What do you think?
Rate this book
I Experimented Once in College
PhD candidate William Yderis comes to Efeldon University to teach and finish his degree in charmcrafting. For methodical, sedate, and scholarly William, the school defies his expectations—and not in a good way. The biggest surprise comes when William meets his boss, absent-minded Archmage Taliesin Karsus, a man as infuriating as he is sexy.
As William struggles to carve out his place at the university, he is drawn in to Tal’s chaotic experiments… and drawn to Tal despite his logical mind’s protests. And if Tal’s wavering affection isn’t enough to complicate William’s studies, he uncovers a plot involving an ambitious staff member, brainwashed students, sexual assault, and a threat to the lives of everyone on campus. When it comes time to face the danger, William is on his own. For the first time in his life, he’ll have to trust in his heart instead of his head.
As William struggles to carve out his place at the university, he is drawn in to Tal’s chaotic experiments… and drawn to Tal despite his logical mind’s protests. And if Tal’s wavering affection isn’t enough to complicate William’s studies, he uncovers a plot involving an ambitious staff member, brainwashed students, sexual assault, and a threat to the lives of everyone on campus. When it comes time to face the danger, William is on his own. For the first time in his life, he’ll have to trust in his heart instead of his head.
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2016
3 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 11, 2016
Set in a fantasy world where magic, dragons, and sea monsters exist, ‘I Experimented Once in College’ is the tale of William, a geeky mage intent on obtaining his PhD and Tal, a mysterious archmage with a secretive agenda. It is written with a lot of humor, has quirky and endearing characters, and reminded me of Harry Potter more than once – well, if he ever went to a magical college. Except this is a decidedly grown-up version with challenges all its own.
William made me laugh. I am sure he would be devastated if he knew, but his pedantic personality, initially overly confident attitude, and desperation to find how he fits in a university that is “beneath him” are so perfectly over the top that they become tongue-in-cheek. William is basically a geek with an attitude, and believes his previous achievements and the fact he transfers in from a more well-known university –forced by budget cuts - entitle him to respect. But respect is not what he finds. It starts with the fact he was supposed to be an assistant professor and instead ends up as more of a personal assistant to an absent-minded archmage who, in William’s not-so-humble opinion, is not exactly capable. Then there are all the shenanigans going on aside from the classes he still needs to take, and William isn’t sure he’ll ever be able to do the magical research he needs to write his dissertation.
William has a lot to learn – and I am not referring to his magical abilities. His flaws made him very likable, and his attempts to figure out what was going on were not just entertaining but quite suspenseful. The nature of the mystery that William is trying to solve changed as well, and that made the story more interesting. I started out believing that the archmage was secretly chasing after William, but it ended up being something much more sinister. And no, I am not telling, that would spoil the surprise.
William and Tal’s relationship does not get off to a good start. Not even their working relationship is good, never mind the personal angle. While they are attracted to each other despite the age difference, the mysterious goings-on and Tal’s refusal to tell William what is happening make trust almost impossible. William has a lot of growing to do before his heart and emotional abilities catch up with his brain and mental powers. It was a journey I really enjoyed watching.
If you like stories where you can learn what’s going on along with the main character who tells it, if a relationship that starts out on very shaky footing before a romance develops is your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining, funny read that is both somewhat dark and engaging, has a perfect final confrontation between hero and villain, and a great ending, then you will probably like this novella. I certainly loved the combination of fantastic characters and imaginative setting.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dremaspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
William made me laugh. I am sure he would be devastated if he knew, but his pedantic personality, initially overly confident attitude, and desperation to find how he fits in a university that is “beneath him” are so perfectly over the top that they become tongue-in-cheek. William is basically a geek with an attitude, and believes his previous achievements and the fact he transfers in from a more well-known university –forced by budget cuts - entitle him to respect. But respect is not what he finds. It starts with the fact he was supposed to be an assistant professor and instead ends up as more of a personal assistant to an absent-minded archmage who, in William’s not-so-humble opinion, is not exactly capable. Then there are all the shenanigans going on aside from the classes he still needs to take, and William isn’t sure he’ll ever be able to do the magical research he needs to write his dissertation.
