What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hallowed Game #1
A Rather Vengeful Accord
Enrol in this rivals-to-lovers dark academia fantasy of necromancers and gladiatorial combat against eldritch abominations, perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and A Deadly Education.
St Penderghast's is an elite college for necromancers and gladiators, promising glory to those who can perfect the arcane arts of graving or spiring. Graving is the notorious act of raising the dead and shaping their decaying flesh into eldritch abominations. Spiring is divine-fuelled combat against undead horrors in grand arenas, thrilling crowds of thousands.
Halen Kilchoir would kill (and resurrect) anything to study graving at St. Penderghast's under the guidance of her hero, master necromancer Mortritis. But Hal cannot enlist the only way she can secure admission is to enter a dangerous accord with her mortal rival, Alastair Faulton – accomplished spirer and the infuriating, formidable exiled scion of the great Faulton dynasty. If they team up as spirer gladiators, fighting gruesome creatures in a cut-throat competition, they could both earn their prestigious places at the college.
As Hal and Alastair fight grisly monsters and ghastly peers side by side, mending their years-long feud in the resplendent halls of the college, Hal faces the horrors of graving, spiring, and the revolting prospect of a romance with her own nemesis.
St Penderghast's is an elite college for necromancers and gladiators, promising glory to those who can perfect the arcane arts of graving or spiring. Graving is the notorious act of raising the dead and shaping their decaying flesh into eldritch abominations. Spiring is divine-fuelled combat against undead horrors in grand arenas, thrilling crowds of thousands.
Halen Kilchoir would kill (and resurrect) anything to study graving at St. Penderghast's under the guidance of her hero, master necromancer Mortritis. But Hal cannot enlist the only way she can secure admission is to enter a dangerous accord with her mortal rival, Alastair Faulton – accomplished spirer and the infuriating, formidable exiled scion of the great Faulton dynasty. If they team up as spirer gladiators, fighting gruesome creatures in a cut-throat competition, they could both earn their prestigious places at the college.
As Hal and Alastair fight grisly monsters and ghastly peers side by side, mending their years-long feud in the resplendent halls of the college, Hal faces the horrors of graving, spiring, and the revolting prospect of a romance with her own nemesis.
Hardcover
First published November 18, 2025
64 people are currently reading
2646 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
maybes
November 21, 2025tell me again why we're tagging a straight romance book as queer? just because your MC is bi does not make it so a book deserves that tag. Shadowhunters had Alec and Magnus and no one in their right mind is tagging that as LGBTQ. I'm sorry but can we make this stop. Sincerely, a Bi-Girlie.
August 27, 2025
I received an ARC of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via Black Crow PR and the publishers.
A Rather Vengeful Accord is a fast-paced, dark academia fantasy with necromancers and a slow burn romance to light the fires within.
We follow the POV of Halen Kilchoir who longs to be a graver (Graving is the notorious act of raising the dead and shaping their decaying flesh into eldritch abominations) but being unable to enlist to study under her idol and hero Mortitis at St. Penderghast's, she has no choice but to enter a dangerous accord with non-other than her infuriating rival Alastair Faulton. Alastair is an accomplished spirer (Spiring is divine-fuelled combat against undead horrors in grand arenas thrilling crowds of thousands) and the pair have no choice but to pair up as spirer gladiators to compete together in the arena against graved monsters. Their prize would be a place at the college.
As the pair become closer and start to put their rivalry aside, not only do they become a force to be reckoned with but they both begin to learn more about each other, their dreams, reality of things around them and part of a twisted game. The ending of this book was one I didn't see coming at all, and I can't wait to read book two as soon as it comes out.
Fans of GOT, The Hunger Games, and A Deadly Education will absolutely love this book. The word building and character development is amazing, and for a debut novel, this is a very accomplished and exciting series starter that can't wait to see develop!
A Rather Vengeful Accord is a fast-paced, dark academia fantasy with necromancers and a slow burn romance to light the fires within.
We follow the POV of Halen Kilchoir who longs to be a graver (Graving is the notorious act of raising the dead and shaping their decaying flesh into eldritch abominations) but being unable to enlist to study under her idol and hero Mortitis at St. Penderghast's, she has no choice but to enter a dangerous accord with non-other than her infuriating rival Alastair Faulton. Alastair is an accomplished spirer (Spiring is divine-fuelled combat against undead horrors in grand arenas thrilling crowds of thousands) and the pair have no choice but to pair up as spirer gladiators to compete together in the arena against graved monsters. Their prize would be a place at the college.
As the pair become closer and start to put their rivalry aside, not only do they become a force to be reckoned with but they both begin to learn more about each other, their dreams, reality of things around them and part of a twisted game. The ending of this book was one I didn't see coming at all, and I can't wait to read book two as soon as it comes out.
Fans of GOT, The Hunger Games, and A Deadly Education will absolutely love this book. The word building and character development is amazing, and for a debut novel, this is a very accomplished and exciting series starter that can't wait to see develop!
December 18, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for access to this eARC! All opinions are my own.
______________
I really found myself enjoying this. The characters grew on me and became genuinely interesting to follow, even when they made mistakes and were blind to certain things happening. The side characters are a stand out really, and I would've loved even more from them.
I don't see the comparison to Gideon the Ninth, but the world-building was still solid and intriguing. I found the plot somewhat predictable, but still enjoyable for the most part.
The romance was perfectly fine, but I didn't feel an overwhelming sense of chemistry and attraction between the two. Rivals to lovers is a fair description, but does fall into the trap of the characters sort of being interested in each other the entire time.
______________
I really found myself enjoying this. The characters grew on me and became genuinely interesting to follow, even when they made mistakes and were blind to certain things happening. The side characters are a stand out really, and I would've loved even more from them.
I don't see the comparison to Gideon the Ninth, but the world-building was still solid and intriguing. I found the plot somewhat predictable, but still enjoyable for the most part.
The romance was perfectly fine, but I didn't feel an overwhelming sense of chemistry and attraction between the two. Rivals to lovers is a fair description, but does fall into the trap of the characters sort of being interested in each other the entire time.
September 15, 2025
A rivals-to-lovers dark academia fantasy featuring necromancers, gladiatorial combat, and eldritch monsters.
Take Deadly Education and aspects of Gideon the Ninth and turn up the romantasy and you will get this.
The only way Hal can secure admission to her dream university is to enter a dangerous accord (an academic partnership to fight together in trials) with her rival, Alastair, the exiled scion of the great Faulton dynasty.
Either they both get in, or neither.
This is a classic enemies forced together - but are they really enemies or has there been a misunderstanding?
There were a few cheesy lines like: “the breast of the breast—" from Alastair after being told Hal doesn’t wear bras on non-training days. On the whole however, the simmering, sizzling romance/tension/hate isn’t the main focus.
Staying alive amongst monsters, politics, family feuds, and bullies is at the forefront.
Hal is a frustrating main character in the sense that she cannot read a room. Then again, it adds to the tension and drama.
A very enjoyable time with an ending that has me rearing for book two.
This is the first book of 2025 (September) that has put me in an autumnal, spooky mood.
Physical arc gifted by Daphne Press.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
Take Deadly Education and aspects of Gideon the Ninth and turn up the romantasy and you will get this.
The only way Hal can secure admission to her dream university is to enter a dangerous accord (an academic partnership to fight together in trials) with her rival, Alastair, the exiled scion of the great Faulton dynasty.
Either they both get in, or neither.
This is a classic enemies forced together - but are they really enemies or has there been a misunderstanding?
There were a few cheesy lines like: “the breast of the breast—" from Alastair after being told Hal doesn’t wear bras on non-training days. On the whole however, the simmering, sizzling romance/tension/hate isn’t the main focus.
Staying alive amongst monsters, politics, family feuds, and bullies is at the forefront.
Hal is a frustrating main character in the sense that she cannot read a room. Then again, it adds to the tension and drama.
A very enjoyable time with an ending that has me rearing for book two.
This is the first book of 2025 (September) that has put me in an autumnal, spooky mood.
Physical arc gifted by Daphne Press.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
September 2, 2025
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this novel, right as I finish. My word, does it have a suckerpunch of an ending, but I do wonder on reflection how much more it truly has than that. I apologise in advance, a lot of this review is probably going to be spoiler-tagged out.
For the general non-spoiler things I can say... The novel is heavy on the lore and worldbuilding, moreso than I expected. I think marketing this novel as a romantasy is doing it a disservice - there happens to be a romance subplot but this is NOT a romantasy, it does not follow romance pacing or tropes, it doesn't abandon plot or logic in favour of pining, UST or the main relationship. The prose is smooth - once you get a grasp on the world and lore, it's easy reading and hard to put down. That being said, it often felt like the worldbuilding was doing the heavy-lifting and the actual plot was running rather light. Every time the novel raised issues about Glim oppression over the Preyburns, of the religious rift between and propaganda regarding deities (?) Lord Oldrac and Our Lady and how that filters down to even academic politics and family rivalries, I was expecting a new subplot (or major plot) to emerge tackling one of these larger, more important subjects... but no, we remain in the gladiator contests and whether Hal can get into this prestigious school for a course she has 0 interest in or not. And we don't even spend that much time on the gladiator contests, either - there are only three battles in the novel. Looking back after finishing, the plot is so thin that I have to assume it was the constant worldbuilding eating up so many pages of the not-that-short book instead. In terms of characters, Hal is interesting but gets gaslit a lot and I think the readers get gaslit along with her. By the end, I have no idea how many people may or may not have been telling her the truth versus blatantly lying to manipulate her, only that she is repeatedly screwed over by others, and led to put the needs of others above her own, and it is very frustrating to watch. I cannot name a single other sympathetic or likeable character in this novel. (Maybe Lourdes but she's such a minor character that it's hard to tell if she's also a manipulator or not, or if the only reason she hasn't done anything to hurt Hal is simply lack of opportunity / time on the page.)
