Then my sister’s Awakening went wrong, and I swallowed the power meant for her.
Now I’ve been shipped to Nocturne Academy, where the heirs of monsters are trained to rule, and every House wants to claim, use, or bury me before anyone figures out what I really am.
The reaper professor watches me like I’m a mistake he can’t afford to want.
The dragon prince hates me on sight, until his fire starts answering mine.
The vampire heir smiles like sin and lies like breathing, and somehow he knows more about my power than anyone alive.
They all say I’m dangerous.
They’re right.
Because the academy isn’t just hiding old secrets. It’s built on them. Wraiths are breaking through the Veil, students are being poisoned, and someone inside Nocturne has been waiting for a girl like me to arrive.
Not to save the world.
To open a door.
They can call me null, abomination, weapon, prophecy.
I call myself done being controlled.
And if these three dangerous men want my bond, they’ll have to survive me choosing it.
Nocturne Academy is a dark why-choose paranormal romance with a rejected heroine, morally gray supernatural men, forbidden bonds, academy politics, touch-her-and-die energy, and a cliffhanger ending. This series will contain mature content, dangerous magic, possessive love interests, and a heroine who does not choose between them.
I really wanted to enjoy this book because it sounded like it had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I only managed to get 40% in before I had to decide to DNF.
The story starts very abruptly, and I struggled to find my footing in the world. It often felt like I was missing information that would have helped the plot flow more naturally. There were several times where major events happened with little or no build-up. I ended up going back to previous chapters more than once, thinking I had skipped something, only to realize the information simply hadn’t been included.
The world-building and character development also felt underdeveloped. Characters are introduced as though the FMC already knows them, despite never having met them before, which made some interactions confusing.
One of the biggest disappointments for me was the storyline surrounding the FMC belonging to all four houses. It’s presented as a huge secret that she’s specifically warned not to reveal, so I expected a gradual build-up with some suspicion and eventually a dramatic reveal. Instead suddenly everybody knew about it, and the story jumped straight into the consequences without giving that moment the impact it deserved.
Overall, the book felt more like an rough draft than a fully polished novel. The ideas are there, and I think the story has a lot of promise, but I would have loved to see more editing, stronger world-building, smoother pacing, and additional development to make everything feel more cohesive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I always love a good dark academia book. I absolutely love the premise and how the magic system worked. The FMC was so snarky and sarcastic and I loved that. I did go into this not knowing it was a why chose. I guess I missed it….but it didnt turn me off to the book. I do think that it needs a little tweaking bc it seemed a little forced sometimes but I definitely want to stick around for book 2
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There's something so odd about the writing of this. I can't put my finger on it. Really choppy event and character introductions. Some bare bones are there, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
This books a bit hard to review.. No lie... Did I like it Yes does it need work also yes.. The premise for the story is great it's got so much potential and there are a lot of good things in the book. With that said There needed to be more character building especially with Angelic. I think a bit more about her upbringing and being a null is important and that was really lacking. The story jumps right in with with an awakening ceremony of her sisters that goes wrong. And it's implied that she's been raised to be a tool because of her status as null. (No powers) and that her family doesn't care for her much but there just isn't a lot there With the implications that she was nothing but a tool and that her family didn't care for her you would think would be lacking in magical knowledge and history etc however when she's at the academy it comes out pretty quick that she has quite a bit of knowledge but yet can't figure out what she is. At first everybody seems confused but then it comes out that maybe they've known for a long time what she is. Things happen that are between two people that are supposed to be secret but everybody knows and nobody surprised everyone knows. Just weird discrepancies. there's a discrepancy with Angelic's age It seems it implied at the beginning that she's 18 but somewhere towards the end that she's 21. Around chapter 6 there's a bit of a discrepancy with a magical signature of a student Dax Varro and Thane Valorix. These little discrepancies kept making me go back to beginning chapters to see if I read things correctly which isn't fun. The main male characters kept implying that Angelic should be afraid of them yet nothing is showing any real reason for that. The one thing I absolutely loved about this book is that the author was able to create a very strong female character in Angelic. She has some pretty witty comebacks and isn't afraid to speak up for herself and that is so refreshing. I also really like the love interest with Ryder and I'm hoping that this doesn't turn out to be a reverse harem situation in future books. All in all it's not a bad book and I would definitely read the next installment in the series. But I do think there needs to be more caregiving to development and not just rushing into plots for this book.
I really liked the plot for this one and am looking forward to see where it goes in future stories, but both the world-building and the characters fell pretty flat.
The plot itself wasn’t groundbreaking, a mistreated MC, whisked away to a magic school separated into four houses where she’s bullied only to find out there is a prophecy about her and the headmaster is the bad guy, that rings a lot of bells form me. The more I noticed these things, the more skeptical I became, but honestly, I really enjoyed the plot. It was fun to read and held my attention the whole way through the book!
The world-building started with some great ideas, but fell incredibly flat. Nothing was properly explained and I’m still confused about the background structure of this world. There is a focus on documenting everything, which I found very fascinating and I think would make for a great detail of this society, but while it was mentioned often, it wasn’t explained in any way. The same goes for the political system, which is a somewhat important part of the story, the societal structure and really anything else. It’s normal that in a series we don’t find out all the information right away, but that goes for the mystery that drives the plot, not basic information that the MC and everyone else knows and that plays heavily into the story. The Veil is a good example of this. It’s an integral part of the story and everyone obviously knows what it is, but it’s not explained at all to the reader.
The characters and romance also leave a lot to be desired. None of the characters are really flashed out, we only get to know them on a surface level. And while I really do appreciate the FMCs “no Fs to give” attitude over the usual “woe is me”, it seems like she has no feelings at all. This also translates into the romance. While it was immidiatly apparent that there are three potential love interests, we were not shown the actual feelings at all. It went from nothing to jealousy, to more, but everything was just “told” to us, rather than shown. With every step the romance went, I was surprised.
Overall though I enjoyed reading the book and getting to know this new world, so it’s a solid 3.5 Stars from me.
I recieved an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This has the potential to he a really great story but it still feels like a rough draft. The introductions to the plot and characters was choppy, out of context, and left much to he desired. An example of this is the FMC just randomly knowing all these new people in the school she is randomly sent to but was always an outsider? So how does she know them, their names, families, magic, etc? Its not explained at all. We get 0 introduction to the MMC or any of the other characters other than them just randomly being described without any preamble beforehand.
A lot of the writing was repetitive and confusing. We see alot of the same phrases being used over an over again with not much context behind any of it. It felt like everyone in the story was speaking in half sentences and half finished thoughts. as a reader i felt i was only getting 50% of the context of the story and was left filling the gaps myself. It made the story feel unfinished, unrevised, and just generally messy.
The writing made it very hard to fully understand any of what was really going on in the story itself. It also made the connection to the characters feel impossible because they felt so ingenuine. It felt like all the characters were not connected in any way and were very formal with each other, even in scenes where they were clearly supposed to feel close or like the relationships were building. Again, it felt like there was wall between myself as a reader and the context if the story itself because it was writen in such a way that felt very unfinished.
To be frank this could use another few revisions, way more context, deeper thoughts, more details, deeper character and plot development, and more edits before being published. It's got the bones of what could be a really good story but none of the meat to get it there yet. Right now it's feels like an outline more then a main story.
What a fun journey. Great job. The pacing kthe book is up an down but it still works. The strict magical hierarchy is an interesting choice: using magic as a controlled resource is a twist I didn't see coming. The academy is going to academy. Much like how US colleges are elitist and their foundation is steeped in exclusionary gatekeeping but the way it's done here is well thought out. Shadows of the Condemned is a gripping start to a new supernatural series that leans heavily into tropes of the "hidden academy" genre while offering a unique, compelling protagonist. The world building around the "null" concept? OMG GO AWF!! YES PLEASE! Centering it on someone who absorbs magic rather than producing it creates an interesting dynamic that keeps the tension throughout the book.
I would like to see more showing than dialoguing. Too much dialogue could become clunky. Immerse me in the world, make me feel like I am at the academy. It has such a great overall narrative and I look forward to it being a very successful series. I'm giddy to find out what's next.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Okay… I really wanted to love this one because the premise had so much potential, but unfortunately the execution just didn’t work for me. 🥲
The concept was intriguing, but the story felt rushed from start to finish. The pacing was uneven, the writing felt disjointed, and there was a lot of repetitive language that made it difficult to stay fully immersed.
The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of character development, relationship growth, and world-building. I never felt connected to the characters or invested in their journey, and the world itself felt underdeveloped. It felt like the story had all the right ingredients but needed more time, depth, and refinement to truly come together.
Overall, this was a miss for me. I finished feeling disappointed because I could see the potential, but the final result just wasn’t there. Unfortunately, I won’t be continuing with book two. 📚💔
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The premise of the book is great, and the story holds weight throughout.
However, i am unsure if it is because it is an unreleased copy it felt very disjointed at times, scenes didnt flow naturally into another and i felt myself lost with the transitions.
The character development however is well done, most having a defined arc and growth through their interactions. I wouldve liked to have a little more insight with Caspian side of the story as a main character to the plot.
Overall it did keep me hooked and kept me guessing who was behind it all.
I cant wait for the next installment to see where Angelic, Ryder, Thane and Caspian end up.
I’m conflicted on this one. The premise sounded really good, but for about the first half, the pacing/world-building/character development/relationship building was not fully done and was confusing for a bit. I almost dnfd the book multiple times. I think if there was more world building and more time at the beginning spent on the character development, then I would have rated this much higher. The second half was much better. The plot started picking up. I became more invested in the characters. I wasn’t as confused or lost in the story. I began rooting for the FMC and MMCs. I might continue the series based on the second half of the story.
Shadows of the Condemned is the first book in this why choose series.
First, this series has potential, but it definitely needs some editing and rework. A few times things were confusing and distracting. Plus, chapter twenty two was all blended together, no paragraphs. And there were quite a few unnecessary repeating phrases.
But the story itself was interesting with the FMC as a null, but more...a conduit. And the fact that someone is working behind the scene to allow wraiths to attack the school.
I wish there was a half star because that's where this book really fits. Good story idea, but needs work.
This was a pretty good read. It was super different from your usual RH reads, hooked you with the plot. I think it had a strong overall idea but some tweaks to the execution of it would make it incredible. For example, I feel like the entire dialogue moments were great but they were just missing emotion and depth, same for the characters in general as well. Because I couldn’t tell if the FMC was just bad ass or just lacked emotions as she spoke. Same for all the MMCs. The plot definitely made up for it, and I would love to see how this series grows!
I recently received an ARC copy of this book. While I did enjoy it and was thoroughly intrigued with the plot, it did fall short at times. The writing had many moments where it was very choppy and lacking context. I felt that if there was just a tad more detail, it could have made a huge difference overall. Often, I found myself rereading sections to check I hadn’t missed anything, which definitely took away from the enjoyment of the book. I do think there’s a lot of potential for this book/series, but I think it needs some fine-tuning.
I would rate this book 3.5 stars. I enjoy dark acadamia stories and the world of this book did not dissapoint. Angelic is a 'null' in a world of Reapers, Dragons, Vampires and Witches. Everyone has magic but Angelic-she is an anomoly or conduit. I thought the magic system was really interesting and refreshing and new. The author did a really good job with that. This book has politics, wraithes that breach the veil and is a slow burn why choose with a lot of mystery. This book kept my attention but felt like it was jumpy or had some holes to me--I felt like it was lacking something.
The plot was enjoyable, though the writing did feel very amateur and the chapter endings felt more Disney Channel-esque. I thought the characters were undeveloped and their relationship progressed WAY too quickly. Also, a plot hole because she suddenly knew everyone’s name at school while being ostracised from society?
Overall it felt a little clunky but still a nice enough 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
FMC is a Null and has been used as a battery source until she was to help in her sisters ritual, however that is when every thing changes but not all is for the best. With three possible bonds and attacks happening every time she turns around, fighting for her freedom and her friend the prophecy is the least of her problems. We are left with a major 🧗♂️.
This one was a little hard to rate because I liked the story, but I do think it needed more development. The premise was really interesting, and I loved the academy setting and mystery around Angelic’s powers.
Angelic was definitely my favorite part. She was strong, funny, and not afraid to stand up for herself. Some parts did feel rushed, and there were a few things that confused me, but the story has a lot of potential. I would still read the next book.
From the very start the characters gripped you, they are funny, have good banter and relationships with eachother. World building in this book is good enough that you can see things through the main characters eyes and who doesn't love a magical academy story. The twists in here keep the story alive and you are left wanting more.
Thank you for providing me with a complimentary copy. I thoroughly enjoyed it; it evoked a similar atmosphere to Harry Potter. The story incorporates a diverse range of elements, including witches, reapers, vampires, dragon shifters, magic, a null, bonds, and mystery. It is an excellent read.
ARC review thanks to the Booksirens team & the author ☆
Mmh. This felt like the skeleton of a potentially amazing whychoose story ? The writing felt a bit chopped and too cold to really care or get attached to the characters 🤔 Some of the MMC personalities and actions made them seem to blend together too much for my liking unfortunately, it's a no for me. 😩
Thank you for my advanced copy! I really enjoyed it, it gave me a Harry Potter feel to it. But you have witches, reapers,vampires, dragon shifters,magic, a null, bonds and mystery. excellent book!
I really like this book... but I want more. More background info about the characters, more about their world, just more. I did enjoy this story though and I look forward to continuing this series.