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Silvercrest Academy #4
Unchained Shadows
My journey at Silvercrest Academy has become a perilous cycle I can’t seem to break. And if the visions are true, then I am the key to bringing this madness to an end.
The threats have never been more prevalent, danger lurking around every corner as I seek strength from surprising allies and promised oaths. It’s time I break these chains and embrace who I am, what I stand for, and what I am capable of.
I’m not here to protect the academy, the Elevin Realm, or the Monarchy. I live, breathe, and fight for my Bishops. If that makes me selfish, then so be it.
Because I’m no hero.
I’m just me.
Just Raven.
Once a Void, now forever theirs.
This is the fourth and final book in the Silvercrest Academy series.
The threats have never been more prevalent, danger lurking around every corner as I seek strength from surprising allies and promised oaths. It’s time I break these chains and embrace who I am, what I stand for, and what I am capable of.
I’m not here to protect the academy, the Elevin Realm, or the Monarchy. I live, breathe, and fight for my Bishops. If that makes me selfish, then so be it.
Because I’m no hero.
I’m just me.
Just Raven.
Once a Void, now forever theirs.
This is the fourth and final book in the Silvercrest Academy series.
536 pages, Paperback
Published April 8, 2024
822 people are currently reading
865 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
April 3, 2024
This is a review for the whole series.
This was alright, and (sort of) unfortunately I was invested enough to finish the series. I found the story to be convoluted. The characters seemed to luck into answers and solutions instead of by being smart or cunning. I'm still not entirely clear on why the bad guy did what he did. It also wasn't made clear why the guys were so into Raven from the start because there was no magical or fated mate bond. The sex scenes were fine, but a couple happened at really odd times and therefore were very unsexy. This would have worked better for me as three books. I'm not sure I'd read another paranormal/fantasy series from this author.
This was alright, and (sort of) unfortunately I was invested enough to finish the series. I found the story to be convoluted. The characters seemed to luck into answers and solutions instead of by being smart or cunning. I'm still not entirely clear on why the bad guy did what he did. It also wasn't made clear why the guys were so into Raven from the start because there was no magical or fated mate bond. The sex scenes were fine, but a couple happened at really odd times and therefore were very unsexy. This would have worked better for me as three books. I'm not sure I'd read another paranormal/fantasy series from this author.
May 9, 2024
RATINGS
Overall: 3.6/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Chemistry: 2/5
Spice: 4/5
Pacing: 3/5
MAIN CHARACTERS - Raven, Eldon, Creed, Brax, & Zane
SYNOPSIS - A young void (powerless) woman, Raven, is forced by her father to attend a magical academy that trains it's students for an ongoing war they know little-to-nothing about. There she is roomed with 4 other students (Eldon, Creed, Brax, & Zane) who instantly feel a draw to her. As secrets are revealed and political plots fester, she and the guys begin to see the lies for what they are. They discover that she is not, in fact, a void but something much rarer and stronger than any of the rest of them: a necromancer. Her powers disclosed may be the very thing that damns her to a life of puppetry by those in positions of power hellbent on ruling their territories.
REVIEW - I'm going to start off by saying, yes, I read the afterword and am aware the author implies she will fill in the gaps or add more for closure. That being said, I'm reviewing this series as if it is complete and done here because... obviously. I had to take a second and read some of the other reviews from this book to help me really zero in on what worked and didn't for me.
WOULD I RECOMMEND - No.
Overall: 3.6/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Chemistry: 2/5
Spice: 4/5
Pacing: 3/5
MAIN CHARACTERS - Raven, Eldon, Creed, Brax, & Zane
SYNOPSIS - A young void (powerless) woman, Raven, is forced by her father to attend a magical academy that trains it's students for an ongoing war they know little-to-nothing about. There she is roomed with 4 other students (Eldon, Creed, Brax, & Zane) who instantly feel a draw to her. As secrets are revealed and political plots fester, she and the guys begin to see the lies for what they are. They discover that she is not, in fact, a void but something much rarer and stronger than any of the rest of them: a necromancer. Her powers disclosed may be the very thing that damns her to a life of puppetry by those in positions of power hellbent on ruling their territories.
REVIEW - I'm going to start off by saying, yes, I read the afterword and am aware the author implies she will fill in the gaps or add more for closure. That being said, I'm reviewing this series as if it is complete and done here because... obviously. I had to take a second and read some of the other reviews from this book to help me really zero in on what worked and didn't for me.
WOULD I RECOMMEND - No.
June 18, 2024
Good ending to this series. Nice to see Raven and the Bishops get their happy ending.
Hopefully we eventually get the novella the author was talking about after the epilogue to tie up those loose ends/unanswered questions.
Hopefully we eventually get the novella the author was talking about after the epilogue to tie up those loose ends/unanswered questions.
May 1, 2024
1,5
Una serie imbarazzante sotto tutti i punti di vista, ma ancora più imbarazzante sono io che me la sono letta tutta. Che dire? Brava la scrittrice che con un paio di misteri quà e là mi ha costretta a leggerla tutta fino all'ultima pagina.
