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Vice College for Young Demons #4
A Demon's Heart
Vice College for Young Demons; it's where Lilith's life as a demon began. Now, it might just be where it ends.
Only the Strange God has the power to save her from Vendra's poison, and his help comes at a price. Yet Lilith has no choice. To rescue her mates from the Syndicate she'll have to accept his bargain and go head to head with the organisation who tried to kill her. Even with all eight of them working together it still might not be enough to defeat the Syndicate.
Vendra and her remaining allies will do anything to ensure their goal of a perfect three-caste world is made real. The Unshown Resistance was decimated by Hannibal's attack, leaving Lilith and her allies outnumbered and outmatched in every way that counts.
With a final battle lingering on the horizon, it's time for the knives to come out. Enemies will become allies, traitors will show their true colours and everyone will make sacrifices before victory is won.
And the Strange God sits at the heart of it all...
This is an 18+ Reverse Harem Novel, Book 4 of 4 in the Vice College for Young Demons series.
Only the Strange God has the power to save her from Vendra's poison, and his help comes at a price. Yet Lilith has no choice. To rescue her mates from the Syndicate she'll have to accept his bargain and go head to head with the organisation who tried to kill her. Even with all eight of them working together it still might not be enough to defeat the Syndicate.
Vendra and her remaining allies will do anything to ensure their goal of a perfect three-caste world is made real. The Unshown Resistance was decimated by Hannibal's attack, leaving Lilith and her allies outnumbered and outmatched in every way that counts.
With a final battle lingering on the horizon, it's time for the knives to come out. Enemies will become allies, traitors will show their true colours and everyone will make sacrifices before victory is won.
And the Strange God sits at the heart of it all...
This is an 18+ Reverse Harem Novel, Book 4 of 4 in the Vice College for Young Demons series.
362 pages, ebook
First published July 20, 2020
209 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Marie Mistry
23 books966 followersMarie Mistry is a reality challenged reverse harem romance author whose books are full of pirates, magic, and spicy adventures. When she's not writing, you can usually find her curled up with a game or a book and a large cup of tea. She lives in a wonky cottage in Kent with her other half and a super sweet shepherd named Meg.
She'd love for you to join her Facebook reader group: Mistry’s Inc where she hangs out daily: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mistr...
Or check out her website: https://www.mariemistry.com
She'd love for you to join her Facebook reader group: Mistry’s Inc where she hangs out daily: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mistr...
Or check out her website: https://www.mariemistry.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
November 14, 2020
Honestly glad I put this off for so long.
STRONG START SHITTY FINISH .
This book is the face of that shelf.
Horribly done.
Rushed.
Uneventful.
Sloppy.
I’m sorry. It was a colossal waste of time. I’ve already forgotten her name. But she was no warrior, and trying to place her in that role was poorly done. The mates were haphazardly thrown in there from time to time to remind us there were in fact, seven.
The only interesting part of this book was Nelly and Neo.
I don’t have much to say. Loved the first book and then it took a nose dive from there.
This book lacked life.
The series lacked structure and meaning past the first book.
Gladly, It’s done and I finished it, and I can move on.
STRONG START SHITTY FINISH .
This book is the face of that shelf.
Horribly done.
Rushed.
Uneventful.
Sloppy.
I’m sorry. It was a colossal waste of time. I’ve already forgotten her name. But she was no warrior, and trying to place her in that role was poorly done. The mates were haphazardly thrown in there from time to time to remind us there were in fact, seven.
The only interesting part of this book was Nelly and Neo.
I don’t have much to say. Loved the first book and then it took a nose dive from there.
This book lacked life.
The series lacked structure and meaning past the first book.
Gladly, It’s done and I finished it, and I can move on.
October 11, 2020
The first two books really captured my interest, but I struggled through the last two books. At the end, there were several plot threads left dangling that I had forgiven in the earlier books, because I expected them to be addressed later. Then there were new ones in these books. Some of the plot choices made very little sense as well. This series started out really gripping, but I was ultimately left unsatisfied.
July 30, 2020
The book was a little... all over the place. I was confused with how Ms. Mistry chose to approach the final book.
We went from this,
To this.
Then back to School
Before finally
I still love the series but be prepared when reading the final installment.
We went from this,
To this.
Then back to School
Before finally
I still love the series but be prepared when reading the final installment.
August 8, 2022
This has been one heck of a demonic roller coaster. Lilith has many battles still to win. The road to a HEA with her mates seems too impossible to fathom but it’s possible. As part of the Assembly and house leader Lilith has more responsibility than ever. It’s hard to pin down who to trust and the last thing she wants to do is go to school, which she does, but it becomes more of a background setting. This book deals a lot more with the politics of the demon world and damn if it’s not messy. For years the demons have lived in peace for the most part yet all the while treating the Unshown around them like pawns and slaves. I was so mad at times with how Lillian’s power of changing the Unshown’s was manipulated, Even while the world is going to hell around them, Lilith and her mates find time to themselves where they can recharge and reconnect. There’s also a lot more group action this time around and it was kinda funny at times how overwhelmed Lilith would be, but equally as determined. This series has been a roller coaster ride and I really enjoyed it from start to finish.
February 24, 2023
Sometimes reading an author's entire backlist after falling in love with one of their books is the best thing that can happen to you. Sometimes you discover that the author has clearly grown. In this series' case it's clearly the latter. The author has grown a lot since this series and reading this series after having read the others meant I couldn't enjoy it to the fullest. However, I was still looking forward to discover how the series would end.
