Unexpected secrets stand to change two witches' lives forever...
Having narrowly survived their last semester, Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius are prepared to revel in victory...but junior year is promising to be anything but peaceful!
With her mother in prison, Alex struggles against enemy attacks from her own family. Finding solace in Nat's support and the arms of her new girlfriend, Rachel, Alex pushes through the pain as best she can; but darkness is creeping in from every direction, and even the fiercest of friendships can fall victim to dark influences.
As the two witches cautiously navigate their renewed friendship and new relationships, shadowy souls push their way into Nat and Alex's lives. Now, more than ever, the witches must stick together and protect their loved ones.
But as human and supernatural government relations are stretched to breaking point, a very personal bombshell is about to shatter Alex's world forever.
Can she rely on Nat to see her through again?
Or will even their united powers prove too weak for the forces that are determined to destroy them?
In the much-anticipated sequel to Strange Things Await, Jamila A. Stone delivers devilish thrills and a dizzying spin on contemporary fantasy writing. One thing is clear: where mystic and mortal subcultures meld, the pages turn themselves.
Unexpected secrets stand to change two witches’ lives forever... Having narrowly survived their last semester, Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius are prepared to revel in victory...but junior year is promising to be anything but peaceful! With her mother in prison, Alex struggles against enemy attacks from her own family. Finding solace in Nat’s support and the arms of her new girlfriend, Rachel, Alex pushes through the pain as best she can; but darkness is creeping in from every direction, and even the fiercest of friendships can fall victim to dark influences. As the two witches cautiously navigate their renewed friendship and new relationships, shadowy souls push their way into Nat and Alex’s lives. Now, more than ever, the witches must stick together and protect their loved ones. But as human and supernatural government relations are stretched to breaking point, a very personal bombshell is about to shatter Alex’s world forever. Can she rely on Nat to see her through again? Or will even their united powers prove too weak for the forces that are determined to destroy them?
So I definitely enjoyed this book more than book 1. The pacing was fast and I felt it made sense more. No odd jumps in time. I like how Nat and Alex have become friends again and there is a new group of mixed supernatural creatures. Nat and Alex are certainly a lot more powerful witches and I like the new covens that are introduced in this story. Certainly this year for the group of friends is tougher, the school work is harder, the power is more demanding and on top of that there is dark magic around and some very BIG secrets that are revealed. I thoroughly enjoyed the magic system in this story more and the relationship dynamics as well. This story was jammed packed with queer representation and I LOVED IT! Jamila certainly doesn't hold back and I enjoyed every second. The twists and turns in this story left me on the edge of my seat wanting more and more.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the magic system and both the supernatural and paranormal creatures. I still love that there is a seer and phoenix, two that aren't as popular in fantasy books. I definitely recommend this book for both the queer representation and also the jammed pack book full of characters and drama.
My Rating : 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟 . Whenever there is a magic academy and a demon terrorizing it, I'm all for the adventure. Darkness Awaits is the second book in the Virtus Academy series. It follows our two witches Natalie and Alex, as they just try to survive their Junior year in the academy. Will the shadows and their enemies leave them alone after their disastrous previous year? Nope. And things just got complicated. I binge read both the books at the same time, so it was easy enough to relate to the events that happened in the past. BUT Natalie is my favourite character so far (Even though Alex is coming in second, Natalie is a collosal mess and I love that about her!) They grew as characters so much throughout the books and their power was something I loved to see used everytime. They had so much to overcome in this book, and I loved their interactions! The pacing was sometimes erratic and the facts felt info overload at times, but I was invested enough to not mind them. The writing style was way much better in the second book (As that was something I didn't like in the first book). I could see the author growing as the books went on as well. That ending scene with a particular witch and a person was amazing and I want more now 😂 Anyways, I think these two girls are going to be so much fun in their senior year, and I can't wait to read it! . Thank you @pridebooktours for the gifted review copies. . Kindle / May 2021 / Book 118
Alex and Natalie return for junior year of navigating the supernatural
Alex and Natalie are back as juniors in this epic fast paced thriller. Alex struggles with the fact that her mom is in prison and everyone is out to get Alex because of it. When trouble comes calling again, Alex must navigate this struggle while protecting her girlfriend Rachel and renewing her friendship with fellow witch Natalie. These two witches are going to have to stick together and develop a plan to protect those around them and defeat the enemy. This is a fun read with plenty of action and supernatural touches that make it just right. Check this one out folks. The characters are well developed and it is a real page turner.
I don't normally enjoy young adult books, but this was pretty good. I liked the characters and the way they used their abilities. I guess you would call this an urban fantasy. I think it would have been better if I had read the first book before this one . It could have used a bit more explanations of events from the previous book. Overall, I enjoyed it
After reading the first book in the Virtus Academy series and loved it, it was no brainer to read the second one. The second, Darkness Awaits, is even better than the first if it's possible. 5 stars for sure.
I haven't read the first book in this series but I could quickly understand what's happening and why. I can say that since it's my first book with LGBT characters I wasn't sure what to expect but I was very pleasantly surprised. Recommended!
Darkness Awaits is what I call a moving, adventurous and thrilling fantasy. I was hooked from the first page. From the first till the last page it kept me guessing, it kept me engaged. I recommend and rate it with 5 stars.
Darkness Awaits became one of my favorite new fantasies. The thrilling turns and the action and the whole plot are exactly what I needed. The witches are great, the author successfully created fantasy characters that feel real. I recommend the series!
These girls are just awesome! The witches are full of surprises! The plot is fast-paced and interesting, the characters, as I mentioned, are awesome. Loved it!
Natalie and Alexander are students at Virtus Academy, and they thought their 1st year was rough to survive. Starting their second year, things are about to get much rougher, in that they are pitted against attacks from their families, other students and the shadows that are pressing in, trying to find some advantage over these two powerful girls. Navigating Junior year has just gotten much more complicated than simple relationship dynamics and tough classroom assignments. The second in the series, it picks up where ethe other leaves off and the girls are still growing in both powers and maturity. I liked reading about their struggles, and they did not seem to grow too powerful too quick like some other series do. I liked the twist with the relationships, its good to see more representation in fiction novels. The story moved along quickly and even with some foreshadowing of events, there was enough surprise twists to keep the story interesting.
Darkness Awaits is Jamila A Stone's second book in the Virtus Academy series. The young witches, Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius, are in their junior year now. Things were tough their previous year, but the year proves to be more demanding, intense, and educational. They learn more about their powers and how to use them, but also a lot about people. Well, it isn't just people in this novel. You will find vampires, werewolves, and other mystical creatures, but not everyone can be trusted and relationships often hang on a thread.
I found Darkness Awaits intense as the characters demand your attention. Jamila A Stone strings you along the lives of these two witches to see if they make it through their twisted journey. The drama and attitude are typical with teenagers as they find their voice and stand for what they believe is right.
Darkness Awaits by Jamila A. Stone is another great book by this author. It continues the saga of Alex and Natalie as they face new challenges. This time they are juniors in school. Alex's mom is in prison and this fact creates untold problems. There are plenty of power struggles that come into play and the witches must deal with them head-on. Then there's the relationship between Alex and Rachel that demands attention. This is truly an epic book, mostly due to its length, but additionally the depth of the characters, the thrilling aspect of the action, and the intricate plot. With all of the supernatural touches, this book strikes the perfect balance between fantasy and paranormal. Highly readable and a fun escape, this book is highly recommended.
This novel Darkness Awaits by Jamila Stone was undefinably an enjoyable read. I haven't read books about witches in a while so it felt so refreshing for me to read this book. It was centered around characters Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius who are both students at Virtus Academy who are also aspiring successful witches.
The great thing about this book is that the author did a great job in creating a world that we do not read in a lot of books with this genre. The characterization was also impressive, as well as the relationship progress of the main characters. I totally love the characters' determination when it comes to protecting their loved ones. This book was well-written as a whole and I loved it all the way through.