Tra l'altro questa serie raggiunge un primato, è quella con un numero maggiore di scene di sesso totalmente inopportune, sfido chiunque a leggerla e a non pensare almeno una volta - ma vi sembra questo il momento di scopare?-. L'unica risposta che potrebbe avere senso è che la Kean si sia imposta di inserire una scena di sesso ogni poche pagine, indipendentemente da cosa sti succedendo nella trama o da come si sentano i protagonisti.
Sono abbastanza sicura che in futuro eviterò come la peste ogni libro scritto da questa scrittrice.
Una serie imbarazzante sotto tutti i punti di vista, ma ancora più imbarazzante sono io che me la sono letta tutta. Che dire? Brava la scrittrice che con un paio di misteri quà e là mi ha costretta a leggerla tutta fino all'ultima pagina.
Tra l'altro questa serie raggiunge un primato, è quella con un numero maggiore di scene di sesso totalmente inopportune, sfido chiunque a leggerla e a non pensare almeno una volta - ma vi sembra questo il momento di scopare?-. L'unica risposta che potrebbe avere senso è che la Kean si sia imposta di inserire una scena di sesso ogni poche pagine, indipendentemente da cosa sti succedendo nella trama o da come si sentano i protagonisti.
Sono abbastanza sicura che in futuro eviterò come la peste ogni libro scritto da questa scrittrice.
March 19, 2025
Um ngl this was a let down. I'm sorry but the ending was so confusing and not only that but I was expecting more of a fight from both sides. I had to read the ending so many times and yet I don't even know how to feel, what do u mean she smashed his head and it was finally done? If it was that easy then this series should have ended on the second book. I enjoyed the series and don't get me wrong this book isn't bad but I just didn't like how the ending of events happened. To add to this, there's a lot about Raven's powers that still hasn't been explained even though it's been 4 books. Anyways, maybe it's just me that thinks this but it doesn't mean I didn't eat this series up.
March 25, 2024
something about this feels unsatisfying
This was a tumultuous angsty ride. It had so many of the things i love, extreme touch her and you die vibes, an MC that learned to let her mem in and grow into her confidence. But this last book felt restless, it left me feeling restless. By the time i turned the last page i was just happy it was over. The answers weren't satisfying, there was an opportunity to really bring to the decision and deaths of certain characters into something more.
This was a tumultuous angsty ride. It had so many of the things i love, extreme touch her and you die vibes, an MC that learned to let her mem in and grow into her confidence. But this last book felt restless, it left me feeling restless. By the time i turned the last page i was just happy it was over. The answers weren't satisfying, there was an opportunity to really bring to the decision and deaths of certain characters into something more.
August 1, 2024
So disappointed. I almost dnf. I just distracted care anymore. Too much unanswered. The FMC said exactly how I feel about this series toward the villian. 'He’s strung us along on a ride that has made no sense to anyone but him, caused distress and heartache to everyone simply to further his agenda, and I’m done.' 🎤 So much potential wasted. Read better. I'm done‼️😠
March 26, 2024
Not my favorite from this author but still good.
I live for the “I love you” confessions in romance books but this one contained a disappointing “I love you all” group confession which wasn’t my favorite.
Still lots of unanswered questions that may or may not be addressed in a future novella.
I live for the “I love you” confessions in romance books but this one contained a disappointing “I love you all” group confession which wasn’t my favorite.
Still lots of unanswered questions that may or may not be addressed in a future novella.
October 22, 2025
Well that ending confused me and had me asking so many questions. Like who was it Creed’s mother was talking to? Do we seriously not get an answer to why her friend’s dad turned out to be evil?! I honestly have loads more, but for me the conclusion left me a bit unsatisfied. Though as a whole the series was fun and kind of gave me a mindless feeling. I didn’t have to think too hard, there were just a bunch of plot wholes and unanswered questions. I felt like the characters never developed actual relationships aside from the physical and the only character that really grew throughout was Brax. Like what?!
Read: Audible🎧
MMC: Eldon Rhodes, Zane Denver, Brax Carlsen, Creed Wylder
FMC: Raven Hendrix
Spice: 2🌶️
Tropes: RH/Why Choose, Touch Her/Him and Die, Academy, Alpha Hole, Forced Proximity, Roommates, PNR, Secret Society
Read: Audible🎧
MMC: Eldon Rhodes, Zane Denver, Brax Carlsen, Creed Wylder
FMC: Raven Hendrix
Spice: 2🌶️
Tropes: RH/Why Choose, Touch Her/Him and Die, Academy, Alpha Hole, Forced Proximity, Roommates, PNR, Secret Society
February 17, 2025
Really, it’s a 1 or 2. Just trying to be kind.
3 stars is really like an E for effort. If I’m being honest it was torture. I could not wait, literally could not wait to finish it. Perhaps this is just geared toward a very very young demographic. Though with the very graphic (and omg constant) group sport going on, that can’t be the case. It was just very immature. The writing, the story, the characters. Everything.
Raven and Brax both were just vile. Raven acted like a petulant child. She had zero self control, zero ability to control her mouth, an extremely overinflated ego, and anger issues that advertise how unstable she is. She actually drained my energy and I know she isn’t real. She didn’t get better, she got worse.
And their messed up co-dependent relationship was creepy on so many levels. I’m all for the reverse harem. That never bothers me. The way this one was portrayed though was all sorts of messed up. If they were real, they would all be in serious need of therapy. Individually and relationship. The unhealthiest of unhealthy I’ve ever come across in any book. There was no thinking it was cute or sweet at any time. Just not ok. Brax was really difficult to tolerate through the entire series. He wasn’t grumpy as they referred to him. He was a straight up Richard for no reason. He was also overly controlling. Not in a good way either.
There were lots of errors in the story. I’m thinking the author forgot she had written things and then the storyline contradicted itself.
I also think that there was a play to make her seem all wise and philosophical with some of here statements. But give me a break. First off, her character could not manage that. Pizza Steve has more depth than this girl. Second, her little spontaneous speeches or talks were not as awe inspiring as they made them out to be. They were about as inspiring as helpful as the back of a store brand cereal box.
The book wasn’t even wrapped up. The battle was hardly touched on to know what happened. Besides her dancing around there. What about Ari? Not a peep about his participation during the battle. And he was an important character. No wrap up of what happened. Only very minimal info about a couple of the people.
I could go on, but I lost so much time on this series that I will never get back. Time to stop wasting anymore.
3 stars is really like an E for effort. If I’m being honest it was torture. I could not wait, literally could not wait to finish it. Perhaps this is just geared toward a very very young demographic. Though with the very graphic (and omg constant) group sport going on, that can’t be the case. It was just very immature. The writing, the story, the characters. Everything.
Raven and Brax both were just vile. Raven acted like a petulant child. She had zero self control, zero ability to control her mouth, an extremely overinflated ego, and anger issues that advertise how unstable she is. She actually drained my energy and I know she isn’t real. She didn’t get better, she got worse.
And their messed up co-dependent relationship was creepy on so many levels. I’m all for the reverse harem. That never bothers me. The way this one was portrayed though was all sorts of messed up. If they were real, they would all be in serious need of therapy. Individually and relationship. The unhealthiest of unhealthy I’ve ever come across in any book. There was no thinking it was cute or sweet at any time. Just not ok. Brax was really difficult to tolerate through the entire series. He wasn’t grumpy as they referred to him. He was a straight up Richard for no reason. He was also overly controlling. Not in a good way either.
There were lots of errors in the story. I’m thinking the author forgot she had written things and then the storyline contradicted itself.
I also think that there was a play to make her seem all wise and philosophical with some of here statements. But give me a break. First off, her character could not manage that. Pizza Steve has more depth than this girl. Second, her little spontaneous speeches or talks were not as awe inspiring as they made them out to be. They were about as inspiring as helpful as the back of a store brand cereal box.
The book wasn’t even wrapped up. The battle was hardly touched on to know what happened. Besides her dancing around there. What about Ari? Not a peep about his participation during the battle. And he was an important character. No wrap up of what happened. Only very minimal info about a couple of the people.
I could go on, but I lost so much time on this series that I will never get back. Time to stop wasting anymore.
March 28, 2024
Disappointing ending
I really enjoyed books 1 and 2. I re read 3 before this one and was surprised that I barely remembered it. This final book just didn't hold my interest at all. I plowed through it more like a class assignment than an entertaining endeavor. Then the ending didn't explain the villains' motives at all. It was almost a cliff hanger? The afterward promised a novella featuring a different character to tie up the loose ends. That was very disappointing and surprising as I usually love this author's work. I gave it 4 stars for quality prose and editing, but the pacing and plot line was really a 3.
I really enjoyed books 1 and 2. I re read 3 before this one and was surprised that I barely remembered it. This final book just didn't hold my interest at all. I plowed through it more like a class assignment than an entertaining endeavor. Then the ending didn't explain the villains' motives at all. It was almost a cliff hanger? The afterward promised a novella featuring a different character to tie up the loose ends. That was very disappointing and surprising as I usually love this author's work. I gave it 4 stars for quality prose and editing, but the pacing and plot line was really a 3.
January 8, 2025
wow, what a disappointing read
March 22, 2024
*Reverse Harem
*Paranormal
*Multi-PoV
*Academy based
*Unique FMC
*divided family
*mixed powers
*established harem (4)
*mid/slow burn
*4/4
What an End!
Well there is certainly a lot for Raven to contend with in this final book of the series 😬
Her harem rally come together - when they’re finally in one place 😅 and boy do they treat her like the champion she is 😍🥰 not that she appreciates the compliments or what’s been thrust upon her 🙈
I like how you’re never quite sure who Raven and her men should trust in this book as it turns out some of their alliances are definitely foe and those they thought of as enemies might just surprise them 😮
You do get some solid answers into this book as to what the artefacts are and how they fit into the picture; who Erikel is and his long term goals although never quite fully explained the whole of the why but still a good round off of questions raised throughout the series 😃 a solid end to an intriguing series
*Paranormal
*Multi-PoV
*Academy based
*Unique FMC
*divided family
*mixed powers
*established harem (4)
*mid/slow burn
*4/4
What an End!
