If you wanted to read Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, but didn't want to brave the 5 book series, this book can serve as a quick and dirty alternative. Biiiiig emphasis on quick and dirty--characters start banging in chapter 5...that's only 4% into the book lol. (BTW, I'm not insinuating that that's a bad thing, it is what it is.)
Some words and phrases to give you a feel for what to expect: paranormal reverse harem, MMMMF (but MF, MM, MMF, and MMM all happen), fated mates, shifters, scenting your partner, mating bites and mating fever, teacher/student relationship, bi-curious characters and characters not even curious turning out bi, murder mystery, chosen one, etc, etc. I could keep going but I think my point has been made. There's a lot jam-packed in this standalone why choose story.
The writing has a lot of…personality, to say the least. The tone and style of each characters' POV DOES change but going from one to another can be jarring and I'm not entirely on board with the delivery. Zara is a headstrong ballbuster, so her chapters do reflect her brazen personality. There's a lot of purposeful attitude (I couldn't help but picture her flipping her hair or looking at her nails while thinking/saying the stuff that goes on in her chapters) but I feel like the writing could've been more graceful and eloquent while exhibiting the informal mood the author was going for. Then you get to Neo or Lucius's POV and these more "cerebral" characters' chapters are full of convoluted narrative with questionable word choices. It's all a trip.
You know how people say they read stuff for the "plot" but by plot they mean smut. That definitely applies here. The plot is nothing new and leaves much to be desired. The book actually takes place in the span of less than a week, so while it's technically all fast-paced, not much really happens. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to witness Zara learn to command her powers, or more magic in general. The displays of magic we did get were really neat and I would've loved to see more of it! The author's note did say she only meant this to be a standalone but wouldn't be opposed to a sequel, so fingers crossed!
Overall, I had fun reading this but I unfortunately was not a fan of the writing, plot, and execution of this book. If you're looking for a fantastical magic academy, I wouldn't recommend this. However, if you're in the mood for spice with a magical academy backdrop, this could work for you!
Thank you Netgalley and Ascendant Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.