For spoilerific thoughts/review, the novel very early reveals that
Worse, a romance begins to develop from this. I felt very, very ick as I read this develop through the novel. Maybe Hal could forget the beginning of the novel, but I could not. But also, Please understand I'm not saying Hal wasn't antagonistic, sarcastic, insulting, and sometimes downright unhelpful. But why should she have to be nice and accomodating to a rich guy who clearly hates being forced to live among poor commoners, who sees himself as above them, who can physically snap her like a twig, and regularly does physically threaten, intimidate, stalk, and assault her? ... And this is the romance I'm supposed to root for? I was constantly encouraging Hal to ignore any feelings of attraction to Alastair (and questioning why she had them at all), and hoping a better alternative love interest would appear for her instead.
At the end of the novel, we find out This twist leaves me with two huge problems:
#1:
#2: Unlike other novels where is clearly presented as such (eg. , this novel never does so. Even up to and following on from the 'big reveal' at the end of the novel, there is no presentation of the previous events in this light, no emotional reaction or revelation on Hal's part. I honestly won't be surprised if, as book 2 begins, she is still I fully expect it. And it leaves a truly sour taste in my mouth.
I think the ending twist was clever and shocking, but it adds horrible connotations to the entire novel that are not addressed, and I'm not sure the author intends to address them or that the author has the skills to handle them properly (given the mishandling of frankly chilling behaviour throughout this novel).
I was originally going to rate this 4 stars, but for the mishandling, the horrible aftertaste this novel leaves, and the minimal plot compared to the level of worldbuilding, I think I must knock it down to a 3. A decent debut, but book doesn't know how to handle its red-flag topics/behaviours - or, worse, doesn't realise that's what they've put onto the page.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Rating: 3 stars -- One star removed for having more worldbuilding than plot, and one star removed for how badly the novel treats its disadvantaged female protagonist and never lets her realistically react to mistreatment because that might get in the way of UST with the rich white boy who's ruining her life.
For the general non-spoiler things I can say... The novel is heavy on the lore and worldbuilding, moreso than I expected. I think marketing this novel as a romantasy is doing it a disservice - there happens to be a romance subplot but this is NOT a romantasy, it does not follow romance pacing or tropes, it doesn't abandon plot or logic in favour of pining, UST or the main relationship. The prose is smooth - once you get a grasp on the world and lore, it's easy reading and hard to put down. That being said, it often felt like the worldbuilding was doing the heavy-lifting and the actual plot was running rather light. Every time the novel raised issues about Glim oppression over the Preyburns, of the religious rift between and propaganda regarding deities (?) Lord Oldrac and Our Lady and how that filters down to even academic politics and family rivalries, I was expecting a new subplot (or major plot) to emerge tackling one of these larger, more important subjects... but no, we remain in the gladiator contests and whether Hal can get into this prestigious school for a course she has 0 interest in or not. And we don't even spend that much time on the gladiator contests, either - there are only three battles in the novel. Looking back after finishing, the plot is so thin that I have to assume it was the constant worldbuilding eating up so many pages of the not-that-short book instead. In terms of characters, Hal is interesting but gets gaslit a lot and I think the readers get gaslit along with her. By the end, I have no idea how many people may or may not have been telling her the truth versus blatantly lying to manipulate her, only that she is repeatedly screwed over by others, and led to put the needs of others above her own, and it is very frustrating to watch. I cannot name a single other sympathetic or likeable character in this novel. (Maybe Lourdes but she's such a minor character that it's hard to tell if she's also a manipulator or not, or if the only reason she hasn't done anything to hurt Hal is simply lack of opportunity / time on the page.)
For spoilerific thoughts/review, the novel very early reveals that
Worse, a romance begins to develop from this. I felt very, very ick as I read this develop through the novel. Maybe Hal could forget the beginning of the novel, but I could not. But also, Please understand I'm not saying Hal wasn't antagonistic, sarcastic, insulting, and sometimes downright unhelpful. But why should she have to be nice and accomodating to a rich guy who clearly hates being forced to live among poor commoners, who sees himself as above them, who can physically snap her like a twig, and regularly does physically threaten, intimidate, stalk, and assault her? ... And this is the romance I'm supposed to root for? I was constantly encouraging Hal to ignore any feelings of attraction to Alastair (and questioning why she had them at all), and hoping a better alternative love interest would appear for her instead.
At the end of the novel, we find out This twist leaves me with two huge problems:
#1:
#2: Unlike other novels where is clearly presented as such (eg. , this novel never does so. Even up to and following on from the 'big reveal' at the end of the novel, there is no presentation of the previous events in this light, no emotional reaction or revelation on Hal's part. I honestly won't be surprised if, as book 2 begins, she is still I fully expect it. And it leaves a truly sour taste in my mouth.
I think the ending twist was clever and shocking, but it adds horrible connotations to the entire novel that are not addressed, and I'm not sure the author intends to address them or that the author has the skills to handle them properly (given the mishandling of frankly chilling behaviour throughout this novel).
I was originally going to rate this 4 stars, but for the mishandling, the horrible aftertaste this novel leaves, and the minimal plot compared to the level of worldbuilding, I think I must knock it down to a 3. A decent debut, but book doesn't know how to handle its red-flag topics/behaviours - or, worse, doesn't realise that's what they've put onto the page.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Rating: 3 stars -- One star removed for having more worldbuilding than plot, and one star removed for how badly the novel treats its disadvantaged female protagonist and never lets her realistically react to mistreatment because that might get in the way of UST with the rich white boy who's ruining her life.
December 19, 2025
The premise sounded interesting, but the actual experience was more of a “meh”-feeling. Even though the book is rather short, it felt like it dragged on.
If you like dark academia, this may be your kind of story. But I felt like the magic system weren’t explained enough and the worldbuilding just left me confused. Or the whole beginning left me confused. But for example, when the main characters leave for St Penderghast, Hal isn’t allowed to bring any electronics. This is never explained further, except for the fact that one of the magical affinities destroy electronics if they try to use it. But was this the reason for it to be banned?
Hal wasn’t a likeable main character, and honestly, seemed rather useless on both magical abilities. I don’t understand why she was given the chance to attend this school and why everyone seemed to rave about them. Shouldn’t she be at least decent?
I didn’t really care for the romance, and it had a odd balance. It’s all very YA in nature, but at the same time there’s a lot of talk of conceiving a child with Alastair. Both from characters close to Hal, but also in her thoughts. It felt very misplaced.
The plot twist in the end didn’t come as a shock, bit was still interesting. Don’t know if it’s enough for me to pick up the sequel though.
If you like dark academia, this may be your kind of story. But I felt like the magic system weren’t explained enough and the worldbuilding just left me confused. Or the whole beginning left me confused. But for example, when the main characters leave for St Penderghast, Hal isn’t allowed to bring any electronics. This is never explained further, except for the fact that one of the magical affinities destroy electronics if they try to use it. But was this the reason for it to be banned?
Hal wasn’t a likeable main character, and honestly, seemed rather useless on both magical abilities. I don’t understand why she was given the chance to attend this school and why everyone seemed to rave about them. Shouldn’t she be at least decent?
I didn’t really care for the romance, and it had a odd balance. It’s all very YA in nature, but at the same time there’s a lot of talk of conceiving a child with Alastair. Both from characters close to Hal, but also in her thoughts. It felt very misplaced.
The plot twist in the end didn’t come as a shock, bit was still interesting. Don’t know if it’s enough for me to pick up the sequel though.
June 18, 2025
Where do I even start?! Rivals-to-lovers, academy setting, necromancy 🤌🏼
✨Breakdown✨
The MCs
Absolutely in love with our FMC, Hal, and her determination and ambition that she demonstrates throughout the book. She has her dream, and she will do anything to achieve it. I loved how her naïvety was portrayed as she navigated the world she was suddenly in and how this impacts her during the story.
Our MMC, Alistair, is introduced as a cold hearted, brooding, selfish person, but watching him open up and peeling back his layers was incredible! So many moments where we find something out about him and I was like “ohhhh”
Both of our main characters were so three dimensional, it made it easy to connect with them and become invested in their journey and choices.
The World
I won’t lie, for the first few chapters I had to take it slow and go back and double check as I was getting used to the complex history and world that we are introduced to, however, I was able to pick it up pretty quickly and marvelled at how thought out everything was. I love the clear separation between spires and gravers and how that reflects in the status of the people, the richness of the area and job opportunities.
The Plot
It was so refreshing to see a rivals-to-lovers that didn’t fizzle out within a chapter or so. Our characters both have their end goals, and both fight for them with their might. I loved seeing how their relationship bloomed between their history and ongoing feuds. Especially when forced to work together.