Although this last book is a little bigger than the previous three I still had the feeling so many things were a little rushed. Especially in the beginning a lot of time passed and a lot of things happened so fast that I barely got the time to understand what was going on. Luckily things slowed down a little once the characters understood what the endgame of their enemy was and once they could start planning to prevent them from succeeding.
I also still think that seven mates might be a little too many. I know that there are people loving big harems, but I always feel like none of the guys gets enough page time when they're with too many. It feels like we can't really build a deep connection with them. That was a general issue with this series. The mate bonds are pre-destined and in some cases they went from barely knowing each other to mates within a blink of an eye. So, some guys still feel like strangers to me, even after four books.
However, I did really enjoy the politics in this book. Like I said, it was all a little rushed in the beginning, but at some point there was this clear line to the finale and I loved how fights were fought with brains and tactics and trying to predict what the other would do. And then there is this one big twist in the end that I should have seen coming. That twist made the story even more amazing and I'm now really curious to read Nelly's story!
So, this series has a lot to offer, but I can assure you that the other series by this author are even better!
Although this last book is a little bigger than the previous three I still had the feeling so many things were a little rushed. Especially in the beginning a lot of time passed and a lot of things happened so fast that I barely got the time to understand what was going on. Luckily things slowed down a little once the characters understood what the endgame of their enemy was and once they could start planning to prevent them from succeeding.
I also still think that seven mates might be a little too many. I know that there are people loving big harems, but I always feel like none of the guys gets enough page time when they're with too many. It feels like we can't really build a deep connection with them. That was a general issue with this series. The mate bonds are pre-destined and in some cases they went from barely knowing each other to mates within a blink of an eye. So, some guys still feel like strangers to me, even after four books.
However, I did really enjoy the politics in this book. Like I said, it was all a little rushed in the beginning, but at some point there was this clear line to the finale and I loved how fights were fought with brains and tactics and trying to predict what the other would do. And then there is this one big twist in the end that I should have seen coming. That twist made the story even more amazing and I'm now really curious to read Nelly's story!
So, this series has a lot to offer, but I can assure you that the other series by this author are even better!
January 18, 2022
this is my third re-read and i'm still disappointed with that plot twist ending. you just didnt expect something so out of left field when nelly was barely involved in the storyline.
but i do love each and every character in her harem. despite the amount of mates you could still distinguish and differentiate them by their personalities
but i do love each and every character in her harem. despite the amount of mates you could still distinguish and differentiate them by their personalities
August 2, 2025
Will definitely be reading more by this author!!
February 28, 2023
What a conclusion
That’s it. This is the end for Lilith and her men and I have to say, I am pretty satisfied (and surprised) with how it ended.
It’s been a wild ride with great characters, a well developed mystery and enjoyable time all around. I am sad to say goodbye and would have love a glimpse of the after but I’ll take it.
I would definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for an entertaining, well written paranormal reverse harem with smart, likable characters, friendship, love and emotions.
That’s it. This is the end for Lilith and her men and I have to say, I am pretty satisfied (and surprised) with how it ended.
It’s been a wild ride with great characters, a well developed mystery and enjoyable time all around. I am sad to say goodbye and would have love a glimpse of the after but I’ll take it.
I would definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for an entertaining, well written paranormal reverse harem with smart, likable characters, friendship, love and emotions.
June 3, 2023
Overall really enjoyed this series. I understand that the pacing was supposed to be over 4 years, 1 per book, but this would have been better in 2-3 books, I just started to get antsy by the 3/4th for the series to wrap up. Loved that all of the mmcs had personalities, in most RH they are all the same person by the end. The fmc was likable, which is hard to do in a series like this. The whole series gets 4.5 stars for me but I docked for this book because I just didn't think it needed to be this long of a series. Great creativity on world-building. Binged it in 2 days!
August 26, 2024
A good debut series.
Following Lilith through all the trials of obtaining 7 mates and working to save the demon world was a mammoth journey but one that I enjoyed.
For a debut series the books were well written and the characters well thought out. The plot was interesting and whilst I predicted some bits I was still surprised by other revelations.
I wish that we had POVs from the harem as I would have loved to have gotten to know them better.
Overall a good series that I enjoyed.
Following Lilith through all the trials of obtaining 7 mates and working to save the demon world was a mammoth journey but one that I enjoyed.
For a debut series the books were well written and the characters well thought out. The plot was interesting and whilst I predicted some bits I was still surprised by other revelations.
I wish that we had POVs from the harem as I would have loved to have gotten to know them better.
Overall a good series that I enjoyed.
September 29, 2022
Not a bad ending just long
This book took me a while to get through only because I read them all in a binge read. Still this one was much of the same, and the epic battle wasn’t too epic imo. Yea some crazy stuff does happen, but everything I thought would happen did, just not the way I would have thought. Overall, I did like the series but I felt it wasn’t as big of a showdown as I expected.
Then once that whole aspect was over, we had the mating ceremonies and while they were nice I was somewhat bored. It was nice to see their traditions and such though.
Still this was more relationship focused I think than plot focused.
This book took me a while to get through only because I read them all in a binge read. Still this one was much of the same, and the epic battle wasn’t too epic imo. Yea some crazy stuff does happen, but everything I thought would happen did, just not the way I would have thought. Overall, I did like the series but I felt it wasn’t as big of a showdown as I expected.
Then once that whole aspect was over, we had the mating ceremonies and while they were nice I was somewhat bored. It was nice to see their traditions and such though.
Still this was more relationship focused I think than plot focused.
August 11, 2020
Good Ending
I think it ended good, I just wished the fight scene with Vendra was better considering it was suppose to be this epic fight that the last few books have been edging toward.
With the Strange God you would think that would have been explained further instead of everything just being ok because basically he was Nellys mate.
I think it ended good, I just wished the fight scene with Vendra was better considering it was suppose to be this epic fight that the last few books have been edging toward.
With the Strange God you would think that would have been explained further instead of everything just being ok because basically he was Nellys mate.
October 1, 2025
A Demon's Heart
Such a HEA for this series. I adore Lilith and her mates. This book completes the Vice College for Young Demons. It was a fun wild ride!
Such a HEA for this series. I adore Lilith and her mates. This book completes the Vice College for Young Demons. It was a fun wild ride!
February 22, 2025
I hate a plot twist conclusion, and this one was giving Spencer’s cockney twin from the PLL finale level of pointlessness.
July 13, 2021
A Demon's Heart gives us the finale of what's been brewing between Lilith and her mates, the Syndicate, and the Strange God. After the shocking (to me anyway) ending of book 3, book 4 hits the ground right where we left off and takes us on a wild roller coaster. Ms. Mistry's world building stood out through the entire series and with the details from powers to politics to education, you can tell how much work and thought she put into creating this world and the characters who inhabit it. As more of the pieces came together (in some cases, fell apart) and the bigger picture was revealed, all these details kept me fully engaged in how Lilith, her mates, her friends, and her allies were going to triumph. There are also twists I didn't see coming and losses as part of the war. I've loved so many of the themes in Vice College - reluctant chosen, devoted mates, strong friendships/loyalty, and equality/fairness. It's hard to see this end, even as I was rooting for them.
In addition to the action of good vs. evil, there's plenty of time for bits of humor, lots of steam, and all the emotional connection that's existed in prior books. There are some time skips that were sometimes a bit jarring, but the overall story and plot continued to flow just as well for me in this book as earlier ones. I liked that nothing came too easily, even as my heart hurt for these characters when things got harder.
In the end though, the major plot points are wrapped up nicely (with the possibilities of more to come for side characters or others in the world). We also get adorable and heart-warming times between Lilith's chosen family and with her mates and a wonderful happy for now ending. I absolutely recommend this series and I hope Ms. Mistry does write more in this demon world, esp with all the changes happening.
In addition to the action of good vs. evil, there's plenty of time for bits of humor, lots of steam, and all the emotional connection that's existed in prior books. There are some time skips that were sometimes a bit jarring, but the overall story and plot continued to flow just as well for me in this book as earlier ones. I liked that nothing came too easily, even as my heart hurt for these characters when things got harder.
In the end though, the major plot points are wrapped up nicely (with the possibilities of more to come for side characters or others in the world). We also get adorable and heart-warming times between Lilith's chosen family and with her mates and a wonderful happy for now ending. I absolutely recommend this series and I hope Ms. Mistry does write more in this demon world, esp with all the changes happening.
July 24, 2020
3,5 stars ish
great conclusion to this series, i want to read more of em in the future tho
great conclusion to this series, i want to read more of em in the future tho
October 1, 2025
3 ⭐️
"“I’m getting my mates back, and I will destroy anyone who tries to get in my way.”
Rina raised an eyebrow. “Dramatic, much?”
I shook my head. “It’s not dramatic if it’s the truth.”
My men were my home now. Feeling their bonds torn away from me was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. I’d lie, cheat, steal, and slaughter to ensure it never happened again, and they’d do the same for me."
***** Review with spoilers *****
Again, everything was fixed too fast, without real consequences or any real weight to the situation. Not only that, but even the arcs that had been built since the first book were resolved in such an underwhelming way. Take Blaze’s prophecy, for example — the whole “he’ll die if he says I love you” thing that’s been hanging over our heads since the moment they met. And then, at the end, he just almost dies protecting Lilith from being stabbed by her grandmother, and she brings him back to life within the same scene. Not even a pause for anyone to suffer, panic, or feel the gravity of his death. It felt unnecessary, just like Lilith’s death in the previous book, added more because it sounded like a cool idea than because it made sense to the story. If anything, this was even worse, considering the prophecy was one of the most feared outcomes since book one.
Another situation that got the same rushed treatment was Ajax and Vendra’s death. Sure, there was some “preparation” with Lilith’s army entering the scene and a battle going on, but it still wasn’t memorable. Both times someone in her group got hurt, Enzo patched them up, and then the villain was taken down in the most underwhelming way possible. Ajax wasn’t even killed by them, and with Vendra, Lilith literally just made her pass out, assumed everything was fine — which was dumb on her part — and then came back to kill her with a Succubae kiss only because she was mad that her grandmother stabbed Blaze and she had to use her life energy to save him. Honestly, it was disappointing, especially since this was supposed to be the main arc of the entire series, present from the very first book.
And don’t even get me started on the Strange God. What do you mean everything that happened — the entire story, every little move from both sides — was “helped” by him, just so he could free himself and be with his mate, aka Nelly? That completely stripped away the divine, untouchable, powerful image of a god and reduced him to just another selfish guy with a bunch of power. Wasn’t he supposed to be a God? Focused on greater things, beyond human matters? And if the author wanted to give him a mate, why not lean into a Hades/Persephone kind of dynamic? It would’ve made so much more sense if, instead of just being hurt, Nelly chose to sacrifice herself for Lilith or her sister, bargaining her life and the mating bond in exchange for their survival. That would have been way more meaningful and powerful.
Then there were all the other deep, emotional situations that were just brushed aside. Matteo’s body being used by the Strange God, Nelly becoming disabled, Torin Valec’s death mourned for about two seconds, Lilith’s broken relationship with her parents, her mom knowing Vendra was head of the Syndicate but waiting to side with whoever won... and the list goes on. Like I said in my previous reviews, too much was added just because it sounded exciting, but very little was properly developed or tied up in the end. It really felt like the author had so many threads going that she couldn’t even remember which ones needed closure.
And as for Lilith and her Mates... well, the story continued with very little real development in their relationships or personalities, but plenty of sex scenes. The sex? Skipped. I honestly couldn’t care less anymore, and it reached a point where I was rolling my eyes and saying out loud, “again?” Their personalities got maybe a little development here and there, but nothing worth mentioning. They still felt like they were only there to provide their gifts when Lilith needed them, and their identities were shallow, tied too closely to their powers, almost as if their gifts were being used as a shortcut instead of giving them depth.
In the end, it was an okay series, but it could have been so much more if its potential had been properly used. And that’s the saddest part — because the world-building and the lore really caught my interest. That’s what kept me turning the pages and pushing through, even though I was never fully satisfied with the books themselves. Closing the last page, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the world deserved better than the story it got.
Main characters: Lilith Carazor, Aeron Saxon, Blaze Inferna, Daron Abraxon, Jin Sharax, Kain Zenunim, Bane Krossian and Enzo Orfo.
Tropes: reverse harem/why choose, chosen one, fated mates, moraly grey, found family.
Supernatural types: all demons, different powers, subpowers and houses. Lilith - lust, succubus; Aeron - lust, aphrodisia; Blaze - wrath, violence; Daron - envy, possession; Jin - slot, slumber; Kain - pride, accomplishment; Bane - greed, acquisition;
Enzo - gluttony, indulgence.
"“I’m getting my mates back, and I will destroy anyone who tries to get in my way.”
Rina raised an eyebrow. “Dramatic, much?”
I shook my head. “It’s not dramatic if it’s the truth.”
My men were my home now. Feeling their bonds torn away from me was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. I’d lie, cheat, steal, and slaughter to ensure it never happened again, and they’d do the same for me."
***** Review with spoilers *****
Again, everything was fixed too fast, without real consequences or any real weight to the situation. Not only that, but even the arcs that had been built since the first book were resolved in such an underwhelming way. Take Blaze’s prophecy, for example — the whole “he’ll die if he says I love you” thing that’s been hanging over our heads since the moment they met. And then, at the end, he just almost dies protecting Lilith from being stabbed by her grandmother, and she brings him back to life within the same scene. Not even a pause for anyone to suffer, panic, or feel the gravity of his death. It felt unnecessary, just like Lilith’s death in the previous book, added more because it sounded like a cool idea than because it made sense to the story. If anything, this was even worse, considering the prophecy was one of the most feared outcomes since book one.
Another situation that got the same rushed treatment was Ajax and Vendra’s death. Sure, there was some “preparation” with Lilith’s army entering the scene and a battle going on, but it still wasn’t memorable. Both times someone in her group got hurt, Enzo patched them up, and then the villain was taken down in the most underwhelming way possible. Ajax wasn’t even killed by them, and with Vendra, Lilith literally just made her pass out, assumed everything was fine — which was dumb on her part — and then came back to kill her with a Succubae kiss only because she was mad that her grandmother stabbed Blaze and she had to use her life energy to save him. Honestly, it was disappointing, especially since this was supposed to be the main arc of the entire series, present from the very first book.
And don’t even get me started on the Strange God. What do you mean everything that happened — the entire story, every little move from both sides — was “helped” by him, just so he could free himself and be with his mate, aka Nelly? That completely stripped away the divine, untouchable, powerful image of a god and reduced him to just another selfish guy with a bunch of power. Wasn’t he supposed to be a God? Focused on greater things, beyond human matters? And if the author wanted to give him a mate, why not lean into a Hades/Persephone kind of dynamic? It would’ve made so much more sense if, instead of just being hurt, Nelly chose to sacrifice herself for Lilith or her sister, bargaining her life and the mating bond in exchange for their survival. That would have been way more meaningful and powerful.
Then there were all the other deep, emotional situations that were just brushed aside. Matteo’s body being used by the Strange God, Nelly becoming disabled, Torin Valec’s death mourned for about two seconds, Lilith’s broken relationship with her parents, her mom knowing Vendra was head of the Syndicate but waiting to side with whoever won... and the list goes on. Like I said in my previous reviews, too much was added just because it sounded exciting, but very little was properly developed or tied up in the end. It really felt like the author had so many threads going that she couldn’t even remember which ones needed closure.
And as for Lilith and her Mates... well, the story continued with very little real development in their relationships or personalities, but plenty of sex scenes. The sex? Skipped. I honestly couldn’t care less anymore, and it reached a point where I was rolling my eyes and saying out loud, “again?” Their personalities got maybe a little development here and there, but nothing worth mentioning. They still felt like they were only there to provide their gifts when Lilith needed them, and their identities were shallow, tied too closely to their powers, almost as if their gifts were being used as a shortcut instead of giving them depth.
In the end, it was an okay series, but it could have been so much more if its potential had been properly used. And that’s the saddest part — because the world-building and the lore really caught my interest. That’s what kept me turning the pages and pushing through, even though I was never fully satisfied with the books themselves. Closing the last page, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the world deserved better than the story it got.
Main characters: Lilith Carazor, Aeron Saxon, Blaze Inferna, Daron Abraxon, Jin Sharax, Kain Zenunim, Bane Krossian and Enzo Orfo.
Tropes: reverse harem/why choose, chosen one, fated mates, moraly grey, found family.
Supernatural types: all demons, different powers, subpowers and houses. Lilith - lust, succubus; Aeron - lust, aphrodisia; Blaze - wrath, violence; Daron - envy, possession; Jin - slot, slumber; Kain - pride, accomplishment; Bane - greed, acquisition;
Enzo - gluttony, indulgence.
May 23, 2024
Oh, this book went off the deep end. What was that?
I feel like everything I loved about this story was taken off the equation in this last book and what was left behind? A mess. A confusing, and boring mess. And the more I think about it, the more I feel like maybe this mess has been here all along and I was just having too much fun with the lighthearted prose, the anime-style humor, and the entertaining shenanigans the characters got up to, to notice the actual clusterfuck that was the massive amounts of plot holes and world-building inconsistencies every other page.
The more I think about it, the less sense everything makes.
I had higher expectations, specially since I enjoyed the third book as much as I did. I'm disappointed and sad and I can't decide yet if I'll ever read Nelly's story or not 😔
I feel like everything I loved about this story was taken off the equation in this last book and what was left behind? A mess. A confusing, and boring mess. And the more I think about it, the more I feel like maybe this mess has been here all along and I was just having too much fun with the lighthearted prose, the anime-style humor, and the entertaining shenanigans the characters got up to, to notice the actual clusterfuck that was the massive amounts of plot holes and world-building inconsistencies every other page.
The more I think about it, the less sense everything makes.
I had higher expectations, specially since I enjoyed the third book as much as I did. I'm disappointed and sad and I can't decide yet if I'll ever read Nelly's story or not 😔
April 22, 2024
2 - 2.25 ⭐
Book #4 of 4
🆗 Demons, divided into 7 castes - Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, Pride & Envy (also Unshown if they don't have a caste) - & several sub-castes
❌ Academy for demons (adults, +20 y.o.): barely any scenes
🆗⬇️ Every demon can use their power to do the same things (like shields, telekinesis) and they can train to better use it
🆗⬇️ Additional abilities: some demons have the ability to better manipulate the power in certain areas (for example: light or water manipulation)
⬇️❌ Political games: not very good
❌ Assassination attempts: too common that they don't even pay attention
⬇️❌ Chosen/Special One: it does get too much
⬇️ Prophecy & God interference: weird plot
⬇️ Secret organisations: messy and forced
⬇️❌ Prejudice against Lust and Unshowns
❌ Freeing Unshowns & saving the world: full of inconsistencies
❌ Forced plot "twists": unsupported, badly introduced and incoherent
❌ Inconsistencies
🆗 Mates
🆗 Reverse Harem: 7 males
🔥 Smut: it does get boring, they always time for an orgy
Overall, disappointing.
I did force myself to finish reading this series, hoping the end would forgive all the little problems that had made me lose interest in this.
But no.
I only lost more and more interest, the plot was full of small inconsistencies or unsupported revelations and behaviours. A lot of it seemed forced, maybe in order to surprise the reader but the delivery was weak.
With each book the connection to the characters and what they were going through was lost, not that it was a lot to begin with.
The characters' development was not the best. Their behaviour was inconsistent and incoherent. Especially Lilith. Along the books Lilith has became more and more of a special cookie and martyr, so much so that most of the time I kept rolling my eyes in exasperation.
***
As always my complete respect for the author and their work.
No hate nor hurt intended with this review.
Book #4 of 4
🆗 Demons, divided into 7 castes - Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, Pride & Envy (also Unshown if they don't have a caste) - & several sub-castes
❌ Academy for demons (adults, +20 y.o.): barely any scenes
🆗⬇️ Every demon can use their power to do the same things (like shields, telekinesis) and they can train to better use it
🆗⬇️ Additional abilities: some demons have the ability to better manipulate the power in certain areas (for example: light or water manipulation)
⬇️❌ Political games: not very good
❌ Assassination attempts: too common that they don't even pay attention
⬇️❌ Chosen/Special One: it does get too much
⬇️ Prophecy & God interference: weird plot
⬇️ Secret organisations: messy and forced
⬇️❌ Prejudice against Lust and Unshowns
❌ Freeing Unshowns & saving the world: full of inconsistencies
❌ Forced plot "twists": unsupported, badly introduced and incoherent
❌ Inconsistencies
🆗 Mates
🆗 Reverse Harem: 7 males
🔥 Smut: it does get boring, they always time for an orgy
Overall, disappointing.
I did force myself to finish reading this series, hoping the end would forgive all the little problems that had made me lose interest in this.
But no.
I only lost more and more interest, the plot was full of small inconsistencies or unsupported revelations and behaviours. A lot of it seemed forced, maybe in order to surprise the reader but the delivery was weak.
With each book the connection to the characters and what they were going through was lost, not that it was a lot to begin with.
The characters' development was not the best. Their behaviour was inconsistent and incoherent. Especially Lilith. Along the books Lilith has became more and more of a special cookie and martyr, so much so that most of the time I kept rolling my eyes in exasperation.
***
As always my complete respect for the author and their work.
No hate nor hurt intended with this review.
January 1, 2024
Series Review
I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised by the first book, it had interesting characters, magic, and world building. But honestly for as much that happened I do not think it required four books to tell it.
There was a lot of things that really just didn’t matter, like dining hall scenes or arrests that honestly were just convenient to quickly bring force and support to political agendas in the super short term.
If you cut out unnecessary things this could have been a really cool duology. But it suffered a lot from too many characters, especially in relation to the fmc— which was not a badass. Who I thought was building to be more with forming an army, storming the castle to rescue her men but as soon as they were back in the picture she was back to relinquishing power to their whims or not using everything her training, knowledge, and powers because they were there 🙄.
I did not like the deity stuff in the end, it left too much open ended and presented more questions than anything. It didn’t feel resolved why have a ‘chosen’ at all? What happens now that he walks the earth, why did she stay a chosen and keep the horns, wings, and talons? Not to mention how will the world change for the better in terms of schooling, equity, equality and power. They dismantled centuries of political structure with no real plans for what was to come— could that follow Nelly and Neo in their own story sure but the end seems resolved enough I don’t want to return to this world so not having answers is annoying.
It was interesting but I think the author took on too much and kept too many ideas without clear answers. I was also pretty sad the fmc wasn’t a badass but the assassin was the best character so there’s that.
I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised by the first book, it had interesting characters, magic, and world building. But honestly for as much that happened I do not think it required four books to tell it.
There was a lot of things that really just didn’t matter, like dining hall scenes or arrests that honestly were just convenient to quickly bring force and support to political agendas in the super short term.
If you cut out unnecessary things this could have been a really cool duology. But it suffered a lot from too many characters, especially in relation to the fmc— which was not a badass. Who I thought was building to be more with forming an army, storming the castle to rescue her men but as soon as they were back in the picture she was back to relinquishing power to their whims or not using everything her training, knowledge, and powers because they were there 🙄.
I did not like the deity stuff in the end, it left too much open ended and presented more questions than anything. It didn’t feel resolved why have a ‘chosen’ at all? What happens now that he walks the earth, why did she stay a chosen and keep the horns, wings, and talons? Not to mention how will the world change for the better in terms of schooling, equity, equality and power. They dismantled centuries of political structure with no real plans for what was to come— could that follow Nelly and Neo in their own story sure but the end seems resolved enough I don’t want to return to this world so not having answers is annoying.
It was interesting but I think the author took on too much and kept too many ideas without clear answers. I was also pretty sad the fmc wasn’t a badass but the assassin was the best character so there’s that.
November 22, 2022
While I had really enjoyed the first three books, this book took a giant unexpected twist and was chaotic and unsatisfying. So much new information was given, with not much explained to tie it properly into the story, from reactions to closure. The harem got their HEA wedding in the end, but the final battle and explanation, while exciting with action, was a let down with how it resolved in a very vague hand-wavy manner. e.g.
I liked the books better when they were more properly set in the academy and its classes with a smaller more cohesive cast and plot rather than elsewhere in giant world-changing battles. I'd recommend checking out the first three books for a unique seven deadly sins-themed demon academy RH, but this last book wasn't the best ending for me.
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Ratings - completed series:
#1 A Demon's Horns: ★★★★☆
#2 A Demon's Gifts: ★★★★☆
#3 A Demon's Wings: ★★★★☆
#4 A Demon's Heart (this book): ★★★☆☆
I liked the books better when they were more properly set in the academy and its classes with a smaller more cohesive cast and plot rather than elsewhere in giant world-changing battles. I'd recommend checking out the first three books for a unique seven deadly sins-themed demon academy RH, but this last book wasn't the best ending for me.
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Ratings - completed series:
#1 A Demon's Horns: ★★★★☆
#2 A Demon's Gifts: ★★★★☆
#3 A Demon's Wings: ★★★★☆
#4 A Demon's Heart (this book): ★★★☆☆
April 20, 2025
Glad i finished it
I did not like this one as much. It was one that I was more able to predict and then using the search.I was able to confirm that I was right at something that I guessed at like 20% of the way through.That was gonna finish out the book and so that really bored me. Plus I'm just so sick of the dominance of these guys, because it's not fair.She literally rescued them without getting a scratch on her as she mentions.And yet they still treat her like an object on the shelf thats so breakable when shes not. and they have all these stupid kinks and take such weird control in the bedroom. I hate it. I miss one.Where they acknowledge that she's strong and are more reverent to her like they say that they're in love.But honestly it's more her saying she's in love to them, and they don't always say it back like maybe 2 of them, jin and Daron do but the rest of them not really. All that to say though, that it was still a decent read. However, it was a mix between spice scenes i didnt like and skipped through, and fight scenes that the specifics didnt really matter and i zoomed through, to finally like 2 chapters of them being happy and conflict free at the end. And mostly this book angered me because there were so many times I was thinking I would have had this happen or I would have done this but i'm not the author and what happened ended up creating a story but I think it could be better.
I did not like this one as much. It was one that I was more able to predict and then using the search.I was able to confirm that I was right at something that I guessed at like 20% of the way through.That was gonna finish out the book and so that really bored me. Plus I'm just so sick of the dominance of these guys, because it's not fair.She literally rescued them without getting a scratch on her as she mentions.And yet they still treat her like an object on the shelf thats so breakable when shes not. and they have all these stupid kinks and take such weird control in the bedroom. I hate it. I miss one.Where they acknowledge that she's strong and are more reverent to her like they say that they're in love.But honestly it's more her saying she's in love to them, and they don't always say it back like maybe 2 of them, jin and Daron do but the rest of them not really. All that to say though, that it was still a decent read. However, it was a mix between spice scenes i didnt like and skipped through, and fight scenes that the specifics didnt really matter and i zoomed through, to finally like 2 chapters of them being happy and conflict free at the end. And mostly this book angered me because there were so many times I was thinking I would have had this happen or I would have done this but i'm not the author and what happened ended up creating a story but I think it could be better.
January 23, 2023
I just read Marie Mistry’s debut RH series, Vice School for Demons. Based on the seven deadly sins, we see a secret society of Demons co-existing with humans. Still-to-be-shown Lilith wants nothing more than to lead an ordinary life. Sadly, she doesn’t have that option.
Reaching the school is a walk into the medieval era. The school is a no-electricity zone for the students, but there is a lot underfoot for the common public. The place itself and society are breeding grounds for corruption and conspiracies.
Lilith, being the Chosen One, is smacked into the middle, where all her close ones are in trouble from players unseen. She is an idealistic person who believed in Live and Let Live but her Cast Showing- Lust and the appearance of Horns forced her to grow up and take charge of her life before the others do it for her.
It is every man for himself except for her mates by her side. I loved the secret society and the supporting characters. I always like the protagonists, so that’s not a new thing, but Professor Aoife and Prime Carver were some of my favourite grey characters.
I am saving the mates for the last because this could last a while. All of Lilith’s mates are mind candy. I imagine them to be these cute, handsome males with their characters and I can only hope to find aesthetic images for them because they do not exist in my vicinity.
Aeron is the first protector along with Blaze and Bane. But my favourite mates are Daron, Enzo and Kain in this order. I absolutely love that Daron is a tech genius, has gifts of metal manipulation and his specs and gentlemanly personality with a wild desire for Lilith push him to the top.
Enzo gives off TVD vibes of his namesake from the series. He is the anti-hero you all will love. He is always by Lilith’s side, but does not smother her in protection. Kain is the definition of Sugar Daddy and is the purse holder for the group. Bane could have made the list, but he went stupid in the third book of the series.
I loved the exploration of the world. Past, Present and Future, along with the mind-boggling revelations from all sides. I was totally engrossed in the book all the way. This series is ripe for the picking and I am so thankful that it caught my eye on my Kindle Unlimited recommendations.
This is perfect for readers who love paranormal romance and have a fascination with the occult side. The healthy dose of spice is enough to tempt any readers like me.
Reaching the school is a walk into the medieval era. The school is a no-electricity zone for the students, but there is a lot underfoot for the common public. The place itself and society are breeding grounds for corruption and conspiracies.
Lilith, being the Chosen One, is smacked into the middle, where all her close ones are in trouble from players unseen. She is an idealistic person who believed in Live and Let Live but her Cast Showing- Lust and the appearance of Horns forced her to grow up and take charge of her life before the others do it for her.
It is every man for himself except for her mates by her side. I loved the secret society and the supporting characters. I always like the protagonists, so that’s not a new thing, but Professor Aoife and Prime Carver were some of my favourite grey characters.
I am saving the mates for the last because this could last a while. All of Lilith’s mates are mind candy. I imagine them to be these cute, handsome males with their characters and I can only hope to find aesthetic images for them because they do not exist in my vicinity.
Aeron is the first protector along with Blaze and Bane. But my favourite mates are Daron, Enzo and Kain in this order. I absolutely love that Daron is a tech genius, has gifts of metal manipulation and his specs and gentlemanly personality with a wild desire for Lilith push him to the top.
Enzo gives off TVD vibes of his namesake from the series. He is the anti-hero you all will love. He is always by Lilith’s side, but does not smother her in protection. Kain is the definition of Sugar Daddy and is the purse holder for the group. Bane could have made the list, but he went stupid in the third book of the series.
I loved the exploration of the world. Past, Present and Future, along with the mind-boggling revelations from all sides. I was totally engrossed in the book all the way. This series is ripe for the picking and I am so thankful that it caught my eye on my Kindle Unlimited recommendations.
This is perfect for readers who love paranormal romance and have a fascination with the occult side. The healthy dose of spice is enough to tempt any readers like me.
July 21, 2020
Wow. This was an epic conclusion to Lilith’s story. From the first chapter I was hooked, and I had numerous guesses about what would happen, but I was surprised at every single turn. So much drama, so many twists, and I didn’t guess a single one. This story is action packed, and there are some interesting details – not spoiling anything, but I the prophecies were intense. Within this book, Lilith, her men, and even her friends are constantly put to the test and it’s really interesting to see how they deal with things. There are some scenes that made me cry, some made me want to hurt somebody and some had me cry because I was happy. This has been a series that has had me hooked from book one and I have to admit that I loved this ending. Marie has built an amazingly detailed world, and she has really delivered on ending it. In my opinion, there could definitely be a spin-off from this series – but that’s because I don’t think I want to leave this world behind. I highly recommend you read this book, because this is an ending that you won’t want to admit. For those that haven’t read the series, you should start with A Demon’s Horns, which is the first book in this paranormal, reverse harem series filled with demons.
June 8, 2022
I really feel a bit of conflict with the end of his book - it feels a bit unfinished. So many questions that I wish had been answered. This series seems to be set up to cover a full year of college per book, so it feels unfinished since this book did not cover the end of the year nor any kind of graduation/the usual ball. I feel like I need a couple of short story or novellas more to finish up this character’s story arc. This and the third book also had more editing issues than the first two, but there were certain things that were inconsistent between all books. Happy to get the happily ever after, but still a bit unsatisfied. Edit: forgot to mention all of the very “too stupid to live” moments. Like the first book? Girlfriend seems like she’s smart and competent and works her butt off to excel - second book, she’s putting in the training it SEEMS, but she’s not showing a lot of improvement in combat. Books three and four gave up the goose, as she seems to become less and less competent and more and more idiotic. The more sex scenes there are, the less the heroine seems able to do literally anything she is called to do - and that’s a fucking shame. It’s pretty common in these indie reverse harem series for women to be kickass at one point and get worse the more they have sex/focus on relationships. I just want women who can do BOTH.
March 16, 2024
*writing a review for all 4 books together*
Normally on the first books I’d minus a star because of the stupid cliffhangers, but because I could read the entire series at once I’m just gonna give the entire series a 4 ⭐️rating.
Not a lie…. The first book hooked me. Then I thought throughout the books that everything definitely could have been condensed into a couple books. Also, 7 mates plus all the other main characters can get confusing as fuck at moments… especially when some of the characters names are spelled differently at a point. (Aeron and Banes dad for example)
Lots of smut. Lots of mystery and mayhem. Enzo was probably my favorite… but I also read a lot of books with morally grey MMC… so that could definitely be my type…
I really felt like the first book went smoothly and caught your attention. Then there was way too much going on in the next several books. It did end on a happy well wrapped-up way, but it was somewhat convoluted to get there. All her friends found mates. There’s rebellions. Secret societies to crush. A mystery figure plotting on eradicating half the “houses/whatever they’re called again”. A mysterious god who they’re doing his bidding. Deaths and Resurrections. Raids. Sooo much shit.
Overall a fun story, but definitely A LOT going on.
Normally on the first books I’d minus a star because of the stupid cliffhangers, but because I could read the entire series at once I’m just gonna give the entire series a 4 ⭐️rating.
Not a lie…. The first book hooked me. Then I thought throughout the books that everything definitely could have been condensed into a couple books. Also, 7 mates plus all the other main characters can get confusing as fuck at moments… especially when some of the characters names are spelled differently at a point. (Aeron and Banes dad for example)
Lots of smut. Lots of mystery and mayhem. Enzo was probably my favorite… but I also read a lot of books with morally grey MMC… so that could definitely be my type…
I really felt like the first book went smoothly and caught your attention. Then there was way too much going on in the next several books. It did end on a happy well wrapped-up way, but it was somewhat convoluted to get there. All her friends found mates. There’s rebellions. Secret societies to crush. A mystery figure plotting on eradicating half the “houses/whatever they’re called again”. A mysterious god who they’re doing his bidding. Deaths and Resurrections. Raids. Sooo much shit.
Overall a fun story, but definitely A LOT going on.
August 30, 2020
I really liked how this ended. My favorite part of this whole book was that the females were as much a part of all the battles as the guys were and they were even the "Knights in Shining Armor" at one time and not the guys. The only part I had a problem with was how the time passed during this book, while yes it was needed to advance the timeline and gloss over the irrelevant times and get to the more interesting part, it just seemed too skippy (I guess that's the best word for it) for me. I was happy that we got a lot of action and battle, it made the book move very quickly and kept my attention, plus it also kept me guessing on what was going to happen next since there was so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I did enjoy how the book ended, it seemed like the perfect place to end this story arc and I just loved what the other girls put the guys through for tradition. Overall this was a good ending to this series and hopefully one day we can revisit this world I still feel as if there is way more story to be told between Lilith and her mates and even the rest of the group and their respective mates.
Read
December 18, 2020This books was perfection.
I love this author. I adore these characters and the books just got better and better. This is the perfect ending to the series. I laughed, I cried, and I didn’t want it to end. I will admit that I was nervous to read it. I was worried the certain characters wouldn’t make it to the end. There are definitely moments that are hard to get through, but they are more than worth it. One of my favorite things is that you get the answers you have been waiting for, no lose ends to drive you crazy. There is enough left to play with if the author wants to go back to that world, but Lilith and her guys have told us their tale. It is a rich world and many other stories could could be told. I love watching these characters learn, grow, and come into their own. Especially Lilith, who started the first book as someone who was scared to disappoint people, espy her family. This book has a feel good ending that doesn’t feel forced and it is a beautiful work of art.
I love this author. I adore these characters and the books just got better and better. This is the perfect ending to the series. I laughed, I cried, and I didn’t want it to end. I will admit that I was nervous to read it. I was worried the certain characters wouldn’t make it to the end. There are definitely moments that are hard to get through, but they are more than worth it. One of my favorite things is that you get the answers you have been waiting for, no lose ends to drive you crazy. There is enough left to play with if the author wants to go back to that world, but Lilith and her guys have told us their tale. It is a rich world and many other stories could could be told. I love watching these characters learn, grow, and come into their own. Especially Lilith, who started the first book as someone who was scared to disappoint people, espy her family. This book has a feel good ending that doesn’t feel forced and it is a beautiful work of art.
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