Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Ace
Series: N/A
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 464 (Kindle)
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.
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.
An Academy for Liars has a synopsis and cover that immediately gripped my curiosity the first time I stumbled across it and didn’t let go. This reminds me in so many ways of a combination of Vita Nostra and Lev Grossman’s The Magicians and is going to be perfect for fans of fantastical dark academia and magic school settings.
This follows Lennon Carter, a young woman whose life is falling down around her ears when she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to interview at Drayton College. The voice on the phone, disturbingly similar to her own, convinces her with terrible truths only she could know to drive through the night to interview. Drayton is a school for those gifted in the art of persuasion – a rather mundane way to say that those trained here can manipulate the minds of others and some of the most powerful can manipulate the very fabric of the world to suit their whims. The students, who Lennon meets when she is inevitably admitted, come from all backgrounds – some are legacy students, one was a gas station clerk, one was even a nun.
Classes begin in earnest and Lennon must strive to prove herself or be kicked from the program, with her memories wiped. She must learn to control her power to use it not only when her emotions are fraught but when she calls for it, otherwise she’s next to useless to Drayton. And when a deeper power begins to manifest she becomes something worse – a danger. Lennon finds a closeness with her mentor, Dante, who seems to be the only person who might be able to help her control her powers. Getting the hots for someone older and with a brighter star than her own seems to be the norm for Lennon. It’s kind of interesting to see her be somewhat disappointed in herself for falling back into an old pattern and yet doing it anyway.
Lennon is an extremely flawed, damaged character and this manifests at every turn of the page. Her various flings to fill the void, her out of control emotions, and even her own power serve to make her something of an anti-hero. She might save the day, but that doesn’t make her a good person (or even really a bad one). I think the story really helps highlight how a person might change and act when they have such dramatic power at their fingertips. Lennon uses her power for her own purposes and advantages, only feeling bad about it after she’s done it to someone close to her and then she does it again.
I really loved An Academy for Liars and it perfectly scratched that fantastical dark academia itch. The students are quite competitive, especially when fighting for a potential place in Logos, the exclusive group of the most promising students. There are flings and rivalries, plenty of classroom scenes, but there are some very personal and even very violent scenes mixed in as well that really help balance the story overall. This is a standalone with an ending that wraps up in a tremendously satisfying way and I have a new desire to go back and check out Alexis Henderson’s backlist.
Powder & Page 
I’m still reading this and struggling a bit, but I’m anxious to get back to it, especially seeing your high rating. I’m glad you loved it so much!
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