What do you think?
Darkthorn Academy #8
Bad Blood
Home is where the heart is.
Jack has soul damage, and the only one that can help him is Willmarth's darga? Which, according to Elon, is some sort of dragon soul mate.
The Misfits have saved Darkthorn Academy, brought it to new heights, but there is more to life than money and adventure. While the team will do whatever it takes to help Jack with his soul, they also are starting to think about life beyond the academy. Yet, even as they dream about their future lives powerful enemies plot to bring them down.
Nothing new for the Misfits.
A coming of age, sword and sorcery fantasy adventure with gamelit aspects, including a slightly overpowered MC, a dragon companion, and a team of adventurers. Inspired by games like Skyrim and Diablo 2 and Fallout.
Jack has soul damage, and the only one that can help him is Willmarth's darga? Which, according to Elon, is some sort of dragon soul mate.
The Misfits have saved Darkthorn Academy, brought it to new heights, but there is more to life than money and adventure. While the team will do whatever it takes to help Jack with his soul, they also are starting to think about life beyond the academy. Yet, even as they dream about their future lives powerful enemies plot to bring them down.
Nothing new for the Misfits.
A coming of age, sword and sorcery fantasy adventure with gamelit aspects, including a slightly overpowered MC, a dragon companion, and a team of adventurers. Inspired by games like Skyrim and Diablo 2 and Fallout.
446 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 2, 2026
3.5 ⭐
જ⁀➴ preview:
Jack and the Misfits are helping Jack deal with soul damage while searching for a way to save him, possibly through Willmarth’s darga, a dragon-like soul mate. At the same time, the team starts thinking about life beyond Darkthorn Academy, even as old enemies continue plotting against them.
⋅˚₊‧ ୨🕮୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
I really like the series. I just keep noticing that there are always one or two books that feel like filler, only for another really good one to come along afterward. That’s a bit of a shame.
I also find myself getting more and more annoyed by how large the group has become. I’d really prefer to read mostly about Jack, Colin, Stan, Talia, Lana, and Willmarth again. Elon annoys me more with every book, and some of the other characters around them are getting a bit exhausting too. It feels like every male character has a pet now, which is kind of strange. Lana even jokes about that herself.
By the way, I really liked Stan’s storyline in this book.
I’m still continuing the series for now because the story itself isn’t bad. Still, I hope it starts focusing more on the main characters again... even though the group seems to keep growing, but I don’t want to spoil anything.
જ⁀➴ preview:
Jack and the Misfits are helping Jack deal with soul damage while searching for a way to save him, possibly through Willmarth’s darga, a dragon-like soul mate. At the same time, the team starts thinking about life beyond Darkthorn Academy, even as old enemies continue plotting against them.
⋅˚₊‧ ୨🕮୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
I really like the series. I just keep noticing that there are always one or two books that feel like filler, only for another really good one to come along afterward. That’s a bit of a shame.
I also find myself getting more and more annoyed by how large the group has become. I’d really prefer to read mostly about Jack, Colin, Stan, Talia, Lana, and Willmarth again. Elon annoys me more with every book, and some of the other characters around them are getting a bit exhausting too. It feels like every male character has a pet now, which is kind of strange. Lana even jokes about that herself.
By the way, I really liked Stan’s storyline in this book.
I’m still continuing the series for now because the story itself isn’t bad. Still, I hope it starts focusing more on the main characters again... even though the group seems to keep growing, but I don’t want to spoil anything.
February 26, 2025
still too many typos
The author needs help editing. Still the story and characters remain compelling. I recommend this series to all. Without the typos it’d be 5*
The author needs help editing. Still the story and characters remain compelling. I recommend this series to all. Without the typos it’d be 5*
August 8, 2025
This is crazy
I am 11 years old and i loved this book series because it was filled with action love and peril and I loved it and the book ended with a cliffhanger but I still liked it and others might like it as well
I am 11 years old and i loved this book series because it was filled with action love and peril and I loved it and the book ended with a cliffhanger but I still liked it and others might like it as well
March 15, 2024
Utter trash
This is by far the absolute worst. The story focus is split up in 3 parts and could have been full books by themselves but no they were shoved into this one book jumping back and forth giving the book an extremely bad experience. Most of the chapters with Elon were a waste of time and space. So much was going on just too much drama.
