Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

Overall 4.75/5 Plot 4.5/5 Characters 5/5 Worldbuilding 4.5/5

Enjoyment 5/5 Spice Level 1.5/5

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing worked well for the way it progressed. It started off a little slow and picked up steam. It really hit its stride when the story started delving deeper into the mysteries surrounding Anna and Nightfall Castle. The dark academia vibes pulled me in right away; the descriptions of the academy and the world were vivid and helped me to imagine it clearly.

I enjoyed the academy setting and the secret society aspect of it was intriguing. I almost wish there was more of a focus on their classes so that we could’ve learned more about the history of everything but that would’ve ended up being a lot of exposition and more telling than showing so I understand why there wasn’t that level of detail.

Anna as a main character was fun. She is smart, strong and very easily distracted by a pretty face. I’m still unsure of who her main love interest will be. At first I thought this might be a Why Choose? series but I think she will end up choosing. She might have even already made her choice. I don’t even know who to root for anymore but the options are intriguing.

The rest of the characters in this large cast were also very interesting and engaging. They have their own lives and motivations that made me want to learn more about them. Many twists with some of these characters that I just didn’t see coming, and they kept me very engaged. No character felt flat to me, especially the ones that interacted with Anna regularly. As I found out more about them I got invested. I’m excited to see what becomes of them and I hope there’s more POVs.

The world building is fun and immersive, a great start for a book 1 of a long series. The history and mythos feels rich and captivating. Learning about it through Anna’s eyes felt real especially the different ways in which she learnt about it. I hope we learn more about the different customs and culture. I cannot wait for book 2!