Nice slow burn
After some of the more recent releases this was a refreshing slow burn. I'm not a fan of academy stories but was thrilled at finding a non Mafia style romance by Knight. I will say I think that Lailah could use a bitore backbone. I don't know anyone who would sit and just close their eyes waiting on physical abuse from mean girls or for soda to be thrown at them, or the other myriad of offenses heaped on her by the, ugh, mean girls. That group was just a bit much. More High School than college age antics. But outside of that the groundwork laid for the Elementi and Synergy was done pretty well. And the fact that the romance wasn't unrealistically rushed just to fill in plot holes. There's an actual story, with character development, world building, and a real plot. And actual romance, with shared activities, bonding moments, trust building, and genuine caring. My main issue with the story is honestly the overused plot device of girl bullies and her doormat behavior in accepting it. A woman who gets on a plane for 15hrs to fly to a new country, leaving her family and contentious past behind to start over, isn't going to just lay down to be walked on. The only time it seemed like she fought back was when her power leaked, like it was making decisions for her. Oh, one other bone of contention, the ancient library. Sure a campus could have antique books, not a concern. Allowing students, or staff even, to handle those books without gloves?? That's my issue lol. Anything over 100yrs generally gets handled with gloves that protect pages from being ruined by skin oils. Ok, second add on issue, she knows she's being targeted by mean girls. Why is she walking places alone? Ok, rant over. But those are the reasons for lower stars. Some things didn't make sense. Yes, it's fiction, but mild suspension of reality is a lot different than complete suspension.