for providing an eARC for this review!

I just love Sav Millers writing style. All of her books are unique and I eat them up every time. This book was so fun and I would have loved reading this for the first time around Halloween 👀 The overall vibes of the story are just kind of spooky and alluring. There were times I was actually creeped out and nervous to turn the page.

The atmosphere was definitely pulling more dark academia and gothic storytelling. It’s centered around this haunted college with multiple different secret societies-more like cult like societies imo. We follow 2 characters (which I was internally screaming because they’re the children of the first gen) who have a very tumultuous relationship with each other. At first, I thought Lucy was insufferable and I was getting annoyed with her antics. But as I got to know her as a character I started to understand why she was the way she was (she’s a neurodivergent character). I adored Asher though from page 1. He was so protective of Lucy and put her before his own feelings and literally only had eyes for her. The romance between them was beautifully done. I thought the innocence between them was captured exactly how it feels with your first love. I usually don’t enjoy slow burns, but this had so many outer forces vying for your attention, the romance kind of took the back burner for me.

The things that go on in this college seriously pissed me off. I was getting frustrated while reading this because of all the injustice and elitism shown. Usually I can see what will happen at the end of the book but with this story I was grasping at straws. I had no idea who was responsible for all of the deaths on campus. There were so many people you could point the finger at. Plus all the “supernatural” things happening? Yeah I was lost until I read the final chapter.

Speaking of the final chapters.. what the? I was bawling my eyes out. I feel like the utter violence put me in shock. It almost felt like I was reading a horror book because the DETAILS that were written had me gagging. Although it was really well done, I grew attached to the character that had suffered (not stating names because I don’t want to spoil it). It was a tough read from 85% on. The ending really wasn’t an ending though. I felt like screaming because WHY would you want to stay at that god awful place. I’m hoping it means that things will continue in the next book. And we get side character books? 👀 I’m honestly dying to find out what happened with Beckett and his brother.

Now to wait until the next book is released..😭

Secret societies. Creepy rituals. A dash of cult energy. That’s basically my catnip, and this book delivered it all.

The romance had me grinning into the pages, slow burn, so much tension, plenty of steam, and fluent chemistry.

If you like your dark academia , you’re going to have the best time.

Captivating and electrifying, Endless Anger is the first book of the Monsters Within trilogy, a spinoff from the original Monsters & Muses series, and follows Asher Anderson and Lucy Wolfe. Asher and Lucy have known each other since they were babies, sharing mutual feelings for each other without even realizing it. When a night of drinking leads to miscommunication, they eventually end up drifting apart and attending separate colleges until Asher ends up becoming Lucy’s RA at her dorm in Avernia College. Through a trail of secret societies, unexplained deaths, and mysteries, the dark history of Avernia goes deep, and Asher is there to put an end to it while protecting Lucy as well as his feelings at all costs.

I loved this book so much. I enjoyed reading about the first generation, so I was anticipating reading about the second generation, and this was everything I’ve been waiting for. Asher and Lucy’s chemistry was palpable and full of yearning and desperation. I loved how Asher was so protective and full of anger and resentment with other people, but was so soft and vulnerable towards Lucy. Asher is definitely his father’s son. He was the perfect combination of a dark and brooding yet caring male counterpart to Lucy’s defiance, obstinacy, and insecurity. However, when they finally put their guards aside and allowed themselves to be honest with each other, their trust in one another enabled them to expose all of their tenderness and vulnerabilities they’d been bottling up and internalizing. This was an enthralling read and a promising start to a new series, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the trilogy.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This one was very interesting. It took me a little while to read it because it was very heavy. There were a lot of deaths and mysteries in the book. Overall though it was pretty good. I did really enjoy it. There was a lot of tension and character building. They were attached at the hip then they weren’t. Ended up reattached with a lot of trauma.

5 ⭐️♾️

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would also like to thank Sourcebooks UK for the proof copy. All opinions are my own.

I fear that this may even be a god tier book for me, because I’m speechless. We’re so back baby!! 🤩🙂‍↔️

Wow, wow, wow!! Miss Miller, you have outdone yourself. Take a bow!! I’m never going to shut up about this book, are you kidding me 🥹🥹

What a phenomenal start to a new series. This has been years in the making! I have been quite literally GIDDY for this book since 2023, when it was first teased that there was more to come from the Monsters and Muses universe. While you don’t have to read the first books which follow their parents, I will say that it does enhance the experience, and highly recommend doing so. Seeing how the children interact with their cousins and their parents really was such a surreal and giddy experience for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was more emotionally invested because, having known what their parents have been through, now seeing them as parents and seeing their children and how happy they all are was so heartwarming to see.

It is a real credit to Sav as an author and to her writing. The way her mind works and her authorship have created a really enriched and immersive universe here. Her world building is so enriching and layered that it feels completely lived in. Every setting, every interaction, every small detail was purposeful, and it all worked together to create an immersive experience that I found impossible to put it down, and the entire time I was reading, I felt like I was inside this world, breathing the same air as the characters, and I really cannot wait for more to come from Monsters Within.

Onto the stars of the show: Asher Anderson and Lucy Wolfe, children of Kal and Elena Anderson and Alastair and Cora Wolfe. You could really see how alike they were to their parents, and the traits they had were unique to them as individuals. Especially Lucy, with how she wanted to be her own entity that wasn’t shadowed by her family‘s name or her parents’ success and persona. Similarly with Asher, he is his parents’ child through and through. He is a well-balanced blend of Kal and Elena. Asher and Lucy have been the best of friends literally from the moment they were born. I really loved the flashbacks to their teenage years. They gave a nice insight into the other characters, their parents, and how they all interacted. Straight from the start, you could see how obsessed and how badly Asher had it for Lucy. I think Sav once said that Leo De Tore was the mayor of Down Badsville, but honestly, Asher Blake Anderson could give his uncle Leo a run for his money.

Honestly, I was rooting for them from the very start. They drift apart due to a falling out and misunderstanding, and I didn’t think Asher could become more obsessed with Lucy, but he did, and I just loved it.

When Lucy leaves for college to start at Avernia, having been sold on it from Quincy (Kal and Elena’s eldest daughter), the rift between the once best friends worsens. Asher has finally had enough, so he does what any obsessed, unhinged, and in love with his best friend person would do: he joins the college as an RA, obviously. One reason I am wholly obsessed, and absolutely love this is because I very much enjoy dark romance, and I also really enjoy dark academia. This delivered on both. Avernia College isn’t all that it seems, and the founding families date back to Kal’s ancestors, adding to the eerie mystery and family curse that is on the Anderson kids. I loved the eerie vibes and how everything wasn’t as it seemed with what was happening at the college.

The side characters in this were phenomenal. I have to give credit where credit is due: Sav is a mastermind. I freaking ADORE Aurora and Foxe; separately, I need to know what the tea is between those two!! And don’t even get me started on Foxe.

My sweet golden retriever Foxeglove Micah James— PROTECT MY BABY at all costs! Listen, I am a Foxe James FANNN. I will never shut up about him! All I hope is that we get to see more of Foxe.

Now, maybe this is just because of how emotionally invested I was in this, but there were a few chapters towards the end that I personally struggled with. I’m not even joking when I say that I cried. I will not be able to think of those chapters without thinking of this book. That’s how much of a profound mark this book has left on me. This really is a book that will stay with me forever because it was just an incredible read, even when it was hard to get through.

I loved how they were both virgins. It wasn’t awkward to the point where it was cringe; it felt very natural, and the spice was spicy and hot. Again, they are their parents’ children haha!

All in all, I had an absolutely phenomenal, incredible time with this book. It was an exhilarating start to the series and it’s left me wanting more. I really can’t wait to see more of the Anderson children, more from the side characters, and of course my baby Foxe!!

Tropes

Dark academia
Childhood friends to idiots to lovers
Grumpy/Grumpy
Family curse
One (dorm) bed
Hidden secrets
Small town university
Virgin MCs
Second generation series