3.5 ⭐️

I initially really struggled to get into this book, the world building was confusing and I struggled to make sense of any of it. As the story built and we were given more information, I felt I could actually bond with the characters and understand the world it was set in.

I love an enemies to lovers trope and although the romance didn’t fully progress, I always love the building of tension and the fighting between the love interests. The premise of spiring and the gladiator type fighting was thrilling and I thought written very well.

However, that ending?!?! God did it leave me frustrated.

I’m hoping for a huge cliffhanger with resolutions in the next book as I have faith in Alistair.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc.

The first 10 chapters or so I was a little confused just because were thrown into the world and it takes a while to get the lay of the land, but after that the story picks up considerably.

The slow burn between Alistair and Hal is excellent, we get plenty of time to get to know both characters, and Hal gets the chance to find out who she really is.

I did not see the ending coming, the world is original, and I look forward to book 2.

A Rather Vengeful Accord is an academy based dark romance with a unique magic system. We follow Hal and Alastair as they compete together – reluctantly – for a places at Penderghast, a renowned school for those in possession of either graver or spirer magic.

I wanted to love this book – the themes are all ones I absolutely adore. Enemies to lovers, dangerous trials, magical academia. However, although I did really enjoy it, there were some things missing for me.

I loved the dark and heavy atmosphere all the way through the book, it was wonderful! The tension between the main characters was well executed, and the anxiety over the trials was also woven into the story perfectly. The descriptions of the locations were amazing, I could easily imagine the places described. I loved the concept of the dual gods and how they interacted with each other, and in turn birthed the two types of magic. I also loved the descriptions of the Eerians – they were suitably distasteful! I also loved the twists and turns, all the way through the book the reader has no clue who can be trusted and what the characters real motivations might be.

However, I found the world building to be very difficult to follow. There was a lot of information given, but I still found it hard to work out exactly what was happening and how the world had come to be the way it was. We get details peppered throughout the book, but unfortunately for me this only led to more confusion. I couldn’t get my head around the different areas of the world, and the different types of people. The different magics are simple to grasp, but the actual way the world worked was confusing to me.

The ending was a huge shock to me – and despite the fact I struggled with some aspects of the book, I enjoyed it enough that I will definitely be reading the next one when it comes out!

Wow, where do I even start with this one? The magic system in this book is seriously something else. I loved how it’s not just about spells and wands but has a much darker, more eerie Frankenstein-like eldritch horrors twist to it.
The two main characters are sharp-tongued, and every conversation feels like a love-to-hate power struggle.
What really hooked me, though, was the unpredictability. Everyone has an agenda, and no one is as they seem. The whole book plays with the idea that every character might be unreliable in their own way, and it leaves you questioning their motives at every turn. And that cliffhanger really delivers.
Can’t wait for book two. If you like twists, dark magic, and morally complex characters, this one is so worth the read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A Rather Vengeful Accord is a YA dark academia story that delves into necromancy, a unique magic system and dangerous school trials.

We have our main FMC Halen our aspiring Graver, who begrudgingly accepts an Accord with her academic rival Alastair, an accomplished Spirer, in order to become accepted into the most prestigious and renowned college, St Penderghast's. An Accord that unfortunately, entails her to abandon the studies of Graving and to pick up the arts of Spiring alongside Alastair.

Hal and Alistair are a surprisingly hilarious duo; I enjoyed their banter and all the scenes they shared (maybe not THAT ending though). The prose was beautiful and the story magically unique.

The worldbuilding and pacing could be better executed (HA!). There was a lot of information dumping at the beginning in relation books magic system, Spiring and Graving, and the two Gods that represented each of those. A lot of unique names and terms to remember that a glossary could be beneficial. I felt that the beginnings exposition impacted the story's pacing; I personally struggled to stay interested until after 25% of the way in, where I believe the story started to pick up.

Looking forward to the next book because THAT cliffhanger. BIG oof! A great debut novel!
3.5/5 star read

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for this ARC.

This was one of my most anticipated releases so I’m more than sad that this unfortunately was not for me.
I had to DNF at 30% but I absolutely do not think this is a bad book.
The setting is quirky and creepy and complements the necromancy well. It’s also a very unique world with lots of creativity from the author.
The way we’re introduced to the world was sadly not my favourite. It feels like nothing is explained even though it would be needed as everything has complicated made up names.
I also really struggled with the characters. I usually can appreciate an unlikeable main character but here there was nothing that made me care about them individually or as a dynamic. The banter wasn’t fun and occasionally there was a very awkward sexual tension between them.

