An Academy for Liars: Characters, trigger warnings & review
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson synopsis/summary:
A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.
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.
After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.
As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton College, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it's a test she's terrified she is going to fail.
An Academy for Liars characters.
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson, narrated from the first person point of view, from the point of view of Lennon Carter, our female protagonist. Here is the full list of characters in An Academy for Liars.
Lennon Carter
Wyatt Banks
Dante Lowe
Benedict
Eileen
Dr. Nave
Dr. Lund
Dr. Alec Becker
Dr. Ethel Greene
Gregory
Sawyer
Blaine
Kieran
Claude
Yumi
Adan
Emerson O’Neill
Ian
Nadine
Felix
Carly Carter
Joseph Carter
Mrs. Carter
Anthony
Oliver
August
Beth
Eliza
William Irvine
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson book review.
My rating: ★★★★☆
Look, I’ll come clean: I still haven’t cracked open Donna Tartt’s The Secret History or M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains. I know, I know—I’m a dark academia heretic. My experience has mainly been Hogwarts, Naomi Novik’s The Scholomance, and Leigh Bardugo’s paranormal version of Yale University, which are my benchmark. So, take that as you will. But let me tell you, Drayton College in Alexis Henderson’s An Academy for Liars is in a unique league of its own—and I’m here for it.
Meet Lennon Carter, our protagonist, who isn’t exactly getting a magical school acceptance letter by owl. No, she’s busy catching her fiancé red-handed with her closest friend at her own engagement party. Ouch. So, what’s a girl to do? Naturally, she steals his car, consults a mysterious stranger in a phone booth, and makes a beeline for a secret magic school that teaches cool mind powers. What fun!
With a premise like that, you’d expect An Academy for Liars to have me hooked from page one. But for the first 40%, I was all set to slap on a "It was okay but forgettable" 3-star rating. Maybe it was a “me” issue; patience isn’t exactly my superpower. While the world-building was atmospheric, the initial pace was also a bit slow for my tastes.
Furthermore, when I caught wind of the student-teacher relationship trope, I braced myself for disappointment—personally not really into it.
Then, around the 50% mark, things started to pick up speed. And then—bam! The story took my expectations, crumpled them up, and yeeted them out the window. What followed was a wild ride of twists, turns, violence, morals, power struggles and an emotional whirlwind that completely flipped the script.
So yeah, I might be stating the obvious, but don’t waltz in expecting cute elves with mismatched socks in this one. Brace yourself for adult themes, highly questionable ethics, intense horror elements, and a splash of sci-fi. There are moments that practically scream Stephen King—but I’ll keep which book title under wraps to avoid spoilers. Just know that when the horror kicks in, it’s a wild ride—think lots of blood, gore, injuries, seizures, murder, coercion and a smorgasbord of other trigger warnings.
Speaking of trigger warnings, animal lovers, take note: the big one for me was the questionable animal ethics (no deaths, but think testing on animals). Rest assured, Lennon, our FMC also questions the school’s ethics, and I was pleased with how things turned out. Had any animals met a senseless tragic end, my rating would’ve plummeted. Still, proceed with caution.
So yes, this book crawled, walked, ran, and ultimately soared for me. If you’re the type who demands plot fireworks from page one, this might not be your cup of tea. It wasn't a perfect start, it took a while to warm up to, but the payoff was worth it.
This is undoubtedly one of the most memorable dark academia reads I’ve encountered this year and comes with my high recommendation for school-of-magic enthusiasts who don't mind their story punctuated with blood, gore and unsettling horror elements. And that student-teacher trope? Did I like it in the end? Just look at my rating.
My heartfelt thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
View my review on GoodReads here!
An Academy for Liars book FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
Some answers may spoil An Academy for Liars if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.
What are the content & trigger warnings for An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson?
Blood
Gore
Violence
Murder
Coercion
Abuse
Grief
Depression
Suicide ideation
Seizures
Panic attacks
Injury detail
Complicated family dynamics
Cheating and infidelity
Animal cruelty and ethics
What An Academy for Liar’s age rating?
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson is classified as Adult so roughly aimed at readers 18+.
Is an Academy for Liars spicy?
No, An Academy for Liars isn’t a spicy read. While there are sex scenes, they’re more fade-to-black and not explicitly detailed. So, if you’re looking for heat, this one keeps it pretty tame.
