Cursed

Shadowcraft Academy #3

by Yve Vale

*The final installment of the Shadowcraft Academy series.

With the realms crashing down around Shayla, she attempts to find solace in her budding relationships. But even if she can get a moment's reprieve, the mystery behind the missing supes comes to a head. Combining her unusual powers with her five males might be the only way to stop the end of magic and save them all.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, M M Romance, Vampires, Fae, Why Choose, Magic

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2023

About the author

Yve Vale is a why choose/RH romance author. She writes about strong females and magical males existing in fantasy and paranormal worlds.
She is a lover and a fighter. This is why her books feature a fair amount of action, both in romantic endeavors and in battle.

List of Current and Upcoming Titles:


Shadowcraft Academy: A Paranormal Dark Academy Why Choose Series (Completed)

Bewitching Her Monsters Series: A Paranormal Why Choose Series

Fae Hearted: A Fantasy Why Choose Series (Completed)

Shadow Myths: A Science Fantasy Standalone Series

Reviews

[Johanna Fraser · Rating 2 out of 5]

terrible

I have given this 2 ⭐️ as a series, 4⭐️ for the first 2 and a 0⭐️for this last book which is truly terrible. It is as if it is written by someone different from the first 2. The storyline is lost here as if it is an afterthought. The first 45% of this book has no storyline and is just saucy scenes ( I can’t believe I am going to say this but far too much sauce). Then we have 5% story action followed by 15% pure M/M action from almost all her mates - a bit of M/M is hot but 15% of the book whilst the MFC is kidnapped? Not. We have maybe 10% story which is rushed taking the reader to 75% through the book. I start to think that there might be a final fight with 1/4 of the book still to go but alas no. Yet more boring, very poorly written sauce ( 🥱 ). The MFC is meant to be powerful but actually never seems to do anything, never seems to be in any of the fights, if she does use her “powers “ she is always beaten. The MMCs seem to do the brief fighting. Wondering what the point of the MFC is? Maybe author should write M/M romance as that seems to be what she prefers. The supporting characters good or bad do not feature in this book at all, it is like everyone else is forgotten about. The writing quality is shockingly poor, so many sentences beginning with “And”, it is also more “fluff” than any substance. It took me days to finish this book and a huge part of me wonders why I did, probably stubbornness as well as the fact I enjoyed the first 2 and hoped that this would somehow magically improve. Spoiler- it didn’t. I still can’t get my head round how suddenly all the MMC’s are all into men and seem to care for them more than the MFC.
Save yourself the frustration and hours of your life and just don’t start this series, I wish I hadn’t.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goooood spice. RTC

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this exciting conclusion to the Shadowcraft Academy trilogy! Shayla gets her HEA with her mixed coven of magical beings, and the bad guys are vanquished. The story is loaded with steam, danger, and action – including one scene that had my heart racing to the end.

I loved getting to see the growth in dragon shifter Rourke and his redemption from the mate who rejected Shayla to the mate who would die for her. Uncovering his true feelings made him a much more lovable character. However, the vampire assassin Branden remains my favorite of Shayla’s mates – not just for his aphrodisiac (and healing) saliva but for the way his darkness speaks to hers.

The spice level is high on the Scoville scale with light BDSM, DP, multiple MM scenes, and scorching hot group scenes. And that isn’t even touching the highly emotional and heated claiming scenes, of which there are more than a handful.

I will be sad to say goodbye to Shayla and her mates, but they got the HEA they deserved. I hope we get to see them again in future crossover series, as they are a dynamic group that will be missed.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Tropes/Features: Fated Mates, Rejected Mates, Enemies to lovers, Friends to lovers, Student/teacher, Cinnamon Roll, Shifter, Druid, Incubus, Vampire, Magical Academy, Light BDSM elements
Narrator: Multiple 1st Person POV
Relationship Type: Why Choose w/MM (established couple), Fast burn
Ending: HEA