This might me one of those books that either works for you or doesn’t so I’d still encourage you to try it out if you love necromancy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the eARC!

Despite loving Dark Academia novels, they tend to be hit or miss for me. A Rather Vengeful Accord was definitely a hit!

First of all, this book has two of my favourite tropes: magical academia and games/trials. These were executed really well. But what stood out to me were the plot and the magic systems. I loved the concept of two gods, representing two aspects of magic. Necromancy and demons are always fascinating, and I thought this book treated them in a compelling and creative way.

Also… WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?

Now, despite really enjoying the novel, there are a few issues I want to briefly touch on.

Firstly, the characters felt a bit one-dimensional. Even though we're inside Hal’s head for most of the book, I couldn’t picture her outside of the narrative. I know very little about her beyond what was necessary to the plot.

Secondly, the worldbuilding was extremely confusing. I’m not sure if the author was aiming for a Gideon the Ninth vibe, but there was a lot of information dumping, and very little was actually explained. As the story progressed, more details were added, but I always felt like I only had a surface-level understanding of how this world worked and I remained confused throughout the book.

Lastly, some chapters were entirely dedicated to banter between the two protagonists, which really slowed down the pacing.

That said, I really did enjoy this, and from what I’ve seen, this is a debut author, so Brava!
Also, the The Scholomance vibes were immaculate. I’m looking forward to continuing the series. <3

3.5 stars rounded up

I loved this fantasy dark academia novel with shades of horror and romance. We follow graver Hal and spirer Alastair as they battle for a place at St Penderghast, a school for gifted gravers and spirers, and their journey to pass the Crucible once they make it there, in an Accord where they have to rely on eachother to succeed.

The magic system is unique and the book goes straight into it. It was fun picking up information about what exactly graving and spiring is and how they came to be. The use of necromancy for graving and all the eldritch, cosmic-horror type creations were fascinating to read about and made the trials at St Penderghast so interesting and tension-filled. Spiring is basically using swords and something called Acclaim (sort of like lightning magic) to defeat the monsters, called Eerians.

The relationship between Hal and Alastair is very much hate-to-love, although it’s not plain sailing and doesn’t resolve by the end of this first book. It’s very slow burn with zero spice in this first book, which I think worked well with the developing story. Hal is a strong FMC who is quite coarse, sarcastic and dark, and she has to battle for everything whereas Alastair is seemingly privileged, gets everything he wants and succeeds in all he does, but he has hidden depths. It’s a dynamic that works and that shifts as they each get to know each other and situations better. Both are morally grey and I’m here for that!

It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the next book to see how it all resolves!

4.5 stars

"Everyone has their own motives, and it's up to you to wrest them out"

It's concept makes this book a very refreshing read and while there are popular tropes, they build upon the story rather than feeling forced into it. I don't typically read books written in first-person; however, it was executed brilliantly here. I could really relate to the indecisiveness of the MC.
Throughout the entire book I doubted every character's intentions and there were twists and turns I didn't at all expect; though we were given subtle hints alluding to what would happen.
The magic system was a bit confusing at times, but I'm hoping the second book - which I cannot wait for - will clear this up.

If you enjoy dark academia and rivals to allies you'll absolutely love this!

The was such a fascinating read! Very dark, and just such a page turner.
Loved the vibes this books gave off. Would love to read more from this author!

This definitely lived up to the Gideon The Ninth meets A Deadly Education prompt as it’s a perfect mix of them both.

We follow Hal as she reluctantly teams up with her rival Alastair to get into a colleague but not for the subject she wants to study.

I will say I did struggle with the magic system at times as lots was chucked at you and it was hard to remember what was what.

Overall though I enjoyed this and looking forward to the next one!

This was such a fun and quick read, I finished it in one day 😊

The world building is intriguing and the magic system is interesting. I liked the indecision of Hal and seeing both options she was struggling with.

Hal & Alistair are fun together and I don't want to believe the ending, I can't believe it, after everything they have been through.

The next book sounds interesting because of who will be joining them on the adventure 🥰

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A rather vengeful accord is an incredibly cool read. I love Naomi Novik’s Scholomance and this is the only dark academia book that has even come close to giving me the same vibes.

What I loved in particular:
- Hal is exactly my kind of protagonist (and reminded me a little of El), grumpy, and success driven.
- the world building is really well done, we are kind of dumped in at the deep end at the beginning and need to pay attention to learn about gravers and spirers etc but I don’t mind a world that requires a bit of work to get my head around.

St. Penderghast is a world all its own and Danielle Knight has done an excellent job bringing it to life, this ends on a cliffhanger so I will be anxiously looking out for the next instalment. This was exactly my kind of book and I loved every second!

Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Goodreads and Storygraph reviews live immediately, Amazon review will be posted on release day.

I enjoyed this.

A Dark Academia with necromancy and interesting magic systems.

The world building is so interesting! The religion, how ordinary people can have magical babies… absolutely fascinating.

The FMC while naive and generally bad at reading people is interesting and quite likeable.

The MMC is a bit of a dick but it kept him interesting - honestly can’t wait for the sequel so I can find out if he did it.

It took a while for the terms used for the magic were something I got used to and an in book dictionary for it would have been great for clarity.

Where do I even start?! Rivals-to-lovers, academy setting, necromancy 🤌🏼

✨Breakdown✨

The MCs

Absolutely in love with our FMC, Hal, and her determination and ambition that she demonstrates throughout the book. She has her dream, and she will do anything to achieve it. I loved how her naïvety was portrayed as she navigated the world she was suddenly in and how this impacts her during the story.

Our MMC, Alistair, is introduced as a cold hearted, brooding, selfish person, but watching him open up and peeling back his layers was incredible! So many moments where we find something out about him and I was like “ohhhh”

Both of our main characters were so three dimensional, it made it easy to connect with them and become invested in their journey and choices.


The World

I won’t lie, for the first few chapters I had to take it slow and go back and double check as I was getting used to the complex history and world that we are introduced to, however, I was able to pick it up pretty quickly and marvelled at how thought out everything was. I love the clear separation between spires and gravers and how that reflects in the status of the people, the richness of the area and job opportunities.

The Plot

It was so refreshing to see a rivals-to-lovers that didn’t fizzle out within a chapter or so. Our characters both have their end goals, and both fight for them with their might. I loved seeing how their relationship bloomed between their history and ongoing feuds. Especially when forced to work together.

Additionally, it was nice to see that the romance wasn’t a driving aspect to the plot, that our characters acted despite their feelings and that the story would’ve held if romance was removed.

Overview

I only put this down to work (boo) and sleep (overrated), I was captured from the first few chapters and held right to the end, which I am still SCREAMING from. I know peace until I have the next book in my hands.

A massive, massive thank you to Danielle Knight and NetGally for the ARC copy and for letting me be part of this journey, I loved every second

This book has everything from enemies to allies, dark academia, dangerous academic trials, monsters and a unique magic system that had me hooked from the get go. The completely new concept of the spirers and gravers world is a unique and captivating magic system.

Halen and Alistair despise each other but in order to secure their place in one of the most prestigious colleges for gravers and spirers, they must put their differences aside and work together to be in with a chance of being accepted into St. Penterghasts.

The story covers political, social and economic issues in a truly unique magical system with achedemic trials, and the unexpected plot twist at the end has left me wanting more!

Thank you to Daphne Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Graving. Spiring. Necromancy and divine fuelled combat. Welcome to St. Penderghast’s, where ambition is everything and survival is never guaranteed.

This book had so many of my favourite things: dark academia, academic trials, enemies-to-allies tension and unique magic systems. I was immediately intrigued by the world of spirers and gravers especially the gruesome and fascinating magic behind graving (raising corpses and shaping them into eldritch monsters?? Yes please).

Halen and Alastair’s dynamic brought just the right amount of tension. She’s sharp edged, angry and driven by something darker than ambition. He’s all polish and privilege at first glance but their forced alliance slowly peels that away. I loved watching them shift from bitter rivals into reluctant partners and maybe something more.

The worldbuilding had a lot of potential, an elite school with public combat trials, magical hierarchies and hidden agendas. And the final chapters? Pure payoff. I’m very ready for what comes next.

If you like dark, magical academia with a sharp bite, unique magic systems and characters who are just trying to claw their way to power (or back to it) this is a fun, fast-paced read with strong bones and killer potential.

Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for the ARC, this was such a fun read.

A RATHER VENGEFUL ACCORD - Danielle Knight

St. Penderghast’s es una universidad de élite para nigromantes y gladiadores, que promete gloria a quienes logren dominar las artes arcanas del graving o el spiring.

El graving es, básicamente, la nigromancia; y el spiring es el combate con espada impulsado por energía divina contra horrores no-muertos en Coliseos. Halen Kilchoir, nigromante, mataría (juas!) por estudiar en St. Penderghast’s bajo la tutela de su heroína, Mortritis.

Pero la única forma de entrar es aceptar un peligroso pacto con su rival mortal, Alastair Faulton — un consumado spirer, y el exasperante, formidable (y guapísimo aunque estirado) heredero exiliado de la gran dinastía Faulton.

Si de verdad necesitas que te siga explicando la trama es que has vivido debajo de una piedra los últimos 20 años de la fantasía juvenil, y no entiendes el concepto de rivals to lovers.

Danielle Knight os trae una versión más de la historia de siempre. Escuela chunga, presuntos rivales, innecesaria, animadversión, obligados a colaborar, [introduzca escenario con una sola cama para dos personas], él en el fondo no es tan malo, ella no es capaz de comprender la profundidad, la sensibilidad y las heridas que esconde tras su congelado corazón.

Y a lo mejor soy yo, pero se me ha acabado la paciencia con este tipo de subgénero de la fantasía juvenil. Habrá quien os la venda como Guideon La Novena meets Una educación Mortal.

Pero es que es la misma historia de siempre, en un escenario, tampoco demasiado trabajado, aunque con una visión suficientemente oscura de la nigromancia.

Si lo que lo que te he explicado te motiva lo suficiente, adelante. A mí me ha dejado bastante... meh. Quizás porque es un tropo que está llegando a su fin.

Valoración: 💀💀(2 Gideons)

This book is a dark academia novel that leans into necromancy and combat, mixed with a bit of enemies-to-lovers-ish tension, all set within a Hunger Games-esque society that is drowning in politics and the razzle-dazzle of high society that borders a performative extravaganza.

Hal is our FMC, an aspiring graver (I would describe it as a necromancer), although certain circumstances lead her to become a spirer and seek the approval of an abettor, as part of a pair alongside her rival, Alastair. While all this unfolds, she faces a great deal: fighting her nature as a graver, striving for her parents' approval, and battling her own self-sabotaging tendencies and negative thinking (in my opinion).

Alastair: Alastair begins as the rival MMC. He comes across as arrogant and classist in that classic “golden rich boy” sort of way (I love him actually). But as the story develops, it becomes clear that Hal never really gave him a fair chance or a chance at all. We start seeing that his entire life is burdened by certain family dynamics. His somewhat forced alliance with Halen allows us to see their relationship evolve into one built on mutual respect and vulnerability (on his part primarily). One of his advices to Hal, “everyone has a goal,” sums him up perfectly, as he’s doing everything in his power to get back in his father's good graces and reunite with his family.

Romance:
It’s a slow-burn, rivals-to-allies dynamic, with some forced proximity due to the nature of the contest. While the romantic aspect leans more towards emotional tension than affection, it ultimately works in the story’s favour. This approach gives the relationship room to evolve naturally, from rivals to co-conspirators without losing the underlying tension.

Secondary characters:
The hierarchy in this world is so individualistic that any moments of genuine cooperation came as a surprise to me! There are professors with hidden agendas, abettors who are impossibly superficial (very reminiscent of The Hunger Games), and magical creatures who, despite being integral to the world’s history, are viewed as something negative. While our focus mostly remains orbiting around the central duo, a few characters stood out to me and they were Edusa, Tieran, Lourdes and Mortritis (I DISLIKE HER)!

Worldbuilding & Politics:
The spirers and gravers system is an imaginative structure that mirrors class divides and power struggles rooted in a past war. St. Penderghast’s is an academy where students are either gravers or spirers. The rivalry between these two roles is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting aspects of the book. I do think the political structures behind the school and the world itself could benefit from further development, hopefully explored in the sequels?

What really won me over and kept me reading was the setting and the political intrigue, especially the way it blends combat with the aesthetic of dark academia. The plot was so refreshing that I’m so glad I picked it up. And those final two or three chapters? They’ve definitely left me looking forward to diving into the next book!


Rating: 4.25/5✨

Thanks to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company for the ARC.

This book starts with a BANG (well, dead people) and keeps up the suspense and action the entire ride! Such a fun book.

Halen is THAT girl.