Strange Things Await

Virtus Academy #1

by Jamila A. Stone

At Virtus Academy a boarding school for the supernatural, the students are not your average High Schoolers. They might go through some of the same social problems, these students are powerful and many dangerous. From vampires, witches, werewolves, and werecats these youngsters must learn how to navigate classes and other species who might on the outside of campus be a natural enemy.

Virtus Academy’s walls are going to be shaken up this year as they never have before. Not only do the walls have to contend with two young Sophomore witches (Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius) who despise each other so much so they constantly wage war against the infrastructure, there’s a monster on the loose killing students.

Will these two witches who once were best friends rekindle that friendship in time to help each other through all that’s about to hit them this year? Or will they fail to unite even after a mutual friend of theirs get captured by the same monster killing students?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

347 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2019

Reviews

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Strange Things Await definitely held up to it's name. In the beginning, the prologue definitely sucked me in. Yet, after the first few chapters I grew bored pretty quickly with the characters and the upcoming drama. In some ways, it just seemed so juvenile to me and all I wanted to do was roll my eyes at things that were being said or done.

I still kept with the book though because of the prologue. I wanted to know more about Natalie as well. After meeting her and knowing that something tragic and unexpected happened to her family.. I just wanted to know more about her. Little did I know, that I was going to see her get romantically involved with so many people - whether it was fake or not. Then the whole drama about certain things just annoyed me as well.

Her magic was pretty interesting though but that's basically it for me. I wanted to know the main character so badly and ended up thinking she was okay but nothing spectacular or special for me. Just an ordinary witch with powers that she doesn't fully understand yet. Also the villains in this were pretty obviously from the get go. So with the ending, I wasn't really surprised by what went down.

All I can say is that I dove into this book and I made it out alive.

[Aly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was strange for sure, but unfortunately not in the best way. I felt like the story jumped around a lot and there wasn't anything to let you know the book was switching point of view. There was an excess of drama that wasn't necessary and it felt like the author was trying to cram in as much as they could.

The main character is Nat, a fifteen year old witch starting at the magical Virtus Academy. The school is supposed to help train the kids in their various abilities, but instead they terrorize each other and the staff mostly fades into the background. I wish the school had been more strict and enforced some kind of order instead of letting the powerful kids hurt the weaker.

I thought it was unrealistic that Nat kept jumping into relationships and saying she loved people after a week or two. Her relationship with the teacher was especially skeevy and I was disappointed in her choices there. Nat was not a good judge of character and needed someone older to help guide her.

I did like the friend group of different supernaturals. Some of the kids could see the future and there a phoenix which was cool. I wish the plot had focused more on the friendships and cut out a lot of the unnecessary side plots.

This did wrap things up at the end and I'm happy because I would not read a sequel. I think this had potential to be good, but it needs a rewrite to clean up the plot and make Nat a more likeable character. Also, four romances for the main character seems excessive and the cheating really turned me off.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I have voluntarily chosen to leave a review.

[Elyse (ElyseReadsandSpeaks) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not gonna sugarcoat it for you, folks: this might be one of the worst books I've ever read.

The writing was bad. It was underdeveloped and could have used several more edits. We jumped through chunks of time without warning and the only thing to help you understand that time passed was when someone said something along the lines of "that was months ago," when really, it was a couple of pages ago.

The sexual scenes were really cringey. I thought it couldn't get worse when I laughed out loud because one girl started turning into a werewolf as they hooked up, but no no no, it definitely got worse when Nat was almost raped.

It was difficult to remember who was who because there were a lot of names without much of a background story, nothing seemed to make sense, nothing tied together, and I have rarely been so confused about what the hell is even happening as I have physically read a book from start to finish.

[K.C. Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange Things Await is a series opener novel for a new young adult boarding school series with plenty of fantasy hijinks and interpersonal drama, so I knew going in that it was going to be totally up my street. Having recently been obsessed with dramas like the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I was hoping for a darkly magical adventure with plenty of characters, monsters and dramas, and boy did this book deliver!
The conceptual setup of Virtus Academy makes for an exciting collection of different characters with varied supernatural abilities, but our central pair are the feuding young witches Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius. Nat is a highly relatable heroine whom I liked straight away, kind of naïve to the goings-on around her and a little awkward in her social behaviours. This sets Alex up to be a brilliant foil for her, so when the going gets tough and the girls are forced to face the same monster on the loose, sparks do fly!
Jamila A. Stone is clearly an author who pays careful attention to the needs of her plot, cycling us through lots of different locations with rich descriptions so that you get this kind of labyrinthine feel to the school and its many dark secrets. One of my favourite characters turned out to be Brenda, so wickedly well developed and her dialogue always brought a wide grin to my face. I liked the fact that there was a strong cast of young females amongst the smaller characters like Olivia, Ella and Leslie, which felt very empowering to see them saving the day with their various powers.
If you’re into tons of action and a twisting, turning plot with a great fantasy setting and relatable, accurate teen characters, then I’m certain you’ll enjoy Strange Things Await!

