“The Everling and the Acid King by J. Christie is a wildly inventive and emotionally charged science fantasy adventure that takes the beloved 'magical school' trope and electrifies it with sharp edges and adult stakes… I've been looking for a worthy replacement to recommend in the 'magical school' subgenre. I appreciated the balance between gritty realism and fantastical wonder that this book provides, especially in the emotional depth given to the characters… This is a rare crossover that speaks to teen and adult readers alike… The Everling and the Acid King is an unforgettable, genre-defying debut that fuses fantasy and science into something truly unique and emotionally resonant, and I'd definitely recommend it."

– K.C. Finn, Readers’ Favorite

“Christie stirs up enjoyable comparisons to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters from Marvel’s X-Men comics… the author sets up the fictional world perfectly… Christie is wise enough to leave plenty of room for exploring the setting and characters in future novels. The author also smartly does what few writers remember to do in series openers—resolving the main storyline while also hinting at the future…”

– Kirkus Reviews

“J. Christie’s The Everling and the Acid King is one of those books that’s hard to classify neatly, which is exactly why I enjoyed it so much… There’s sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and humor, and it all blends in a way that works better than it has any right to. I closed the book, still buzzing from it… I don’t know what’s coming next in this series, but I’m in.”

– Kyle Eaton, City Book Review

“Familiar trappings of a YA magic school may at first portend that the story will rehash Harry Potter—but that’s far from what it evolves into, happily for its readers....Christie’s story is satisfyingly difficult to predict; but more importantly, it’s filled with surprising images, confrontations, and interpersonal connections that provide a powerful emotional draw to keep YAs and adult readers thoroughly engaged… Replete with the unexpected, delightful in its psychological connections, and atmospheric in its descriptions of a world these young adults must navigate with new insights, The Everling and the Acid King is an adventure that is hard to put down.”

– D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review