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Shadowspell Academy #4
Year of the Chameleon
You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You.
I’ve made it through the Culling Trials, the test that proved my mettle against every possible challenge.
I assumed that meant things would settle down and I’d start truly learning.
No more danger.
No more death threats.
No more wondering who was out to get me.
Apparently, that was not to be.
I am what this supernatural world calls a Chameleon—a rarity even amongst all these monsters. And rare things are coveted and feared by the most powerful of all—The House Of Wonder.
It’s a good thing I have my crew at my back, because this Academy?
It’s about to get seriously ugly.
Which means this farm girl is ready to play by only one set of rules.
Her own.
I’ve made it through the Culling Trials, the test that proved my mettle against every possible challenge.
I assumed that meant things would settle down and I’d start truly learning.
No more danger.
No more death threats.
No more wondering who was out to get me.
Apparently, that was not to be.
I am what this supernatural world calls a Chameleon—a rarity even amongst all these monsters. And rare things are coveted and feared by the most powerful of all—The House Of Wonder.
It’s a good thing I have my crew at my back, because this Academy?
It’s about to get seriously ugly.
Which means this farm girl is ready to play by only one set of rules.
Her own.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2021
About the author
Shannon Mayer
117 books6,573 followersA long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I was born into a family of Star Wars nuts. I have a lot of siblings (somewhere I lost count but I think there was more than could be numbered on one hand) and being one of the young padawans I was subjected to Star Wars marathons, on a regular basis. If you've read any of my books you'll see there is often a reference to said movies as a small homage to my upbringing. May the force be with you and all that jazz.
I started writing when I realized I didn't want to grow up not believing in magic, or not believing in creatures everyone else said didn't exist. That being said, I have never seen a fairy, unicorn or dragon. I had a neighbour who swore they fed the leprechauns in their garden, but I never caught the little buggers no matter how long I lay in wait. (And consequently had to help the neighbours plant new flowers to replace those I killed waiting for the leprechauns to show their faces.)
Along the way, I found my husband who is the rock that keeps me from floating away into my dreams, and we have a little boy who is the centre of our world. Living on a farm keeps us busy (as if the writing wasn't enough) and I have more than my share of stories about wrestling with cows, helping birth calves and ending up in the creek during the process, falling in the mud (we'll call it mud but we all know that on a farm, mud is rarely mud) and chasing escaped livestock in the hopes the four legged convicts don't make it to the highway.
I've taken up archery, and the goal is to move into horseback archery in time (you know, when I can hit the target on a consistent basis) and when no one is looking, I love to bake (this doesn't happen often as it's hard to keep the sweet treats in stock with two boys in the house.)
As to what's coming next for me? More stories (since those never stop inside my head, I might as well share them with all of you!) and more adventures. Pretty much, when the fancy strikes, I'll jump on it. Leap before you look I'm sure that motto was created for me.
Or was that . . . think big and dream bigger, ready, set, pull the trigger . . . yeah. That one is a good one too. But only if you have a gun. And are hunting elephants. Which is not cool because of so many reasons. Let's stick with the first one with an addendum.
Leap before you look and let your dreams carry you on their wings. And that, my friends, is me in a nutshell.
I started writing when I realized I didn't want to grow up not believing in magic, or not believing in creatures everyone else said didn't exist. That being said, I have never seen a fairy, unicorn or dragon. I had a neighbour who swore they fed the leprechauns in their garden, but I never caught the little buggers no matter how long I lay in wait. (And consequently had to help the neighbours plant new flowers to replace those I killed waiting for the leprechauns to show their faces.)
Along the way, I found my husband who is the rock that keeps me from floating away into my dreams, and we have a little boy who is the centre of our world. Living on a farm keeps us busy (as if the writing wasn't enough) and I have more than my share of stories about wrestling with cows, helping birth calves and ending up in the creek during the process, falling in the mud (we'll call it mud but we all know that on a farm, mud is rarely mud) and chasing escaped livestock in the hopes the four legged convicts don't make it to the highway.
I've taken up archery, and the goal is to move into horseback archery in time (you know, when I can hit the target on a consistent basis) and when no one is looking, I love to bake (this doesn't happen often as it's hard to keep the sweet treats in stock with two boys in the house.)
As to what's coming next for me? More stories (since those never stop inside my head, I might as well share them with all of you!) and more adventures. Pretty much, when the fancy strikes, I'll jump on it. Leap before you look I'm sure that motto was created for me.
Or was that . . . think big and dream bigger, ready, set, pull the trigger . . . yeah. That one is a good one too. But only if you have a gun. And are hunting elephants. Which is not cool because of so many reasons. Let's stick with the first one with an addendum.
Leap before you look and let your dreams carry you on their wings. And that, my friends, is me in a nutshell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 415 reviews
October 9, 2022
Genre: contemporary fantasy, YA
Tropes: Dark Academy, magic school, magic houses, who hurt you trope, found family
Trigger Warnings: death, kidnapping
Series: Shadowspell Academy #4
Cliffhanger: Yes
Spice: 0/5 🌶
Rating: 4.5 ⭐
“Not even if we could end up dying?”
“Not even then.” He drummed his fingers on the table; his eyes were troubled. “That’s our world, Wild. Just keep going. No matter how ugly it gets.”
I like this second trilogy even more than the first one. I'm captivated and I definitely intend to look for other books from this author because the vibes, the feelings and the suspense are exactly right.
》》The Plot《《
Their year starts with a bump: someone has attacked the houses and the House of Wonder is the only one left standing, so all the students are sent there. Only to discover more danger, more secrets and more messed up systems. An old friend of Frost's makes an unpleasant appearance, the Shadowkiller himself shows his face, (literal) ghosts from the past give a few clues and, finally, a tentative possibility for romance seems to be on the horizon.
“My job is to keep you safe, Wild.”
“Her name is Wild for a reason, I think,” Wally said softly. “And based on her recent performances, her chance of surviving whatever is thrown at her is a solid eighty percent. Give or take a few percentage points.”
I grinned at her. “Only eighty percent?”
She shrugged but didn’t smile back. “You’ve almost died twice. I have to take those scenarios into consideration when I make my calculations.”
This was packed with action and I've felt bombarded with information and situations I didn't fully get to process. The ending was a veritable cliffhanger and everything we've discovered only seems to make more questions pop up, so I'm definitely under the spell of these books.
》》Characters and Relationships《《
“The thing they said over and over was that a Chameleon’s path wasn’t just his or hers alone. It was the culmination of the people they chose to be with them. None of your friends would ever let you slide onto the same path as the others. You need us.”
The connection between them is stronger than ever and I'm happy we get to see them togheter, because I initially thought they were going to be separated because their houses were different. I feel like Wally and Orin are the most prominent ones in the group, as they seem to have the most appearances, while Gregory seems a bit neglected ( action wise) and Pete is more of a support character, the exact image of the chubby, soft but fiercely protective and loyal friend ( definitely a Hufflepuff, not to mention he's a honey badger !!!). Ethan seems to be having a setback, so Colt's place in the team becomes important.
“The strong silent types always are, my young friend. Like your Rory. I’d put my money on him rather than the House of Wonder boy, who spends too much time preening to be any good for a woman.”
Dying, I was dying of embarrassment, but my mouth didn’t think so. “He doesn’t see me like that, even if sometimes . . .” I shrugged. “Colt did. He had pretty eyes, and he liked me.”
“A third man? Well, look at you go. Maybe he’d be the best of both worlds, then. If I remember correctly, he has two houses he could follow.”
Romance-wise, it's sort of messy. Between Rory, Ethan and Colt, it's definitely difficult to say who you ship.
🧑🏼👩🏻 Colt and Wild
Colt had his hands in his pockets. “Who hurt you, Wild?”
The concern in his voice was . . . touching.
Colt is definitely the one who's interest and motives are out in the open. He's good in a way I wasn’t expecting and, gor the two of them, there wouldn't have been questions and hot and cold games.
🧑🏻🎓👩🏻 Rory and Wild
“I can’t be the person who doesn’t follow her instincts, Rory. Don’t think for one second I’m going to go quietly into that night.”
Things with Rory, on the other hand, are more complicated. Childhood best friend turned stranger turned very bright student at the art of sneaking and fighting... their game is definitely hot and cold. He wants to protect her but he is suffocating her with his need to know her safe. And, while his body language hints towards more than friendship, his words say otherwise.
🧑🏻👩🏻 Ethan and Wild
“You’re an asset to this world, even I can see that. I’m sure my father would hire you for guard duty.” Ethan smirked. “Maybe he’d let you guard me. Night duty of course.”
Another game of hot and cold. Ethan is definitely flirting with superiority and he's acting out due to the pressure of his family name (wich, BTW, did just change?? Because in the first 3 books it was Helix and now it's Helios??!). But sometimes you see cracks of the guy he became at the end of the previous book... overall, rather messy situation.
》》Favorite Scenes《《
👩🏻 Wild fighting with the big dude on the bus
🤝🏻 The bet
“I agree with the bet,” he said, his eyes on me. “And when I win—which I will—I want you to go on a date with me. In that little black number you wore last night.”
🧑🏻👩🏻🦰The Sandman and Mara being an item
🥸👩🏻 The Sandman asking Wild about her secrets when she had been injured and poisoned by Ruby and Wild starting to talk about Rory and Ethan
“Tell me the secret,” he said, his voice sharp as always.
“I think Rory is hot. But Ethan is hot too,” I blurted out, and his face went a careful blank.'
👩🏻👩🏻🦰 Wild and Mara discussing boys
🧑🏼Colt showing up
🧑🏼🧛🏻👩🏻Colt, Orin and Wild paying a visit to Ethan
🧑🏻👩🏻Ethan telling Wild she doesn't look good with Rory
🧑🏻👩🏻 Ethan and Wild during their magic lesson
"What do you get out of teaching me anything, Ethan? What extra bonus points are you aiming for this time? What game are you playing now?”
“I owe you.” He sat on a desk and ran his hand through his hair. “This is a debt to be repaid, a bet I lost, and because . . . because I like you. I want you to be here, with me, not out there with the Shades where you’ll be dead in a few years at best.”
🦡👩🏻Pete asking Wild how to tell Wally he likes her
👩🏽Wally taking the lead
》》Conclusion《《
I'm burning with curiosity and, while I'm sad about the loss of some characters I was rather fond of, I was expecting something like that to happen: it can't all be pink, right?
"In that moment, I’d aged, the last of my childhood stripped away. Death had a way of doing that, I guess."
Tropes: Dark Academy, magic school, magic houses, who hurt you trope, found family
Trigger Warnings: death, kidnapping
Series: Shadowspell Academy #4
Cliffhanger: Yes
Spice: 0/5 🌶
Rating: 4.5 ⭐
“Not even if we could end up dying?”
“Not even then.” He drummed his fingers on the table; his eyes were troubled. “That’s our world, Wild. Just keep going. No matter how ugly it gets.”
I like this second trilogy even more than the first one. I'm captivated and I definitely intend to look for other books from this author because the vibes, the feelings and the suspense are exactly right.
》》The Plot《《
Their year starts with a bump: someone has attacked the houses and the House of Wonder is the only one left standing, so all the students are sent there. Only to discover more danger, more secrets and more messed up systems. An old friend of Frost's makes an unpleasant appearance, the Shadowkiller himself shows his face, (literal) ghosts from the past give a few clues and, finally, a tentative possibility for romance seems to be on the horizon.
“My job is to keep you safe, Wild.”
“Her name is Wild for a reason, I think,” Wally said softly. “And based on her recent performances, her chance of surviving whatever is thrown at her is a solid eighty percent. Give or take a few percentage points.”
I grinned at her. “Only eighty percent?”
She shrugged but didn’t smile back. “You’ve almost died twice. I have to take those scenarios into consideration when I make my calculations.”
This was packed with action and I've felt bombarded with information and situations I didn't fully get to process. The ending was a veritable cliffhanger and everything we've discovered only seems to make more questions pop up, so I'm definitely under the spell of these books.
》》Characters and Relationships《《
“The thing they said over and over was that a Chameleon’s path wasn’t just his or hers alone. It was the culmination of the people they chose to be with them. None of your friends would ever let you slide onto the same path as the others. You need us.”
The connection between them is stronger than ever and I'm happy we get to see them togheter, because I initially thought they were going to be separated because their houses were different. I feel like Wally and Orin are the most prominent ones in the group, as they seem to have the most appearances, while Gregory seems a bit neglected ( action wise) and Pete is more of a support character, the exact image of the chubby, soft but fiercely protective and loyal friend ( definitely a Hufflepuff, not to mention he's a honey badger !!!). Ethan seems to be having a setback, so Colt's place in the team becomes important.
“The strong silent types always are, my young friend. Like your Rory. I’d put my money on him rather than the House of Wonder boy, who spends too much time preening to be any good for a woman.”
Dying, I was dying of embarrassment, but my mouth didn’t think so. “He doesn’t see me like that, even if sometimes . . .” I shrugged. “Colt did. He had pretty eyes, and he liked me.”
“A third man? Well, look at you go. Maybe he’d be the best of both worlds, then. If I remember correctly, he has two houses he could follow.”
Romance-wise, it's sort of messy. Between Rory, Ethan and Colt, it's definitely difficult to say who you ship.
🧑🏼👩🏻 Colt and Wild
Colt had his hands in his pockets. “Who hurt you, Wild?”
The concern in his voice was . . . touching.
Colt is definitely the one who's interest and motives are out in the open. He's good in a way I wasn’t expecting and, gor the two of them, there wouldn't have been questions and hot and cold games.
🧑🏻🎓👩🏻 Rory and Wild
“I can’t be the person who doesn’t follow her instincts, Rory. Don’t think for one second I’m going to go quietly into that night.”
Things with Rory, on the other hand, are more complicated. Childhood best friend turned stranger turned very bright student at the art of sneaking and fighting... their game is definitely hot and cold. He wants to protect her but he is suffocating her with his need to know her safe. And, while his body language hints towards more than friendship, his words say otherwise.
🧑🏻👩🏻 Ethan and Wild
“You’re an asset to this world, even I can see that. I’m sure my father would hire you for guard duty.” Ethan smirked. “Maybe he’d let you guard me. Night duty of course.”
Another game of hot and cold. Ethan is definitely flirting with superiority and he's acting out due to the pressure of his family name (wich, BTW, did just change?? Because in the first 3 books it was Helix and now it's Helios??!). But sometimes you see cracks of the guy he became at the end of the previous book... overall, rather messy situation.
》》Favorite Scenes《《
👩🏻 Wild fighting with the big dude on the bus
🤝🏻 The bet
“I agree with the bet,” he said, his eyes on me. “And when I win—which I will—I want you to go on a date with me. In that little black number you wore last night.”
🧑🏻👩🏻🦰The Sandman and Mara being an item
🥸👩🏻 The Sandman asking Wild about her secrets when she had been injured and poisoned by Ruby and Wild starting to talk about Rory and Ethan
“Tell me the secret,” he said, his voice sharp as always.
“I think Rory is hot. But Ethan is hot too,” I blurted out, and his face went a careful blank.'
👩🏻👩🏻🦰 Wild and Mara discussing boys
🧑🏼Colt showing up
🧑🏼🧛🏻👩🏻Colt, Orin and Wild paying a visit to Ethan
🧑🏻👩🏻Ethan telling Wild she doesn't look good with Rory
🧑🏻👩🏻 Ethan and Wild during their magic lesson
"What do you get out of teaching me anything, Ethan? What extra bonus points are you aiming for this time? What game are you playing now?”
“I owe you.” He sat on a desk and ran his hand through his hair. “This is a debt to be repaid, a bet I lost, and because . . . because I like you. I want you to be here, with me, not out there with the Shades where you’ll be dead in a few years at best.”
🦡👩🏻Pete asking Wild how to tell Wally he likes her
👩🏽Wally taking the lead
》》Conclusion《《
I'm burning with curiosity and, while I'm sad about the loss of some characters I was rather fond of, I was expecting something like that to happen: it can't all be pink, right?
"In that moment, I’d aged, the last of my childhood stripped away. Death had a way of doing that, I guess."
April 13, 2022
So much happens here....so much it is hard to put into words.
With this crew deep down I knew it would be impossible for them to go unscathed. Someone at some point would have to pay a huge price. In this book was find out who has taken their last breath. What I did not expect was who delivered the killing blow.
Shadowkiller is in full effect. I find myself liking him....probably says something about my character but I am just going to ignore that little niggling feeling.😲😂
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
With this crew deep down I knew it would be impossible for them to go unscathed. Someone at some point would have to pay a huge price. In this book was find out who has taken their last breath. What I did not expect was who delivered the killing blow.
Shadowkiller is in full effect. I find myself liking him....probably says something about my character but I am just going to ignore that little niggling feeling.😲😂
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
June 4, 2021
I really enjoyed the first trilogy in this series, here Ms Mayer goes it along without KF Breene, who was the reason for reading the original trilogy.
Wild and her friends have moved on from triumph at the trials and now are looking to settle into training to become full fledged magical beings. Of course things don't go to plan, drama ensues, but Wild and her entourage adapt and work toward shared goals.
Very likeable characters while fun and traumatic events ensue. On to the second book of the second trilogy.
Wild and her friends have moved on from triumph at the trials and now are looking to settle into training to become full fledged magical beings. Of course things don't go to plan, drama ensues, but Wild and her entourage adapt and work toward shared goals.
Very likeable characters while fun and traumatic events ensue. On to the second book of the second trilogy.
January 25, 2021
Here we are, back in the Shadowspell Academy world, and it’s so good to be back! Poor Wild is neck deep in trouble again, and she needs her friends to try to keep from getting killed. I loved this from beginning to end. There were many surprises in this one, and most of them I didn’t see coming. I came to the last page, and I was devasted to realize there was no more. I am constantly amazed at this author’s creativity, and I am in awe of her skills. If you like fast action, wonderful writing, and enthralling characters, look no further than this author. This was a great addition to the series, and I’m looking forward to the next one. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
March 4, 2021
Absolutely love it. The only issue I have with this book is it was too short and I wanted more. Plus I really wanted Wild to end up with Ethan, not Rory.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2021
I was worried about the team would get separated since its the beginning of the academic year and they were allotted different houses, but glad it was not so!
September 27, 2021
After the first trilogy in the Shadowspell Academy series, the Year of the Chameleon 1 is the first book in the second trilogy. We still follow Wild and her friends, who have survived the Trials and are now part of the Academy.
I hoped that longer books meant more world building, but still: nothing. We are four parts in a series and we literally don’t know anything. I’m giving up the hope for the next two books in that regard.
The snark and fun from the first books are missing as well, there’s nearly no banter between Wild and her friends. This at least made the first three books a lot more enjoyable, but this time it just kept dragging on and on.
Instead, we had a LOT of unnecessary drama, romance, and insta-love. This didn’t do anything to make it a better story, I wasn’t invested in that at all. I just don’t care who she decides to like, the guy she just met, the other guy she just met or the guy, she hasn’t known for 5 years. And how many times can a person drawl a sentence in a span of a few days?
I hoped that longer books meant more world building, but still: nothing. We are four parts in a series and we literally don’t know anything. I’m giving up the hope for the next two books in that regard.
The snark and fun from the first books are missing as well, there’s nearly no banter between Wild and her friends. This at least made the first three books a lot more enjoyable, but this time it just kept dragging on and on.
Instead, we had a LOT of unnecessary drama, romance, and insta-love. This didn’t do anything to make it a better story, I wasn’t invested in that at all. I just don’t care who she decides to like, the guy she just met, the other guy she just met or the guy, she hasn’t known for 5 years. And how many times can a person drawl a sentence in a span of a few days?
January 17, 2021
Shannon Mayer's expertise in writing has done it yet again. She never ceases to amaze.
In this , the fourth book of the ShadowSpell Academy series, Year of the Chameleon is the best book thus far in my opinion.
It's right after the Culling Trials and everyone that got through those are on their way to their respective Houses. House of Shade, House of Claw, House of Unmentionables, House of Night and House of Wonder. 4 of the 5 Houses have had terrible accidents, so ALL the students have gone to House of Wonder, which is for witches, mages, and everything having to do with magic. The House of Wonder people believe that they are on top of the "food chain", "A number one", "Top of the heap". They are in the most upscale distinct of New York City, after all.
And you know where Wild goes, mayhem follows.
In this , the fourth book of the ShadowSpell Academy series, Year of the Chameleon is the best book thus far in my opinion.
It's right after the Culling Trials and everyone that got through those are on their way to their respective Houses. House of Shade, House of Claw, House of Unmentionables, House of Night and House of Wonder. 4 of the 5 Houses have had terrible accidents, so ALL the students have gone to House of Wonder, which is for witches, mages, and everything having to do with magic. The House of Wonder people believe that they are on top of the "food chain", "A number one", "Top of the heap". They are in the most upscale distinct of New York City, after all.
And you know where Wild goes, mayhem follows.
February 27, 2021
Pages: 302
My rating: 3.5
MC: Wild
SC: Billy, Sam (twins, brother and sister of Wild), Rory (Wild’s best friend), Tommy (Thomas the older brother), Drexia nickname: Wally, Pete nickname Freckles, Sandman = Sideburns = Sunshine = Rufus, Gregory Goblin nickname Biebs, Orin, Ethan Helix, Mara (Healer), Ash (Gargoyle and Weapon Teacher), Shadowkiller = Nicholas
I think this part was not as good as the others. The first half was a bit slow, but the second half was much better.
The first three books were about were about the trials with the third trial on Day seven. (There were kind of two day to introduce Wild and the family and then to go to the airport and take Billys place.)
This book is about two days if I read it correctly. It was a lot about Wild thinking about boys, at the end the storyline continues.
Summery of the contend of the book. Loads of spoilers are included, so don't read it, if you are reading the book for the first time. But if you want a reminder what happened and have read the book, you will get a detailed summery here.
My rating: 3.5
MC: Wild
SC: Billy, Sam (twins, brother and sister of Wild), Rory (Wild’s best friend), Tommy (Thomas the older brother), Drexia nickname: Wally, Pete nickname Freckles, Sandman = Sideburns = Sunshine = Rufus, Gregory Goblin nickname Biebs, Orin, Ethan Helix, Mara (Healer), Ash (Gargoyle and Weapon Teacher), Shadowkiller = Nicholas
I think this part was not as good as the others. The first half was a bit slow, but the second half was much better.
The first three books were about were about the trials with the third trial on Day seven. (There were kind of two day to introduce Wild and the family and then to go to the airport and take Billys place.)
This book is about two days if I read it correctly. It was a lot about Wild thinking about boys, at the end the storyline continues.
Summery of the contend of the book. Loads of spoilers are included, so don't read it, if you are reading the book for the first time. But if you want a reminder what happened and have read the book, you will get a detailed summery here.
Want to read
June 24, 2021I take this series off my no next book yet list thinking it was over and whadda ya know- three more books to read!
This is now on my TBR!
This is now on my TBR!
January 15, 2021
Holy hand grenades!!
Once again, Shannon Mayer has left me speechless and reeling. Just wow!!
We all waited patiently for this book, and y’all it was worth the wait!! “Year of the Chameleon”, starts off where book 3 ended and I loved seeing the gang.
Just as the teams are starting to look forward to their education in their houses, they are all thrown a curveball. I was certainly asking myself, can anyone be trusted?
The world building and the description of the House of Wonder is amazing. I absolutely enjoyed all the action and the fighting scenes. This book answers some questions and we see a couple of other characters as well. ♥️
Each page is engaging till the very last page that leaves you begging for more. If you enjoy YA with lots of action, suspense, witty lines, and paranormal then this series is for you!
Once again, Shannon Mayer has left me speechless and reeling. Just wow!!
We all waited patiently for this book, and y’all it was worth the wait!! “Year of the Chameleon”, starts off where book 3 ended and I loved seeing the gang.
Just as the teams are starting to look forward to their education in their houses, they are all thrown a curveball. I was certainly asking myself, can anyone be trusted?
The world building and the description of the House of Wonder is amazing. I absolutely enjoyed all the action and the fighting scenes. This book answers some questions and we see a couple of other characters as well. ♥️
Each page is engaging till the very last page that leaves you begging for more. If you enjoy YA with lots of action, suspense, witty lines, and paranormal then this series is for you!
April 10, 2021
What happened in this book..?
I'm not even sure.
Is it memorable?
Nope.
Do I think ppl rate it higher than it deserves because they're a fan of Breene and Mayer?
Definitely.
Am I a fan of Breene and Mayer?
Yessss!
Do I let that cloud my judgement?
No.
Will I get the next book in this series?
Already have.
I'm not even sure.
Is it memorable?
Nope.
Do I think ppl rate it higher than it deserves because they're a fan of Breene and Mayer?
Definitely.
Am I a fan of Breene and Mayer?
Yessss!
Do I let that cloud my judgement?
No.
Will I get the next book in this series?
Already have.
March 17, 2021
I love Wild and her gang! We pick up right after the Trials and there’s no rest for the weary. Wild and her gang are back in action. Now that we know what she is, it’s time to find out who’s after her. The gang really comes together in this one. Hvam does a great job embracing all the characters. I’m excited that the series continues and I’m looking forward to the next book!
November 12, 2021
Tommy 🥺
I loved this so much.
We finally get to know what happened to tommy-well not really but hey progress!
I really hope colt isn’t dead,i don’t ship him with her but he was cute.
I still hate Rory.
My dude Ethan needs to get his act together cause he’s blowing it.
ALSO THE SHADOWKILLER IS HER UNCLE ? Wth??
I loved this so much.
We finally get to know what happened to tommy-well not really but hey progress!
I really hope colt isn’t dead,i don’t ship him with her but he was cute.
I still hate Rory.
My dude Ethan needs to get his act together cause he’s blowing it.
ALSO THE SHADOWKILLER IS HER UNCLE ? Wth??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2022
Shannon Mayer never fails, soo good!
February 26, 2021
3.5 Stars
RTC
RTC
December 16, 2023
I loved the first 3 books in the series, when I heard K. F Breene was no longer writing this with Shannon mayer I was a little bummed, however this book was fantastic and the quality of the book is still just amazing. I'm a little annoyed with myself that I read it so fast. Fair warning, you won't be able to put this down once you open it!!
March 7, 2021
Gah!
Been waiting a while for this one! It did not disappoint! Turns out I really missed Wild and her crew. And even after everything that happened in this book, and romance is an afterthought, l'm still on #teamRory. LOL.
Check out The Culling Trials before picking this up!
Been waiting a while for this one! It did not disappoint! Turns out I really missed Wild and her crew. And even after everything that happened in this book, and romance is an afterthought, l'm still on #teamRory. LOL.
Check out The Culling Trials before picking this up!
July 1, 2021
Love this series
I love this series…. Its fast paced, fun, magic filled adventure. A crew of classmates with different powers team together to fight the unknown evil that lies in waiting.
I love this series…. Its fast paced, fun, magic filled adventure. A crew of classmates with different powers team together to fight the unknown evil that lies in waiting.
October 14, 2022
I think something is amiss here. It's not like the other books. I skipped quiet a lot - I am not satisfied with this book. Maybe it's because one author isn't involved anymore?
The snark and banter is missing. I liked the first 3 books so much, because I laughed a lot, especially Ethan is hilarious. But now nothing, not a single laugh during this book - I am very disappointed.
And Wild dosen't have the edge anymore - that something that made her wild. Her personality changed.
And suddenly there is all this drama, insta love and so many unnecessary stuff.... I just want the old writing style back 😭
And it really gets on my nerves that Wild seems to be the only one acting logical...I mean, really, do the others not have a brain?
I will continue to read the next book and I hope it gets better....
The snark and banter is missing. I liked the first 3 books so much, because I laughed a lot, especially Ethan is hilarious. But now nothing, not a single laugh during this book - I am very disappointed.
And Wild dosen't have the edge anymore - that something that made her wild. Her personality changed.
And suddenly there is all this drama, insta love and so many unnecessary stuff.... I just want the old writing style back 😭
And it really gets on my nerves that Wild seems to be the only one acting logical...I mean, really, do the others not have a brain?
I will continue to read the next book and I hope it gets better....
December 25, 2022
⭐3,5/5
Das war bisher der schwächste Teil aus der Reihe, auch wenn es mir gefallen hat. Dieser Teil war vielmehr dafür gedacht die Spannung für die nächsten Teile aufzubauen. Am Anfang wird alles neu aufgebaut, neue Umgebung und ein neuer Handlungsstrang.
Im Buch wird mehr auf die Romance eingegangen. Man erfährt mehr über die Gefühle von Wild, aber das ist einfach verwirrend. Man hat das Gefühl gehabt, dass versucht wurde, die Romance zwingend einzubauen und das hat mich beim Lesen gestört. Außerdem fehlt mir eine gewisse Charakterentwicklung (und generell hat irgendwas gefehlt, aber ich kann nicht wirklich sagen was).
Ich denke, dass die nächsten Bücher spannender werden, da es anscheinend unteranderem auch Perspektivenwechsel geben wird.
Das war bisher der schwächste Teil aus der Reihe, auch wenn es mir gefallen hat. Dieser Teil war vielmehr dafür gedacht die Spannung für die nächsten Teile aufzubauen. Am Anfang wird alles neu aufgebaut, neue Umgebung und ein neuer Handlungsstrang.
Im Buch wird mehr auf die Romance eingegangen. Man erfährt mehr über die Gefühle von Wild, aber das ist einfach verwirrend. Man hat das Gefühl gehabt, dass versucht wurde, die Romance zwingend einzubauen und das hat mich beim Lesen gestört. Außerdem fehlt mir eine gewisse Charakterentwicklung (und generell hat irgendwas gefehlt, aber ich kann nicht wirklich sagen was).
Ich denke, dass die nächsten Bücher spannender werden, da es anscheinend unteranderem auch Perspektivenwechsel geben wird.
February 26, 2021
Five stars is not enough for this amazing read! Carrying on from books 1-3 we join Wild and her crew on the next step in their adventure and boy is it a doozy! The development of the characters and the storyline is just incredible and I absolutely love all of them. There’s mystery and suspense to have you on the edge of your seat, there’s twists and turns to keep you guessing and theres a few surprises on the way I did not see coming! All in all I am so glad I jumped back onto this rollercoaster and am very excited to see where it takes us!
January 18, 2021
I loved this book! The characters are so well written, and the story itself just draws you in from the very first page. I could not put it down.
This one is action packed and fast paced. I love the main protagonist Wild , she is smart, brave, strong and loyal to her friends and family. Wild is well, a wild card. She doesn't look for trouble but it seems to find her and when it finds her she sure doesn't back down or run. She doesn't play by the rules and she is often breaking those rules.
Her friends are all from the other houses in the academy, something frowned upon by the adults in charge. Wild is in the house of Shade. Shades are the assassins of the magical world. Funny thing is Wild is more than just a Shade, yes her survival skills are off the charts but Wild is special, and being special in the magical world can make you a target.
The other characters in this book are equally well written and lovable. Wally is the crews necromancer and she also has this strange ability to just spout off statistics about anything and everything. Then there is Pete the shape shifter that turns into a fierce Honey Badger. Orin the not yet dead Vampire; Gregory the too good looking to fit in with his own kind Goblin; and Ethan, the wealthy spoiled Mage who just seems to worry about himself. Rory the hometown old friend of Wilds that broke her heart by leaving and then allowing her and everyone else to believe he was dead. How can she ever trust him again?
These kids are about to start their first year of training after surviving The Culling Trials.
If you love a well written book, with twists and turns and action from the beginning to the very last page with characters that you will love and some that you will love to hate then this one is for you.
When you reach the last page and you turn that page looking for more, just remember I told you so.
I can not wait for the next book!
This one is action packed and fast paced. I love the main protagonist Wild , she is smart, brave, strong and loyal to her friends and family. Wild is well, a wild card. She doesn't look for trouble but it seems to find her and when it finds her she sure doesn't back down or run. She doesn't play by the rules and she is often breaking those rules.
Her friends are all from the other houses in the academy, something frowned upon by the adults in charge. Wild is in the house of Shade. Shades are the assassins of the magical world. Funny thing is Wild is more than just a Shade, yes her survival skills are off the charts but Wild is special, and being special in the magical world can make you a target.
The other characters in this book are equally well written and lovable. Wally is the crews necromancer and she also has this strange ability to just spout off statistics about anything and everything. Then there is Pete the shape shifter that turns into a fierce Honey Badger. Orin the not yet dead Vampire; Gregory the too good looking to fit in with his own kind Goblin; and Ethan, the wealthy spoiled Mage who just seems to worry about himself. Rory the hometown old friend of Wilds that broke her heart by leaving and then allowing her and everyone else to believe he was dead. How can she ever trust him again?
These kids are about to start their first year of training after surviving The Culling Trials.
If you love a well written book, with twists and turns and action from the beginning to the very last page with characters that you will love and some that you will love to hate then this one is for you.
When you reach the last page and you turn that page looking for more, just remember I told you so.
I can not wait for the next book!
January 12, 2024
1.5
It's getting worse by each book but I have to finish the series. The funniest thing to me is the way the author suddenly remembers there should be some romance between the characters so she just throws in a few sentences about how MC is suddenly in love with someone or that someone is suddenly confessing their feelings to MC out of the blue. And the way Ethan was Helix and now is Helios, probably went to change his surname in between books lol
It's getting worse by each book but I have to finish the series. The funniest thing to me is the way the author suddenly remembers there should be some romance between the characters so she just throws in a few sentences about how MC is suddenly in love with someone or that someone is suddenly confessing their feelings to MC out of the blue. And the way Ethan was Helix and now is Helios, probably went to change his surname in between books lol
February 26, 2021
Need book 5 like now!
I have fallen in love with this series. Gotta be honest I am at a loss for why. Is it the magic? The drama? The strong heroine and supporting characters? Or how just when you think you've reached the apex something happens to add more fuel to the story or woe is me, CLIFFHANGER!!!!!I got so wrapped up in this book I couldn't put it down.
I have fallen in love with this series. Gotta be honest I am at a loss for why. Is it the magic? The drama? The strong heroine and supporting characters? Or how just when you think you've reached the apex something happens to add more fuel to the story or woe is me, CLIFFHANGER!!!!!I got so wrapped up in this book I couldn't put it down.
April 29, 2021
The plot thickens and the storyline just got even better! It was an awesome read that took me forever to read because of real life, but now that I'm done, I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
This series has been awesome so far and to sum it all up: If Harry Potter movies and the Hunger Games movies had a baby, this would be their love child.
Happy reading!
This series has been awesome so far and to sum it all up: If Harry Potter movies and the Hunger Games movies had a baby, this would be their love child.
Happy reading!
April 11, 2021
I always look forward to the next part in this series! I also loathe when it’s compared to HP just because there’s a school and there’s magic. Also, Bex, I do recommend this series. Especially if you want something fun in between reads as these are all super short.
April 29, 2021
The Ending!
Holy Cow, everything was going good till the ending of this book! Shifting from the main character to a second just didn't work for me. Will wait till I read the next book to render judgement.
Holy Cow, everything was going good till the ending of this book! Shifting from the main character to a second just didn't work for me. Will wait till I read the next book to render judgement.
April 3, 2021
3.5 stars. I am glad that the series didn't end without me getting some much needed answers! I am ready to see what happens next.
April 8, 2021
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the others, I found the increasing 'which boy do I most like' story line a little annoying. Wild is such a kick-ass character it seems unnecessarily mundane to have her obsessing over boys whilst she's in the midst of being hunted.
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