[Victoria Maposa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captured my attention right from the get-go. In fact, I loved every bit of it! I've always been a fan of fantasy novels and this book didn't disappoint. The story is captivating and one of the best that I've read so far.

I really loved the tone as it's quite easy to both read and understand. Additionally, there are some really great expressions in the book. Not only that, but the author also manages to paint vivid pictures in the minds of the readers with all the scene and character description. Highly recommended!

[Fritz Carmichael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd rather be given a proctology exam using a porcupine.

[Heidi Slowinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story takes place at Virtus Academy, a boarding school for supernatural students. The school houses and educates vampires, witches, werewolves, and werecats. The story centers around two witches, Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius, both in their sophomore year. The two are former friends who have had a falling out. The school year is also plagued by mysterious murders of several students.

Supernatural and young adult fiction are both outside my usual reading material but this held my attention well. The character development is complex and the issues these students face, despite their supernatural abilities, are very relatable. The language in the dialogue was a little on the formal side at times but overall this was an interesting read. If enjoy fantasy and supernatural fiction, give this a read.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC. The opinions in this review are my own and are unbiased.

I requested this book because of the pretty cover. I really should have known better, based on prior experience. The plot and characters did not seem bad, but this book was so poorly written that it was all I could do to skim it. The sentence structure was abysmal. The text was peppered with the repetitive use of verbs and sentences ending in prepositions. Unsurprisingly there was also the typical newbie foible of adjective overuse, as well as vocabulary choices that made me question if the author understood the precise meaning of the words she was using. These sorts of problems should have been pointed out by an editor. This book needed another full draft in order to be a publishable work. Very disappointing. It could have been fun.

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the supernatural world starts having murders, there's a problem. Students at the Virtus Academy are also being murdered. Students deal with this and the normal teenage angst. I liked this book and you would find it on my highly recommended pile.

[Aly · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 49%

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a free online copy for an honest review.

I tried guys, I really tried. This book started okay, a slight mystery in the first few chapters, and then the protagonist going into a high school full of magical people. Usually a set up that I enjoy immensely. However, it became very quickly apparent that there wasn't any clear idea of what the plot was, despite the opening. There wasn't any more focus on it aside from getting teased and stared at while at school.

The writing style was quite juvenile, and could use several more drafts as there were a lot of typos and grammatical errors, as well as words being used incorrectly.

What really got me is when the sexual scenes started. Now, I'm not a fan of graphic scenes to begin with, but I am able to overlook them for the sake of a fair review. Usually. What makes this situation different is that, like I've mentioned earlier, they were in high school. And not even about to graduate, these characters were like 14-15, which when paired with the description of those scenes... disgusting. I really couldn't overlook that. I was really confused at this point, wondering who the intended audience was. The storyline points are clearly meant to be more adult, but both the writing, setting (and minor conflicts too if we are being honest) all read incredibly young.

I should have went with my gut and stopped at like 25% (before encountering the underage sex scenes) but I really hoped the plot could turn around at some point and offer something redeemable, however at this point I need to cut my losses and save myself from skimming the last 200 pages and still hating it.

So, pick this up with a grain of salt. If the story isn't working for you past Chapter 5, it won't start working for you at all. And once again thank you for the opportunity to try out this story, unfortunately it did not deliver.

[readingwithpapillons]

DNF at 16%

I requested this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I don’t feel right giving a star rating as I didn’t finish it at 16% but I will leave this review

This book had real potential, it had a great synopsis and a good prologue. But after the prologue I just struggled so much to read it. Once I got to chapter 5 I just couldn’t do it anymore, I was afraid this book was going to put me in a reading slump and I was just going to be wasting my time

The writing was really good not, I’m surprised the editor didn’t pick more up. I was so confused at times as to what was happening and also cringing at nearly every second with what the characters were saying and doing. In the chapters that I read everything was feeling so rushed and no character development

It’s a real shame that this book was such a let down

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book and tried my best to get through it, but I couldn't get past the way it was poorly written and how childish and outlandish the dialogue seemed. It has a great premise, an interesting start, and I love the hell out of diverse queer books, but this just fell flat for me too much.

[Reece]

ARC from NetGalley

DNF @ 3% so I'm not going to rate it.

I can't. This book is really not very well-written. Everything is told. The dialogue is clunky. We have multiple exclamation points and even the dreaded interrobang. It desperately needs an edit (ARC, so fair enough), and it reads like... well like someone not an adult wrote it.

[Brigitte]

DNF @ 15%
I could not get over the clunky writing, and the age of the characters was really uncomfortable when paired with certain scenes/habits within the world.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange things await (VIRTUS ACADEMY BOOK 1)
By Jamila A. Stone
⭐⭐⭐⭐

At Virtus Academy, boarding school for the supernatural, the students are not your average teenagers.
From vampires, to witches, werewolves and werecats, the freakishly powerful youngsters studying at Virtus Academy must learn to navigate classes, social complications and crushes like any other high schooler...while also keeping the peace between themselves and multiple species that would ordinarily be their natural enemies off-campus! It’s a recipe for disagreements and drama as is, but this year, Virtus Academy’s walls are going to be shaken like never before.
For a start, the Academy will have to contend with two violently feuding Sophomore witches, Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius. Once the closest of friends, a tragic accident turned them into mortal enemies, and each has sworn to bring misfortune to the other in perpetuity.
To make matters worse, there’s also a monster on the loose...and it’s killing students.
As gossip and rumors start to fly, Nat and Alex find themselves the target of some malicious hearsay. As the danger grows, it seems there’s safety in numbers...
But can two sworn enemies rekindle their friendship in time to survive the onslaught of the coming year?
Or will their failure to unite result in the loss of another loved one?

firstly a huge thank you to @pridebooktours for giving me this #gifted copy ahead of my tour spot review for book 2.

This supernatural, fantasy book is one hell of a rollercoaster! I was up and down constantly with this book. There were times where I felt things were a bit slow, to then being on the edge of my seat wanting more. There were a lot of moments where I was confused and lost, to times where I was hit with a plot twist. I was a yoyo while reading.

I won't go to much into this book as I don't want to do spoilers and so much happens in this book that I worry I might. So I will do my pros and cons, cons first as you always need to end things positively.

So cons, the main issue I had was the confusion and jumps that happen in this book. At the start of this book one of our main characters Nat, hasn't got a hold of her witchcraft. She can do tiny spells but nothing earth shattering. But from having very little magic to help protect herself, all of a sudden as you're reading, she's completely full of witchcraft and extremely powerful. Nothing was suggested how she became powerful other than she had some help. I also was confused on the jumps in this book. One minute Nat was being attacked the next she's at the attackers party. Throughout it jumps like a month or two has passed. I was confused many a times wondering how certain things happened, how all of a sudden Nat is little miss popular and so powerful. I also wasn't impressed with the relationships that were going on, particularly Nat's character. At the start she was in a relationship with a vampire, to then all of a sudden 'sucking face' with a female werewolf, to then having a teacher/student relationship, then a fake one with a 'frenemy'. It's not the relationships that bother me, but more so that she literally just jumped in and out of them. I am not sure whether again it's the time jump where you don't know how many weeks/months passed or, if she generally is just in one to the other like a switch. It just makes Nat's character look awful and it just to me shows quite a toxic side into relationships, which isn't needed in my eyes.

Now to the cons... I loved the world building and having a school full of supernatural beings. I loved that you had your normal vampires, werewolves and witches but also ones that you don't see many of in books, seers, phoenix's, werecats. It gave that element of originality. I absolutely loved all of the characters mentioned in there own way, their powers and what makes them tick. The friendships that start forming are really nice and you can certainly tell that it's a firm, solid one. I liked the crime/thriller element of this story trying to work out who the killer is (when it was revealed, my jaw dropped- definitely a twist I didn't see coming!) The magic and supernatural powers where top level amazing and every single character is a badass with them! I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns in this book and I couldn't put it down as I needed to know what happens.

Overall, I had a blast with this book and I'm so excited to dive straight into book 2 and get into the thick of things. Definitely a fun whirlwind of a read.

[Rafael Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Thank You Netgalley For the eARC for the book in Exchange for my honest opinion**

The Story Center’s Around Natalie and Alexandra. Both Were inseparable Best friends Joined at the hip After a Falling Out Leads them to be in bad terms with each other and now they are enemies.

Both Are in their sophomore year at the Virtus Academy a school for the Supernatural From vampires, to witches, werewolves and werecats, the freakishly powerful youngsters Have to Navigate school and relationships between natural enemies species, and trying to figure out how to navigate the average world.

Things change as a monster murders Students and the likely next victims are Natalie and Alexandra, and there are rumors of malicious hearsay going around the school. Having figure they are strength in numbers they have to figure out if they are willing to unite. I like the idea of a twist in enemies to lovers trope, I don't really like Idea of a book starting with enemies and have change without any type of story but I loved how Jamila Stone did her own take of and it was executed perfectly.

Things a liked about the characters were that they were really genuine to the the word “teen” in many YA or Book the characters are Matured beyond their years to help the plot developed and its a very good tool to convey certain messages but i enjoyed the way the characters in the book stay true to the type of characters they portray to be. There was many unforgettable characters from Olivia, Ella and Leslie All who are Very empowering characters as some of the heroines in the book.

Definitely Give the Book a 4/5 Such a good read.

[JayRaeReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

The book starts of attempting to be mysterious, but it just came off extremely annoying to me. With a lot of “he had been found, “he died”, and what happened to “him”.
⠀
The 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 of “Strange Things Await” is basically non-existent. At 44% of the book I still felt like nothing had happened. Definitely nothing exciting, or anything to draw me into the book.
⠀
The 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 is unconvincing and severely lacking. I’m still not entirely sure what kind of world setting this is.
⠀
The 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 in this story are in my opinion not introduced very well. I had a hard time remembering who was who. And I didn’t feel any attachment to any of the characters. They were all very superficial introductions and quick switches from character to character.
⠀
Unfortunately the 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 was subpar as well. A few of the things I noticed that drove me crazy were redundancies, punctuation errors, and random jumps in thought processes:
“But they never showed themselves out in the open a lot” was it never or not a lot?!?
“It took one more disappointing look at Brenda and a disappointed one at Nora” either use two different adjectives or say a disappointing look at Brenda and Nora.
“Russel slowly bore his fangs immediately, showing off his glowing claws” was it slowly or immediately?
⠀
I regret that I didn’t enjoy this book more. I did want to DNF it multiple times, but pushed through. While this book wasn’t for me, book reviews are highly subjective and I recommend finding out for yourself if this book is different for you!
⠀
Thank you #netgalley and Black Glory Publishing House for providing me with a digital ARC copy!

[Madhu MaBookYard - · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating : 3.5/5 🌟🌟🌟✨
.
Whenever there is a magic academy and a demon terrorizing it, I'm all for the adventure. Darkness Awaits is the second book in the Virtus Academy series. It follows our two witches Natalie and Alex, as they just try to survive their Junior year in the academy. Will the shadows and their enemies leave them alone after their disastrous previous year? Nope. And things just got complicated. I binge read both the books at the same time, so it was easy enough to relate to the events that happened in the past. BUT Natalie is my favourite character so far (Even though Alex is coming in second, Natalie is a collosal mess and I love that about her!) They grew as characters so much throughout the books and their power was something I loved to see used everytime. They had so much to overcome in this book, and I loved their interactions! The pacing was sometimes erratic and the facts felt info overload at times, but I was invested enough to not mind them. The writing style was way much better in the second book (As that was something I didn't like in the first book). I could see the author growing as the books went on as well. That ending scene with a particular witch and a person was amazing and I want more now 😂 Anyways, I think these two girls are going to be so much fun in their senior year, and I can't wait to read it!
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Thank you @pridebooktours for the gifted review copies.
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Kindle / May 2021 / Book 117

[Westveil Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was granted complimentary access to Strange Thigns Await via NetGalley after featuring this title during a blog tour with Bewitching Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I had the pleasure of asking Jamila a question and having her spin that into a guest post for my blog, and it was all about giving Black voices a space in publishing. That's great! I'm so excited for Jamila's future as an author, for her company's future, and for all the authors who will be lifted up. This is why I'm so sad to say Strange Things Await didn't do it for me. I'd definitely like to give her work another chance in the future, but this one? Strange is an apt choice of words.

The POV shifts felt random and unclear, to the point that I really wasn't sure who's head I was in half the time. I;m not sure if that means the POV characters are too similar in key ways or if the transitions needed to be written differently. The plot also jumps around a lot. This feels more like a season of a TV show with short episodes that vaguely achieve an overarching storyline throughout the season than one novel presented as a single story.

[Jeannie Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Strange Things Await, you will find a little Twilight mixed with Harry Potter, but not necessarily with the writing style of either.
I've read the other reviews and thought some were downright mean. The storyline of Stange Things Await was good, and in a paranormal/science-fiction kind of way, and the characters were believable.
Personally, I found the language offensive, but that doesn't stop me from reading a book, and I wouldn't downgrade a review because of language, either.
If, when reading a novel like this, you consider the ages of the characters, their actions and line of reasoning were not as unbelievable as some would think.
I applauded Jamila Stone for coming up with a story that includes just about every type of otherworldly beings possible and then pits them against each other in a fight to the finish. Add love, lust, and greed to the picture and there's a lot going on, but all done in a great story.

[Jill]

Dnf 30% but this book isn’t published yet and it was an ARC.