Well there is certainly a lot for Raven to contend with in this final book of the series 😬
Her harem rally come together - when they’re finally in one place 😅 and boy do they treat her like the champion she is 😍🥰 not that she appreciates the compliments or what’s been thrust upon her 🙈
I like how you’re never quite sure who Raven and her men should trust in this book as it turns out some of their alliances are definitely foe and those they thought of as enemies might just surprise them 😮
You do get some solid answers into this book as to what the artefacts are and how they fit into the picture; who Erikel is and his long term goals although never quite fully explained the whole of the why but still a good round off of questions raised throughout the series 😃 a solid end to an intriguing series
May 1, 2024
Holymotherofgod, i am speechless. I am just picking my jaw up off the floor 😳 KC Kean has a phenomenal way to slay and make you question everything!
I am a sucker for KC's fantasy books and this is the second book in the series and i am allfrigginfor the drama, intensity, mystery, chemistry & attraction.
I am so sad this book marks the end of this series but I absolutely LOVED every single page. Raven truly came into her own self and accepted herself, her abilities and her power and im so excited to see this shift in her and with her ever loyal Bishops right by her side what more could you possible want!
I am a sucker for KC's fantasy books and this is the second book in the series and i am allfrigginfor the drama, intensity, mystery, chemistry & attraction.
I am so sad this book marks the end of this series but I absolutely LOVED every single page. Raven truly came into her own self and accepted herself, her abilities and her power and im so excited to see this shift in her and with her ever loyal Bishops right by her side what more could you possible want!
March 19, 2025
"Unchained Shadows" by K.C. Kean provides a stunning and unexpected conclusion to an incredible series. Kean masterfully wraps up the intricate plotlines and character arcs with a finale that I never saw coming. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, and the emotional depth of the characters made the journey all the more poignant. I've loved this series from the start, and while I'm sad to see it end, the finale left me deeply satisfied. K.C. Kean has done a fantastic job with this series—what a great ending to a memorable saga!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2025
2.75 ⭐️
It hurts me to rate this so low but honestly this series just wasn’t doing it for me. This last book solidified my feelings, all this buildup to the fight and rekindling relationships all fell very flat. Burton’s death was something, what? I couldn’t tell you because it wasn’t really explained & we’re still left wondering why he did any of it to begin with. Sebastian’s death, same deal. For me this just didn’t work at all and left me feeling like I needed more of the story but not in a I want more story kind of way, more like I needed more information.
It hurts me to rate this so low but honestly this series just wasn’t doing it for me. This last book solidified my feelings, all this buildup to the fight and rekindling relationships all fell very flat. Burton’s death was something, what? I couldn’t tell you because it wasn’t really explained & we’re still left wondering why he did any of it to begin with. Sebastian’s death, same deal. For me this just didn’t work at all and left me feeling like I needed more of the story but not in a I want more story kind of way, more like I needed more information.
March 21, 2024
Man this book put me in all the feelings! So much loss but it was all needed and made this book so much more emotional. This author did a great job for this book as a conclusion it was one of my favorites.
March 26, 2024
KC never fails. She just ups her game every time and I devour every word.
April 9, 2024
The final book to Raven’s series is not one to miss. I was hooked on this series from the first chapter of Falling Shadows and my love for the series never stopped. The twists and turns balance so well with the steam and humour in this book making for a fantastic read. KC created such a brilliant, magical world with this series, I’m not ready for it to end!
October 31, 2024
I made it. Not my favorite series. I wanted more on Sebastian and dad. That story line was more interesting than the Bishops.
November 27, 2024
Okay so I’m glad they got a HEA but like I have questions- overall 4 stars
June 17, 2025
I have nothing nice to say about this
November 21, 2024
Ok, so this last book really left a lot to be desired. I’ll start with what I liked to begin with a positive note.
Brax. I think he was the most distinct out of the four guys, and also seemed the most real. This was a fast burn, insta-love series, but Brax was the only one who seemed slightly realistic about his relationship with Raven. He sometimes hated it, sometimes tried to fight it, but essentially gave up. His grumpy personality gave him more depth than the others. To me, at least.
The editing. So many of these kinds of books are chalk full of typos and grammatical errors. Sure there might have been a few, but it was nice to read through a book without assuming someone went on vacation instead of editing.
What I didn’t like.
The insta-love. It was right from the start, which I rarely enjoy. The guys devolved into devoted, mush-spewing, Raven-centric worshippers. That might be fine with some readers, but I dislike it. I prefer guys who have a personality that doesn’t revolve around their undying love for the FMC. I don’t get to know the person behind this lovesick dopey sycophant because everything they do or think or say or feel has something to do with how much they love Raven. Bleh.
The sexy times. These horny teenagers had sex at every possible moment. If this was a tv show, the sex scenes would be the myriad commercials. And even when they didn’t actually have sex, they thought about it or made out or both. Your world is going to shit, but wait, you need to pause all that for a sex refueling. Way too much of it. There were a few sex scenes that actually had a purpose and felt plot related, but they were diminished by the countless, pointless sex scenes. I skimmed or skipped most of them.
The writing. It wasn’t terrible. But there were several minor things that stacked up to irritate the hell out of me. Everyone rubbed their lips. If they weren’t rubbing their lips, they were swiping a hand down their face. If they weren’t swiping a hand down their face, they were rubbing their lips. I don’t know why authors latch onto a phrase and use it ad nauseum.
The ending. It was… underwhelming. The epilogue even more so. So much talking during a battle. Is that realistic? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to just kill someone instead of grandstanding first? It’s usually the villains that do this, but not always. Which leads me to…
The bad guy. Confused as all heck about this one. I never quite understood the whole Erikel/Burton thing. Did I miss something important? Did I just glaze over important clues? I don’t know. I just felt it was overblown and bordering on cartoonish. A floating throne? Really?
Raven. She wasn’t a horrible FMC. But I guess I hate FMCS that essentially become a Harry Potter saviour type. She seemed a bit one dimensional at times, and seriously needed to get a hobby besides sex.
There is more I could mention, but I think I’ve gotten the gist across. I’m glad I finished the series, and compared to some, it was decent. I’m just looking forward to reading something (hopefully) a little more fulfilling.
Brax. I think he was the most distinct out of the four guys, and also seemed the most real. This was a fast burn, insta-love series, but Brax was the only one who seemed slightly realistic about his relationship with Raven. He sometimes hated it, sometimes tried to fight it, but essentially gave up. His grumpy personality gave him more depth than the others. To me, at least.
The editing. So many of these kinds of books are chalk full of typos and grammatical errors. Sure there might have been a few, but it was nice to read through a book without assuming someone went on vacation instead of editing.
What I didn’t like.
The insta-love. It was right from the start, which I rarely enjoy. The guys devolved into devoted, mush-spewing, Raven-centric worshippers. That might be fine with some readers, but I dislike it. I prefer guys who have a personality that doesn’t revolve around their undying love for the FMC. I don’t get to know the person behind this lovesick dopey sycophant because everything they do or think or say or feel has something to do with how much they love Raven. Bleh.
The sexy times. These horny teenagers had sex at every possible moment. If this was a tv show, the sex scenes would be the myriad commercials. And even when they didn’t actually have sex, they thought about it or made out or both. Your world is going to shit, but wait, you need to pause all that for a sex refueling. Way too much of it. There were a few sex scenes that actually had a purpose and felt plot related, but they were diminished by the countless, pointless sex scenes. I skimmed or skipped most of them.
The writing. It wasn’t terrible. But there were several minor things that stacked up to irritate the hell out of me. Everyone rubbed their lips. If they weren’t rubbing their lips, they were swiping a hand down their face. If they weren’t swiping a hand down their face, they were rubbing their lips. I don’t know why authors latch onto a phrase and use it ad nauseum.
The ending. It was… underwhelming. The epilogue even more so. So much talking during a battle. Is that realistic? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to just kill someone instead of grandstanding first? It’s usually the villains that do this, but not always. Which leads me to…
The bad guy. Confused as all heck about this one. I never quite understood the whole Erikel/Burton thing. Did I miss something important? Did I just glaze over important clues? I don’t know. I just felt it was overblown and bordering on cartoonish. A floating throne? Really?
Raven. She wasn’t a horrible FMC. But I guess I hate FMCS that essentially become a Harry Potter saviour type. She seemed a bit one dimensional at times, and seriously needed to get a hobby besides sex.
There is more I could mention, but I think I’ve gotten the gist across. I’m glad I finished the series, and compared to some, it was decent. I’m just looking forward to reading something (hopefully) a little more fulfilling.
December 13, 2024
I really wanted to love this series. 3 stars for it as a whole, but it just fell flat. The author had so much potential with this, and the first 2 books were a great start but as it progressed it ended up getting worse not better.
My biggest issue is that the author glazed over A LOT of content that are important if you’re going to make teens with magical abilities who go to a war college actually go to war. For example, they all have swords that can appear out of thin air which were introduced in the first book. They had ONE minuscule training session, the swords we’re never mentioned again, and by the time they get to the actual war they apparently are ninjas who also know how to fight (even though hand to hand combat wasn’t mentioned either past the 3 times in book 1). So they just magically learned these abilities??? Believe or not those scenes are important IMO.
I understand the guys are supposed to be possessive and obsessed with her, I love that. Part of the reason why I picked up the book. But there’s obsessive and then there’s annoying. Instead of filling the book with content that really builds the characters and gets them ready for war, there is a constant inner monologue from all characters of “omg I love raven so much I would die for her I love her!” Or “omggggg I love the Bishops soooo much I can’t live without them!”. That’s the point….but reading it every 5 pages is frustrating as hell. I will say though the smutty scenes were 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️!
