First I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC!

This book wasn't it for me. I really struggled with the world-building. Never really got to the point that I understood the magic system. The whole idea of necromancy and death magic caught my attention at first, but I couldn't really figure out how it exactly worked throughout the book.
And then there are also Lord and Lady dieties mentioned constantly. I would have loved to see a glossary to fall back on.
And then there are our main characters, rivals forced to work together.
There's the littlest romantic subplot that is the rivals-to-lovers trope, I do think this was executed well.
I had trouble connecting with the main characters, which made this book difficult for me to read. I literally pushed myself throughout this book and the ending was meh? Overall the writing is okay, but I was very close to DNF the book.
So unfortunately, this book is not for me and I will not continue with the sequel.

*3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for allowing me to read an arc of this book *all thoughts and opinions are my own*

Going into this I had such high hopes as it is set in an academy and has necromancers and magic in it.

I did enjoy this book but it took me a while to get into it as it has a much slower pace than a lot of fantasy books. I found it lacking in world-building at the start, which made it more difficult to get into but it did build on it throughout the book.

I liked following Hals character even though she was naive. I also liked the romance that was building and Alastairs character.

I really liked the school setting and the descriptions of it and the gloomy feel of it in the descriptions, it has definitely put me in an autumnal mood.

The ending has me very intrigued for the second book and I will definitely be reading it when it comes out!

Finally a Daphne Press book that worked for me!

This was just a really fun time. The characters are quirky and fun and larger than life. I loved them all, but especially Hal - she's so prickly and oblivious.

The worldbuilding was interesting and a little bit different from the usual. It starts out confusing at first but more info is gradually revealed as you read (no infodumps, thankfully). The monsters were all pretty cool.

I found the writing delightful, with lots of clever or funny turns of phrases, and lots of atmosphere. I think some people may find it a bit purple but it worked for me.

The ending was extremely cruel in the best way and I can't wait for the sequel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

From the start, the magic system and premise felt different and promising, and I love an academic setting. I am always a fan of a dark academia backdrop, and the gothic slant with the necromancy based magic system were what drew me to the book, and they both delivered. I liked the main characters and their relationship and the slow shift from antagonist to genuine allies (and the slowburn romance). I also enjoyed having a female MC with genuine weaknesses. Hal is frequently naive and doesn’t have a clear picture of her own skills and strengths, and rather than being frustrating, it was engaging to watch her figure things out and find her path.

Once I got past the first section of the book and found my feet, this was a really enjoyable read overall. The tension between the two countries of Glim and Preyburn was very interesting and well explored, and the ending of the book was a twist that genuinely surprised me. I really don’t know which way the next book will take things, but I am excited to find out.

It did take me awhile to get into the story, not because it wasn’t engaging, but because the way the magic and world were introduced was a bit confusing, and it took awhile to grasp what was going on and what the stakes were. I also always find it confusing when it seems as though you are in a medieval (or at least Victorian era) fantasy setting and then suddenly electronic devices and cars are mentioned without much context. The worldbuilding could have been clearer, but I hope to see it expanded on in future books.

Overall, this is a solid dark academia fantasy with a slowburn rivals to lovers storyline. If you liked Divine Rivals, A Study in Drowning, or the Scholomance series, you’ll probably enjoy this book. A great debut, and I look forward to following this author's career.

Thanks to Netgalley and Daphne Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this a lot. My favorite thing about it was the magic system, which is unique and interesting. There are two tiers of magic - the upper class magic of destroying monsters that prowl the world, and the less prestigeous magic of creating a similar kind of monsters by writing runes on corpses. The gravers are grave-robbing necromancers, and the main character, Hal, has always dreamed of becoming one of them.

Hal is excellent. A delightfully dorky, funny, self-deprecating outsider. The writing is brilliant, propulsive, and a strong voice really brings out a very likable protagonist, whose head I was happy to live in for the duration of the book.

The romance is healthy and wholesome. The rivalry is real, and the story played with all my favorite elements of the enemies-to-lovers trope, with some great twists. I particularly liked how there wasn't a great focus on what the love interest looked like. Hal's feelings are throughout respect-based, rather than lust-based.

Very strong debut. I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel :)

First of all I’d like to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Rather Vengeful Accord is a gothic and dark academia fantasy that follows Hal’s journey as a graver ( somebody who is able to raise the dead and shaping them into eldritch abominations ) determined to study under her hero and idol at the elite St Penderghast’s—even if it means entering an accord with her rival, Alistair Faulton, an exiled socialite with a knack for Spiring ( Spiring is the act of fighting undead horrors with divine powered Spires in front of thousands of people inside arenas. ) to secure her place at Penders.

Hal and Alistair’s disdain and distrust of each other was a thrill to read and had me kicking my feet. Hal’s knack for insults is unrivaled and I couldn’t wait to see what she’d come out with next. What I loved more than their enemies era was their journey to becoming something more and learning to trust each other and believing in each other.

The ending of this book had me nearly tearing my hair out it stressed me out that much. I’m excited and intrigued to see where Danielle goes with Hal and Alistair in book two and how their dynamic unfolds.

This took me a while to get into, it’s quite a dark fantasy that blends modern and magic. Hal and Alistair are quirky characters, both with dark sad upbringings and both lonely. Hal’s world of graving doesn’t seem appealing and I am not sure what the future holds for a spirer. I don’t think I invested in Hal as a character and Alistair- that ending has left me uncertain.

I struggled to write a review for this one as I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. It’s described as a dark academia fantasy and whilst it was dark (necromancy - Frankenstein style) I was expecting darker. I enjoyed the rivalry between Hal and Alastair but it would have been nice to have more than just Hal’s PoV.

The story feels like it starts in the middle and I couldn’t help feeling like I was missing something.

The story explains the world and the magic system as you go along. And the ending sets up the next book nicely.

I've finished this book a while ago and have since been struggling to write a review.
I wanted to see what the aftertaste would be after an amount of time has passed.

All in all, this book was not entirely for me.

Yes, there's lots of worldbuilding with immensely intriguing aspects. Necromancy, swordfighting, Dark Academia, it's all there.
And the vibe and humor is Locked Tomb adjacent.

However, apart from vibe, the immensity of the worldbuilding and a killer cliffhanger, there's not a lot that sticks.

The plot is thin, the romance is weak and questionable (lots of gaslighting), and I can't say much else about it.

I'm sure there's readers who will devour this, I'm not one of them.

3/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @daphnepress for the eARC!

#ARatherVengefulAccord #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

A fantastic dark academia novel with sprinkles of romance and horror.

Looking forward to the next novel

Love love love this book. I was so excited when i got approved for the arc and it did not disappoint. Dark academia, magic and fighting monsters. I loved Hal and all her flaws (and witty remarks)

A brand new fantasy romance where a young woman is forced to decide whether to give up her dream of being a Graver (sort of a necromancer, magic wielder) and instead dedicate her education to Spiring (gladiatorial style combat of frankenstein'd dead things) when she is offered a chance at admission to an elite college....but only if she finds an accord with her academic nemesis.

Gripping from the opening, I loved the characters in this book. Hal was completely blind to anything except for her studies - whether that was self-awareness of her actual strengths and weaknesses, consideration of her parentage and the actions of family and friends, or in spotting blossoming romance. While it could have been a really annoying character trait, it actually instead made me smile like she was an oblivious friend.

I hesitated between a three and four star here, because I do think the worldbuilding could have been stronger. There is a LOT going on in this book - a war, social divide which seems to be actively caused by politicians, corruption in high ranks of society - then more immediately, the academy setting, combat and training, the competition to receive admittance and mentorship at St Penderghast's - and then on a personal level - Hal's coming to grips with her decisions between Graving and Spiring, the changing relationship she has with Alastair, and the dynamics with her cohort, her family, and her mentor.
And then right at the end, the tone of the story changes entirely, and we invite an unexpected element of mystery to solve!
It was a lot to take in, and much of it wasn't clearly explained as we follow along with Hal's POV and therefore her limited understanding. I can't say, at the end of book one, whether this is intentional, or a shortfall - all I know is that I really want more information and to see where we're going!
I did particularly love the unique take on necromancy - with half of students focussed on the creation and reanimation of monsters, while the other half are battling them! It made for some really interesting dynamics, and I loved how Hal was totally enamoured with the monsters she was fighting - seeing the beauty and uniqueness of the creations.

I am really looking forward to seeing what comes next - ultimately making my decision a 4 star - and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that my hard copy will have maps of the St Penderghast's College and the larger world, as this might help my visualisation.

Massive thanks to NetGalley. Knight and Daphne Press for chance to read an advance copy.

this is for fans of the TV series Wednesday, without question, as well as for people who have always cherished Harrow Nonsgesimus as their poor little meow meow. Halen Kilchoir is the obsessive, sword-wielding, corpse-monstrosity-crafting mixture of the two. She is driven. She has a mission. She must study the art of graving - resurrecting corpses into undead holy horrors powered by the Spite of her Lady - and do her horrible family proud.

But the only way to actually get into the college of her choice and study under the mentor of her dreams… is to somehow pass for one half of a spiring duo, a duelling pair whose mission is to take down said undead horrors in gladiatorial combat: in an accord. With, obviously, her mortal rival, handsome, accomplished, infuriating Alistair.

With plenty of comic and grotesque college drama, dramatic fights and necromantic tension, this was horribly, ghastly fun. It’s even more entertaining because even though Hal is your narrator, and firmly convinced of her own absolute brilliance, her nature means there are things she simply does not notice. The burn is slow, my guys. It’s very slow.

In the tagline of the immortal Buffy Summers, high school is hell… and so are college applications. Settle in for monsters both human and undead, and some un-serious fun!

This book was such an exciting read! I’ve always loved an Academy setting, and this one delivered in the best way. The world Danielle Knight created is so intriguing, especially the divide between the Gravers and the Spires, it added a layer of depth that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Hal and Alastair’s dynamic? Absolutely captivating. The tension between them practically leaps off the page, making every interaction feel charged and unpredictable. I loved following their story and seeing how their paths tangled.

And that ending… wow. Completely flabbergasting. I didn’t see it coming at all, and now I’m desperate for the next book because I need to know what really happened!

If you love Academy vibes, complex relationships, and a plot full of twists, this one’s a must-read!

Thank you netgalley and Daphne Press for the ARC copy.
This was such a fun read. The book was perfectly suited to my taste.
The story follows Halen Kilchoir, who wants to become a graver, a necromancer of sorts. She is oblivious, has a fascination for the macabre, and there are a lot of creatures in this world that pique her interest, all deadly, all disturbing, most disgusting.
She gets a chance to join St. Penderghast's, her dream school, where her hero teaches, but not for graving, and not by herself. Her fate at the school relies is tied to her rival, Alastair Faulton.
I loved this book.
The worldbuilding was so well done, I could picture the settings so well, the buildings, the atmosphere, the creatures, and the magic system was easy to understand and imagine.
While a lot of characters were introduced, the important ones were not that many or hard to remember. Hal as a main character was infuriating, but in the best way, she made me laugh a bunch of times, but also groan at her more oblivious moments. Alastair was such an interesting character, because we mostly got to see him through Hal's view. I really liked him.
The fight scenes had me flying through those chapters.
With how this book ended I am really curious about how the story will continue.

A Rather Vengeful Accord by Danielle Knight.
I received an ARC of this thanks to NetGalley & Daphne Press.

Another pre order that's been on my radar as ticks many of the boxes of what I like to read.
We've got academia, competition, rivals to allies & some forced proximity.

Set in the brutal halls of Penderghast college, we've for necromancers (gravers) & gladiators (Spirers). As expected each vie for prestige through deadly contests & arcane mastery... YAT!

Hal, the FMC is a fiercely ambitious & determined to study graving & the eldritch horrors. Her dream to study under a legendary necromancer to get access to this rite she has to enter a dangerous accord with a rival, Alastair. Alastair the MMC is of course her opposite, a privileged & accomplished spirer from a powerful dynasty with some grey morals. Their dynamic is tense, the romance subplot is subtle & doesnt overpower the main narrative. Weve for begrudging respect, shared danger & reluctant trust set in a simple but compelling magic system set in lore & politics with a dash of religion.

While the pacing & plot could have been a little faster at times, the character dynamics & academic setting more than make up for it. Im looking forward to see what illumicrate have up their sleeve with their planned special edition as im not a fan of this cover.

Due for plication 18/11/2025

A Rather Vengeful Accord follows Halen 'Hal' Kilchoir and Alistair Faulton as they enter an accord in order to secure admission to St Penderghast's - an elite college for necromancers and gladiators - only to find that what they want isn't as simple as it seems.

The first thing I would like to say about this book is that the writing style is fantastic and I am very impressed that this is a debut book as it feels so polished. There was little to no plot holes (that I noticed), the world-building was well-developed (more on that later) and the characters were all interesting - even the minor ones. It was a really enjoyable reading journey throughout.

Hal & Alistair are interesting characters who are the definition of rivals to lovers, in my opinion. Their relationship with one another was subtle, argumentative, emotional, passionate - basically I have a lot of words and they're easily one of my favourite duos in books I have read. They both have their flaws, and their strengths and both go on a journey throughout the book which is great to participate in.

The world-building was amazing - complex and yet very easy to understand. I enjoyed the grotesque and grusome depictions of parts of the world and Knight really pulled the moody atmosphere out of the bag - no matter whether you were in the Spiring or the Graving part of the college, you felt the change drastically whilst there was still an air of malevolence hanging over everyone.

It's a book I very much enjoyed - especially the magical elements and I find the difference between Graving and Spiring especially interesting. I am very excited to see what Book 2 provides us with as I feel like the world has so much more to offer and so many secrets to uncover. Definitely one of my top reads of 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A highly anticipated read for me this year and while I'm not disappointed, there are a few things that drag my rating down a bit.

Let me begin by saying I thought the plot was really good, the trials and academic settings were exciting, and the story well written. It felt fresh and unusual (at least with regards to what I've previously read) and I found it interesting (and at times quite humorous) to live in the head of our main character and see the world through her perspective. I found myself almost laughing out loud several times at her reverent reactions to what I found to be disgustingly described beasts and phenomena.
The romantic plotline is both sweet and tension-filled in the most infuriating way. It's not electric but it is annoying in best way and you can't help but root for them.

On to what unfortunately drags this book down a bit for me. From the start of this book we are introduced to a lot of specific terms and titles, and I never really felt like I got a grasp on what they all meant. Obviously some things are explained along the way, but since there is such a myriad of them, I personally would have enjoyed a glossary at the start to get a better understanding of, for instance what the different titles meant and provide context for how they fit into the world. I think it would have make the reading experience more immersive and done a lot for the world building. As it is now, it's obvious there is a lot of world building that's gone in to the writing of this book, but not all of it can be satisfyingly explained in the amount of pages we get.

(i do see now that I received a separate glossary in the e-mail, which I wish I had noticed before I started reading. Why is this not in the book though?? I'm hoping it will make it to the finished copies!)

Lastly, without spoiling anything I was not happy with where we ended up. That is my subjective opinion, and a lot of people might disagree, but I'll just leave it at that. Not a fan of the ending.

I want to thank NetGalley and Daphne Press for sending me an ARC of this. All opinions are my own.

Academic rivals are forced to team up to demonstrate that they have the required skills to shine at a prestigious college for necromancers. The world building in this book was definitely clunkier than I like, and I wasn't comfortable with it until I was already pretty far in. The ending was excellent, but getting there was harder than it should have been. I did love the magic system though!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Rather Vengeful Accord is the promising debut from Danielle Knight, a dark academia fantasy that beautifully interlinks necromancy and magical duels to create a tense atmosphere throughout.

Look, I love magical realism, I love fantasy books and I love spooky goings on so A Rather Vengeful Accord was going to be right up my alley. And past me was right, I had an absolute blast reading this. I love that this was Battle Royale mixed with A Deadly Education and that everything that could try and kill them probably would.

The relationship between all of the characters felt genuine and began to feel attached to them all. My mistake. I also liked that the magic system was unique enough that it didn't feel like a retelling of any other magical realism/fantasy book.

Honestly, I wish the book had ended a paragraph earlier, there's just something specifically about the last line that I think was entirely unneeded and probably would have been better being left out. I don't know whether this was left in to satiate the romance side of things but I just didn't think it was necessary and took out some of the impact of the end of the book.

With all this in mind, I am genuinely excited to find out where this series leads and I will certainly be picking up the rest of the books as soon as they come out!

Thank you to Daphne Press and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review!