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The Villains of Everest University
William Armstead was a prolific weapons trafficker—until he died suddenly in his office one night.
His son, Logan, is expected to take his place.
Forced into the brutal underworld of illegal arms dealing, Logan inherits his father’s unfinished business, including a weapons deal with a terrorist organization overseas—one that’s using those weapons to slaughter innocent people.
Then Logan starts his freshman year at Everest University.
Surrounded by privilege, secrets, and a life that feels almost normal, Logan has a change of heart. He refuses to sell another weapon. But walking away isn’t an option. The operatives he crossed want him dead, and they’re willing to erase anyone who gets too close.
As threats close in and his conscience collides with survival, Logan must decide how far he’s willing to go to stop the bloodshed—without becoming the monster his father was. Love complicates everything. Justice demands sacrifice.
And choosing his own fate might cost him his life.
A dark academia crime thriller about inherited guilt, campus secrets, and a morally gray antihero trying to outrun a legacy written in blood.
His son, Logan, is expected to take his place.
Forced into the brutal underworld of illegal arms dealing, Logan inherits his father’s unfinished business, including a weapons deal with a terrorist organization overseas—one that’s using those weapons to slaughter innocent people.
Then Logan starts his freshman year at Everest University.
Surrounded by privilege, secrets, and a life that feels almost normal, Logan has a change of heart. He refuses to sell another weapon. But walking away isn’t an option. The operatives he crossed want him dead, and they’re willing to erase anyone who gets too close.
As threats close in and his conscience collides with survival, Logan must decide how far he’s willing to go to stop the bloodshed—without becoming the monster his father was. Love complicates everything. Justice demands sacrifice.
And choosing his own fate might cost him his life.
A dark academia crime thriller about inherited guilt, campus secrets, and a morally gray antihero trying to outrun a legacy written in blood.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2025
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 10, 2025
The author reached out to me on IG and asked if I would read and review her book, so here I am. This book definitely had an interesting plot line. It was a quick read and fun learning about the characters and how they all tied into each other’s lives.
March 30, 2025
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book. I love her IG content.
For the book, this wasn't at all what I thought it would be. I thought it was a "thriller" but I don't think it fits under that category really. But it was very easy to read. The writing was good!
This book has beautiful illustrations that the author made. I'm passing it on to a friend who I think will love it.
For the book, this wasn't at all what I thought it would be. I thought it was a "thriller" but I don't think it fits under that category really. But it was very easy to read. The writing was good!
This book has beautiful illustrations that the author made. I'm passing it on to a friend who I think will love it.
June 21, 2025
The Villains of Everest University is a hilarious villain story that makes you cheer for the lovable “bad guys” who are just trying to get by, given the dire circumstances they face in life.
I didn’t go into this book wanting or liking intense thrillers, so I loved how this book felt more light-hearted. A lot of that was due to the funny narrator. I'm not very familiar with 3rd person omniscient POVs, but once I got into the story, I grew to love it! Our beloved narrator knew all the secrets of Everest University and the people there, and they made sure to share all that information in the best way possible.
One place I struggled was the first chapter. I was worried about the extent of the world-building at the beginning and whether it would continue throughout the story, but don’t let that keep you from continuing. I believe the author chose to set the stage for her interesting town, and then it was easier to dive right into the characters and their backstories.
While the story bounces around between five characters, it starts and ends with Logan. He was my favorite character, and I loved seeing his growth. He started out apprehensive about Christianity, and I appreciated how this led him to ask questions and genuinely wrestle with his faith.
I would call our main characters at Everest University soft villains—naive young adults in over their heads who learn to survive by resorting to crime. I came to adore and cherish all of them and their stories. I hope anybody else who decides to read enjoys their story as much as I do. I can't wait for book 2!