William has a lot to learn – and I am not referring to his magical abilities. His flaws made him very likable, and his attempts to figure out what was going on were not just entertaining but quite suspenseful. The nature of the mystery that William is trying to solve changed as well, and that made the story more interesting. I started out believing that the archmage was secretly chasing after William, but it ended up being something much more sinister. And no, I am not telling, that would spoil the surprise.
William and Tal’s relationship does not get off to a good start. Not even their working relationship is good, never mind the personal angle. While they are attracted to each other despite the age difference, the mysterious goings-on and Tal’s refusal to tell William what is happening make trust almost impossible. William has a lot of growing to do before his heart and emotional abilities catch up with his brain and mental powers. It was a journey I really enjoyed watching.
If you like stories where you can learn what’s going on along with the main character who tells it, if a relationship that starts out on very shaky footing before a romance develops is your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining, funny read that is both somewhat dark and engaging, has a perfect final confrontation between hero and villain, and a great ending, then you will probably like this novella. I certainly loved the combination of fantastic characters and imaginative setting.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dremaspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
May 14, 2016
3.5 Hearts
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Arriving at his new university, William finds the surroundings difficult to assimilate to, especially with his Professor Talisin, who is a little odd, and a little too familiar with William’s name, and personal space.
But William is determined to be the best assistant he can be, even if the experiments they are conducting scare him; and try and ignore the attraction he feels for the Professor, because it is completely inappropriate as far as William is concerned.
I liked William. I enjoyed his stiff personality. Being new is unnerving, and keeping to himself is his way of coping. Efeldon University is not what he is used to, and the chaos in the layout, and the classes is not helping him stay calm. He does find his footing and seems to relax a little more, but he has that type of personality that is organised, and requires everyone else to be organised in order for him to feel at ease.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Arriving at his new university, William finds the surroundings difficult to assimilate to, especially with his Professor Talisin, who is a little odd, and a little too familiar with William’s name, and personal space.
But William is determined to be the best assistant he can be, even if the experiments they are conducting scare him; and try and ignore the attraction he feels for the Professor, because it is completely inappropriate as far as William is concerned.
I liked William. I enjoyed his stiff personality. Being new is unnerving, and keeping to himself is his way of coping. Efeldon University is not what he is used to, and the chaos in the layout, and the classes is not helping him stay calm. He does find his footing and seems to relax a little more, but he has that type of personality that is organised, and requires everyone else to be organised in order for him to feel at ease.
May 20, 2016
Book – I Experimented Once in College
Author – Aishlar Snow
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 103
Cover – Gorgeous, but misleading.
POV – 3rd person, past tense, 1 character POV
Would I read it again – Yes.
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Magical, 18+
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
To start with, I have to admit that I feel misled by the cover. It portrayed a 18-25 year old person and, along with the description of a college student, that's what I expected. However, our main character William reads more like a 30 year old, prim and proper professor, rather than a student.
I also want to take umbridge at the suggestion that William went through all this alone, stated in the blurb – “When it comes time to face the danger, William is on his own.” He's not alone. In fact, on Guy's behalf, I'd like to say that he'd be mindlessly warped and clueless without him.
~
Despite that, I loved this story. Actually, it's probably because of those things that I love it. William wasn't a moon-eyed college kid, setting his sights on an older professor. He was a smart, sophisticated, slightly weird guy, who wasn't really all that likeable in the beginning. And the man he falls for is not his professor, but a powerful authority figure, and he is definitely as sexy as the blurb claims.
I really loved Guy, too. From the start, he was this lovely, slightly naïve and innocent boy, who was nothing more than a poor farm boy elevated to a position that he didn't feel comfortable in. Then he became William's friend and I only grew to love him more.
There was something slightly odd about the sentence structure, at times, that confused me. I couldn't decide if it was a matter of spelling/grammar mistakes, missing words or just the author's style of writing. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I'm used to. It didn't interfere with the story, however, so that's a plus.