Additionally, it was nice to see that the romance wasn’t a driving aspect to the plot, that our characters acted despite their feelings and that the story would’ve held if romance was removed.
Overview
I only put this down to work (boo) and sleep (overrated), I was captured from the first few chapters and held right to the end, which I am still SCREAMING from. I know peace until I have the next book in my hands.
A massive, massive thank you to Danielle Knight and NetGally for the ARC copy and for letting me be part of this journey, I loved every second 🫶🏻
✨Breakdown✨
The MCs
Absolutely in love with our FMC, Hal, and her determination and ambition that she demonstrates throughout the book. She has her dream, and she will do anything to achieve it. I loved how her naïvety was portrayed as she navigated the world she was suddenly in and how this impacts her during the story.
Our MMC, Alistair, is introduced as a cold hearted, brooding, selfish person, but watching him open up and peeling back his layers was incredible! So many moments where we find something out about him and I was like “ohhhh”
Both of our main characters were so three dimensional, it made it easy to connect with them and become invested in their journey and choices.
The World
I won’t lie, for the first few chapters I had to take it slow and go back and double check as I was getting used to the complex history and world that we are introduced to, however, I was able to pick it up pretty quickly and marvelled at how thought out everything was. I love the clear separation between spires and gravers and how that reflects in the status of the people, the richness of the area and job opportunities.
The Plot
It was so refreshing to see a rivals-to-lovers that didn’t fizzle out within a chapter or so. Our characters both have their end goals, and both fight for them with their might. I loved seeing how their relationship bloomed between their history and ongoing feuds. Especially when forced to work together.
Additionally, it was nice to see that the romance wasn’t a driving aspect to the plot, that our characters acted despite their feelings and that the story would’ve held if romance was removed.
Overview
I only put this down to work (boo) and sleep (overrated), I was captured from the first few chapters and held right to the end, which I am still SCREAMING from. I know peace until I have the next book in my hands.
A massive, massive thank you to Danielle Knight and NetGally for the ARC copy and for letting me be part of this journey, I loved every second 🫶🏻
June 19, 2025
Graving. Spiring. Necromancy and divine fuelled combat. Welcome to St. Penderghast’s, where ambition is everything and survival is never guaranteed.
This book had so many of my favourite things: dark academia, dangerous academic trials, enemies to allies tension and a truly fascinating magic system. I was immediately hooked by the world of spirers and gravers especially the eerie, creative concept behind graving (raising corpses and shaping them into eldritch monsters?? Yes please).
Halen and Alastair’s dynamic had the exact friction I love. She’s all sharp edges and darker motives. He’s polished and privileged until the cracks start to show. Watching them shift from bitter rivals to reluctant allies (and possibly more) was so satisfying.
The setting blends magical hierarchy with twisted trials, political schemes and ancient horrors. While I’d love even more depth in the worldbuilding, the story moves quickly and those final chapters really deliver. I’m definitely excited for what’s next.
If you love your dark academia with teeth, your magic systems a little monstrous and your characters morally grey and full of fire this is a fun read with killer potential.
Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
Bookstagram <3
This book had so many of my favourite things: dark academia, dangerous academic trials, enemies to allies tension and a truly fascinating magic system. I was immediately hooked by the world of spirers and gravers especially the eerie, creative concept behind graving (raising corpses and shaping them into eldritch monsters?? Yes please).
Halen and Alastair’s dynamic had the exact friction I love. She’s all sharp edges and darker motives. He’s polished and privileged until the cracks start to show. Watching them shift from bitter rivals to reluctant allies (and possibly more) was so satisfying.
The setting blends magical hierarchy with twisted trials, political schemes and ancient horrors. While I’d love even more depth in the worldbuilding, the story moves quickly and those final chapters really deliver. I’m definitely excited for what’s next.
If you love your dark academia with teeth, your magic systems a little monstrous and your characters morally grey and full of fire this is a fun read with killer potential.
Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
Bookstagram <3
August 18, 2025
this is for fans of the TV series Wednesday, without question, as well as for people who have always cherished Harrow Nonsgesimus as their poor little meow meow. Halen Kilchoir is the obsessive, sword-wielding, corpse-monstrosity-crafting mixture of the two. She is driven. She has a mission. She must study the art of graving - resurrecting corpses into undead holy horrors powered by the Spite of her Lady - and do her horrible family proud.
But the only way to actually get into the college of her choice and study under the mentor of her dreams… is to somehow pass for one half of a spiring duo, a duelling pair whose mission is to take down said undead horrors in gladiatorial combat: in an accord. With, obviously, her mortal rival, handsome, accomplished, infuriating Alistair.
With plenty of comic and grotesque college drama, dramatic fights and necromantic tension, this was horribly, ghastly fun. It’s even more entertaining because even though Hal is your narrator, and firmly convinced of her own absolute brilliance, her nature means there are things she simply does not notice. The burn is slow, my guys. It’s very slow.
In the tagline of the immortal Buffy Summers, high school is hell… and so are college applications. Settle in for monsters both human and undead, and some un-serious fun!
But the only way to actually get into the college of her choice and study under the mentor of her dreams… is to somehow pass for one half of a spiring duo, a duelling pair whose mission is to take down said undead horrors in gladiatorial combat: in an accord. With, obviously, her mortal rival, handsome, accomplished, infuriating Alistair.
With plenty of comic and grotesque college drama, dramatic fights and necromantic tension, this was horribly, ghastly fun. It’s even more entertaining because even though Hal is your narrator, and firmly convinced of her own absolute brilliance, her nature means there are things she simply does not notice. The burn is slow, my guys. It’s very slow.
In the tagline of the immortal Buffy Summers, high school is hell… and so are college applications. Settle in for monsters both human and undead, and some un-serious fun!
July 20, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
I initially really struggled to get into this book, the world building was confusing and I struggled to make sense of any of it. As the story built and we were given more information, I felt I could actually bond with the characters and understand the world it was set in.
I love an enemies to lovers trope and although the romance didn’t fully progress, I always love the building of tension and the fighting between the love interests. The premise of spiring and the gladiator type fighting was thrilling and I thought written very well.
However, that ending?!?! God did it leave me frustrated.
I’m hoping for a huge cliffhanger with resolutions in the next book as I have faith in Alistair.
I initially really struggled to get into this book, the world building was confusing and I struggled to make sense of any of it. As the story built and we were given more information, I felt I could actually bond with the characters and understand the world it was set in.
I love an enemies to lovers trope and although the romance didn’t fully progress, I always love the building of tension and the fighting between the love interests. The premise of spiring and the gladiator type fighting was thrilling and I thought written very well.
However, that ending?!?! God did it leave me frustrated.
I’m hoping for a huge cliffhanger with resolutions in the next book as I have faith in Alistair.
December 11, 2025
Not going to to a whole write up but like, this is for people who REALLY REALLY like DA, like not just as a vibe but the whole thing. If you want infodumps on infodumps about attending magic school, this will absolutely be for you.
November 1, 2025
Necromancers AND gladiators? Sign me the f up. Right now.
…
Primero de todo quiero decir que el libro me ha encantado, pero aun así creo que está mal catalogado en el propio NetGalley. He visto varias reseñas comentando lo mismo y no puedo estar más de acuerdo. En la web se catalogaba como LGBTQ+ y yo, como persona que se come las portadas por los ojos, dije: de locos, nueva obsesión y aún encima representativa; pero no ha sido así. Entiendo que la protagonista es bisexual (y como mujer bisexual que está leyendo el libro, me encanta que se nos represente y haya más libros que hablen de ello), pero no se ve esa faceta de la protagonista salvo en momentos muy concretos y muy cortos. Considero que haber metido el libro en un “género” que está catalogado para libros LGBTQ+ ha sido un desliz bastante grande, pero tampoco puedo echar la culpa a la autora o al libro cuando realmente y seguramente esta no sea la responsable de las etiquetas que se ponen en NetGalley.
Ya dicho esto, WOW, menuda pasada de libro. En un mundo separado por la pobreza según la religión que tengas, nos encontramos con Hal, nuestra protagonista, la cual está estudiando/preparándose para ser graver (nigromante) para así no solo salir de la clase más baja de las Presas, sino pudiendo decirle un “te lo dije” a sus padres, a su escuela y a sí misma. Pero no está sola, está estudiando con Alastair Faulton, un scion, un gladiador que proviene de una larga historia de gladiadores tras de sí, pero exiliado. Su padre le ha echado de casa por ser una desgracia para él, y ahora tendrá que ganarse un puesto en la St Pendergast Academy para nigromantes y gladiadores, y así poder volver a casa. Sobra resaltar que Hal y Alastair se odian… un poquito como mínimo. Y no solo su clase social, sino el dios al que le rezan los separa años de distancia. Aun así, y aun estando estudiando para entrar a lo que vienen a ser carreras distintas, Hal entrena con Alastair: es la única que puede batirle en duelo y contarlo. Y aunque es algo de lo que estar orgullosa, también le va a pasar factura. Porque, aunque su sueño sea ser nigromante, acaba entrando a las pruebas de acceso de la academia como gladiadora… y aún encima de la mano de Alastair No solo tendrán que luchar juntos, sino que su supervivencia estará completamente ligada a él y viceversa. Ya solo con esto yo me olí una joya a distancia 🙂↕️😇
Cabe recalcar que no es un enemies to lovers… para mí es más como un allies que se odian a personas que se soportan. No hay nada de odio más allá de una rivalidad no muy sana (imo). Además, no llega a haber un lovers claro. Y esto quiero resaltarlo porque si vas buscando spicy, no lo busques aquí. No hay.