[⭐Toonasa⭐ •Romance Book Lovers' Haven• · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd wanted to read/reread through the series before this came out but well, I'll have to do that later as I couldn't stop myself from reading this! This was such a fantastic end to this series, I loved to see all the relationships grow well. I felt so happy. The MM was done awesomely too, can't lie I had big expectation & it achieved them! The last fight is gripping & the HEA sweet 💕

I love these guys so much & will definitely reread it next time, hopefully slowly as I read very fast in my excitement lol.
Skim fast read: 9 April 2023

[Kristen Dalrymple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this book was a wild ride! So much happened!!! Braden and Shayla bond. Then Arden and Shayla bond. Then Quade and Shayla bond. Then they learn more about her magic because they now know who her farther is. She is getting better at her magic. The faeries help her and her mate coven. Then the go to get Myra because she is waking up and in danger. Only for Myra to be saved and Hollis and Landis and Shayla to be kidnapped and taken to the asylum. Then Shayla is being drained and her other mates and faeries come to the rescue. Turns out Landis’, Bradens’, Rourkes’, and Shayla’s dads are all involved. They are all killed in the battle. Then Rourke and Shayla bond and Braden and Rourke bond! Then later Hollis and Landis bond! Also Arden’s mom is alive!! Then Myra wakes up and is okay, her magic eventually comes back. They are cleared of all charges and graduate. Then the fae queen visits Shayla and her mates, making her queen and giving them all a linger life before she dies. Shayla continues to practice turning energy to magic so she can teach other people and save magic. What a wild ride! Loved this series so much!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yve Vale's Shadow Academy series wraps up with the third and final book, Cursed. I've been waiting to see how it all ends and Yve did not disappoint Cursed as epically good.


Shayla has come a long way from the abused girl who didn't know anything about the supernatural with self-worth issues. Shayla has grown and is stronger. Not only does she think she's worthy, thanks to her sexy mates, but Shay is absorbing all kinds of knowledge about the supernatural, putting the clues together, and coming up with theories. Shay is really smart and that comes into play in this one.


On the relationship upfront things have changed and gotten a whole lot steamier. I swear Yve was trying to burn me with the heat in those pages. All the guys are fully committed to Shayla, heck even Rourke has stopped being a jerk. He explained himself and knows he went about things the wrong way but he had good intentions. After he dropped the a-hole persona I actually like him. It also still amazes me how devoted Brenden is to Shay. The group finalizes their relationship as a mated coven getting along even better than Shay could have hoped for.


Gods the plot was so good. The faeries have a big role in this one, they help move the story forward in a big way and I get a better understanding of their place in the mage society. Speaking of mage society, we finally get a look into the nightmare that is Ravenhollow Asylum and we find out who the villains are behind the missing supes. Seriously, no one is surprised by who it is and of course, it always comes down to a megalomaniac. The story was absolutely compelling, I couldn't help but be sucked in.


Cursed was a fantastic conclusion to the Shadow Academy series. The action, the heat, and more than a few plot twists had my jaw dropping. Secrets get revealed and all my questions were answered even about the identity of Shayla's father. Best of all Shayla gets the happy ending she deserves, and what is supposed to be an ending feels like a beginning. I'm going to miss these characters but I can't wait to meet Yve's newest creations.

[Read For Your Life · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great series but this one didn't do it for me.

I prefer the first 2 books and this one was just unnecessary imo. Should have just been a duet.

Nothing much happened here, just sex, sex, sex, crying, little bit of fighting, sex, sex.

Many of the dialogues made me cringe tbh, especially the one with Myra.

Rourke and Branden are supposed to be long time lovers that love each other so much but they barely even interact in the books except during sex scenes. I would have loved for the emotional part of their relationship to be explored.

As much as I like MM, Quade and Landis... Big NO ❌. They don't fit. The author should not have even explored that angle at all. It just felt forced. Maybe she should have just let the boys pair up and leave FMC with sweet Arden.

Arden. He is my favorite of the gang. I know it's a harem but I believe in my heart that he's Shayla's true soulmate haha.

[Sylvia Pelletier · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an epic ending to this series. I'm sad to leave this world, but I'm so happy for shayla and all her mates for finding love and true happiness in themselves and each other. Shayla resonates with me more than any other character I've read about and her bravery and strength are astounding after everything she went through. The battle for them all was tough, but they pulled through and finally their relationships blossomed and bloomed and it was amazing to read. I loved the spice and seeing Rourke finally come around for both shayla and Branden. And seeing Landis with Quade was omg hot!

[Alex(Books-In-A-Storm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one all of them together are the best. I can't believe this one it was amazing. I loved it so much. I need more.

[Missemilylou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect conclusion to the Shadowcraft Academy Series!

Cursed is book 3 in the shadowcraft academy series, it’s the final book and you need to read the previous 2 as the story is continuous. I want to start with saying this book was amazing and by far the best out of all 3 and the smut was wooooohhhh spicy 🥵! I’m not going to be putting much as I don’t want to spoil it for others but I highly recommend reading this series. The storyline was amazing and I felt the ending was perfect.
5/5 stars ⭐️
10/5 smut 🌶️ (like seriously the smut was beyond amazing!)

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Stopped caring what happened to these people.

[Nicole Salgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cursed is such a great ending to this series! There was action, tension, tears, love, and a whole lot of heat! Shayla and her mates do not let us down in the heat department! Love how it all ends for them!

I'm actually sad to say goodbye. Will definitely miss this world!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

✅ Poly/mate coven
✅ teacher/professor
✅ best friend to lovers
✅ rejected mate/second chance

☑️ mild violence and death

❌ cheating or ow, no MC death HEA

This was a nice wrap up to the series, we see the redemption of Rourke, the repair of Rourkes and Brandens relationship, the integration of the mating coven, the defeat of the villains and the HEA.

It was a predictable but enjoyable plot. I’m now a fan of elemental sex play. Holy hotness. This book definitely had the most smut, with different and multiple character combinations, although I would have been fine without an additional MM pairing. The claiming scene for Professor Hollis is on 🔥🔥🔥. I think my panties melted. I felt like we didn’t see Arden’s character as much, I missed his caretaker role from the first book.

~~~~~~~~~~

There were some plot inconsistencies, you can see them in my highlighted notes:

* Quade was supposed to be powerful yet kept ending up unconscious. It took away from his alpha vibe.
* the most powerful mages kept getting too tired to walk from doing magic even though no one else seemed effected by this problem
* Shay supposedly died but they would have felt it in the mate bonds
* Roarks body was a hot heater, wouldn’t she have felt that at the party and know he was a sup?
* At one point Roark says he was only acting like a jerk to push her away and save her from being killed, yet in his own POV he actually thinks she’s a gold digger for quite awhile.
*plus a few more, oh and Shay cries ALL the time

These plot holes, alongside some repetitive narrative, are what kept me from giving more stars even though I enjoyed the characters and the smut and would recommend this book as a read.

[Klizbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I’m hesitant to review this series because I just don’t know how I feel about it.

Mainly, I didn’t like how her mates all pair up and mate with each other. There was a previous MM relationship, then a new MM relationship formed as well. Both of those sets of males ended up mating with each other, it all got a bit messy and chaotic. Also, the second pairing came out of nowhere and it didn’t feel authentic.

To be honest, I really don’t like RH books where the males have sex without the female involved. That happened a lot here and it’s just not my cup of tea.

- 👀 Multiple, first person POV
- 🎓 Academy Reverse harem
- 🐺 Fated mates (Dragon shifter, vampire, incubus, wolf shifter, and Druid)
- ♥️ Romance 2.5/5 stars
- 🌏 World building 4/5 Stars
- 📖 Storyline 3/5 Stars
- 🔥 Medium/slow burn
- 🌶 Medium/low steam…until the last book, which is very steamy
- ‼️ rejected mate, MM relationship/love/sex/bonding, a lot of MM only steamy scenes, bullying, kidnapping, history of torture and abuse by parents…current torture and abuse by parents
- 🚫 No OW drama, no SA (dub-con or non-con)
- 👑 “Chosen one” trope
- 🍎 Professor/student trope
- 🍒 FMC and one MMC are virgins

[Bluebyyou · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was a really good climatic conclusion in here but unfortunately it was buried in all the excessive (and, for me, uncomfortable) sex and tooting of how wonderful and special the female lead is

Made worse by the fact that the female lead never steps up on her own two feet and demonstrates she is wonderful or special. Instead, she acts like the stereotypical teenage girl, reacting instead of acting, allowing herself to be governed by her hormones and dependent on how desirable she is to others, even someone who rejected her and treated her like dirt, for self-worth.

( The scene where she allows two of her love interests to force her to pee in the shower in front of them and she doesn't even realize the abusiveness of their behavior, really demonstrates how little self-esteem she has. )

She would make a terrible queen.

[Ally Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was EVERYTHING!!!! I loved this series, and this finale was above and beyond what I expected. There was action, danger, and damn was there 🌶. So much smutty goodness was packed in this book!

Shayla and her mates are finally getting the answers to who was kidnapping supes and stealing their magic. With those answers comes danger to everyone Shayla holds dear. Her relationship with ALL of her mates has finally turned a page. Now, all of them are focused on keeping Shayla happy and safe. Their scenes were off the charts 🔥.

Cursed has officially beat out Hexed as my favorite book in this series. This was such a strong finale to the series, and I'm going to be rereading it for years to come. I can't wait to read whatever Yve Vale releases next because this series was amazing!

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ maybe 3 if you like reading the same stuff over and over

I’m conflicted. I liked the series but I feel like it started to drag at the end after the whole take down. Also by the last book in the series ~80% in she should not be saying how she doesn’t know much about her mates. I think that’s ridiculous lol

I started to skim a lot after the 80% mark. It was mostly them all hooking up but it was basically the same thing over and over. Also it was cringe af when she and Mr. Dragon mated fr fr.

Also she still barely has control through most of the book? Then she is now researching ways to find power or some shit like that… I just don’t get it. It was truly frustrating

[T D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a way to ruin the whole book with a single scene. I liked it until they got caught in Ravenhollow. Landis and Quade spent more time exploring their relationship and sexual tension than thinking about how to get out of there to rescue Shayla and thinking about Shayla, who is their fated mate. They lost me with that scene.

I like MM scenes, but only if they involve the protagonist, because she is supposed to be the focus and center point of everything, just as Grace McGinty usually does in her stories. But here they did it wrong; if I wanted to read an MM-only approach, I'd read an MM-only RH book. Anyway, 0 stars.

[Kat⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shayla and her guys🥰🧚🏻‍♀️🐉💘🐺 🧛‍♀️🔥👑❤️

Wow just wow!!🌟😱😍I have been entranced by this series as I have read book 1-3, but this final book was so deep with emotion and dedication, it absolutely amazing!! I just Shayla’s iron tenacity, her sweet heart and soul, (unlike her sperm and egg donor parents🙄), and her dedication to those she loves.


***Spoilers Below***

I totally loved the epilogue where she finally got to meet the Fae Queen along with her three Elf “consorts” which was so freakin cool that Shayla looked almost identical to her, plus one the Elf guys had Shayla’s lavender eyes!

I definitely loved everything else too, except for the mating parts with the guys only - that was just way too freaky and weird for me, sorry not sorry)💁🏻‍♀️😬😶I mean, aren’t they only supposed to be fated mates to Shayla?!🤔🤦🏻‍♀️🫠

And why the fuck didn’t her half-sister and Chara, or her disgusting egg donor cunt of a mother face have to face any kind of punishment for their hand in horrifying abuse and attempted murders against Shayla?🤔that was definitely not resolved in my opinion. Plus, what happened to all the poor supes who were kidnapped, and Branden’s sister?

The crazy parts dealing with the evil dads was fast paced action that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout this book! And omg the mating parts with her and her guys were insanely hot 🥵 🌶️🔥

Also, I absolutely loved the epic part where Roarke and Branden served up a little revenge to Shayla’s evil mother, Dragon and Vampire style with total badassery!! 🔥👏🏼

I mean, I feel that monster Leanne should have been taken out like the monster dads, but hey at least they showed her how they feel about her horrific treatment of her daughter.🤷🏻‍♀️


I wish this book would have had more detailed parts when Shayla and her guys went back to school and she would have been honored by everyone for her and the guys bravery.

I loved how Roarke had a huge mansion built on the Fae land next to Arden’s land. Overall, this was a beautiful, crazy, journey for Shayla and her guys packed full of love.💘💕 I plan on reading more from this gifted author, Yve Vale!❤️

[MsRHReviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet ending, though it seemed a bit rushed and random at the end

I really enjoyed this series and tackled all three within a couple of days. The first couple were really good - it was slower spice, and that was made up for with a well written plot. This one had more spice among her mates, where she bonded and mated with them.

** MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD **
The cons for me: The battle against the bad guys seemed to end pretty quick. It wasn't BAD, but I felt it was a *little* rushed with the exception of Drake (Rourke's father).
My second con - A relationship starts between two of the guys. It was a bit hinted earlier on a couple of times, but it happened all of a sudden in a time of need, then love was professed later. As my issue with the previous con, I'll say it again - it seemed rushed instead of being worked toward.
My final con is the last bit of the book. After the battle, things (AGAIN!) just seemed rushed still. They go back to the academy, where I hoped Shayla would be able to confront the "mean girls" or that she'd confront them, and they'd end up be expelled. There isn't any more mention of them, however. Also, short of a few updates, it's basically all 'smut . Don't get me wrong - I love a spicy book, but I started just skimming it and skipping pages when that's all that was happening for a bit. Without giving away the very ending, the last scene seemed a bit sudden and quick, as well. It was hinted it would happen earlier on in the book, but it didn't go anywhere - said thing happened, then it faded into another 'heated' scene.

Overall, I liked the series! Was a little disappointed in the ending, though. I just feel it could have been polished up a bit more, and that maybe it was perhaps reaching a deadline, or the author was just trying to get it done to start something else? (Oh, and TECHNICALLY, she never did get a designated title for what she was!)

[heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved a copy of this book via booksprout and write this honost review of my own free will!.

Holy sparkles everywhere!
What a way to conclude an ending to an even better series i am beyond impressed and speachless by how this book ended!

With many books it never truely feels lile the end always some lonhering questions but this book? Oh nay nay this one i felt it wrapping up a few chapters before and it was purrrfection. And then the epilogue that was even better but also didnt leave me with a burning rage for answers nope it did not, did i suspect something like that oh nay nay but it was EPIC!!!

Shayla and her mates journey was anything but easy and some moments i felt like screaming and throwing a temper tantrum and other moments i was filled with absolute love for the way they all fought and didnt give up.

I am in awe of how their journey went and i call it poetic justice how some met their end, you'll know when you read it trust me lol. I loved that bit maybe more then i should of.

My favorite of all are Landis & Branden they just got that sass and brattiness to them that i like i also loved how Rourke came last and how the conpleted their bond.

I did not exspect a certain pairing and mate bites between those pairing but man if i say i didnt like im lying lol.

I have to take a moment to say this because Oh My Lanta and holy pancake sparkles!! The sexy seggs time! Yeah dragon fire is not hot enough to even begin to describe that oh nay nay it was off the scales and the m/m yeah those were sexy too.

Some moments sure are heart throbbing and nerve wrecking but thats part of the charm i think it just fits in so well you'll hate that you love it believe me on that!

This story is just the perfect ending to an amazingly awesome series i highly recommend this book & series 10/10

[Amanda Crossland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot

This was a good series ender. All the plot holes filled up. We won’t even talk about all the fmc holes being filled with all her mates now that their all on the same wave length. If I could, I would rate this a 4.5 star. I found there was a lot of filler stuff to make chapters longer than it needed too. I did find that the fmc had more confidence in herself which is why I rated it higher than the previous 2 books. Once she started bonding with her mates, the fmc’s powers leveled out enough for her to be able to control and help defend and offend the innocents. I found the climax of the book didn’t have the length it should have with 3 books leading up to those chapters. I did like how it had an actual ending the length most books should have. I found the previous two also great endings as well, even though it could be dramatic. It left me the reader with a sense of balance, which I find many books in series don’t come with. A high anxiety, pounding and broken heart from gut wrenching cliffhangers is usually what I expect but Yve Vale created a perfect balance between the amazing memory making moments vs scary confusing attacks verbally and physically. Overall I enjoyed the series especially this book. I loved all the knotty pleasure filled scenes. The fmc started off a virgin in the first book, and now she’s got 5 guys all willing to do what they can to only bring her pleasure, in bed and out of it. I’m so glad Shayla got her happy ending! She deserves it!

[villageblackout · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really started to feel this story drag out by this third instalment.

I feel like if you cut out all of the smutt from the three books(which was written so immaturely that it almost made me feel uncomfortable) you would be left with not even one books worth of actual plot, world building and or character development.

The idea of an almost instantaneous rejection of a fated bond having to watch and deal with the coven that was forming around him - I mean there was so much to work with here. The character arch that could have been - I mean. Yes I'm glad he came around but it was almost like an after thought.

Anyway - so much of this was just so obvious for me and I found myself almost wishing I was the type of person who could just skip a few chapters to see if it was ever going to pick up.

I really wish I could take this plot and characters and get someone to fully flesh out their back stories their lives before Shadowcraft, making us see why they all needed to find in each other what they did and - how they are going to use everything they went through and stop the generational trauma and - gosh you could write such a heartbreaking and beautiful story for them all with the cherry on top that would be finding their focus and their true north.

BUT ANYWAY - I'm not saying this is the worst RH Fantasy Academy book I've read - I'd simply say it has already just blended in to my memory with the rest of them.

[bluetyfloreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Review for the entier series*
I was craving a good academy paranormal series, and this one was definitely enjoyable!

I really liked our main characters—they all felt distinct, each with their own unique voice, which isn’t easy to pull off in a why-choose romance, especially with five male love interests. I also loved the variety of relationship dynamics we got throughout the series: MFM, MMF, MM, and FM. On top of that, the tension and intrigue in the plot were well done, keeping me hooked and eager to dive into the next book.

Now, my biggest complaint—and the reason I wouldn’t particularly recommend this series—is the spice-to-plot ratio. Look, I am the first to say that spicy scenes complete a book, but in this case, Jinxed and Cursed leaned way too heavily into the spice, sitting at around 60% smut and 40% plot. (Hexed had a bit more balance.) It felt unbalanced to the point where the story wasn’t fully explored, leading to a half-baked resolution. A lot of the sex scenes didn’t really move the plot forward either; instead, they felt like interruptions, almost pausing the story rather than integrating into it.

That being said, it was still a short, fast-paced, and dynamic series that was easy to devour.
📚 Academy Paranormal
📚 Fated Mates
📚 Hurt FMC
📚 MMFMMM

[Dominique Andrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good but…..

Ok so as much as I was rooting for this series I feel instead of the plot unfolding properly it was more an after thought and the books mainly focused on their bondings but not in a way that was detriment to more than just them coming together. I.e. they were necessary to her power. By the end we still don’t see her actually know how to use her power or the unfolding of the council more than a blip. So many additional characters focused on and brought up that ended up playing such minor rolls especially in the end. I kept waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop again even in a political capacity but for all the additional book left not having a fully developed conclusion was frustrating. As much as I enjoyed the intimate scenes it got to a point where you’re saying to yourself “don’t care if they do it again I want to know what’s going on with everything outside the dang bedroom” like what happened with Millie and Chara? No one tells her about her mom? How does the realm feel? The rest of the school? Just too much that could have been addressed instead of another intimate scene.

[Lourene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This conclusion of the series had everything you'd expect. Plenty of spice with each of the mates getting time with Shayla to claim her and the group scenes were also hot. The unexpected twist of Landis and Hollis together was also hot.
They solve the problem of the fading or draining of magic at the school and realms. The surprise was who all was involved and what each of our favorite characters had to do in order to end the problem.
Throughout all of this, Shayla and her mates all grow closer, and especially Rourke finally comes to his senses and admits his mistake in rejecting her mate bond.
I loved the dynamics of Shayla and each of her mates. Arden is still my favorite of all her men. He's the teddy bear of the group, then Branden and Rourke, Hollis, and Landis all are completely lost to Shayla. The complete dynamics of this harem are completely outstanding. MM MM MF Totaly loves the setup.
Some of the revelations about Shayla and her magic make sense also when we find out who her father is and the mystery of the sparkles comes to light.

[Shannon Parrent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the conclusion to the Shadowcraft Academy, and as happy as I am for Shayla and her men, I am sad that her story is finished. We finally get to see Shayla at her full power and the confidence that she now shows is leaps and bounds from the poor null girl of the first book and alot of that comes from her men with their quiet support of her Dyad or her cubi and professor or the overwhelming support of her vampire and finally and I mean finally her fated mate!! She made Roarke work for his place, and honestly, she is a better woman than I would have been!! Lol! This book not only had the great fight moments but the sweetest and most wonderful reunion not gonna spoil it but so sweet! The bad guys finally got what was coming to them and their sons finally got to break free of their shadows. Agree reading this make sure to read the short Novella Blessed as its has sweet moments for Shayla and a couple of her shifters!! Sad this is story is done but fingers crossed they come back somehow

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good series

Overall, I enjoyed the series and the characters. I do hold grudges against fictional characters so I continue to be meh on Rourke Anderson slightly better than men for Branden. Arden is a perfect, perfect mate and I'd like 5. Landis and Quade are fine\good but no Arden. I think I may have had more of an issue with Shayla in the group than the guys. and not because I didn't like her character or growth, I did, but because she constantly deprioritized herself and her feelings when it came to her mates.it made me sad and a little annoyed. When they guys tried to talk to her about her wants, needs, feelings she often gave a whatever you want kind of response. Even with them building her up and trying to show her how much they loved and valued her, she didn't quite seem to believe it or get there. Yes, this would be true to her past I suppose, but still makes me sad for her. Her mates considered her their heart or their center and she was a oh well, you don't need to put me first or make sure I'm comfortable with things.

[Millie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedious read. I skimmed a lot because it was sex scenes and no plot.
Anticlimactic end.
The heroine began to annoy me from book one but by book 3 I was ready to murder her. She was the ultimate Debbie Downer. So fucking annoying to read. Her inner thoughts and dialogues were so whiney.
These characters cried a lot.
The connection between Landis and Quade was forced. To be fait, I didn't feel any chemistry between Shayla and her mates. And even if she grew up with Arden, he was to me the one who shared nothing with her. What an aloof mating coven.
A lot of the dialogues were cringey and cheesy. I love me some sensitive men but here, they were ridiculous.
What happened to Millie and the other girl? To the hundreds of people in the asylum? To her mother? What happened to the supposed curse? That was so stupid. It's not like Shayla would have left the school if Rourke rejected her, it's not like his father wouldn't have been able to spy. So why a curse? I'm so confused by this.
So many loose ends.

[Angel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it approx 50% and then had to stop.
Sparkle mage? Really?
How old is the author? 5?
I found a lot of the terms used to be extremely childish and the book poorly written.
Something I noticed through out the series was that this series feels like a child's fairy tale with attempted smutt thrown in.
I didn't connect to ANY of the characters.
The fact that I am, or was, half way through the book and still no contact with her father? Naw, boring.
Plus, She is supposed to be this amazing saviour but four enforcers take her AND all her mates down?
Some saviour.
To my friends, do not waste your time on this series. Please. There is better out there.
I was attracted to the large harem with a teacher/professor nych.
But it really sucked hard.
To everyone else... Idk what book the others were reading... This has NOT been an exciting journey. It had been a migraine enducing one. I literally became nauseous during it.