There was a lot of description at the start, about the surroundings and William's complaints about the decor and expensive furnishings. He was a bit of a complainer at the start of the story and it wasn't until he met and became familiar with Archmage Karsus that his disposition improved.
~
Overall, I had to remove 1 star for the fact that I spent half the book disliking William and the other totally rooting for him. It was confusing and disconcerting. The other reason I removed this 1 star was for the Epilogue. In no way did it tell me everything I wanted to know. In fact, it made me panic about Guy, who was mentioned only briefly as being once again chased off for his gift.
Unless there's a second book (hopefully covering Guy's story) then I'll be sorely disappointed. The end just didn't do the story justice at all. There was so much more that I wanted and needed to know, before the story could be considered finished.
Regardless, I loved everything else about it. From William's instincts, Tal and Guy, to the exploration of a magical world that pretty much worked like any other college or university.
Author – Aishlar Snow
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 103
Cover – Gorgeous, but misleading.
POV – 3rd person, past tense, 1 character POV
Would I read it again – Yes.
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Magical, 18+
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
To start with, I have to admit that I feel misled by the cover. It portrayed a 18-25 year old person and, along with the description of a college student, that's what I expected. However, our main character William reads more like a 30 year old, prim and proper professor, rather than a student.
I also want to take umbridge at the suggestion that William went through all this alone, stated in the blurb – “When it comes time to face the danger, William is on his own.” He's not alone. In fact, on Guy's behalf, I'd like to say that he'd be mindlessly warped and clueless without him.
~
Despite that, I loved this story. Actually, it's probably because of those things that I love it. William wasn't a moon-eyed college kid, setting his sights on an older professor. He was a smart, sophisticated, slightly weird guy, who wasn't really all that likeable in the beginning. And the man he falls for is not his professor, but a powerful authority figure, and he is definitely as sexy as the blurb claims.
I really loved Guy, too. From the start, he was this lovely, slightly naïve and innocent boy, who was nothing more than a poor farm boy elevated to a position that he didn't feel comfortable in. Then he became William's friend and I only grew to love him more.
There was something slightly odd about the sentence structure, at times, that confused me. I couldn't decide if it was a matter of spelling/grammar mistakes, missing words or just the author's style of writing. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I'm used to. It didn't interfere with the story, however, so that's a plus.
There was a lot of description at the start, about the surroundings and William's complaints about the decor and expensive furnishings. He was a bit of a complainer at the start of the story and it wasn't until he met and became familiar with Archmage Karsus that his disposition improved.
~
Overall, I had to remove 1 star for the fact that I spent half the book disliking William and the other totally rooting for him. It was confusing and disconcerting. The other reason I removed this 1 star was for the Epilogue. In no way did it tell me everything I wanted to know. In fact, it made me panic about Guy, who was mentioned only briefly as being once again chased off for his gift.
Unless there's a second book (hopefully covering Guy's story) then I'll be sorely disappointed. The end just didn't do the story justice at all. There was so much more that I wanted and needed to know, before the story could be considered finished.
Regardless, I loved everything else about it. From William's instincts, Tal and Guy, to the exploration of a magical world that pretty much worked like any other college or university.
Want to read
April 17, 2016Now, if that isn't the prettiest cover I've ever seen!?
May 11, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
This story offers magic and fun as it immediately gets right to it as William arrives at his new post. William meets Talesin and the man wastes no time shooting fire at him and conducting full scale weather experiments right over his head. William has basically no idea what is going on as he was offered a position as a researcher, not an assistant.
A good portion of the book has the reader figuring out the story and exactly what is going on. Being a fantasy book, there can be a lot more leeway allowed and I liked the magic aspect with a touch of mystery. William is structured and reserved and Talesin is not that at all. The men work together and get close, but something or many things just aren’t right and then William is left to figure things out all on his own.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
This story offers magic and fun as it immediately gets right to it as William arrives at his new post. William meets Talesin and the man wastes no time shooting fire at him and conducting full scale weather experiments right over his head. William has basically no idea what is going on as he was offered a position as a researcher, not an assistant.
A good portion of the book has the reader figuring out the story and exactly what is going on. Being a fantasy book, there can be a lot more leeway allowed and I liked the magic aspect with a touch of mystery. William is structured and reserved and Talesin is not that at all. The men work together and get close, but something or many things just aren’t right and then William is left to figure things out all on his own.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
May 15, 2016
The world building starts off well, then goes all to heck when the MCs Will and Tal finally come together in a less than romantic sex scene. It really threw the plot into chaos at that point and I had a hard time seeing the attraction between them (even after the end of the book I'm still trying to figure out what the heck was going on between them). The author does manage to wrench the story back on track afterward and it is coherent for the most part. I think another edit with a look toward explaining the meaning behind the words used to describe the different kinds of magic would be advisable and I would love to see more of the world this story is set in.
June 23, 2016
Review can be read at It's About The Book
I love all things magic so this and the gorgeous cover tempted me. For me this had a lot of elements I enjoy. The boss employee trope. Magic. Opposites attract. The promise of lots of sexual tension. Fantasy elements. Sadly it just never clicked for me. I feel like the story had a lot going for it but it just never pulled me in. There’s tons of secrecy that could have compelled me but in this novella it seemed to keep me from forming any attachment to the characters. In the beginning I never really knew what was going on. Then towards the end it was somewhat obvious.
Will is excited to start his new job as a professor at a college of magic. When he arrives he learns his real job will be the apprentice of Archmage Tal. Will bristles at this. He feels it’s below him but he needs the job. Tal is powerful and secretive. Will likes to be orderly and proper and Tal is anything but. Tal is kind of a prude. Tal’s “experiments” seem to be those of a dangerous crazy man to Will at first. Then he’s astounded by his master’s power. When Tal starts to flirt with Will and against his better judgment Will responds Then Will pushes him away. Then he gives in. Tal sees the want in Will though and their attraction seems to be too much to resist. Something sinister is going on in the college though that threatens their new found attraction.
Again I just never became invested in the couple. The baddie was very obvious and it’s frustrating when everyone is oblvious. I think despite the disconnection to the characters the thing I can’t help but wonder about is that all these things seem to be thrown into the story but I don’t really know why? Like the festivals and gods? I tried to take in all the details because these things usually come back later but they never really did. The ending is resolved fairly easily. I had hopes for this book but for me it just didn’t engage me.
I love all things magic so this and the gorgeous cover tempted me. For me this had a lot of elements I enjoy. The boss employee trope. Magic. Opposites attract. The promise of lots of sexual tension. Fantasy elements. Sadly it just never clicked for me. I feel like the story had a lot going for it but it just never pulled me in. There’s tons of secrecy that could have compelled me but in this novella it seemed to keep me from forming any attachment to the characters. In the beginning I never really knew what was going on. Then towards the end it was somewhat obvious.
Will is excited to start his new job as a professor at a college of magic. When he arrives he learns his real job will be the apprentice of Archmage Tal. Will bristles at this. He feels it’s below him but he needs the job. Tal is powerful and secretive. Will likes to be orderly and proper and Tal is anything but. Tal is kind of a prude. Tal’s “experiments” seem to be those of a dangerous crazy man to Will at first. Then he’s astounded by his master’s power. When Tal starts to flirt with Will and against his better judgment Will responds Then Will pushes him away. Then he gives in. Tal sees the want in Will though and their attraction seems to be too much to resist. Something sinister is going on in the college though that threatens their new found attraction.
Again I just never became invested in the couple. The baddie was very obvious and it’s frustrating when everyone is oblvious. I think despite the disconnection to the characters the thing I can’t help but wonder about is that all these things seem to be thrown into the story but I don’t really know why? Like the festivals and gods? I tried to take in all the details because these things usually come back later but they never really did. The ending is resolved fairly easily. I had hopes for this book but for me it just didn’t engage me.
May 17, 2016
I enjoyed this story very much, and found that it developed well towards the end. I am hoping there will be a sequel as I want to know much more about Archmage Karsus and his assistant.
October 10, 2016
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews