An Academy for Liars, Alexis Henderson

 

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

Started: November 11, 2024
Completed: November 17, 2024
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: I was not thrilled with The Year of the Witching but there was something there.  It felt like this author should be given another chance.  We shall see...

Words for which I sought help:

rataplan -- a drumming or beating sound

Review:

I enjoyed this book.  I liked the world that Henderson built and though the interactions between some of the characters on occasion seemed stilted. This book felt much more complete and was a much better read than The Year of the Witching.  Sometimes authors seem to fall into a habit which a good editor should be able to help resolve.  In this case, Henderson liked for her characters to pause, "for a beat," repeatedly.  It was so frequent and shared by so many different characters that it started to pass for punctuation for me.  Aside from that this was a quick and easy read which I broadly enjoyed.  The life and death struggles were contrived, but they were within the concept of the book and so, despite feeling artificial from a distance, were consistent with the narrative and helped forward the book.  The way that things were left, it feels like there is a sequel coming which I would welcome though it is not something I would spend my time monitoring.

The Year of the Witching, Alexis Henderson

 

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson is my attempt, once more to read a vampire book.

Started: 4/25/2022
Completed: 4/27/2022
Recommendation: Not Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

Not a vampire story, but that is fine.  This is more of a fierce Cinderella coming of age story.  I feel like there was a lot more story here.  Less dramatic jumping out of chairs and throwing them to the ground in the process and more discussion of the difficult decisions several of the minor characters experienced.  Less bodice heaving (unknown to the protagonist, who was just sort of confused) and more a focus on how this great power came to sitting around and sigils awaiting the right moment to be unleashed.  There is a great deal made of one of the characters having "the sight," but the only time it is actually used, it is clear that there was no sight.  As a young adult novel, this was very violent.  As an adult novel the whole plot unravels so clearly and so relentlessly that it is not an interesting read.