Harlow is a fiery, bold 29 yead old forced to return to the magic academy she barely escaped from as a teenager. She is then told that she and her new found classmates may be required to save the world. Being stubborn, loyal to a fault and not afraid to speak her mind, Harlow soon faces opposition and tense situations as she begins to discover a trove of secrets she could never have imagined. Add in unlocking powers, a love triangle that includes a grumpy morally grey love interest, dangerous happenings and the joy of found families and you have the excitement that is Neverthorn.

One drawback for me personally was that despite being 29, it felt to me that Harlow often thought and acted in much the same way as a teenager would. To the point that I was often having to remind myself of her actual age.

This book reminds me a bit of Harry Potter but older, darker and a whole lot more attitude. If you love no nonsense heroines, dark academia, found family, animal friends and slow burn romance then Neverthorn is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Australia for an ARC of Neverthorn!
Overall 3.5 Stars!

This story was engaging from the beginning, with a fast paced and descriptive writing style that really complemented the dark academia fantasy world that Neverthorn is set in. The world building that surrounds this novel is simplistic and easy to understand without being simple or dull.

Harlow and her house are an overall great set of characters with each one being key to some part of the evolving story. Although their ages felt almost unbelievable, especially with the FMC being almost 30 she did not act this way throughout the story.

I did find that some aspects of the story were very repetitive, especially when referring to their quirks and the swearing and that majority of the action happened right in the last few chapters. (although I understand this is to be a trilogy so that makes some sense)

Shannon Mayer’s Neverthorn is a deliciously chaotic blend of magic, mystery, and morally gray charm. Set in a realm where magical mishaps are as common as grudges, the story follows a reluctant heroine whose flaws are as compelling as her potential. The tone is sharp, witty, and emotionally resonant—perfect for readers who love their fantasy with a side of sass and soul.
The academy setting is richly imagined, with layered dynamics between characters that hint at deeper histories and future betrayals. Mayer’s prose balances humor and heart, making even the most fantastical elements feel grounded. It’s ideal for fans of Zodiac Academy, Fourth Wing, or anyone craving a grown-up magical school experience with bite.

Neverthorn was such an immersive, addictive read that I found myself looking forward to picking it up every chance I got. Shannon Mayer has created a world that feels rich and layered, with just the right mix of action, magic, danger, and secrets to keep you turning the pages.

I loved the story from the start, and the pacing felt really balanced—never dragging, but also giving enough time to build tension and explore the world. One of my favourite parts of the book was the characters themselves. They each had such distinct personalities, and I found myself really rooting for them and caring about the choices they made. Their interactions felt natural, and I loved watching their growth as the story progressed.

The only thing that held this back from being a 5-star read for me was that I would have loved to see a bit more romance between the main characters. You could feel the tension and hints of something more, but it just didn’t quite get there, and I found myself craving a few more of those heart-fluttering moments to break up the high-stakes tension.

Overall, Neverthorn was a strong, engaging read that I would definitely recommend if you love fantasy with adventure, layered world-building, and characters you can really connect with. I’m excited to continue with the series and see where the story goes next!

Neverthorn was a fun read and exactly what I have come to expect from Shannon Mayer, who is one of my comfort authors.

Neverthorn ticked the boxes for me with comedy, a great start to a fantasy story and an academy setting, all while delivery those impeccable found family vibes that I love from Shannon. This one is a slowburn student x teacher romance, but don't let that put you off...our FMC, Harlow, is a 29 year old Neverthorn dropout who is practically dragged back to Neverthorn kicking and screaming. There is a bit of a love triangle being setup and I love that it may potentially misdirect the love interest of the story.

The story was full of mysteries, with some getting a resolution and others yet to be solved. I loved the house structures and academy life...seriously where do I find myself a Mrs Wickersham! Her cooking sounds divine!

Expect brutal lessons and house rivalries along with lots of a twists and turns from this book. Neverthorn was an incredibly fun and engaging read. I am really looking forward to the second instalment in this series.

Thank you so much to Penguin Books Australia for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Netgalley ARC Review.

The story pulled me in right from the start, and the writing style made it impossible to put down. I was completely hooked!

The characters? Amazing. Each one brings something to the table, but Harlow—the female MC—really stood out. She's fierce, determined, and refuses to back down, no matter the cost. And I absolutely LOVE that in a FMC. 🔥

What really impressed me, though, was the world building and magic system. It's all carefully crafted and explained, so you're never left confused or guessing. Everything fits together and has purpose. 🥰

Neverthorn is so detailed, immersive, and full of everything that makes romantasy so addictive. If you're into fantasy romance with a dark academia vibe, you need this book in your life! I'm already counting down the days until book two! 🤩🤩

A strong writing style and interesting characters pull readers into this story, but are ultimately undermined by a plot that just doesn’t gel.

Harlow Daygon is 29, and since dropping out of her magical high school at 16, she’s made a living as a thief. Her heists are assisted by her largely untrained but effective magic. She uses the money she “earns” to maintain a refuge for young people, including a girl who’s effectively become her little sister.

That bond is her weakness. It’s through it that she’s blackmailed to return to school and recommence training. The dark wizard Nocta is threatening the world, and there are those who believe that Harlow and other magical failures might be the key to defeating him.

Right there is the first problem I had with this novel. Who recruits a bunch of people in their late twenties, takes them back to boarding school, and expects them to abide by the same rules as the 13 year olds? Really? Wouldn’t you make some allowances for the fact they’re adults and (mostly) there voluntarily?

The novel is littered with small things like that which made it hard for me to suspend disbelief. For example, Harlow has apparently never seen a photo of Nocta, although he’s been notorious and considered dangerous since his late teens. I just kept tripping over things which undermined the world building, so that I couldn’t really believe in what Harlow and the other members of House Phoenix were doing.

The strong writing style draws you into the story, and the action moves along at a good clip. The overarching plot is pretty familiar, but Mayer’s style is strong enough to keep you reading and interested.

I found the characterisation a little shaky. Harlow did not act like someone who’s nearly 30 and has been looking after herself for half her life. Nor did she really act like someone used to being responsible for vulnerable children. Nor did any of the other members of her House act like the adults they are. Despite this, most were quite appealing characters and it was easy to take an interest in their lives.

There is very little resolution in this novel. It’s clear from the start that this is the first in a series, so I anticipated loose ends. However, there was not even a partial resolution of a subplot. Everything is left hanging.

Ultimately I found this novel unsatisfying. There were too many smaller things that didn’t add up, so that the world building and character behaviour were both difficult to believe. I was frustrated by the feeling that a good story was just out of reach. This was a very readable novel, but it left me dissatisfied in ways that are unlikely to be addressed by the sequel or sequels.

This one took its time with me. I’ll be honest — Harlow is supposed to be 29, but her character read as oddly immature, which made the early chapters a bit of a slog. I wasn’t sure I’d stick with it. Then the tone began to shift. Darkness crept in, the school’s polished veneer began to crack, and suddenly I couldn’t trust anyone — not the principal, not the teachers, not even the housemates.

The anti-swearing spell introduced at the magical school genuinely grated on me. It felt jarring, especially in a world where people use language to express emotional nuance and authenticity. That moment had me questioning whether this story would resonate at all.

But around the halfway mark, something clicked. The tension thickened, plot threads tangled in clever ways, and I found myself hooked — drawn into the mystery and invested in the characters’ fates. And that cliffhanger ending? Absolutely didn’t see it coming.

The found family vibe nudged at my emotions, though not quite enough to break me. Still, there were moments of warmth that gave the story some heart amidst the looming shadows. Oh, and if you’re the kind of reader who notices food descriptions? The feasts described in this book were borderline mouthwatering — a lovely touch I didn’t expect.

A solid four stars from me. I’ll definitely be back for the next instalment!

Dark academia, morally grey FMC coming into power, grumpy very morally grey love interest, looming evil takeover and found family - this book has it all. The story was immediately thrown into a fast-paced gear and the chaotic world was introduced. There was no time to breathe or digest what was happening because so many things was happening all at once. There were twists and secrets coming out on every page and some of them, my god will blow your mind. I think this book is the most perfect in between of Harry Potter and Zodiac Academy.

Harlow, left her magic academy, Neverthorn, years ago after her mothers death because she just doesn’t fit in. Her way of doing magic was always different and she just couldn’t adhere to all the rules. But years later she is being dragged back to the place she hates on the pretense of saving the world from the dark wizard. Apparently she’s the only hope. But how can she be when she cannot even do the basic rune magic? The story evolves around her discovering herself more than she ever knew about her, and also discovering so many dark secrets around her. Will she be able to escape this chaos or things will change for her forever?

I liked the book. It had every trope I love and was a really gripping and intense read. The story was super interesting and the jokes like the curse gag was extremely funny (reminded me of the The Good Place). Really liked the concept of rune magic.

I think my main criticism would be, no way is the FMC 29 years old. She is way too naive for her being a street smart baddie who’s 29! Also this book is definitely YA. And the parallels drawn in between Harry Potter and this book was crazy, to the extent that I didn’t like.

But all in all definitely worth a read! Thank you Penguin books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC!!!

The characters were so intriguing and based on that cliffhanger ending I might need to rethink who my favourites are. I love the magical universe that was created and the nuances of how the magic worked for each character and them trying to find their "quirks".

'There was magic, and then there were fairy tales. One you read before bed for shits and giggles. The other could get you killed.'

Tossed straight into action, this is a fast paced read in a dark academia setting, aimed at those of us who are still waiting for an acceptance letter from another certain school of magic. This is an urban fantasy and it took my brain a bit to adjust to having iPhones and Disney mentioned in the same chapters as rune weaving and magic, but I ended up enjoying the vibes!

In many ways I felt as though this could have been marketed to more of a young adult audience. The writing - mixed with certain things like Harlow's humorous inner monologue; the rune that prevented Harlow and the rest of her house from swearing (the 'duck' measuring did make me laugh); and the little talking animal sidekick - felt like something younger readers would enjoy.

Filled with secrets and lies, mystery, conspiracy, and unexpected twists, this is a fun read. I would have loved more description of the school to help immerse myself in the world. I knew I was in a school of magic, but without a description of its classrooms and dormrooms and grounds, the picture in my head was quite basic.

It was exciting doing the quiz to be sorted into my house, I was fully taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane! I was imagining a world filled with tension between the houses and loyalty to your own, but the houses ended up being mentioned in one paragraph towards the start and not much more.

I did love the unique magic system based on rune crafting and its complexities and rules. The found family vibes between the members of House Phoenix gave a warmth to the plot, with the friendship between Harlow and Fable being particularly special.

I really wanted to love this and although it wasn't quite for me, it was still a fun, fast read that I believe other readers in a different reading mood will really enjoy - especially if they go into it expecting a young adult read.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Australia for the reading opportunity!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Well I ate this dark academia fantasy book right up. Having a FMC that was a 29 year old magic school drop out who now had to return to said magic academy as she was a possible Chosen One, had me right from the start. Yes I do agree with some other reviewers that Harlow is a tad immature for a 29 year old but that girl would do anything for her found family and was also a bad ass at the same time. I loved the rune based magic system that was at the core of this story.
Can’t wait to see what book 2 brings!

2 ⭐️

Let me start off by saying that I wanted to LOVE this and I had good vibes heading into it.

To start on a positive note, it was an easy and fast-paced read and there were interesting/unique aspects that I did like:
- The urban fantasy element and how Neverthorn and the world it’s in intersects with the human realm and the Everdark
- The animal companion and how Bandit was gifted his voice
- The magic system WAS cool, and how, in addition to the runes, people have their own individual power (the Quirk). It felt very Harry Potter-esque in the way people wielded their magic and runes.
- The ending was pretty decent.

However, my biggest issue with this book was that it read like a YA romantasy.

Not that there’s an issue with YA romantasies, but if you’re selling this with a mature age FMC, the writing has to be more mature. Harlow was meant to be 29 years old but she acted like a whiny child and the way she was written was quite juvenile.

Some other issues I had with this book:
-The author tried too hard to be funny. For example, the swearing ban could've been hilarious if she picked the right moments of tension and conflict, but it became really cringey really quickly.
-Why in all that is holy and all that is sacred would you call the main love interest Typhon? It is way too similar to TYPHOON and TYPHOID. 
-On that... What was the actual point of the weird love triangle when Typhon was clearly the love interest? Liam could’ve been a strong side character but his purpose just felt… like he was meant to make Harlow more desirable?
-If the only way you can make your characters interesting is for them to be hiding something or having a secret or some mystery about them, you haven’t written your characters well. Typhon, Liam, Zeed, Phyllis, Tarquinius. Nuff said.

Anyway, sorry, I wanted to love this, but it was a swing and a miss.

🏰
⚜️ Book Title - Neverthorn
⚜️ Author - Shannon Mayer
⚜️ Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚜️ Some Genre/Themes/Tropes: Adult Fiction, Romance and Fantasy

I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is my honest review.

Ever since I read the blurb for this book, I couldn’t wait to dive in. It’s was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025. It’s like a mash up of HP, Mortal Instruments, plus some other academia books I’ve read.

The world-building and magical system are incredibly engaging. I especially loved the use of runes and how hand movements were used to thread them together. It felt visually immersive. The inclusion of ‘quirks’ added another layer of complexity, and I really appreciated the way Liam explained them.

I also enjoyed the house group dynamics that was very ‘found family’.

However, I found the portrayal of the FMC a bit jarring. Given her backstory and age, she’s 29, I expected a more mature voice. Instead, her behavior and internal monologue often felt more suited to a YA academia setting, which was unsettling for me and made it harder to stay fully immersed.

Another downside was the repetitive language and scenarios throughout the book. In particular, the constant use of certain phrases and excessive ‘non-swearing’ even within the FMC internal dialogue started to feel… meh? It took away from some of the more emotional or intense moments.

I would lightly recommend this book to others with a bunch of caveats. I will look for the sequel and definitely will look for other books written by this author as I have loved her other works.

I want to say thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Note (How I rate): One is DNF. Two is got there but struggled. Three stars is a good, enjoyable read. Four is an excellent read and five is a comfort read that lingers with me for life (very difficult to get but not impossible).

Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed the humour throughout the book. I love a bit of banter to counteract the serious parts within a fantasy/romantasy story.

I also liked that the FMC wasn’t a teenager and is closer to 30! It’s nice to read about a woman who is similar in age, so bravo Shannon!

Unfortunately, I did find it hard to pick up for most of the first half of the book. It felt really repetitive and like a whole lot wasn’t happening. It did pick up towards the end, which I did enjoy, but it did take a while for it to get there. I feel Bandit, while I’m sure is cute, he didn’t really add to the story in my opinion.

Typhon & Harlow’s story could have had more to it. I didn’t really feel the enemies to lovers was a true enemies to lovers and it just fell flat. They honestly didn’t spend enough time with each other to reveal their “true feelings” for each other, so it felt somewhat rushed, yet not much happened in the scheme of things.

It wasn’t a bad read but it’s not a book I’d want to pick up again.

2.75 stars