If you love the idea of portal fantasy, magical schools, and power from the ground up, you have to read An Academy for Liars. As someone who’s enjoyed Alexis Henderson books in the past, this was a must read for me! Keep reading this book review of An Academy for Liars for my full thoughts.
Summary
Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.
Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.
After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.
As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton college, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it’s a test she’s terrified she is going to fail.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
An Academy for Liars is about power. About the powers of persuasion, power in the wrong hand, and learning to use our powers. With an academic feeling to it, An Academy for Liars delivers scenes of magical trials with deadly consequences. Of training our powers into sharp edges and wielded weapons. It reminds you of how dangerous persuasion can be and what would happen if it falls into the wrong hands. What would we do if we could stand in the way? But what would we give up in return?
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Because while it’s very much a story about chasing power, it’s also about what power will take from us. There’s an allure to wanting to be seen. To matter enough to make an impact. But it also demands a price. An Academy for Liars is full of shadowy corners, dark secrets in dead silence, and the dangers unspoken. Brilliance often demands casualties. And in An Academy for Liars I was thrilled by the way it turns into a story about rot within academia, about institutions held up with silent obedience.
Find An Academy for Liars on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.