Como podéis ver, el worldbuilding es una pasada. Me ha gustado mucho eso de que ya no dependes solo de qué haces o cómo trabajas, sino de a quién rezas para así tener unas cualidades u otras. Cabe recalcar que, obviamente, no todas las personas que recen a Oldric son gladiadores; solo aquellas con más fe o que más sigan sus valores tendrán sus poderes en la palma de su mano (o en la punta de la espada). Bastante chula la rivalidad que se crea o que se muestra socialmente y luego la perspectiva que se ve desde el punto de vista de un ciudadano (en este caso, los padres de Hal) que llevan viviendo esa opresión durante años. Hay mucha hipocresía en todas las sociedades y eso se ve muuuy bien en este libro.
En general puedo decir que tanto la trama como los personajes me han gustado mucho. Desde el inicio, ese bickering entre ellos me ha parecido muy chulo; no es un “te odio”, es un “no te soporto aunque entrenar contigo es el mejor momento del día, pedazo de rata de cloaca” Tanto Alastair como Hal tienen una evolución bastante chula. Tengo muchas ganas de ver qué les depara el resto de la saga… Alastair tiene MUCHO potencial 🙂↕️
Y Hal puede tener un arco muy chulo, ya sea de villana o de héroe solo nos queda esperar!
Por último, ya por hablar de la trama, me ha gustado, ha estado bien, pero creo que en su totalidad ha sido bastante predecible. Estaba muy enganchada, pero me faltó esa sorpresa que viene con los plot twists. No paro de pensar en quién será el padre de Hal… eso sí que hubiera sido un buen plot twist, pero supongo que tendremos que esperar hasta el siguiente libro para descubrirlo.
Para recapitular, en general me ha gustado, pero algo más de tensión, giros y que no estuviera mal catalogado hubiera hecho un libro de 10. También hay que tener en cuenta que es un principio de saga y que presentar a los personajes es muy importante, así que también entiendo que haya sido más lento de lo habitual.
Si te gusta la alta fantasía, el tema de gladiadores y nigromantes, el rivals to lovers y un buen academic romance pero donde la probabilidad de morirse es muy alta… Sin ninguna duda deberías leer A Rather Vengeful Accord.
De nuevo, gracias a NetGalley, la autora y la editorial por darme la oportunidad de leer el libro antes de su fecha de publicación 💚
…
Primero de todo quiero decir que el libro me ha encantado, pero aun así creo que está mal catalogado en el propio NetGalley. He visto varias reseñas comentando lo mismo y no puedo estar más de acuerdo. En la web se catalogaba como LGBTQ+ y yo, como persona que se come las portadas por los ojos, dije: de locos, nueva obsesión y aún encima representativa; pero no ha sido así. Entiendo que la protagonista es bisexual (y como mujer bisexual que está leyendo el libro, me encanta que se nos represente y haya más libros que hablen de ello), pero no se ve esa faceta de la protagonista salvo en momentos muy concretos y muy cortos. Considero que haber metido el libro en un “género” que está catalogado para libros LGBTQ+ ha sido un desliz bastante grande, pero tampoco puedo echar la culpa a la autora o al libro cuando realmente y seguramente esta no sea la responsable de las etiquetas que se ponen en NetGalley.
Ya dicho esto, WOW, menuda pasada de libro. En un mundo separado por la pobreza según la religión que tengas, nos encontramos con Hal, nuestra protagonista, la cual está estudiando/preparándose para ser graver (nigromante) para así no solo salir de la clase más baja de las Presas, sino pudiendo decirle un “te lo dije” a sus padres, a su escuela y a sí misma. Pero no está sola, está estudiando con Alastair Faulton, un scion, un gladiador que proviene de una larga historia de gladiadores tras de sí, pero exiliado. Su padre le ha echado de casa por ser una desgracia para él, y ahora tendrá que ganarse un puesto en la St Pendergast Academy para nigromantes y gladiadores, y así poder volver a casa. Sobra resaltar que Hal y Alastair se odian… un poquito como mínimo. Y no solo su clase social, sino el dios al que le rezan los separa años de distancia. Aun así, y aun estando estudiando para entrar a lo que vienen a ser carreras distintas, Hal entrena con Alastair: es la única que puede batirle en duelo y contarlo. Y aunque es algo de lo que estar orgullosa, también le va a pasar factura. Porque, aunque su sueño sea ser nigromante, acaba entrando a las pruebas de acceso de la academia como gladiadora… y aún encima de la mano de Alastair No solo tendrán que luchar juntos, sino que su supervivencia estará completamente ligada a él y viceversa. Ya solo con esto yo me olí una joya a distancia 🙂↕️😇
Cabe recalcar que no es un enemies to lovers… para mí es más como un allies que se odian a personas que se soportan. No hay nada de odio más allá de una rivalidad no muy sana (imo). Además, no llega a haber un lovers claro. Y esto quiero resaltarlo porque si vas buscando spicy, no lo busques aquí. No hay.
Como podéis ver, el worldbuilding es una pasada. Me ha gustado mucho eso de que ya no dependes solo de qué haces o cómo trabajas, sino de a quién rezas para así tener unas cualidades u otras. Cabe recalcar que, obviamente, no todas las personas que recen a Oldric son gladiadores; solo aquellas con más fe o que más sigan sus valores tendrán sus poderes en la palma de su mano (o en la punta de la espada). Bastante chula la rivalidad que se crea o que se muestra socialmente y luego la perspectiva que se ve desde el punto de vista de un ciudadano (en este caso, los padres de Hal) que llevan viviendo esa opresión durante años. Hay mucha hipocresía en todas las sociedades y eso se ve muuuy bien en este libro.
En general puedo decir que tanto la trama como los personajes me han gustado mucho. Desde el inicio, ese bickering entre ellos me ha parecido muy chulo; no es un “te odio”, es un “no te soporto aunque entrenar contigo es el mejor momento del día, pedazo de rata de cloaca” Tanto Alastair como Hal tienen una evolución bastante chula. Tengo muchas ganas de ver qué les depara el resto de la saga… Alastair tiene MUCHO potencial 🙂↕️
Y Hal puede tener un arco muy chulo, ya sea de villana o de héroe solo nos queda esperar!
Por último, ya por hablar de la trama, me ha gustado, ha estado bien, pero creo que en su totalidad ha sido bastante predecible. Estaba muy enganchada, pero me faltó esa sorpresa que viene con los plot twists. No paro de pensar en quién será el padre de Hal… eso sí que hubiera sido un buen plot twist, pero supongo que tendremos que esperar hasta el siguiente libro para descubrirlo.
Para recapitular, en general me ha gustado, pero algo más de tensión, giros y que no estuviera mal catalogado hubiera hecho un libro de 10. También hay que tener en cuenta que es un principio de saga y que presentar a los personajes es muy importante, así que también entiendo que haya sido más lento de lo habitual.
Si te gusta la alta fantasía, el tema de gladiadores y nigromantes, el rivals to lovers y un buen academic romance pero donde la probabilidad de morirse es muy alta… Sin ninguna duda deberías leer A Rather Vengeful Accord.
De nuevo, gracias a NetGalley, la autora y la editorial por darme la oportunidad de leer el libro antes de su fecha de publicación 💚
December 7, 2025
it took me a while to get into this but i ended up super loving it. the eerians (monsters) reminded me SO much of the creatures from Elden Ring and the Dark Souls games. now i'm mad that i have to wait so long for the sequel haha because ending had me *eyes emoji*
queer main character; queer side characters
queer main character; queer side characters
September 10, 2025
First I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC!
This book wasn't it for me. I really struggled with the world-building. Never really got to the point that I understood the magic system. The whole idea of necromancy and death magic caught my attention at first, but I couldn't really figure out how it exactly worked throughout the book.
And then there are also Lord and Lady dieties mentioned constantly. I would have loved to see a glossary to fall back on.
And then there are our main characters, rivals forced to work together.
There's the littlest romantic subplot that is the rivals-to-lovers trope, I do think this was executed well.
I had trouble connecting with the main characters, which made this book difficult for me to read. I literally pushed myself throughout this book and the ending was meh? Overall the writing is okay, but I was very close to DNF the book.
So unfortunately, this book is not for me and I will not continue with the sequel.
This book wasn't it for me. I really struggled with the world-building. Never really got to the point that I understood the magic system. The whole idea of necromancy and death magic caught my attention at first, but I couldn't really figure out how it exactly worked throughout the book.
And then there are also Lord and Lady dieties mentioned constantly. I would have loved to see a glossary to fall back on.
And then there are our main characters, rivals forced to work together.
There's the littlest romantic subplot that is the rivals-to-lovers trope, I do think this was executed well.
I had trouble connecting with the main characters, which made this book difficult for me to read. I literally pushed myself throughout this book and the ending was meh? Overall the writing is okay, but I was very close to DNF the book.
So unfortunately, this book is not for me and I will not continue with the sequel.
December 1, 2025
I was really really excited about this one — dark academia fantasy, with academic rivals, duels, and necromancy? Sign me up.