I pushed through this book because I was NOT raised to be a quitter and I wanted to finally get the reason why the war was even started. And I barely got the actual reason to said war even at 92% finished. I literally couldn’t take it anymore and stopped reading. Not to mention, the actual battle itself was glazed over as well but maybe my expectations are too Fourth Wing or Zodiac Academy.
Regardless, this book had a lot of potential, it just fell flat for me. The author is a good writer, I will say as the characters themselves were well developed but if the book is going to be 500 pages, don’t skip out on the important stuff. At least it helped me get to my reading goal for the year!
My biggest issue is that the author glazed over A LOT of content that are important if you’re going to make teens with magical abilities who go to a war college actually go to war. For example, they all have swords that can appear out of thin air which were introduced in the first book. They had ONE minuscule training session, the swords we’re never mentioned again, and by the time they get to the actual war they apparently are ninjas who also know how to fight (even though hand to hand combat wasn’t mentioned either past the 3 times in book 1). So they just magically learned these abilities??? Believe or not those scenes are important IMO.
I understand the guys are supposed to be possessive and obsessed with her, I love that. Part of the reason why I picked up the book. But there’s obsessive and then there’s annoying. Instead of filling the book with content that really builds the characters and gets them ready for war, there is a constant inner monologue from all characters of “omg I love raven so much I would die for her I love her!” Or “omggggg I love the Bishops soooo much I can’t live without them!”. That’s the point….but reading it every 5 pages is frustrating as hell. I will say though the smutty scenes were 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️!
I pushed through this book because I was NOT raised to be a quitter and I wanted to finally get the reason why the war was even started. And I barely got the actual reason to said war even at 92% finished. I literally couldn’t take it anymore and stopped reading. Not to mention, the actual battle itself was glazed over as well but maybe my expectations are too Fourth Wing or Zodiac Academy.
Regardless, this book had a lot of potential, it just fell flat for me. The author is a good writer, I will say as the characters themselves were well developed but if the book is going to be 500 pages, don’t skip out on the important stuff. At least it helped me get to my reading goal for the year!
March 24, 2024
Rush
Reading the last book in this series was a rush. I read it in a day after doing a blitz reread of the previous three books in the series and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Seeing the characters reach their ending was fantastic, although I definitely feel as though I’d love to see more of them. The pacing and worldbuilding was as great as ever with this book and I really enjoyed a couple of the ups and downs in the plot.
After finishing the book I’m definitely wanting to reread Saints Academy for more of this author’s fantastic storytelling.
Reading the last book in this series was a rush. I read it in a day after doing a blitz reread of the previous three books in the series and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Seeing the characters reach their ending was fantastic, although I definitely feel as though I’d love to see more of them. The pacing and worldbuilding was as great as ever with this book and I really enjoyed a couple of the ups and downs in the plot.
After finishing the book I’m definitely wanting to reread Saints Academy for more of this author’s fantastic storytelling.
July 14, 2024
Meh.
The Good:
- Raven puts in the work to get her boys back.
The Bad:
- Everything else
- If Abel, Sebastian, and Creed's dad have all been suffering from mind control for over a decade, how is it satisfying for them to be killed off? They deserved to get their lives back and to have a choice in how to live them.
- If Erikel has always been Burton, where did Rupert and his other followers come from? Has he been living a double life as school headmaster in TWO realms all this time? Why has nobody asked this question?
- If the author didn't plan to tell us what Burton's motive was, why bother showing us the flashback of his wife running and being threatened by a shadowy man? Such a copout. If his daughter's death was part of his motivation, why did he leave her body at the caves like it was so much trash?
- Burton was powerful enough to mind-control multiple minions, powerful enough that Raven couldn't steal his magic away from him, but ended up succumbing to an "everything but the kitchen sink" attack? What was even the point of the ruby if it wasn't going to be used to defeat him?
- Speaking of the ruby...the magical table showed us that Burton had it from the start and is the one who hid it in the caves. So why would he risk losing it by bringing all the students to the cave to search for it?
It feels like the author left us with more questions than answers at the end of this series and a whole lot of disappointment. I can't recommend this one.
The Good:
- Raven puts in the work to get her boys back.
The Bad:
- Everything else
- If Abel, Sebastian, and Creed's dad have all been suffering from mind control for over a decade, how is it satisfying for them to be killed off? They deserved to get their lives back and to have a choice in how to live them.
- If Erikel has always been Burton, where did Rupert and his other followers come from? Has he been living a double life as school headmaster in TWO realms all this time? Why has nobody asked this question?
- If the author didn't plan to tell us what Burton's motive was, why bother showing us the flashback of his wife running and being threatened by a shadowy man? Such a copout. If his daughter's death was part of his motivation, why did he leave her body at the caves like it was so much trash?
- Burton was powerful enough to mind-control multiple minions, powerful enough that Raven couldn't steal his magic away from him, but ended up succumbing to an "everything but the kitchen sink" attack? What was even the point of the ruby if it wasn't going to be used to defeat him?
