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Saving the Soule Coven starts with saving one statue from the academy – but its walls are impenetrable, and Madison is being hunted.

After a painful betrayal and a frightening encounter with her pursuers, Madison’s at a dead end. As she risks detection and death to pursue a Salem urban legend connected to the statues, Madison finds the clues she needs…and unravels some family secrets she never wanted to know.

Haunted by her discoveries, Madison realizes she and her friends can’t rival the power of La Voisin alone – but if they step aside, the entire supernatural community will be doomed. To have any hope of winning this fight, Madison must walk into a den of gods and somehow convince them to help instead of taking her life.

But even that might not be enough to breach the defenses of La Voisin, where deadly magic lurks darker than ever.

Fans of Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight and Bella Forrest’s Harley Merlin series will devour Veronica Shade’s Academy of the Damned series.

Scroll up and one-click to continue reading this slow burn paranormal academy romance today!

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2020

205 people are currently reading
221 people want to read

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Veronica Shade

12 books57 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
Profile Image for Debbie Eyre.
5,918 reviews116 followers
January 23, 2021
I love this series! It’s well written and entertaining and as the story progresses through each book it just gets better and better. There’s action, adventure, betrayal, twists and turns and a slow burn romance that’s just delicious. It carries on from the previous book as we follow Madison and her friends as they try to help the Soule coven in this highly addictive world of magic, voodoo, vision quests and so much more. A paranormal series I would definitely recommend.
Profile Image for Chelsea Cardenas.
383 reviews27 followers
December 18, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it and couldn’t get enough. I will definitely be looking into more of her books because she writes so well and I need more!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
3,001 reviews45 followers
February 12, 2021
This is book five of the Academy of the Damned series and continues the story of the main character, Madison, as she tries to save the Soule Coven, one statue at a time, starting with Damon. She has been able to hear his voice in her head at times, starting from when she was at La Voisin academy and discovered all the statutes were actually witches from the Soule Coven, drained by the Head Camille Brewster two hundred years ago and frozen into statutes. When one of her new friends is also changed into a statute, she and Krista had to escape and try to find others who would help them to defeat Camille. But Camille has been alive for hundreds of years, draining students and any Soule Coven ancestors she could find, to keep her young and alive over the years. She has persuaded the other covens that the Soule Coven never existed and that Madison is the enemy. She and Krista have already lost Ivy and Jason to Camille’s clutches and Krista is finding the loss of Ivy, to the other side, really difficult to handle.

They travel to Salem after hearing a strange urban legend about one of the statues coming to life at Halloween, when four frat boys carry out a prank, by stealing one of the statues from the academy grounds and carrying it through a hedge. Only problem is that hedge is supposedly enchanted and has hedge beasts inside, who attack anyone trying to get through it. So the girls look into the legend and pretend to be doing a college project to interview anyone that knows about it. Of the four boys, she is told they all died in a car accident, the same night. Except one of them survived, but has been in a coma ever since. She hopes to be able to use her spirit magic, to go into his mind and see if she can find out how they managed to get the statute through the hedge. The statute they took, turns out to have been Madison’s own father, who she never knew anything about. Her own mother had kept his magic a secret, thinking the air magic she displayed meant she was safe from inheriting his magic. But her mother has been keeping a lot of other secrets about Madison’s heritage and more, never mind being an addict for most of Madison’s life.

A few of Madison’s voodoo friends have been called back to New Orleans and Gillian gets badly burned in one attack by Camille, so is out of action. They need Damon for his strong magic, to have any chance to rescue their goddess Hecate, and so defeat Camille and her cronies. Camille can’t be the only coven head that has been using other witches life essence to elongate their own lives, nor can they be innocent of all her evil actions. Madison and Krista must seek another source for assistance and their quest takes them to a Native American village set up for the tourists. A place witches are not usually welcome and Madison meets the girl and her large wolf, who tried to kill her at the gates of the academy! Wards are supposed to be in place, to keep witches from even seeing the village and their lands, so either something is failing or Madison saw a sign that led her there. Her only choice, given to her by the elders of the tribe, is to undergo a quest to a cave at the top of a mountain, where an ancient creature is supposed to live. The creature has god like powers and only if they mark her with their acceptance, will she be deemed a worthy person to give aid to. She could end up badly scarred or even dead!

She has to undergo this test on her own, but is allowed to have the wolf along as protection against any wild animals, but she has to go into the cave alone. When she makes her way in, she has to face off against a male god and a female goddess, with links to old Celtic legends, one who welcomes her, the other who doesn’t want anything to do with assisting her, nor letting her leave alive. She needs to convince them of her true intentions and she finds out that a witch confined him to this cave hundreds of years ago, so possibly linked to Camille and all her evil plans. The female goddess is not confined to the cave and returns to the village with Madison and they gain a few more fighters. They now have some more friends to help them as well as these newest ones and have to do what they can to get Damon out of Camille’s clutches. Her own mother wants her to forget about doing this and Madison wants nothing to do with her. Madison, Krista and her other allies travel to the academy and split into different groups, all with their own jobs to undertake. They come under attack by Camille, other teachers and students, and even Jason and a reluctant Ivy. This is not their only objective, once they have Damon, they need to try and rescue Hecate, but neither of these will be easy, and some unexpected twists will arise. Lots of action in this book and some difficult confrontations for Madison in particular, with lots of secrets being revealed. Loss of strength in people’s powers suddenly has a reason and only putting a stop to Camille and whichever even more powerful being she is working with, will stop the killing. Another good read in this series and it leaves you wanting to know what will happen next! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Profile Image for Shayay.
2,805 reviews55 followers
November 17, 2020
Entertaining story! Things are going crazy when this book opens! I’d definitely recommend reading the previous books before this one; each book starts where the last book left off and there isn’t much in the way of recapping in this book. Some of the story may be confusing if you haven’t read the previous books. Madison and some of her friends are still trying to figure out how to help the Soule Coven that has been turned into statues; evil witch Camille is out to stop them. Madison and her group have so many enemies after them; some expected, but also some unexpected. Lots of danger! After their Hoodoo Voodoo adventure, Madison and the group find themselves back in Madison’s hometown, where she’s finding out there are so many secrets she never knew. Madison is dealing with so much, but she is showing some great strength under lots of stress. And of course, there’s more time in Salem! Fun magical elements! It’s great to learn more about spirit witch, and to see more progression in the statue storyline. Madison is also looking for more help in the magical community; it’s great that this series has different types of magical people; such as, Hoodoo/Voodoo, and now Native American in this book. Interesting Native American elements; vision quests and dream-walking, some cool ideas. Excited to read the finale!
Profile Image for Maria Fledgling Author  Park.
977 reviews52 followers
October 22, 2023
Too Much Information

Queen of Legacy, the fifth book in the Academy of the Damned series is a massive amount of excitement, horror, historical information and action overload. As Madison gets closer to finding out what really happened at the beginning of La Voisin Academy and the first American Witches, the more attacks she finds herself under.

As Madison, Krista and Ivy are finally able to decipher the incantation for freeing Damon from his tomb of cement, Mrs. Brewster is suddenly everywhere they are, impeding their progress.

Krista and Madison go visit the Wampanoag village to better understand the link between the European witches and the Native American ones. Needless to say, they are not very welcomed, in fact, they are downright ignored.

Once Madison is able to explain her mission, she is allowed to speak to the tribal elders through the grandmother and ask for help. Much hostility exists from when the settlers came over and slaughtered the tribes and the European witches refused to help. Madison is allowed to climb the mountain and ask their God for assistance.

The rest of the book sets up the next book, the finalé. And it's going to be a doozy! The relationship between Madison and her Mother gets very intense, she is in for quite a shock. Madison also learns the truth about her Father and she is NOT happy! Read on for the ending.
Profile Image for Mandy (MP Book Reviews).
4,944 reviews45 followers
November 9, 2020
Madison is convinced that saving the Soule Coven starts with rescuing the one statue from the academy grounds she had been communicating with but it seems that the grounds are impenetrable at the moment. Add to that the fact that they are hunting for Madison and it makes what they need to do so much harder. So she risks everything to reach an urban legend in Salem to ask for help. As part of that quest, she unveils some family secrets that she had never wanted to know and so decides to go into a den for ancient Celtic gods and goddesses in order to convince them to help her. However, having risked her own life to get help will it be enough to go up against those at La Voisin?

This installation of the story was definitely filled wall to wall with surprises, danger, drama and excitement. Certainly some of the surprises I definitely didn't see coming and it put a whole new perspective on some earlier aspects of the story. The book had a rather dramatic finish and so I really can't wait to find out what happens next. Well written, it was easy to read and understand. I felt completely invested in the story and so really need to know what happens next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Kaye.
7,177 reviews71 followers
November 12, 2020
✳️✳️ONE BLOCK BUSTING TREAT✳️✳️
Exceptional! This extremely talented, uniquely insightful and immensely impressive trio hits it hard, fast and furious, showcasing every trip, snag or tumble, hitting all the hot spots and triggering traps, keeping you riveted on a razors edge, launching this jewel to a whole new level. Trapped in a vicious plot full of deadly drama, perilous intrigue, churning turmoil, mounting danger, escalating suspense and intense situations, blasting this baby to life brilliantly. Chicanery and mayhem descend in a flurry of cruel tactics and unmasked secrets, broken perimeters and blurred barriers, limitations are amplified and enforced, reaching deep for every ounce of strength in a fierce surge of self-preservation and determination, lunging forward with such intensity, catapulting this jewel into a tailspin with an astonishing culmination, melding this jewel together seamlessly. The characters, dialogue, interactions and charged atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits, blend and flow, transforming into genuinely charismatic personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and depictions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Incredible job guys, thanks for sharing this little guy with us.
Profile Image for Andra Shaw.
1,313 reviews11 followers
November 30, 2020
Queen of Legacy is book five in the Academy of the Damned series. It is not a standalone, and it picks up where book four, Throne of Death, ends. Madison, Gillian, and Krista are desperate to get away from Camille Brewster and find a way to save the Soule clan and their friends. The slow burn romance is down right scintillating.

The book and the series have suspense, surprising betrayals, paranormal action, twists, and a slow burn romance that keep you reading. In book five, the story continues to draw you into this very believable world.The storyline is entertaining as it delves into aspects of the paranormal in American history. It makes you ponder if things in Salem could have occurred as the story depicts.

The characters also keep you engaged. Madison is maturing as a witch as she learns more about her family and her powers. She is becoming much more independent and shows much inner strength under duress. While Madison and her friends are hiding from Camille and her horde in Madison's home town, more secrets come to light, as does more danger and insight. All of the intrigue keeps you turning those pages!

I am highly anticipating book six!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
2,903 reviews17 followers
November 17, 2020
Madison and Krista barely managed to escape, but Ivy has been captured and is now in the hands of Camille Brewster. While her determination to free Damon hasn't lessened, Madison has realized that it will take more power than she and Krista have to free first Damon, and then the rest of the Soule coven. A local urban legend just may point them to an answer to the question of how to remove the curse that turned Damon into a stone statue.

Wonderful and well written characters, both the familiar, and those that are introduced in this book are compelling and unique. Madison is a strong, determined young woman that will have to put her own life on the line to gain the attention of, and assistance from the gods. There is a lot of action, some suspense, and some of the answers to the mystery of Camille's determination to live an unnaturally long life and how she became so powerful. Exciting magical battles and unexpected, sometimes surprising twists in the plot that kept me engrossed in the pages of this book.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
6,029 reviews40 followers
January 16, 2021
Things are in a bit of a mess and our heroine is scrambling to find a way to fix it. Time to find some allies.

This is book five of the series and it picks up where the previous book ended. I do not recommend starting here.

This is a rather intense urban adventure story with an academy setting. The story is well written, but not necessarily easy to read because of the multiple plot lines and complex interactions going on. But that is not a bad thing in my book. The resulting plot is fast paced with plenty of intrigue, action and surprises to keep you interested and turning pages. It also helps that we have a well detailed setting and an excellent cast of characters to bring it all together. Overall, an excellent story and I look forward to going back and reading them in the proper order.

Highly recommended

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
Profile Image for Mary Brannian.
1,068 reviews19 followers
November 10, 2020
"I understand. I understand we’ve all just been doomed to a situation we can never fully recover from. If we even survive this at all." - Madison

Madison and Krista barely escape Camille's clutches, but at what cost? Ivy and Jason have betrayed them, Damon is lost to them, and Gillian has been badly burned. But Madison and Krista MUST find the answer, the way to overcome the headmistress and save the Soule clan.

"I take Krista’s hand as we step through the mirror back to Salem, and back into the heart of danger. " - Madison

After returning to Salem, Madison and Krista are more determined than ever to find a way to overcome Camille Brewster and rescue their friends.... But how? What will Madison have to do to ensure victory?

Secrets and surprises, questions and answers... Redemption and an ultimate betrayal....
Another enthralling tale, haunting and intense! Loved it!
1,190 reviews9 followers
November 15, 2020
Madison and the others will have to find help in dealing with Camille and the others. Madison believes if she saved Damon is the key to this as well. Madison will turn to a group of people that don't want to help. She will have to prove her worth in order for them to consider it. Madison will also learn a lot more about her family, she will not take it well. Madison and the others will have a fight on their hands.


This book immediately pulled me in, with the different characters that were introduced. It was well paced, lots of action, and more. There is the family issue that is also at play for the main character. This book will be over before you are ready for it. There is so much I didn't write about, that you have to read for yourself. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
695 reviews6 followers
November 16, 2020
I love this series. It gets better and better with each book. Madison is at a loss as to what to do next. The teachers at the school are much too powerful, as a group, for her and her few friends to defeat on their own. She has to enlist the help of other magical groups to help. The local native American tribe are reluctant to help, but if she proves her worthiness by facing something that very few have visited and returned unharmed - if at all - they may help. She makes many discoveries about her family and herself. This led her to believe that if she could get the statues out of the school grounds, they may come to life again and there was one special statue she wanted to retrieve.
Profile Image for Vanessa Dodd.
52 reviews3 followers
April 6, 2021
I have given all the books in this series 4 stars so far. Until now. Queen of Legacy has been my favourite! In the previous book Madison seeked help from the Voodoo community in New Orleans and this time she is seeking help from another magical community!
This book has really taken me on a rollercoaster, from her dangerous quest to find allies, to her ongoing differences with her mum who has been hiding a lot more than originally thought. Once again, Veronica Shade introduces really fascinating new characters to the story whilst developing existing ones. She gives you a book packed full of action and gives you just enough so you will still want to read the next one.
Well deserved 5 star from me. Bring on the finale! ❤️
Profile Image for nat _lovestoread.
947 reviews11 followers
November 7, 2020
Fantastic 💖
OMG, OMG, OMG!!! 😱🙈 ... So much happens in this book, Madison makes new allies and discoveres a lot of shocking revelations about her past; her quest to defeat Camille is getting harder the most the pieces they discover about this puzzle, Camille really went big and it seems almost impossible to finally break free the Soul Clan 😔... Oh, and that cliffhanger 😳🤯... I need the next book NOW!!! 😫😭... This series is amazing, just keeps getting better and better, can't wait for the next and final book, it's going to be epic!!! 😍💞
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
2,259 reviews6 followers
November 23, 2020
Madison’s whole life has been a lie. Secrets kept from her.
Madison and her friends are trying to find a way to free Damon and get his help in freeing all of the Soule Coven who have been turned to stone by Camille. As they work to gain help they find out how insidious are Camille’s plans and that they began two hundred years ago. She has deliberately kept the different magical communities apart from each other and therefore weakened and fearful of each other. Can Madison get them to join against one common enemy and defeat Camille and the powerful being she is working for? I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
Profile Image for Veronica Prowant.
515 reviews3 followers
November 7, 2020
This series has gripped me from the first page of the first book but nothing prepared me for the shocks of Queen of Legacy. And I refuse to spoil anything for other readers. What I can say is that there are some seriously hefty secrets that come to light, a ton of plot twists and character developments that astounded me, and an ending that left me shell shocked. Theres so much that happens, both good and bad, throughout this book. I'm hooked and cannot wait to find out what happens next after such a cliffhanger ending. Its just a fantastic built story and world!!
Profile Image for Isabel Debono.
913 reviews14 followers
November 10, 2020
This was a 4.5⭐️ Read
Wow... finally a lot of my questions have been answered.
Once again we are taken on a wonderful adventure with lots of action and secrets uncovered.
This was a very entertaining read.
I loved the plot twists and I’m really enjoying the character development.
But don’t get too comfortable...
This one ends in a cliffhanger... and what an ending!
Cannot wait for the last book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Ruth.
493 reviews10 followers
November 12, 2020
Madison takes risks and gains more support to release Damon from the stone statue. I love the surprises and twists as Madison continues to battle against Camille and her supporters. Madison finds out some surprising secrets from her Mother and about her Mother. This amazing series continues to surprise, amaze and get better and better. Finding it hard to wait for the sixth and final book in the series!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Teresa.
1,120 reviews6 followers
November 19, 2020
Madison and her mom have issues; her mom recently promised to get clean, but Madison has heard it all before. She is desperate to save the the Soule Coven, currently in the form of stone statues, from Camille and her henchmen, but she needs help. Madison is surprised by the number and variety of people willing to help. But will it be enough to save Damon and the other spirit witches? Wonderful characters, with fast paced action and twists, a great fantasy read?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Denise.
4,119 reviews12 followers
November 20, 2020
Having read some of the others I had to get into this one of course. Madison has the fullness to keep us riveted to this one with her escapades. I adore urban legends and this have them of sorts. She also gets secrets uncovered too. Be careful what you find out. Thank goodness she is not alone in her endeavors but has friends too. The have a big task in front of them that keeps us on the watch while they go forward. Oh and all that magic, suspense and danger you will be richly rewarded with this one.
Profile Image for Michelle.
10.7k reviews28 followers
November 27, 2020
Queen of Legacy is book five in the Academy of The Damned series and it picks up where book four left off. Madison and the gang go through a lot in this book and with every twist and turn I get pulled into the story. The story flows smoothly from one book to the next and the writing is well done. From the well developed characters to the page turning story filled with magic, mystery, suspense, twists and after that ending I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
Profile Image for Caroline Doig.
5,457 reviews49 followers
December 20, 2020
This is book 5 in the Academy of the Damned and I absolutely love this series there’s plenty of action, adventure, suspense, danger, betrayal, drama, passion and so much more to keep you entertained and turning the pages. Every book in this series gets better and better I loved the characters and the entertaining storyline and as soon as you start this story it’s go go go and I can’t wait to read more, sorry guys no spoilers but you do need to read the other 4 books in this series or you won’t understand what’s going on. I loved this story/ series and I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Jennifer Layne.
1,040 reviews4 followers
November 29, 2020
Whoa! That was a wild ride from start to finish! Both action-wise and emotionally ... I do hope for some level of peace between Madison and her mother.

I hope that Ivy & Krista can be happy and thrive. I hope that Madison can save the Soule Coven, Damon and apparently the Magical world.

VERY much looking forward to the next book!

I received this as an Advance Reader Copy from Booksprout with the hopes I would like it and review it .
Profile Image for Frances.
324 reviews6 followers
December 1, 2020
Camille is one evil witch there is no one she won’t destroy and turn on in her pursuit of power.Not even the gods are safe from her. Madison has some good people on her side to help her save the world I can’t wait for the next book to see how it all turns out in the end, will her and Damon get to be together and happy will she work out things with her mom

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Desiree Derouen.
158 reviews1 follower
December 3, 2020
**Spoiler**
It starts where we found ourselves from the previous book. The characters sort out the aftermath & treachery that followed. It’s slower moving that previous books but it’s life after so what do expect..... “It’s the what do we do now??” Will they be able to Return break the curse, & free those that have been frozen forever?? RECOMMENDED!! HAPPY READING!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Charlie Mccourt.
79 reviews
December 4, 2020
This book seems to be back on pace. It feels like the author(s) finally have some love back for the series!

Things are clicking into place for Madison. It isn't an easy path but she is getting closer to figuring it all out and in turn finding out who she really is.

Will her team back her or leave her to fend for herself? What other truths will she discover in the meantime?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
199 reviews1 follower
November 8, 2023
Yep she is dragging it out for one last book

O k, and the fifth theory is in the book. They finally get to the spirit and the end. The Native American Indians, which everybody knew from book one that had to be in there. But she also thoughtful through in a new twist. And that is her mother and at the end of the book. It's a really interesting twit. Though yep, you gotta read all six.
Profile Image for MaryAnn Costanzo.
266 reviews
November 9, 2020
Okay well Ms. Brewster is still trying to stop Madison from saving the Soule clan and wake Damon. Madison has recruited more help and tries to save Hecate again. WOW is all I can say. There are many twists and turns and one I wasn't expecting at all. I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Tera Bunger.
134 reviews
November 12, 2020
Love it! Madison has so much going on in her life. She goes through so many ups and downs. So glad that she figured out one part of her plan, but it opens up so many more things. There are so many questions that I have about her mom? Will Madison ever find out the truth? Can she save them all? I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews

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