I preordered it and dropped everything I was in the middle of (books, series, chores, everything) when it arrived.
And… I found myself quickly stalling. It took me over a week to get through the first 100 pages, because I just didn’t feel like picking it up, and when I did I couldn’t read more than a few pages without feeling a bit lost and getting frustrated with the fact that in order to try and understand the world building I constantly had to refer to the “glossary” at the end of the book — a glossary, I might add, that still didn’t define all the made-up terms used again and again in the book.
Eventually the characters did manage to kind of get me into it — but I decided to get the audiobook to make sure I’d get through it. The narrator does a very good job so the audiobook definitely made it easier.
I’ll say this, the vibes are spot-on, I enjoyed the whole aesthetic and overall concept; and I really liked the MC, Hal — she is snarky, doesn’t take any shit, and she is determined to have her way. She is also a little oblivious in some ways because she is so single-minded in pursuing her dream to be mentored by what I guess is the most kick-ass necromancer ever, and become one herself.
So following her story was what drew me in and kept me reading, and I did enjoy the middle portion, even though I thought that both the character development and the relationship development lacked a little bit of depth. But they were interesting characters to read about, and I always enjoy court politics, rivalry, and a bit of drama.
The last 1/4 of the book devolved a bit for me again and I didn’t like the turns the story took, but I am still kind of curious about how the story continues so I’ll read the sequel.
All in all, this was 3 1/2 STARS for me, but I’m hoping that now that I understand the world a bit better, the next book will really reel me in and have a satisfying continuation and conclusion to the story.
I preordered it and dropped everything I was in the middle of (books, series, chores, everything) when it arrived.
And… I found myself quickly stalling. It took me over a week to get through the first 100 pages, because I just didn’t feel like picking it up, and when I did I couldn’t read more than a few pages without feeling a bit lost and getting frustrated with the fact that in order to try and understand the world building I constantly had to refer to the “glossary” at the end of the book — a glossary, I might add, that still didn’t define all the made-up terms used again and again in the book.
Eventually the characters did manage to kind of get me into it — but I decided to get the audiobook to make sure I’d get through it. The narrator does a very good job so the audiobook definitely made it easier.
I’ll say this, the vibes are spot-on, I enjoyed the whole aesthetic and overall concept; and I really liked the MC, Hal — she is snarky, doesn’t take any shit, and she is determined to have her way. She is also a little oblivious in some ways because she is so single-minded in pursuing her dream to be mentored by what I guess is the most kick-ass necromancer ever, and become one herself.
So following her story was what drew me in and kept me reading, and I did enjoy the middle portion, even though I thought that both the character development and the relationship development lacked a little bit of depth. But they were interesting characters to read about, and I always enjoy court politics, rivalry, and a bit of drama.
The last 1/4 of the book devolved a bit for me again and I didn’t like the turns the story took, but I am still kind of curious about how the story continues so I’ll read the sequel.
All in all, this was 3 1/2 STARS for me, but I’m hoping that now that I understand the world a bit better, the next book will really reel me in and have a satisfying continuation and conclusion to the story.
October 19, 2025
“You always find such imaginative ways to say you want your teeth on the floor.”
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️ 2.5/5
I had trouble connecting with the main characters of this book, which made this a difficult read for me. I found myself pushing through rather than genuinely enjoying it, and by the time I reached the ending, it just felt meh.
The writing itself is fine, but I was close to DNF’ing several times. The world felt confusing, and the protagonist, Hal (Halen), comes across as naïve despite her believing she’s the smartest person in the room. Watching her make the same mistakes again and again got tiring.
The ending also felt rushed, more like a setup for the next book rather than a satisfying conclusion. Overall, it’s a story that might appeal more to younger YA readers, but it didn’t quite work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️ 2.5/5
I had trouble connecting with the main characters of this book, which made this a difficult read for me. I found myself pushing through rather than genuinely enjoying it, and by the time I reached the ending, it just felt meh.
The writing itself is fine, but I was close to DNF’ing several times. The world felt confusing, and the protagonist, Hal (Halen), comes across as naïve despite her believing she’s the smartest person in the room. Watching her make the same mistakes again and again got tiring.
The ending also felt rushed, more like a setup for the next book rather than a satisfying conclusion. Overall, it’s a story that might appeal more to younger YA readers, but it didn’t quite work for me.
December 31, 2025
FMC was quite unlikeable, world building wasn’t well explained at all, and the relationship between the two MCs felt very flat.
October 18, 2025
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC in return for an honest review. When a book blindsides you with how good it is? Yeah, this is one of those. 4.5 stars rounded up!
I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, but got hooked on the sharp banter, some genuinely great plot twists, and a main character who felt so refreshingly different (neurodivergent-coded in a way that felt natural and real). Big ups.
The world was honestly kind of gross in places, but also weirdly compelling. I didn’t always want to be there, but I couldn’t look away either. There’s a ton of originality packed into the setting and magic system, which I really appreciated, though I will say some of the worldbuilding could’ve been a bit clearer. There were a lot of names, concepts, and politics flying around early on, and it took a minute to get my bearings.
The payoff and GOTHIC THRILLER turn was so worth it. The tension, the twists, the clever and sometimes cutting banter all landed. I genuinely enjoyed the ride and found myself way more invested than I expected. Totally exceeded my expectations, and I can't wait for the sequel already.
I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, but got hooked on the sharp banter, some genuinely great plot twists, and a main character who felt so refreshingly different (neurodivergent-coded in a way that felt natural and real). Big ups.
The world was honestly kind of gross in places, but also weirdly compelling. I didn’t always want to be there, but I couldn’t look away either. There’s a ton of originality packed into the setting and magic system, which I really appreciated, though I will say some of the worldbuilding could’ve been a bit clearer. There were a lot of names, concepts, and politics flying around early on, and it took a minute to get my bearings.
The payoff and GOTHIC THRILLER turn was so worth it. The tension, the twists, the clever and sometimes cutting banter all landed. I genuinely enjoyed the ride and found myself way more invested than I expected. Totally exceeded my expectations, and I can't wait for the sequel already.
December 21, 2025
Utter garbage. Boring, no character chemistry, drama that lacked everything that makes drama and angst interesting. The characters feel flat and incredibly boring to follow.
September 21, 2025
3.5 or 3.75 out of 5 stars, rounded up.
This book is extremely difficult to describe. It's comped for fans of Gideon The Ninth, and I definitely see some inspiration there. There's the mage / necromancer (called graving) vs the swordfighter / fencer path (called spiring), the acerbic relationship between the two main characters and even both Jod-esque and Alecto-esque characters manipulating behind the scenes. I gotta say the weak resemblences kind of irritated me for a while, and the confusing world-building really didn't help. However... it really did won me over in the end. I guess I'm just weak to recalcitrant characters, what these two were in spades. Not only that, but I'm for sure looking forward to the next instalment in this series because oh my word the ending had me GAGGED. But even before that the four stars were very much earned.
Thanks to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.
This book is extremely difficult to describe. It's comped for fans of Gideon The Ninth, and I definitely see some inspiration there. There's the mage / necromancer (called graving) vs the swordfighter / fencer path (called spiring), the acerbic relationship between the two main characters and even both Jod-esque and Alecto-esque characters manipulating behind the scenes. I gotta say the weak resemblences kind of irritated me for a while, and the confusing world-building really didn't help. However... it really did won me over in the end. I guess I'm just weak to recalcitrant characters, what these two were in spades. Not only that, but I'm for sure looking forward to the next instalment in this series because oh my word the ending had me GAGGED. But even before that the four stars were very much earned.
Thanks to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.
June 10, 2025
A RATHER VENGEFUL ACCORD - Danielle Knight
St. Penderghast’s es una universidad de élite para nigromantes y gladiadores, que promete gloria a quienes logren dominar las artes arcanas del graving o el spiring.
El graving es, básicamente, la nigromancia; y el spiring es el combate con espada impulsado por energía divina contra horrores no-muertos en Coliseos. Halen Kilchoir, nigromante, mataría (juas!) por estudiar en St. Penderghast’s bajo la tutela de su heroína, Mortritis.
Pero la única forma de entrar es aceptar un peligroso pacto con su rival mortal, Alastair Faulton — un consumado spirer, y el exasperante, formidable (y guapísimo aunque estirado) heredero exiliado de la gran dinastía Faulton.
Si de verdad necesitas que te siga explicando la trama es que has vivido debajo de una piedra los últimos 20 años de la fantasía juvenil, y no entiendes el concepto de rivals to lovers.
Danielle Knight os trae una versión más de la historia de siempre. Escuela chunga, presuntos rivales, innecesaria, animadversión, obligados a colaborar, [introduzca escenario con una sola cama para dos personas], él en el fondo no es tan malo, ella no es capaz de comprender la profundidad, la sensibilidad y las heridas que esconde tras su congelado corazón.
Y a lo mejor soy yo, pero se me ha acabado la paciencia con este tipo de subgénero de la fantasía juvenil. Habrá quien os la venda como Guideon La Novena meets Una educación Mortal.
Pero es que es la misma historia de siempre, en un escenario, tampoco demasiado trabajado, aunque con una visión suficientemente oscura de la nigromancia.
Si lo que lo que te he explicado te motiva lo suficiente, adelante. A mí me ha dejado bastante... meh. Quizás porque es un tropo que está llegando a su fin.
Valoración: 💀💀(2 Gideons)
St. Penderghast’s es una universidad de élite para nigromantes y gladiadores, que promete gloria a quienes logren dominar las artes arcanas del graving o el spiring.
El graving es, básicamente, la nigromancia; y el spiring es el combate con espada impulsado por energía divina contra horrores no-muertos en Coliseos. Halen Kilchoir, nigromante, mataría (juas!) por estudiar en St. Penderghast’s bajo la tutela de su heroína, Mortritis.
Pero la única forma de entrar es aceptar un peligroso pacto con su rival mortal, Alastair Faulton — un consumado spirer, y el exasperante, formidable (y guapísimo aunque estirado) heredero exiliado de la gran dinastía Faulton.
Si de verdad necesitas que te siga explicando la trama es que has vivido debajo de una piedra los últimos 20 años de la fantasía juvenil, y no entiendes el concepto de rivals to lovers.
Danielle Knight os trae una versión más de la historia de siempre. Escuela chunga, presuntos rivales, innecesaria, animadversión, obligados a colaborar, [introduzca escenario con una sola cama para dos personas], él en el fondo no es tan malo, ella no es capaz de comprender la profundidad, la sensibilidad y las heridas que esconde tras su congelado corazón.
Y a lo mejor soy yo, pero se me ha acabado la paciencia con este tipo de subgénero de la fantasía juvenil. Habrá quien os la venda como Guideon La Novena meets Una educación Mortal.
Pero es que es la misma historia de siempre, en un escenario, tampoco demasiado trabajado, aunque con una visión suficientemente oscura de la nigromancia.
Si lo que lo que te he explicado te motiva lo suficiente, adelante. A mí me ha dejado bastante... meh. Quizás porque es un tropo que está llegando a su fin.
Valoración: 💀💀(2 Gideons)
July 16, 2025
Two things are certain: necromancers have the worst Yelp reviews (seriously, who wants to eat dinner surrounded by rotting zombie flesh?), and rivals make the best (and most hilariously awkward) lovers! In "A Rather Vengeful Accord," Danielle Knight perfectly merges the dark academia vibes of studying the macabre with the comedic gold of "let's-pretend-we-don't-like-each-other" romance—while surrounded by eldritch abominations.
Our heroine, Halen Kilchoir, is like a goth princess with dreams of necromancing dead bodies—who also happens to want to resurrect her entire social life by linking up with her rival Alastair Faulton. Seriously, who knew that teaming up with your exasperating nemesis could be more thrilling than a front-row seat to a gladiatorial battle between a mummified cat and a jazzed-up human skeleton?
Halen’s single-minded determination to raise the dead—and definitely not a romantic interest—leads her down delightful paths of near-death experiences, awkward moments of touching decayed and let’s not forget the snappy banter that makes you question just how many times one can roll their eyes while simultaneously blushing.
And Alastair? He’s like the tragic hero of a bad rom-com, complete with the rich exiled scion backstory, a penchant for dramatic monologues, and a deep-seated belief that LOLing at your competitor’s misfortunes is a sign of true love.
So if you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to fall in love while battling grotesque monsters and resurrecting the dead,” then grab a copy of "A Rather Vengeful Accord." But be warned: you may find yourself laughing out loud, cackling at the absurdity of it all, and maybe—just maybe—contemplating taking a necromancy class yourself! Because who wouldn't want to make their life a little more… *undead*? 💀✨
Our heroine, Halen Kilchoir, is like a goth princess with dreams of necromancing dead bodies—who also happens to want to resurrect her entire social life by linking up with her rival Alastair Faulton. Seriously, who knew that teaming up with your exasperating nemesis could be more thrilling than a front-row seat to a gladiatorial battle between a mummified cat and a jazzed-up human skeleton?
Halen’s single-minded determination to raise the dead—and definitely not a romantic interest—leads her down delightful paths of near-death experiences, awkward moments of touching decayed and let’s not forget the snappy banter that makes you question just how many times one can roll their eyes while simultaneously blushing.
And Alastair? He’s like the tragic hero of a bad rom-com, complete with the rich exiled scion backstory, a penchant for dramatic monologues, and a deep-seated belief that LOLing at your competitor’s misfortunes is a sign of true love.
So if you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to fall in love while battling grotesque monsters and resurrecting the dead,” then grab a copy of "A Rather Vengeful Accord." But be warned: you may find yourself laughing out loud, cackling at the absurdity of it all, and maybe—just maybe—contemplating taking a necromancy class yourself! Because who wouldn't want to make their life a little more… *undead*? 💀✨
July 6, 2025
Despite loving Dark Academia novels, they tend to be hit or miss for me. A Rather Vengeful Accord was definitely a hit!
First of all, this book has two of my favourite tropes: magical academia and games/trials. These were executed really well. But what stood out to me were the plot and the magic systems. I loved the concept of two gods, representing two aspects of magic. Necromancy and demons are always fascinating, and I thought this book treated them in a compelling and creative way.
Also… WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?
Now, despite really enjoying the novel, there are a few issues I want to briefly touch on.
Firstly, the characters felt a bit one-dimensional. Even though we're inside Hal’s head for most of the book, I couldn’t picture her outside of the narrative. I know very little about her beyond what was necessary to the plot.
Secondly, the worldbuilding was extremely confusing. I’m not sure if the author was aiming for a Gideon the Ninth vibe, but there was a lot of information dumping, and very little was actually explained. As the story progressed, more details were added, but I always felt like I only had a surface-level understanding of how this world worked and I remained confused throughout the book.
Lastly, some chapters were entirely dedicated to banter between the two protagonists, which really slowed down the pacing.
That said, I really did enjoy this, and from what I’ve seen, this is a debut author, so Brava!
Also, the The Scholomance vibes were immaculate. I’m looking forward to continuing the series. <3
3.5 stars rounded down
First of all, this book has two of my favourite tropes: magical academia and games/trials. These were executed really well. But what stood out to me were the plot and the magic systems. I loved the concept of two gods, representing two aspects of magic. Necromancy and demons are always fascinating, and I thought this book treated them in a compelling and creative way.
Also… WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?
Now, despite really enjoying the novel, there are a few issues I want to briefly touch on.
Firstly, the characters felt a bit one-dimensional. Even though we're inside Hal’s head for most of the book, I couldn’t picture her outside of the narrative. I know very little about her beyond what was necessary to the plot.
Secondly, the worldbuilding was extremely confusing. I’m not sure if the author was aiming for a Gideon the Ninth vibe, but there was a lot of information dumping, and very little was actually explained. As the story progressed, more details were added, but I always felt like I only had a surface-level understanding of how this world worked and I remained confused throughout the book.
Lastly, some chapters were entirely dedicated to banter between the two protagonists, which really slowed down the pacing.
That said, I really did enjoy this, and from what I’ve seen, this is a debut author, so Brava!
Also, the The Scholomance vibes were immaculate. I’m looking forward to continuing the series. <3
3.5 stars rounded down
August 30, 2025
I've finished this book a while ago and have since been struggling to write a review.
I wanted to see what the aftertaste would be after an amount of time has passed.
All in all, this book was not entirely for me.
Yes, there's lots of worldbuilding with immensely intriguing aspects. Necromancy, swordfighting, Dark Academia, it's all there.
And the vibe and humor is Locked Tomb adjacent.
However, apart from vibe, the immensity of the worldbuilding and a killer cliffhanger, there's not a lot that sticks.
The plot is thin, the romance is weak and questionable (lots of gaslighting), and I can't say much else about it.
I'm sure there's readers who will devour this, I'm not one of them.
3/5 stars
Thank you @netgalley and @daphnepress for the eARC!
#ARatherVengefulAccord #Netgalley #Bookstagram
I wanted to see what the aftertaste would be after an amount of time has passed.
All in all, this book was not entirely for me.
Yes, there's lots of worldbuilding with immensely intriguing aspects. Necromancy, swordfighting, Dark Academia, it's all there.
And the vibe and humor is Locked Tomb adjacent.
However, apart from vibe, the immensity of the worldbuilding and a killer cliffhanger, there's not a lot that sticks.
The plot is thin, the romance is weak and questionable (lots of gaslighting), and I can't say much else about it.
I'm sure there's readers who will devour this, I'm not one of them.
3/5 stars
Thank you @netgalley and @daphnepress for the eARC!
#ARatherVengefulAccord #Netgalley #Bookstagram
Want to read
December 21, 2024you had me at "gladiatorial combat" and "elite college for necromancers and gladiators"
December 29, 2025
Al final, sí fue un poco decepcionante. Aun teniendo una valoración baja y habiendo escuchado opiniones negativas, esperaba que me gustase, dado que la sinopsis prometía. A pesar de su potencial y de una historia prometedora, los aspectos que me echaban hacia atrás pesan más; por lo tanto, no puedo darle más de tres estrellas y no continuaré con la serie.
En cuanto a los puntos positivos, para mí destacan la construcción del mundo y la intriga política.
El mundo en el que nos adentramos es bastante complejo y rico en detalles. Ayuda mucho el glosario que aparece al final del libro, y es aconsejable familiarizarse con los términos antes de sumergirse en la historia. Suelo ser fan de las construcciones de mundo complejas, y por eso me gustan libros como Nuncanoche, de Jay Kristoff; me fascinan los mundos que te atrapan en sus detalles y te hacen olvidar la realidad. ARVA es otro ejemplo de ello.
Por otro lado, la intriga política consigue sorprender en algunos momentos. El final no me resultó inesperado, pero, considerando el conjunto de la historia, sí generó cierta tensión: estuvo bien construido y, según el tipo de lector, podría llegar a ser incluso fascinante. A mi parecer, fue lo justo y necesario para seguir leyendo, ya que, de no haber sido así, habría abandonado el libro definitivamente.
Dicho esto, los aspectos negativos que afectaron a mi entretenimiento fueron tanto el estilo narrativo de la autora como el romance, si es que puede llamarse así.
La pluma de la autora es el punto que más me sacaba de la historia. Su estructura narrativa podría resumirse en constantes interrupciones de los diálogos entre los personajes. En muchas situaciones en las que los protagonistas mantenían una conversación, entre cada dos líneas de diálogo la autora introducía media página de explicaciones. Como esta estructura se repetía constantemente, me resultaba difícil seguir el hilo de lo que se estaba hablando y, cuando se retomaba el diálogo, tenía que recordarme el tema de discusión releyendo lo último que se habían dicho. De este modo, cualquier emoción (tensión, rabia, etc.) que se construía a través del diálogo no lograba transmitirse al lector.
Por último, el romance. Simplemente ocurre sin más. Se veía venir y los indicios eran evidentes, pero, a raíz de lo explicado anteriormente, no se transmitía emoción alguna; por ende, no se percibía ni se sentía la química entre los protagonistas. Toda la historia está narrada desde el punto de vista de la protagonista, Hal, pero esto no ayuda en absoluto. Es más, ella da la impresión de estar completamente ciega en cuanto al interés que Alastair muestra por ella. No era, ni de lejos, el romance que podría haberse desarrollado dadas las premisas de la historia.
En definitiva, una construcción de mundo compleja y original, envuelta en una intriga política entretenida, aunque algo predecible, con un romance flojo y una forma de narración poco atractiva y nada enganchante.
En cuanto a los puntos positivos, para mí destacan la construcción del mundo y la intriga política.
El mundo en el que nos adentramos es bastante complejo y rico en detalles. Ayuda mucho el glosario que aparece al final del libro, y es aconsejable familiarizarse con los términos antes de sumergirse en la historia. Suelo ser fan de las construcciones de mundo complejas, y por eso me gustan libros como Nuncanoche, de Jay Kristoff; me fascinan los mundos que te atrapan en sus detalles y te hacen olvidar la realidad. ARVA es otro ejemplo de ello.
Por otro lado, la intriga política consigue sorprender en algunos momentos. El final no me resultó inesperado, pero, considerando el conjunto de la historia, sí generó cierta tensión: estuvo bien construido y, según el tipo de lector, podría llegar a ser incluso fascinante. A mi parecer, fue lo justo y necesario para seguir leyendo, ya que, de no haber sido así, habría abandonado el libro definitivamente.
Dicho esto, los aspectos negativos que afectaron a mi entretenimiento fueron tanto el estilo narrativo de la autora como el romance, si es que puede llamarse así.
La pluma de la autora es el punto que más me sacaba de la historia. Su estructura narrativa podría resumirse en constantes interrupciones de los diálogos entre los personajes. En muchas situaciones en las que los protagonistas mantenían una conversación, entre cada dos líneas de diálogo la autora introducía media página de explicaciones. Como esta estructura se repetía constantemente, me resultaba difícil seguir el hilo de lo que se estaba hablando y, cuando se retomaba el diálogo, tenía que recordarme el tema de discusión releyendo lo último que se habían dicho. De este modo, cualquier emoción (tensión, rabia, etc.) que se construía a través del diálogo no lograba transmitirse al lector.
Por último, el romance. Simplemente ocurre sin más. Se veía venir y los indicios eran evidentes, pero, a raíz de lo explicado anteriormente, no se transmitía emoción alguna; por ende, no se percibía ni se sentía la química entre los protagonistas. Toda la historia está narrada desde el punto de vista de la protagonista, Hal, pero esto no ayuda en absoluto. Es más, ella da la impresión de estar completamente ciega en cuanto al interés que Alastair muestra por ella. No era, ni de lejos, el romance que podría haberse desarrollado dadas las premisas de la historia.
En definitiva, una construcción de mundo compleja y original, envuelta en una intriga política entretenida, aunque algo predecible, con un romance flojo y una forma de narración poco atractiva y nada enganchante.
December 11, 2025
A Rather Vengeful Accord is an object lesson in how a bad protagonist/narrator can almost completely tank an interesting idea. Despite reasonable complicated worldbuilding the author clearly put some time and thought into and a setup that could have gone in a myriad of directions, the story focuses on all the least interesting aspects vailable to it, and saddles itself with an awful heroine.
Hal, said heroine, was by far the worst part of the book. I absolutely could not stand her. It’s been a long time since I encountered a character so unforgivably unaware of her own flaws and limitations. While not quite the dictionary definition of Too Stupid To Live, Hal is certainly too dumb to have survived in the world she lives in as long as she has.
An example: Hal is determined to become a graver—the story’s version of a necromancer—and is convinced of her superiority despite the fact that she is absolutely terrible at it. Everyone tells her she’s not good at it. We see her in action being not good at it. But she remains committed to the idea that her mastery of theory means she is destined to be a phenomenal graver. It’s the equivalent of a music theory genius who can’t so much as play “Chopsticks.” Hal even goes so far as to develop an unhealthy obsession with one particular master graver—a woman she has never met—and indulges in magical thinking to the degree that she imagines she’s so impress her with her (nonexistent) skills that the woman will immediately take her on as apprentice and together they’ll take the world by storm, despite literally zero evidence that this has any realistic chance of happening.
This lack of basic self-awareness is the kiss of death to me enjoying a character. And it goes beyond this example; Hal has next to no awareness of anything around her. She’s shocked to discover her parents are false in their religious faith and mercenary about their desires for her future, despite, you know, having been raised by these people her entire life. The religion she practices scorns traditional virtues like compassion and mercy in favor of spite and malice, yet she still craves mercy for herself (which makes no sense according to her own dogma) and is disgusted late in the book to realize that malice is actually quite unpleasant. The entire romance between Hal and her accord partner, Alastair, fell flat because Hal herself was so patently unlikeable I could see no reason why Alastair would be remotely attracted to her, which in turn made me question his judgment as a character.
There are the bones of something decent here. I don’t mind the gore and body horror aspects of the necromancy system, and like I said, the author clearly cared about her worldbuilding enough to give it thought and detail. But that’s most apparent in the glossary at the back of the book, and frankly the ideas and concepts presented there were more interesting than the entirety of the book I’d just finished. It boggles the mind why you would take a concept so potentially interesting and instead spend your time with horny, stupid teenagers and a societal intrigue plot that isn’t anywhere near as well-developed. But in that regard, I suppose that’s like Hal herself: ignoring the stuff she’s good at in favor of the stuff she’s patently bad at.
Hal, said heroine, was by far the worst part of the book. I absolutely could not stand her. It’s been a long time since I encountered a character so unforgivably unaware of her own flaws and limitations. While not quite the dictionary definition of Too Stupid To Live, Hal is certainly too dumb to have survived in the world she lives in as long as she has.
An example: Hal is determined to become a graver—the story’s version of a necromancer—and is convinced of her superiority despite the fact that she is absolutely terrible at it. Everyone tells her she’s not good at it. We see her in action being not good at it. But she remains committed to the idea that her mastery of theory means she is destined to be a phenomenal graver. It’s the equivalent of a music theory genius who can’t so much as play “Chopsticks.” Hal even goes so far as to develop an unhealthy obsession with one particular master graver—a woman she has never met—and indulges in magical thinking to the degree that she imagines she’s so impress her with her (nonexistent) skills that the woman will immediately take her on as apprentice and together they’ll take the world by storm, despite literally zero evidence that this has any realistic chance of happening.
This lack of basic self-awareness is the kiss of death to me enjoying a character. And it goes beyond this example; Hal has next to no awareness of anything around her. She’s shocked to discover her parents are false in their religious faith and mercenary about their desires for her future, despite, you know, having been raised by these people her entire life. The religion she practices scorns traditional virtues like compassion and mercy in favor of spite and malice, yet she still craves mercy for herself (which makes no sense according to her own dogma) and is disgusted late in the book to realize that malice is actually quite unpleasant. The entire romance between Hal and her accord partner, Alastair, fell flat because Hal herself was so patently unlikeable I could see no reason why Alastair would be remotely attracted to her, which in turn made me question his judgment as a character.
There are the bones of something decent here. I don’t mind the gore and body horror aspects of the necromancy system, and like I said, the author clearly cared about her worldbuilding enough to give it thought and detail. But that’s most apparent in the glossary at the back of the book, and frankly the ideas and concepts presented there were more interesting than the entirety of the book I’d just finished. It boggles the mind why you would take a concept so potentially interesting and instead spend your time with horny, stupid teenagers and a societal intrigue plot that isn’t anywhere near as well-developed. But in that regard, I suppose that’s like Hal herself: ignoring the stuff she’s good at in favor of the stuff she’s patently bad at.
November 30, 2025
I couldn’t put this book down, whether it was due to the wonderful world-building that brought this new dark academia/fantasy tale to life in such a vivid way that ensured that even the bleakest of locations was there in your mind’s eye? Or the characters that were complex in their look and lifestyles? I wanted nothing more than to be immersed in A Rather Vengeful Accord from the get-go because this enemies to lovers tale had it all.
I liked how the lore of the world was given to the reader, and whilst there was a lot to take in, it does ensure you feel as though you’ve become a part of the story and walking alongside any of the characters we encounter. It may feel a little overwhelming at first, but it’s worth it and made me understand our two main characters, Hal and Alastair better. I particularly liked the way we saw things through Hal’s eyes. Whether her insight is jaded or not, you see this world better thanks to the influx of information alongside her viewpoint and why has had to fight for everything in her life so far? You can see why she desperately wants to break from the role in the world she is destined to have. I mean if your very birth meant you had to be a necromancer, wouldn’t you perhaps want to do something else? I know I would.
Danielle Knight’s writing style is one filled with imagery and she breathes life into her characters and scenes in such a manner that the reader can feel as though they have entered this dark world. I would become so immersed in the storytelling that when I had to stop for a moment it was like emerging from deep water; and it took me a moment to step away from the chaos of Hal and Alastair’s life at St. Pendergast’s. I wanted to be right back among the characters as things went awry again. Knight's created a wonderful world, but it’s her characters that bring so much to the story; and not just our leading couple of enemies.
The same attention to detail and care is given to the secondary characters and they all manage to stand out from the page. Whether it be the dark and bleak characters who are known as gravers, or the arrogance and allure of the spirers who seem to have everything they could ask for given to them? The characters are vivid and complex, some you’ll hate, some intrigue you and some you may even like a little; but all are far from completely good or bad because they’re as complex as you or I and I loved that. This book is addictive, and there’s many layers occurring at once, which ensures you’re fully invested in what will happen to Hal and Alastair as events unfold. You’re going to be taken on many twists and turns as I say and I hope you’re left as shaken by the end as I was.
I liked how the lore of the world was given to the reader, and whilst there was a lot to take in, it does ensure you feel as though you’ve become a part of the story and walking alongside any of the characters we encounter. It may feel a little overwhelming at first, but it’s worth it and made me understand our two main characters, Hal and Alastair better. I particularly liked the way we saw things through Hal’s eyes. Whether her insight is jaded or not, you see this world better thanks to the influx of information alongside her viewpoint and why has had to fight for everything in her life so far? You can see why she desperately wants to break from the role in the world she is destined to have. I mean if your very birth meant you had to be a necromancer, wouldn’t you perhaps want to do something else? I know I would.
Danielle Knight’s writing style is one filled with imagery and she breathes life into her characters and scenes in such a manner that the reader can feel as though they have entered this dark world. I would become so immersed in the storytelling that when I had to stop for a moment it was like emerging from deep water; and it took me a moment to step away from the chaos of Hal and Alastair’s life at St. Pendergast’s. I wanted to be right back among the characters as things went awry again. Knight's created a wonderful world, but it’s her characters that bring so much to the story; and not just our leading couple of enemies.
The same attention to detail and care is given to the secondary characters and they all manage to stand out from the page. Whether it be the dark and bleak characters who are known as gravers, or the arrogance and allure of the spirers who seem to have everything they could ask for given to them? The characters are vivid and complex, some you’ll hate, some intrigue you and some you may even like a little; but all are far from completely good or bad because they’re as complex as you or I and I loved that. This book is addictive, and there’s many layers occurring at once, which ensures you’re fully invested in what will happen to Hal and Alastair as events unfold. You’re going to be taken on many twists and turns as I say and I hope you’re left as shaken by the end as I was.
November 9, 2025
A Rather Vengeful Accord is such a sharp, political, and emotionally layered read, way more so than I expected!!
Hal is at times frustrating in her naivety, but it’s also what makes her so compelling. Watching her realise where power actually sits in this world, and how easily she can accidentally be used as a pawn in someone else’s game, was such a smart throughline. I loved that she never loses her ambition or sense of self even when she is clearly out of her depth. She gets knocked down and she still pushes forward. I adore that in an FMC.
And Alastair, get behind me I want to protect him!!! The banter, the yearning, the quiet little reveals that change the way you read every single scene that came before. Chapter 18!!!!! That’s all I’m going to say! He is such a brilliant character because the text never lets you forget that he is dangerous, and yet every single fraction of softness feels like a gift.
The worldbuilding is dense at first. There are a lot of politics, and this whole system of spiring/graving, the nepotism, the pride, the generational baked in privilege. It’s rich and textured, but I did have to re-read some early pages to really settle in. Once I did, I was obsessed.
The ending??? I don’t know who to trust. I don’t know who is strategically lying and who isn’t. And I LOVE that. It’s messy in a way that feels intentional and satisfying.
If I had one critique it’s that for a book set in a magic school, it didn’t always feel like a school. I honestly wouldn’t have minded a little more academic vibe, but that’s personal taste.
Overall though, I am hooked. It’s political intrigue, rivals to uneasy allies, two people who should not work together but do, because they have to, because the world is bigger and darker than either of them really grasped at the start.
I am absolutely reading the next book. I neeeeed answers. I need fallout!!
Thank you so much to Danielle Knight, Daphne Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
Hal is at times frustrating in her naivety, but it’s also what makes her so compelling. Watching her realise where power actually sits in this world, and how easily she can accidentally be used as a pawn in someone else’s game, was such a smart throughline. I loved that she never loses her ambition or sense of self even when she is clearly out of her depth. She gets knocked down and she still pushes forward. I adore that in an FMC.
And Alastair, get behind me I want to protect him!!! The banter, the yearning, the quiet little reveals that change the way you read every single scene that came before. Chapter 18!!!!! That’s all I’m going to say! He is such a brilliant character because the text never lets you forget that he is dangerous, and yet every single fraction of softness feels like a gift.
The worldbuilding is dense at first. There are a lot of politics, and this whole system of spiring/graving, the nepotism, the pride, the generational baked in privilege. It’s rich and textured, but I did have to re-read some early pages to really settle in. Once I did, I was obsessed.
The ending??? I don’t know who to trust. I don’t know who is strategically lying and who isn’t. And I LOVE that. It’s messy in a way that feels intentional and satisfying.
If I had one critique it’s that for a book set in a magic school, it didn’t always feel like a school. I honestly wouldn’t have minded a little more academic vibe, but that’s personal taste.
Overall though, I am hooked. It’s political intrigue, rivals to uneasy allies, two people who should not work together but do, because they have to, because the world is bigger and darker than either of them really grasped at the start.
I am absolutely reading the next book. I neeeeed answers. I need fallout!!
Thank you so much to Danielle Knight, Daphne Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
November 16, 2025
3.75⭐️ First up, that ending? Mind blown, jaw on the floor, what the heck just happened?! It’s definitely left an impression on me and a need for book 2✨🤯🙀
Initially, the world building and complex history, power dynamics and terminology made me read a little slow so I could understand and take in what was going on (this isn’t a bad thing, just a personal thought!). Once I got to grips with everything, this was a fast paced and intriguing read!
Both characters were layered, they had depths, struggles, different family dynamics and they felt developed. Hal occasionally I struggled with her naivety, but overall I really liked her determination with being thrown into this new life-path🗡️.
Alistair started kinda icky, manipulative, selfish and cold. Although his broodiness did have me hooked in places, I didn’t love that he’d throw tantrums whenever something didn’t go his way. It felt very hot and cold with his interactions with Hal and it made me hope that he’s not the endgame for her🤞🏼.
I liked the amount of romance in this. I would say this is an academic fantasy with a romance subplot. It never overshadows the plot and that bolstered how their romance felt more natural to come about. Some of the signs earlier in the book did make me giggle, particularly ‘breast of the breast’ 😭😅
Overall, I did enjoy the read and I definitely will pick up the next book when it comes out, maybe there will be a redemption arc? (Although I’m not sure I could get behind that from the power imbalances in this book🥲)
Side note - gimme more Kiel 🥵
Initially, the world building and complex history, power dynamics and terminology made me read a little slow so I could understand and take in what was going on (this isn’t a bad thing, just a personal thought!). Once I got to grips with everything, this was a fast paced and intriguing read!
Both characters were layered, they had depths, struggles, different family dynamics and they felt developed. Hal occasionally I struggled with her naivety, but overall I really liked her determination with being thrown into this new life-path🗡️.
Alistair started kinda icky, manipulative, selfish and cold. Although his broodiness did have me hooked in places, I didn’t love that he’d throw tantrums whenever something didn’t go his way. It felt very hot and cold with his interactions with Hal and it made me hope that he’s not the endgame for her🤞🏼.
I liked the amount of romance in this. I would say this is an academic fantasy with a romance subplot. It never overshadows the plot and that bolstered how their romance felt more natural to come about. Some of the signs earlier in the book did make me giggle, particularly ‘breast of the breast’ 😭😅
Overall, I did enjoy the read and I definitely will pick up the next book when it comes out, maybe there will be a redemption arc? (Although I’m not sure I could get behind that from the power imbalances in this book🥲)
Side note - gimme more Kiel 🥵
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews