An Academy For Liars

Darci’s Review 

An Academy for Liars is a brilliantly dark novel about academia. Its author Alexis Henderson is well-established in the gothic-horror genre; her previous books House of Hunger and Year of the Witching were shortlisted for Good Reads Awards in the horror genre, and received extensive praise. 

I devoured this novel in one sitting. An Academy for Liars is captivating from the first scene. Lennon Carter is a seemingly ordinary African American girl, minus a faithful partner and stable mental health. Since succumbing to intense panic attacks and anxiety from the age of 20, she has dropped out of university and become a full time, stay-at-home girlfriend to her now fiancé, Wyatt, a rich and popular law school graduate. At their engagement party, Lennon stumbles across Wyatt’s infidelity after a harrowing encounter with an apparition of herself, eyeless and smiling, in her bathroom mirror. Lennon takes this embarrassing string of events as a sign, steals her fiancé’s fancy Porsche and drives to an abandoned mall to kill herself. But she’s stopped by the ringing of a disconnected phone booth and an invitation to sit Drayton College’s entrance exam, registered through the polyphonic voices of her mother, father, fiancé, and herself.

Henderson’s characters are all strikingly well-drawn and engaging. Lennon is the young and disgruntled woman whose naivete and desire to please others makes her vulnerable to exploitation. Her self-exploration, alongside the temptations of magic, sex and power, is presented as a thrilling but entirely plausible exploration of the human condition.Henderson also skilfully creates the world of Drayton College, entwining themes of science-fiction, gothic horror, dark academia and fantasy into a beautiful amalgamation of mystery and danger, with a sprinkle of romance. As tensions peak, the secrets of Drayton College begin to spill out from every dark crevice Lennon can find. 

My favourite dark academia to date. I cannot wait to delve into Henderson’s earlier works. Highly recommended for fans of dark academia with a twist.

Publisher’s Review 

Born with magic in their blood they must learn how to wield it . . . In a mysterious college a student will find that the hardest lessons are learned 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.

Until she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to sit the entrance exam for somewhere very few have heard of - 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 is special. She possesses the innate gift of persuasion- the ability to wield her will like a weapon and to use it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.

After passing the gruelling exam, Lennon must now learn how to master this devastating power.

While persuasion takes a heavy toll on her body and her mind, she is captivated by all that surrounds her - her studies, Drayton's lush, moss-draped campus, her brilliant classmates and, most of all, by Dante, the charismatic adviser who both intimidates and enamours her.

But as Lennon becomes more adept at wielding her uncanny abilities, she uncovers more about the unsettling history of Drayton and Dante's tragic and violent past, and is increasingly disturbed by what she finds.

For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption and darkness . . . and it's a test she's terrified she is going to fail.

'Saturated with violence, desire, and power. It's a book with blood on its lips, and I loved it completely.' - ALIX E. HARROW

'This darkly gorgeous story is a lavish feast for fans of gothic horror. One of my top reads of the year!' - SUNYI DEAN

'Alexis Henderson is one of the best Gothic writers out there.' - HANNAH WHITTEN

'Dark academia stunner infused with Henderson's signature style - it's lush, atmospheric, imaginative and impossible to put down.' - RACHEL HARRISON

'A modern-day Anne Rice, Henderson has a gift for creating a world engorged with desire and death.' - THE NEW YORK TIMES