Review by Booklist Review
After their mother died, Vic aimed to protect her younger brother, Henry, from the dangerous people that she'd claimed were seeking him. When an Elder of the Acheron Order, sworn to protect humans from otherworldly monsters, tracks him down, the Elder convinces Henry to go to the remote Avalon Castle to learn how to harness his innate magical powers. Vic is permitted to remain at Avalon and attend classes and training sessions, despite having no magical powers of her own, and she's soon embroiled in conflicts with recruits who resent her presence and various members of the Order, as well as between the Order itself and a dangerous splinter faction. Soon, Vic finds that she may have more power than she'd ever suspected. Meticulously choreographed fight scenes and a wide variety of imaginative (and gruesome) monsters are highlights, and a genuinely shocking cliff-hanger ending promises more adventures to come. The romance element is too slight to satisfy diehard romantasy readers, but fans of Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House (2019), Holly Black's Book of Night (2022), or R.F. Kuang's Babel (2022) will enjoy.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Putting a twist on the magical school setting, Anderson's rocky debut follows a nonmagical woman who accompanies her younger brother as he is recruited by a monster-fighting secret society. Victoria "Vic" Wood made a promise to her late mother to protect her brother, Henry, and she won't go back on her word, even when the mysterious Acheron Order identifies him as a witch and insists he come to Avalon Castle for training. Though she is unable to perceive or perform magic, Vic garners attention from an Elder of the Order and the head of the Brotherhood, a rival organization, who both knew her mother. As war brews, Vic navigates Order politics and wrestles with her deep-seated insecurities. Vic and Henry's fraught, sometimes codependent relationship is the most fascinating and freshest aspect of the narrative, but, after the strong opening, it's pushed aside to make room for a more familiar plot and underdeveloped side characters, including new friends and a brooding love interest for Vic. Intimations that the Order may not be as noble as it appears add intrigue, but, frustratingly, Vic often misses opportunities to interrogate its problematic history. Anderson doesn't make the most of her promising premise. Agent: Caitlin Mahony, WME. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Vic began taking care of her younger brother Henry after their mother disappeared eight years ago. When a stranger appears, insisting that Henry is a witch of his mother's line and must come and be trained with the Acheron Order--a society of witches who battle the dead--Vic refuses to leave her brother's side, even though she has no power. While a member of the order allows her to stay, Vic faces an uphill battle, as the only non-magical human among the group, and no one wants her there--not the students, not the instructors, and especially not lead sentinel Xan. Soon, Vic discovers that both the academy and Xan are beginning to affect her in strange ways, and she will have to decide how much she is willing to give in a place where power is everything. VERDICT Strong characters and action scenes take this dark-academia fantasy on a long, twisting ride. A great start to a series, with appeal to those who have read The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson.--Kristi Chadwick
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