- Speaking of the ruby...the magical table showed us that Burton had it from the start and is the one who hid it in the caves. So why would he risk losing it by bringing all the students to the cave to search for it?
It feels like the author left us with more questions than answers at the end of this series and a whole lot of disappointment. I can't recommend this one.
November 23, 2024
I think the series as a whole wasn’t fully thought out. The first book was good on its own but it still never made sense what the school’s purpose was if they thought Erikel was dead and didn’t know Burton was a problem. Also there isn’t clarity with Leila’s dad as to why he sided with Erikel/Burton or how he died. We also never find out why Graves and his family was working with them either so it feels almost wrong for the series to end without it. I feel like there is almost no point in the entire plot and series since we never found out why Erikel/Burton wanted revenge!! Like be so fr wdym she gets the vision as she kills him and never knows who killed his wife and why and what he was lying about to get her killed. There was also no mention of how and when or why he started controlling Abel and Sebastian and if any of his disdain towards his sister is real and how Burton ended up even knowing what her powers would be bc he doesn’t have visions and is just a skinwalker and I thought only her parents and the psychic knew? To me it just didn’t end full circle at all and it never finishes with all the realms being merged so it was pretty much pointless. I’ve written papers and short stories for high school with a better execution of plot than this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2024
ARE WE EVER GONNA KNOW WHY THEY ARE CALLED THE BISHOPS?!?! Like i know it was for the purpose of the vision, but WHY WAS IT THEIR NICKNAME TO BEGIN WITH?!
Ah man at least this ending was better than her souls series, but once again I am disappointed and dissatisfied with this author. She starts so strong in her first book but as the series progress the characters fall even more one dimensional and the plot points become more muddled as well as not completing.
The whole reasons why people were villains are completely glossed over or given vague reasons. The problem is that for a story with poor characterizations, you would need to rely on it being a strong character piece for the vague plot points to not matter. We even got a “reason” at the end for WHY the big bad was the way he was and STILL didn’t have answers.
What I’m seeing with this author is that she allows her characters that are out of the loop to be ok with that. But the whole time they aren’t ok with that?!
Ah man at least this ending was better than her souls series, but once again I am disappointed and dissatisfied with this author. She starts so strong in her first book but as the series progress the characters fall even more one dimensional and the plot points become more muddled as well as not completing.
The whole reasons why people were villains are completely glossed over or given vague reasons. The problem is that for a story with poor characterizations, you would need to rely on it being a strong character piece for the vague plot points to not matter. We even got a “reason” at the end for WHY the big bad was the way he was and STILL didn’t have answers.
What I’m seeing with this author is that she allows her characters that are out of the loop to be ok with that. But the whole time they aren’t ok with that?!
May 12, 2024
The final book leading to war..
This was the final book in the Silvercrest Academy series. They need to be read in order. This picks up from the end of book three.
You see Raven really grow more into her role of bringing an end to the evil that has them trapped at the academy and shouldering the responsibility of bringing the worlds together. She fights to get her men back where they belong back with her.
I really enjoyed the series but it all is leading us to the war and with everything that happens and the oaths taken I felt like the ending didn’t capture all of that. During the war she is shown a flashback that left me confused since we don’t really learn who or why she sees it.
Brax, Eldon, Zane and Creed stood by her and supported her and the role she had to play. I felt like as a unit they worked well together and fit. Brax really stepped out of his comfort zone in this book to be a support for Raven when it was just the two of them.
This was the final book in the Silvercrest Academy series. They need to be read in order. This picks up from the end of book three.
You see Raven really grow more into her role of bringing an end to the evil that has them trapped at the academy and shouldering the responsibility of bringing the worlds together. She fights to get her men back where they belong back with her.
I really enjoyed the series but it all is leading us to the war and with everything that happens and the oaths taken I felt like the ending didn’t capture all of that. During the war she is shown a flashback that left me confused since we don’t really learn who or why she sees it.
Brax, Eldon, Zane and Creed stood by her and supported her and the role she had to play. I felt like as a unit they worked well together and fit. Brax really stepped out of his comfort zone in this book to be a support for Raven when it was just the two of them.
April 26, 2024
I'll start off by saying I really did enjoy this series. I didn't feel like a bully romance or enemies to lovers romance, but I wanted an academy setting. This was perfect. The guys who ended up being Raven's harem were all drawn to her from the start for whatever reasons and had her back. There was some bullying from other characters, but never the guys.
There was a little bit of mystery in the books, as well. Who is loyal, who's a traitor? What do the prophesies and visions mean? Why was Raven taken away as a child, her powers suppressed, and so on? You could make guesses and predictions, but not everything may play out the way you'd think!
Some matters weren't wrapped up in a nice little bow, however. At the end of the book, the author states that she's aware of that, and answers may come in the form of a novella or something as they may not be Raven's to tell. Knowing that, I can put aside some of my disappointment at not knowing everything. Even before reading that little tidbit, I suspected more may be coming in the future.
There are a couple of things that COULD have been done or answered better in these books, however. I'm my opinion, at least. The first point is Ari, Raven's familiar. When he first made his appearance, I was pretty excited. A Griffin familiar! Awesome! Yet, he didn't play nearly as big of a role as I would have expected. He saved their lives once, great. He and the other griffins came and helped fight the war - excellent. In the end... I hate saying this because I really did like him, but he was hardly needed. She could have just known he was more intelligent than the students gave them credit for and refused to fight him in the gauntlet. They could have become friends / allies, and then his reason for staying away from her would make more sense due to his responsibility to protect the other griffins. They still could have had a psychic connection because... griffins. Was his partner, Gia, necessary? I felt it took away from him being Raven's familiar. His loyalties were split, and it felt he wasn't there for Raven as much as he could have been. Either commit to the familiar angle, or just have them as friends / allies like I mentioned earlier. I was super disappointed how that played out.
BIG SPOILER ALERT: I wish there were more answers or conversations with Raven and the men in her family. Considering how evil Abel was made out to be for the first half of the story, I wish he could have had a longer redeeming arc or a longer appearance after he was at Rhys' place. As for Sebastien (AGAIN, HUGE SPOILER ALERT!), his death was so sudden and vague. Did he catch their mom somehow? Take out whoever had her before she was killed? What happened? Plus, once again, not much was discussed. He mentioned briefly that he was mad Raven was leaving as children, and that's what his anger was about when she left. If he was being controlled, I wish so much they had more time to talk and get answers. If you're going to make him end up NOT being the villain we all assumed he was, I would have loved to see more from him.
Almost done! The guys were trying to figure out what emotion made Raven most powerful. They discovered it was sadness. That never really came into play ever again in the series, unless it was very subtly implied when they were finishing the battle with Burton after *someone's* death. (You'll know who I mean if you read the book or ignored my spoiler alerts above!) She said she felt pain, then attacked with all they had.
Lastly, a tiny little thing that doesn't matter much, but made me pause while reading. The Drakes were described in the third book as "wingless dragons." So how was it they showed up with the griffins during the war, or even beforehand when they were all meeting up before they went back to the academy? Did they fly on the griffins? It's a small point, but I'll just use my imagination.
All in: 4.5/5 stars! If my brain was content to let all of the above things go, it would have been 5!
There was a little bit of mystery in the books, as well. Who is loyal, who's a traitor? What do the prophesies and visions mean? Why was Raven taken away as a child, her powers suppressed, and so on? You could make guesses and predictions, but not everything may play out the way you'd think!
Some matters weren't wrapped up in a nice little bow, however. At the end of the book, the author states that she's aware of that, and answers may come in the form of a novella or something as they may not be Raven's to tell. Knowing that, I can put aside some of my disappointment at not knowing everything. Even before reading that little tidbit, I suspected more may be coming in the future.
There are a couple of things that COULD have been done or answered better in these books, however. I'm my opinion, at least. The first point is Ari, Raven's familiar. When he first made his appearance, I was pretty excited. A Griffin familiar! Awesome! Yet, he didn't play nearly as big of a role as I would have expected. He saved their lives once, great. He and the other griffins came and helped fight the war - excellent. In the end... I hate saying this because I really did like him, but he was hardly needed. She could have just known he was more intelligent than the students gave them credit for and refused to fight him in the gauntlet. They could have become friends / allies, and then his reason for staying away from her would make more sense due to his responsibility to protect the other griffins. They still could have had a psychic connection because... griffins. Was his partner, Gia, necessary? I felt it took away from him being Raven's familiar. His loyalties were split, and it felt he wasn't there for Raven as much as he could have been. Either commit to the familiar angle, or just have them as friends / allies like I mentioned earlier. I was super disappointed how that played out.
BIG SPOILER ALERT: I wish there were more answers or conversations with Raven and the men in her family. Considering how evil Abel was made out to be for the first half of the story, I wish he could have had a longer redeeming arc or a longer appearance after he was at Rhys' place. As for Sebastien (AGAIN, HUGE SPOILER ALERT!), his death was so sudden and vague. Did he catch their mom somehow? Take out whoever had her before she was killed? What happened? Plus, once again, not much was discussed. He mentioned briefly that he was mad Raven was leaving as children, and that's what his anger was about when she left. If he was being controlled, I wish so much they had more time to talk and get answers. If you're going to make him end up NOT being the villain we all assumed he was, I would have loved to see more from him.
Almost done! The guys were trying to figure out what emotion made Raven most powerful. They discovered it was sadness. That never really came into play ever again in the series, unless it was very subtly implied when they were finishing the battle with Burton after *someone's* death. (You'll know who I mean if you read the book or ignored my spoiler alerts above!) She said she felt pain, then attacked with all they had.
Lastly, a tiny little thing that doesn't matter much, but made me pause while reading. The Drakes were described in the third book as "wingless dragons." So how was it they showed up with the griffins during the war, or even beforehand when they were all meeting up before they went back to the academy? Did they fly on the griffins? It's a small point, but I'll just use my imagination.
All in: 4.5/5 stars! If my brain was content to let all of the above things go, it would have been 5!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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