An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.

Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

September 2024; Ace; 978-0593638309
audio, ebook, print (464 pages); fantasy

This book was not a typical read for me. It definitely reminded me of Max Berry's Lexicon, which I loved. This was an okay book for me. I was hoping for more conflict in the real world as they used their gift of persuasion to change society but it was closer to home.

There is a lot of world-building in this book. I thought there was more time spent creating the world they live in rather than the plot. 

I'm not sure I really like any of the characters. I felt sorry for a few of them as they seemed to be manipulated. They didn't have a lot going on in their lives, were considered black sheep in their families, or lacked confidence/direction so this school choosing them was the first time they felt special. There is definitely some lying going on. 

I didn't like how the book ended. It seemed to be rushed to wrap it up. If I hadn't been reading this for review, I might have DNF'd the story. I was pretty engaged in the story up to about two-thirds in. The last third of the book lost me. Perhaps it is the set-up for a trilogy or a series, though everything seems pretty wrapped up in the end.

I'm not much of a fantasy reader, but this book isn't the realm of witches and vampires. I thought it might be more magical realism and to some extent it is. It is set in our world though there is a secret world (or maybe dimension) that they can access.

You can tell some parts of it were intended for the Harry Potter fan who has grown up. It is new adult but there is no sex in the book. I've always equated sex with new adult (probably because so many new adult novels are romances) so it was nice to see a book in the genre that just indicates the preferred audience. And there is a lot in the novel that college-age/20 somethings will identify with.

I thought MK reviewed this book as I think it is more her style of reading. It didn't really hold my attention. The plot of sort of all over the place and none of the characters were to my liking. 

But I think it is largely due to my taste in reading genres rather than the book itself. There has been a lot of hype around this book so that might have played into my dislike of the book. I had built it up to be better than I thought it was.

Buy An Academy for Liars at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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