This is by far the absolute worst. The story focus is split up in 3 parts and could have been full books by themselves but no they were shoved into this one book jumping back and forth giving the book an extremely bad experience. Most of the chapters with Elon were a waste of time and space. So much was going on just too much drama.
February 25, 2026
4 Stars
Bad Blood is the eighth book in The Darkthorn Academy series by Robyn Wideman. These books had been languishing on my TBR for a while, so I thought it was high time to get my act together, stop being lured away by other books, and plunge in.
This turned out to be a thrilling blend of sword-and-sorcery fantasy, gamelit mechanics, and a coming-of-age adventure that will definitely hook fans of immersive magical school settings, like it did me. The series follows a group of underdog students navigating the perilous halls of Darkthorn Academy - a place where survival is as much about wits and alliances as it is about magical skill.
What gives the series a bit of an edge is the fast-paced storytelling and game-inspired progression system. Characters level up, gain skills, and face increasingly dangerous challenges, giving the books a satisfying sense of growth and achievement. The worldbuilding is immersive, with a balance of mystery, danger, and camaraderie that keeps the stakes high.
Happy Reading…
Bad Blood is the eighth book in The Darkthorn Academy series by Robyn Wideman. These books had been languishing on my TBR for a while, so I thought it was high time to get my act together, stop being lured away by other books, and plunge in.
This turned out to be a thrilling blend of sword-and-sorcery fantasy, gamelit mechanics, and a coming-of-age adventure that will definitely hook fans of immersive magical school settings, like it did me. The series follows a group of underdog students navigating the perilous halls of Darkthorn Academy - a place where survival is as much about wits and alliances as it is about magical skill.
What gives the series a bit of an edge is the fast-paced storytelling and game-inspired progression system. Characters level up, gain skills, and face increasingly dangerous challenges, giving the books a satisfying sense of growth and achievement. The worldbuilding is immersive, with a balance of mystery, danger, and camaraderie that keeps the stakes high.
Happy Reading…
August 19, 2026
Somewhere along the way between finishing book 7 and starting book 8 I... stopped having interest in these characters. The narrative jumps around between three or four viewpoints, following (at least) three separate plot lines, and *none* of them were interesting to me.
Jack getting his soul damage repaired happened maybe a third of the way through the book and the only reason it took that long was that we had to stumble back and forth between perspectives, bumble around with the satyrs outside Wilmarth's mate's den until finally going "uh, hey Wilmarth, can you like, go talk to her for us?" instead of bothering the goat people. It then gets resolved lickety-split.
(I also don't know why the audiobook reader gave Wilmarth a child-like voice, which clashes so hard when he talks about making eggs with his mate; constantly had to remind myself "Wilmarth is like 200 years old, yes he's a shoulder dragon, but he's an adult and has been for a LONG TIME").
Jack getting his soul damage repaired happened maybe a third of the way through the book and the only reason it took that long was that we had to stumble back and forth between perspectives, bumble around with the satyrs outside Wilmarth's mate's den until finally going "uh, hey Wilmarth, can you like, go talk to her for us?" instead of bothering the goat people. It then gets resolved lickety-split.
(I also don't know why the audiobook reader gave Wilmarth a child-like voice, which clashes so hard when he talks about making eggs with his mate; constantly had to remind myself "Wilmarth is like 200 years old, yes he's a shoulder dragon, but he's an adult and has been for a LONG TIME").
October 22, 2024
End of a series fingers crossed
If this is the last book it ends in a mess as the writer padded most of the book with side stories of the secondary character the main character's brother. It maybe hopes of starting a new line of books but the secondary character is a bit dull and predictable it doesn't help that a lot of stuff he knew already was redone again just to pad things. The last couple books have been wrapping up various story lines but the weight of to many B characters made for tedious reading as you struggle to remember who is who. Between all the pet names and families and girlfriends it turns to mud they did stop with all the self congratulations and talking about food.
I think even the writers got bored as you will find weird misspellings of words basically typo things, those were humorous anyways.
If this is the last book it ends in a mess as the writer padded most of the book with side stories of the secondary character the main character's brother. It maybe hopes of starting a new line of books but the secondary character is a bit dull and predictable it doesn't help that a lot of stuff he knew already was redone again just to pad things. The last couple books have been wrapping up various story lines but the weight of to many B characters made for tedious reading as you struggle to remember who is who. Between all the pet names and families and girlfriends it turns to mud they did stop with all the self congratulations and talking about food.
I think even the writers got bored as you will find weird misspellings of words basically typo things, those were humorous anyways.
May 13, 2024
A New Harry Potter
I absolutely loved this series. It is a journey of good overcoming bad with a group of friends that included battling evil, racism, bullying, strength, teamwork, friendship, Race's working together to overcome diversity. I am very proud of this series as it is an easy read, but the only negative was typos and wrong names used. It never took away from the story. I hoped every story had an ending. Some were quick out of the blue, and others just went unnoticed. I would definitely encourage people to read, and they will enjoy it as much as I have and hate to see the end of the series come to soon. Enjoy as I did
I absolutely loved this series. It is a journey of good overcoming bad with a group of friends that included battling evil, racism, bullying, strength, teamwork, friendship, Race's working together to overcome diversity. I am very proud of this series as it is an easy read, but the only negative was typos and wrong names used. It never took away from the story. I hoped every story had an ending. Some were quick out of the blue, and others just went unnoticed. I would definitely encourage people to read, and they will enjoy it as much as I have and hate to see the end of the series come to soon. Enjoy as I did
June 13, 2024
Great series, exciting read
Loved the complicated, ever involving storyline and the depth of character Robyn gave to each member of the Misfits crew. This was my first LitRPG series despite loving magic and dragons for many years.
Only downside is in the editing. Sometimes the wrong name will creep in, eg she'll be talking about Stan and call him Jack, but never so much it isn't easy to follow, and other similar word choices, but compared to the strength of the storyline, they are minor annoyances.
Highly recommended.
Loved the complicated, ever involving storyline and the depth of character Robyn gave to each member of the Misfits crew. This was my first LitRPG series despite loving magic and dragons for many years.
Only downside is in the editing. Sometimes the wrong name will creep in, eg she'll be talking about Stan and call him Jack, but never so much it isn't easy to follow, and other similar word choices, but compared to the strength of the storyline, they are minor annoyances.
Highly recommended.
April 7, 2024
Please, please, fire your beta readers and editors, you deserve some support!
Obviously dictated and not written, this book needs to be read by someone before it gets distributed. I will do it personally, if you cannot find a willing soul. Your imagination and work is not being fully supported, sorry. I will email you if your lackluster publisher allows. The spelling of Buxen and words that sound like the dictated word are vexing, seek better help.
Obviously dictated and not written, this book needs to be read by someone before it gets distributed. I will do it personally, if you cannot find a willing soul. Your imagination and work is not being fully supported, sorry. I will email you if your lackluster publisher allows. The spelling of Buxen and words that sound like the dictated word are vexing, seek better help.
April 20, 2024
A hit series
Robyn Wideman definitely has a niche, this genre. He tells an amazing story that sucks you in & leaves you wanting more.
He is an amazing word smith. I have been a fan-girl years.
Darkthorn Academy is an amazing tale of how 1 small thing can change your life. It is also about friendships & what you can do if you see past everyone's differences the outside and lift up each other's strenghts
Robyn Wideman definitely has a niche, this genre. He tells an amazing story that sucks you in & leaves you wanting more.
He is an amazing word smith. I have been a fan-girl years.
Darkthorn Academy is an amazing tale of how 1 small thing can change your life. It is also about friendships & what you can do if you see past everyone's differences the outside and lift up each other's strenghts
January 12, 2026
Good story but lots of typos and incorrect word usage
So many grammatical errors but the worst is when Jack's father Hadol was often called Haldol. Unfortunate to be named after an antipsychotic drug. Also one doesn't repel off a cliff with ropes, one "rappels". Really poor English throughout. You need a good proofreader.
These mistakes are off-putting and detract from the story.
So many grammatical errors but the worst is when Jack's father Hadol was often called Haldol. Unfortunate to be named after an antipsychotic drug. Also one doesn't repel off a cliff with ropes, one "rappels". Really poor English throughout. You need a good proofreader.
These mistakes are off-putting and detract from the story.
February 1, 2026
Bad Blood pulled me in with its premise, and there were moments where the story really worked for me. But the pacing felt uneven, with a few jumps in the timeline that left parts of the journey feeling a bit thin.
The ending does wrap things up, yet it gets there so quickly that it skips over details that would have made the conclusion more satisfying. I enjoyed the core idea and the fast pace, but I found myself wishing for a little more depth and connection between the scenes.
The ending does wrap things up, yet it gets there so quickly that it skips over details that would have made the conclusion more satisfying. I enjoyed the core idea and the fast pace, but I found myself wishing for a little more depth and connection between the scenes.
April 14, 2024
Please don’t stop here!
These are amazing books in this series! I can’t believe how wonderful they are! Dungeon and Dragons books are never this good and I hope you figure out a way to expand on these characters for a new series or more. I will definitely be watching and waiting for more books from you. Thanks so much for writing these! You’re a great writer!
These are amazing books in this series! I can’t believe how wonderful they are! Dungeon and Dragons books are never this good and I hope you figure out a way to expand on these characters for a new series or more. I will definitely be watching and waiting for more books from you. Thanks so much for writing these! You’re a great writer!
April 25, 2024
I really love this series because of the characters and I love how everything always works out because while not realistic it is fun! That being said this one felll a little flat for me it felt like they just extended it to extended it and I got a little bored. Also the grammar was really bad so please find an editor! I hope this is the last one but I’ve had fun with these characters.
3.5/5⭐️
3.5/5⭐️
September 27, 2024
Another great addition to a wonderful series
Read this book once again far too quickly and I'm still amazed at how seamlessly new character progression and development comes in without getting lost in all the other characters that have been established already
Read this book once again far too quickly and I'm still amazed at how seamlessly new character progression and development comes in without getting lost in all the other characters that have been established already
October 9, 2024
Series felt short
The series was an ongoing story with action love and friendship with a lot of filler in areas that didn't feel were needed, but I enjoyed the writing thought out and would like a book 9
The series was an ongoing story with action love and friendship with a lot of filler in areas that didn't feel were needed, but I enjoyed the writing thought out and would like a book 9
February 27, 2025
A really great series.
I truly enjoyed this series and hope the author will write more books for it. It's a fast action storyline that grips you from start to finish. The cast of characters are fun and the animals they bond with are great.
I truly enjoyed this series and hope the author will write more books for it. It's a fast action storyline that grips you from start to finish. The cast of characters are fun and the animals they bond with are great.
March 19, 2024
Darkthorn academy
This series is fantastic very well thought out Exciting adventure build And clean Thank you very much.Please keep up the good work
This series is fantastic very well thought out Exciting adventure build And clean Thank you very much.Please keep up the good work
March 20, 2024
Good book
This book messed up by jumping around so much and a lot wrong and missed spelled words. I like the story but all the screw ups took a lot away.
This book messed up by jumping around so much and a lot wrong and missed spelled words. I like the story but all the screw ups took a lot away.
March 22, 2024
Love this. Series
You can not go wrong reading this group of books. It is like they are your family. A must read.
You can not go wrong reading this group of books. It is like they are your family. A must read.
April 9, 2024
Totally enjoyed it! This is a well written and has well developed characters. The story is catching and with the strong characters makes for a very enjoyable read. Great Reading Everyone!
April 17, 2024
Nope.
Last five efforts have gone down hill. I have read these from the start first efforts very enjoyable, something missing.
Last five efforts have gone down hill. I have read these from the start first efforts very enjoyable, something missing.
June 26, 2024
great read
This is an easy read and captured my attention and holds it till the very end. Just like his other books, I am sad that it has come to an end…
This is an easy read and captured my attention and holds it till the very end. Just like his other books, I am sad that it has come to an end…
July 10, 2024
Bad proof reading
Good story, likeable charactors. Worst proof reading I have ever seen in a commercial publication. I really was bothered by it.
Good story, likeable charactors. Worst proof reading I have ever seen in a commercial publication. I really was bothered by it.
March 12, 2025
Edits needed
I really enjoy the series of books, BUT, the authors need to hire editors, proofreaders, somebody with brains enough to really make these books readable.
I really enjoy the series of books, BUT, the authors need to hire editors, proofreaders, somebody with brains enough to really make these books readable.
July 19, 2026
Great adventure
Well told storyline! Diminished by sloppy, poor editing!! Characters well developed. Well described, varied geography. Ending was appropriate for the storyline
Well told storyline! Diminished by sloppy, poor editing!! Characters well developed. Well described, varied geography. Ending was appropriate for the storyline
August 11, 2024
Brilliant as always.
This is one series I wait impatiently for. I know it’s selfish to want the authors to hurry up but at book 8 I bet you’re in the same mindset.
This is one series I wait impatiently for. I know it’s selfish to want the authors to hurry up but at book 8 I bet you’re in the same mindset.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews