“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.”
An Academy for Liars, Alexis Henderson
(Pretend Shania Twain is playing in the background.) “Okay, so you performed a Jedi mind-trick to get into college. That don’t impress me much.” And that’s pretty much the whole review. The book follows Lennon, a 24-year-old who’s at a true low point in her life after walking in on her fiancé cheating on her. Then in the span of a day, she gets a mysterious phone call, goes to a college interview, and takes an entrance exam. She finds herself accepted to Drayton, a hidden and magical college that’s exclusively for people with the power of persuasion.
And I know you’re like “Isn’t that just getting a law degree?” No! The power of persuasion is exactly like having Jedi powers. You can control people’s minds and wills, move objects, and even create things out of thin air if you have enough raw, natural talent. And Lennon? She’s the Chosen One, so of course she has raw, natural talent! And guess what? Her professor is super hot and super tortured! But he’s definitely a good person, even though he’s teaching students how to use their powers to be sold to the highest bidder.
The saving grace of this book was the moody atmosphere and the actual dark academia aspects. I love the dichotomy of a dark, atmospheric and ivy-clad campus and the students inside having absolute mental breakdowns. I just didn’t click with the plot and its pacing. If you want to read more of my thoughts (and read some spoilers), click here!
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