I received a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I didn’t go into this book wanting or liking intense thrillers, so I loved how this book felt more light-hearted. A lot of that was due to the funny narrator. I'm not very familiar with 3rd person omniscient POVs, but once I got into the story, I grew to love it! Our beloved narrator knew all the secrets of Everest University and the people there, and they made sure to share all that information in the best way possible.
One place I struggled was the first chapter. I was worried about the extent of the world-building at the beginning and whether it would continue throughout the story, but don’t let that keep you from continuing. I believe the author chose to set the stage for her interesting town, and then it was easier to dive right into the characters and their backstories.
While the story bounces around between five characters, it starts and ends with Logan. He was my favorite character, and I loved seeing his growth. He started out apprehensive about Christianity, and I appreciated how this led him to ask questions and genuinely wrestle with his faith.
I would call our main characters at Everest University soft villains—naive young adults in over their heads who learn to survive by resorting to crime. I came to adore and cherish all of them and their stories. I hope anybody else who decides to read enjoys their story as much as I do. I can't wait for book 2!
I received a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
April 4, 2025
Last year, I read An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson, but I now tend to think I’ve found a new novel worthy of the same title. The Villains of Everest University introduces four college students at the secluded and exclusive Everest University, all of whom are involved in illegal activities. Not only are they the titular villains, but they’re all also liars, lying frequently both to each other and everyone else. Of course, they have to be in order to do what they do. But, when one of them decides he wants out of that kind of life, well, things get out of hand, and everyone and everything is in the crossfire.
Logan is a freshman at Everest University, the only child of a weapons trafficker who sells to rather unsavory persons. When his father dies, and with his mother mentally unstable due to a serious and suspicious fall, it’s up to Logan to continue his father’s business. Except, Logan wants a fresh start, especially when he finds out what the buyers use the weapons for. Unfortunately, they’re not keen on letting him out. Meanwhile, Jade is more of a pseudo-college student, only enrolling in order to get to know the guy she’s been catfishing for a year, Cain. On the side, she runs gambling rooms, paying off university security, while terrified Cain won’t like her because she has a weird epilepsy-like disease that forces her to wear electrodes on her scalp. But Cain isn’t clean, himself. He has his own side business stealing cars. To round out their group, Jade ends up with an unexpected roommate. Aubrey has come from Buenos Aires to escape law enforcement because she’s a drug maker and dealer, and her drug is all the worse for the medical community because it actually heals people. And one bounty hunter just might be closing in on her.
Even though YA thrillers aren’t my typical read, I was so intrigued by the description that I decided to take a chance. While the description had me believing this was mostly about Logan, which wasn’t quite as true as I expected, I still had a massive amount of fun getting to know these four students. The Villains of Everest University felt more like it followed Jade and Aubrey with Cain and Logan as their respective love interests, but the ending did bring it back around to Logan, which was both fun and explosive. But I felt this was more about the characters and developing them and their relationships than on what the story was supposed to be about: Logan evading the men trying to kill him. Certainly, there’s a lot of danger and people constantly after Logan and Aubrey, but most of the middle focused on developing their relationships with small steps taken to advance the plot. It was fun, but I kind of wish there had been more meat to the story.
I did like these students, though. They were a ton of fun and had fantastic personalities. Logan came off as a generally good kid. He’s coerced into his father’s business, but really would rather do probably anything but. He’s so desperate to get out, but also desperate to stay alive, and his batty mother doesn’t help things at all. Fortunately, he does seem to have someone looking out for him, and he does make some good friends. He’s just a kid in a bad situation and can’t figure out how to get out alive. I wasn’t as keen about his sudden turn to religion, and sometimes the religious discussions were a bit much for me. His relationship with Aubrey was so sweet, though, and I did love them together.
Aubrey and Jade didn’t exactly get off on the friendliest foot, especially since Jade was supposed to have a room to herself, but I loved the friendship that developed between them. They slowly let each other in on their secrets, and find they have more in common than they thought. I loved these two, and I loved how they became such good friends. They really looked out for each other. The best part was that they were so different. Jade knows exactly what she’s doing and how she’s going to do it. She has no compunction about gambling and winning the other players’ money and paying off cops and security guards. But she’s also really self-conscious because of the electrodes stuck to her scalp and her condition, and I loved that it made her feel more human. Aubrey, on the other hand, was so sweet and lovely. She really has a heart of gold, heading down the path of illegal activity in order to help people. I never really got the sense that she’s Argentinian, but I adored her anyways. Cain is the fourth student, but he’s not really a major character. He’s Jade’s love interest, and I liked the friendship they struck up when he had no idea who Jade really was. I liked how carefree he came off, and how devoted he was to his friends. I wish I could have gotten to know him better, but I’m not sure there was much more to get to know anyways.
But my favorite thing about these characters was that they didn’t really feel like villains. Sure, they’re all on the wrong side of the law and, sure, they lie their heads off about everything to everyone and each other, at least at first, but there’s still a ton of goodness in them. They’re complicated and complex, and definitely a bunch of troubled youths, but they’re all just trying to survive right now. I really enjoyed getting to know all of them. They were the highlights of this book for me, and I had a ton of fun following their stories.
The story itself was a bit of a let down, but I really loved the writing style. I didn’t feel this was much of a thriller, but I believe this is the first YA thriller I’ve ever read, so I could be wrong. It mostly felt like it worked on developing the characters while all the really thrilling elements happened at the end. There wasn’t as much running and avoiding and looking over one’s shoulder as I had expected, but I also kind of didn’t care because I loved these characters so much. They made The Villains of Everest University a really engaging read. The writing style, too, held my attention. It didn’t actually feel like a match with the thriller story being told, and I kept thinking it would be great for either a noir or literary fiction novel, but I really enjoyed the little asides and how Hyde broke the fourth wall, almost like some unnamed narrator is telling the story of these four students to me. It was an absolute delight to read, even if the genre and writing didn’t always feel like they matched perfectly in my head.
The Villains of Everest University is an engaging read. It has intricate characters who definitely caught my attention. I loved how secluded this university is, making everything that happened completely plausible. There are things that happen in the shadows, hints at things that will be important later, but nothing to really strain my brain to comprehend. This was, overall, a very clean story, just not as thrilling as I expected.
Thank you to the author for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Logan is a freshman at Everest University, the only child of a weapons trafficker who sells to rather unsavory persons. When his father dies, and with his mother mentally unstable due to a serious and suspicious fall, it’s up to Logan to continue his father’s business. Except, Logan wants a fresh start, especially when he finds out what the buyers use the weapons for. Unfortunately, they’re not keen on letting him out. Meanwhile, Jade is more of a pseudo-college student, only enrolling in order to get to know the guy she’s been catfishing for a year, Cain. On the side, she runs gambling rooms, paying off university security, while terrified Cain won’t like her because she has a weird epilepsy-like disease that forces her to wear electrodes on her scalp. But Cain isn’t clean, himself. He has his own side business stealing cars. To round out their group, Jade ends up with an unexpected roommate. Aubrey has come from Buenos Aires to escape law enforcement because she’s a drug maker and dealer, and her drug is all the worse for the medical community because it actually heals people. And one bounty hunter just might be closing in on her.
Even though YA thrillers aren’t my typical read, I was so intrigued by the description that I decided to take a chance. While the description had me believing this was mostly about Logan, which wasn’t quite as true as I expected, I still had a massive amount of fun getting to know these four students. The Villains of Everest University felt more like it followed Jade and Aubrey with Cain and Logan as their respective love interests, but the ending did bring it back around to Logan, which was both fun and explosive. But I felt this was more about the characters and developing them and their relationships than on what the story was supposed to be about: Logan evading the men trying to kill him. Certainly, there’s a lot of danger and people constantly after Logan and Aubrey, but most of the middle focused on developing their relationships with small steps taken to advance the plot. It was fun, but I kind of wish there had been more meat to the story.
I did like these students, though. They were a ton of fun and had fantastic personalities. Logan came off as a generally good kid. He’s coerced into his father’s business, but really would rather do probably anything but. He’s so desperate to get out, but also desperate to stay alive, and his batty mother doesn’t help things at all. Fortunately, he does seem to have someone looking out for him, and he does make some good friends. He’s just a kid in a bad situation and can’t figure out how to get out alive. I wasn’t as keen about his sudden turn to religion, and sometimes the religious discussions were a bit much for me. His relationship with Aubrey was so sweet, though, and I did love them together.
Aubrey and Jade didn’t exactly get off on the friendliest foot, especially since Jade was supposed to have a room to herself, but I loved the friendship that developed between them. They slowly let each other in on their secrets, and find they have more in common than they thought. I loved these two, and I loved how they became such good friends. They really looked out for each other. The best part was that they were so different. Jade knows exactly what she’s doing and how she’s going to do it. She has no compunction about gambling and winning the other players’ money and paying off cops and security guards. But she’s also really self-conscious because of the electrodes stuck to her scalp and her condition, and I loved that it made her feel more human. Aubrey, on the other hand, was so sweet and lovely. She really has a heart of gold, heading down the path of illegal activity in order to help people. I never really got the sense that she’s Argentinian, but I adored her anyways. Cain is the fourth student, but he’s not really a major character. He’s Jade’s love interest, and I liked the friendship they struck up when he had no idea who Jade really was. I liked how carefree he came off, and how devoted he was to his friends. I wish I could have gotten to know him better, but I’m not sure there was much more to get to know anyways.
But my favorite thing about these characters was that they didn’t really feel like villains. Sure, they’re all on the wrong side of the law and, sure, they lie their heads off about everything to everyone and each other, at least at first, but there’s still a ton of goodness in them. They’re complicated and complex, and definitely a bunch of troubled youths, but they’re all just trying to survive right now. I really enjoyed getting to know all of them. They were the highlights of this book for me, and I had a ton of fun following their stories.
The story itself was a bit of a let down, but I really loved the writing style. I didn’t feel this was much of a thriller, but I believe this is the first YA thriller I’ve ever read, so I could be wrong. It mostly felt like it worked on developing the characters while all the really thrilling elements happened at the end. There wasn’t as much running and avoiding and looking over one’s shoulder as I had expected, but I also kind of didn’t care because I loved these characters so much. They made The Villains of Everest University a really engaging read. The writing style, too, held my attention. It didn’t actually feel like a match with the thriller story being told, and I kept thinking it would be great for either a noir or literary fiction novel, but I really enjoyed the little asides and how Hyde broke the fourth wall, almost like some unnamed narrator is telling the story of these four students to me. It was an absolute delight to read, even if the genre and writing didn’t always feel like they matched perfectly in my head.
The Villains of Everest University is an engaging read. It has intricate characters who definitely caught my attention. I loved how secluded this university is, making everything that happened completely plausible. There are things that happen in the shadows, hints at things that will be important later, but nothing to really strain my brain to comprehend. This was, overall, a very clean story, just not as thrilling as I expected.
Thank you to the author for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
March 21, 2025
Thank you to @kelsi.marie.artist for the gifted paperback.
This was my first graphic novel, and I really enjoyed the aspect of having small prints included in the book. This was also not my usual genre, but I was intrigued by this ivy league that seem to have a lot of nice students that had gotten into the crime world as a way to survive and pay for school/support family. The students were not bad people but they were dealing with gambling, selling guns, stealing cars, and selling drugs that helped people manage their seizures. The parents were also some of the worst people. It made me feel bad for these students that didn’t really have a support system, except for each other to lean on.
This was a new adult, college life book about the struggles of maintaining their school life while being independent and away from home. While most of them were not looking to get out of their crimes, there was one that just wanted to live a normal life away from the criminal world. I was wondering the whole time if it was possible for him quit or if his customers were going to have to kill him.
There is mystery, suspense, a hint of romantic relationships, all set on a crazy college campus. If you are in the mood to read a graphic novel, with a lot of action this is it.
This was my first graphic novel, and I really enjoyed the aspect of having small prints included in the book. This was also not my usual genre, but I was intrigued by this ivy league that seem to have a lot of nice students that had gotten into the crime world as a way to survive and pay for school/support family. The students were not bad people but they were dealing with gambling, selling guns, stealing cars, and selling drugs that helped people manage their seizures. The parents were also some of the worst people. It made me feel bad for these students that didn’t really have a support system, except for each other to lean on.
This was a new adult, college life book about the struggles of maintaining their school life while being independent and away from home. While most of them were not looking to get out of their crimes, there was one that just wanted to live a normal life away from the criminal world. I was wondering the whole time if it was possible for him quit or if his customers were going to have to kill him.
There is mystery, suspense, a hint of romantic relationships, all set on a crazy college campus. If you are in the mood to read a graphic novel, with a lot of action this is it.
April 18, 2025
I went in thinking I was getting a campus romance and ended up tangled in an on-campus page turner with catfishing, crime galore, unregulated pharmaceuticals, and a literal bounty hunter.
Everest University, set in the Smoky Mountains, is the perfect moody backdrop for the chaos that unfolds in this gothic style campus. The vibe is dark and has loads of tension that never lets up.
The plot is full of twists and the characters are all complicated in their own ways. There’s romance, but not what you think. These relationships are full of secrets, emotional turmoil, and manipulation.
Some moments had me turning pages like crazy, others had me pausing in confusion. By the way the ending is set up, I am convinced we haven't seen the last of these characters. I will definitely read the next book.
Everest University, set in the Smoky Mountains, is the perfect moody backdrop for the chaos that unfolds in this gothic style campus. The vibe is dark and has loads of tension that never lets up.
The plot is full of twists and the characters are all complicated in their own ways. There’s romance, but not what you think. These relationships are full of secrets, emotional turmoil, and manipulation.
Some moments had me turning pages like crazy, others had me pausing in confusion. By the way the ending is set up, I am convinced we haven't seen the last of these characters. I will definitely read the next book.
June 16, 2025
What I Did Like:
+The characters themselves are all interesting. They all read older than their ages, but they are various levels of “villains” while still being believable.
+The characters are all introduced slowly and thoroughly, making it easy to keep them all straight throughout the story. Even when one pops up in another’s POV, you immediately know who they are and how they fit.
+Beautiful illustrations and various other images add to the story.
Who Should Read This One:
-Christian readers who want a story about “redeemed” villains may appreciate this story the most.
My Rating: 2 Stars
Another editing pass could improve this, but with the errors it is problematic.
For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2025/06/...
+The characters themselves are all interesting. They all read older than their ages, but they are various levels of “villains” while still being believable.
+The characters are all introduced slowly and thoroughly, making it easy to keep them all straight throughout the story. Even when one pops up in another’s POV, you immediately know who they are and how they fit.
+Beautiful illustrations and various other images add to the story.
Who Should Read This One:
-Christian readers who want a story about “redeemed” villains may appreciate this story the most.
My Rating: 2 Stars
Another editing pass could improve this, but with the errors it is problematic.
For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2025/06/...
June 2, 2025
I didn’t really know what I was getting into with this book, and thank you to the author for sending it to me.
I enjoyed the story, a group of college students with their own backgrounds in crime with all their own internal struggles. I love how the most unlikely of friendships formed over the course of the book. I got a bit lost at the start jumping between character povs but once everything started connecting, the story was great!
I loved the writing style, how it felt like the story was being read to me with little moments of the author speaking to the reader directly. Also, the way the text messages were added into the story was unique and fun.
The graphics were gorgeous and allowed for some extra world building that you can’t usually fit in short book!
I enjoyed the story, a group of college students with their own backgrounds in crime with all their own internal struggles. I love how the most unlikely of friendships formed over the course of the book. I got a bit lost at the start jumping between character povs but once everything started connecting, the story was great!
I loved the writing style, how it felt like the story was being read to me with little moments of the author speaking to the reader directly. Also, the way the text messages were added into the story was unique and fun.
The graphics were gorgeous and allowed for some extra world building that you can’t usually fit in short book!
October 8, 2025
I was so happy to receive the ebook of The Villains of Everest University by Violet R. Hyde and I genuinely enjoyed it!
Set in an eerily beautiful, secluded place full of tunnels, lakes, and secrets, this story pulled me in right away. The characters stood out for their strong morals and choices, even when faced with danger.
I loved how love itself was portrayed not through physical attraction, but genuine connection and understanding.
The added drawings, chat snippets, and newspaper clippings made the reading experience even more immersive.
It’s a mystery with emotion, friendship, morals, and adventure not nail-biting, but deeply satisfying. The ending left me wondering if there’ll be a next book… because I’d love to read it!
Set in an eerily beautiful, secluded place full of tunnels, lakes, and secrets, this story pulled me in right away. The characters stood out for their strong morals and choices, even when faced with danger.
I loved how love itself was portrayed not through physical attraction, but genuine connection and understanding.
The added drawings, chat snippets, and newspaper clippings made the reading experience even more immersive.
It’s a mystery with emotion, friendship, morals, and adventure not nail-biting, but deeply satisfying. The ending left me wondering if there’ll be a next book… because I’d love to read it!
August 3, 2025
“The Villains of Everest University” follows four college students along their freshman year at Everest University in Bryson City, NC, USA. Each of the students is pursuing self betterment…and they also happen to be consistently committing crimes.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. Told through multiple POVs, it’s fast paced and a fun read. The first part of the story is told through an intermingling of current events and flashbacks as well as threads of text messaging. The author also breaks the fourth wall from time to time with bits of comic relief. Find the full blog review at heatherlbarksdale.com
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. Told through multiple POVs, it’s fast paced and a fun read. The first part of the story is told through an intermingling of current events and flashbacks as well as threads of text messaging. The author also breaks the fourth wall from time to time with bits of comic relief. Find the full blog review at heatherlbarksdale.com
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
January 20, 2025
I am honored to be the first person to review my friend’s book on Goodreads! First off- it’s a YA book and if you know me, you know YA is not my jam. Teenagers and their slang and young love make me want to chuck a book against the wall. BUT, I LOVED the narrator’s witty, sometimes silly commentary. The climax at the end felt a bit rushed, but I enjoyed watching the characters struggle with moral dilemmas and making tough decisions. The author also illustrated it herself and the paintings are BEAUTIFUL. 3.5 stars!
April 26, 2025
I enjoyed the book. I found it to be a unique read. I read this book is one sitting, it was fast paced, and different. I was immediately sucked in. There were about 5 main characters but I found it easy to follow because of how the author had her chapters broken down. This is a good book for those looking for a quick, thrilling, ride but not a large storyline.
September 9, 2025
wanting more
I didn’t know what to expect going in to this book. I quickly was drawn in and did not want to put this down. Each villian has a unique pov and I found myself drawn to Aubrey. I loved her character. The Christian bits and pieces were a nice surprise too! This was a quick read, I wish it was longer, I felt like it ended abruptly.
I didn’t know what to expect going in to this book. I quickly was drawn in and did not want to put this down. Each villian has a unique pov and I found myself drawn to Aubrey. I loved her character. The Christian bits and pieces were a nice surprise too! This was a quick read, I wish it was longer, I felt like it ended abruptly.
April 15, 2025
This book features interesting and strong characters, a great story that aligns well throughout, and an easy-to-read writing style. A thoroughly enjoyable read!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews