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Precious Villains #1
House of Pain
During this year's Game, hearts would break.
Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl, House of Pain is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy set in the magical world of Inathis, where the witches are beautiful just as much as they're wicked.
Alecto Black has spent her whole life in Inathis, yet she never quite fit in being the half-witch amongst the purebloods. When she finally enrolled in the most prestigious witchcraft university, The Venefica Academy, last year and joined the House of Snakes as a rightful legacy member, she thought she had finally found her place.
But every year, The Venefica Academy students that belong to 12 Houses all participate in the deadly Game that many witches don't survive. And when the second year at Venefica starts, Alecto finds herself a target of one of the rival Houses while also having to face the enemy from the inside — fellow Snake, Blaze Leveau. As secrets start unraveling, hate turns into something more dangerous and deadly.
While Alecto tries to fight her new dangerous attraction to Blaze, she also finds herself asking how far she is willing to go to secure her place in the world that wants to destroy her?
House of Pain will be perfect for dark academia and Dramione fans who want morally grey characters with spice and loved The Atlas Six, The Ninth House, and Zodiac Academy. It's a dual POV, steamy (extremely) enemies-to-lovers bully romance, so please read the content warning list before reading.
Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl, House of Pain is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy set in the magical world of Inathis, where the witches are beautiful just as much as they're wicked.
Alecto Black has spent her whole life in Inathis, yet she never quite fit in being the half-witch amongst the purebloods. When she finally enrolled in the most prestigious witchcraft university, The Venefica Academy, last year and joined the House of Snakes as a rightful legacy member, she thought she had finally found her place.
But every year, The Venefica Academy students that belong to 12 Houses all participate in the deadly Game that many witches don't survive. And when the second year at Venefica starts, Alecto finds herself a target of one of the rival Houses while also having to face the enemy from the inside — fellow Snake, Blaze Leveau. As secrets start unraveling, hate turns into something more dangerous and deadly.
While Alecto tries to fight her new dangerous attraction to Blaze, she also finds herself asking how far she is willing to go to secure her place in the world that wants to destroy her?
House of Pain will be perfect for dark academia and Dramione fans who want morally grey characters with spice and loved The Atlas Six, The Ninth House, and Zodiac Academy. It's a dual POV, steamy (extremely) enemies-to-lovers bully romance, so please read the content warning list before reading.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2022
161 people are currently reading
2061 people want to read
About the author
Karolina Wilde
7 books70 followersKarolina Wilde is an author of House of Pain, the first book in a seductive dark fantasy romance trilogy, and a sex-positive freelance writer who worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. She has a serious obsession with chocolate (dark or milk, never white, and always with salted caramel), and when she's not writing another book or another client article, she can be found playing World of Warcraft or trying to conquer her never-ending TBR pile. Find her on social media @karolinawilde or on her website at www.karolinawilde.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
December 11, 2022
It’s released, enjoy!!!
—-
If you read Zodiac Academy and found it to be too vanilla, this book is for you. It is as disturbing and twisted as the title suggests.
Alecto is a half witch and a member of the House of Snakes on a prestigious magic academy Venefica. For an academy there’s not much studying going on; most of the time the students are busy with The Game which’s general goal is to take down other Houses. That means shady deals with demons or other creatures from ‘Hel’ and lots of spells that require blood.
So. Much. Blood.
Speaking of which, I’d like to file a complaint:
At the beginning of the book there are two types of magic mentioned; blood magic and sex magic. So where is this sex magic?? Not a single sex magic scene (kissing doesn’t count), only the freakin’ blood all the time!
Next to all the blood there’s sort of a romance, heavily inspired by Tory and Darius from Zodiac, which will probably unfold in the next books. For now Alecto’s relationship with Blaze is extremely toxic, but that’s okay because pretty much every character in this book is toxic and malicious. Besides being toxic and hating each other doesn’t prevent them from sleeping together.
I won’t list all TW cause there are too many and they won’t fit in my review. But if you’re not squeamish, this book has it all; sex, magic, nightmarish monsters and lots of characters to hate.
Enjoy!
Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
—-
If you read Zodiac Academy and found it to be too vanilla, this book is for you. It is as disturbing and twisted as the title suggests.
Alecto is a half witch and a member of the House of Snakes on a prestigious magic academy Venefica. For an academy there’s not much studying going on; most of the time the students are busy with The Game which’s general goal is to take down other Houses. That means shady deals with demons or other creatures from ‘Hel’ and lots of spells that require blood.
So. Much. Blood.
Speaking of which, I’d like to file a complaint:
At the beginning of the book there are two types of magic mentioned; blood magic and sex magic. So where is this sex magic?? Not a single sex magic scene (kissing doesn’t count), only the freakin’ blood all the time!
Next to all the blood there’s sort of a romance, heavily inspired by Tory and Darius from Zodiac, which will probably unfold in the next books. For now Alecto’s relationship with Blaze is extremely toxic, but that’s okay because pretty much every character in this book is toxic and malicious. Besides being toxic and hating each other doesn’t prevent them from sleeping together.
I won’t list all TW cause there are too many and they won’t fit in my review. But if you’re not squeamish, this book has it all; sex, magic, nightmarish monsters and lots of characters to hate.
Enjoy!
Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2022
Roses are red, violets are blue, the nickname Blazy I’d like to sue
3.5 stars, rounded up
This is Zodiac Academy with fewer details, more sex, and a morally gray heroine. This is important because morally gray heroines are my life force.
Before I continue, let me just tell you how I fell down and literally died when this super hot demon came in and revealed his name is ✨ Rogue Smolder ✨ I was shook. I need more Rogue.
That’s Rogue for you, right there. And I’m firmly standing up for these priorities.
This book dove straight into business, the heroine is in her second school year, with most characters already close or familiar with one another. I don’t see this often, but I actually appreciated getting the facts along the way instead of some classic info dumping. But (and this is rich coming from me because I’m not a fan of flashbacks) I really missed some chapters that explained what happened during the first year. Especially, when it comes to the climate and earlier relation between Alecto and Blaze. In general, I’d like to see more characters and interactions with other Houses. More world-building. It was 400 pages, but I definitely felt it could've been longer.
This book was pretty centered on the relationship between Alecto and Blaze, and I’m not gonna lie, in the beginning I was like why is Blaze so chill this is a bully romance, bring the action 🤡 but it picked up eventually and he didn’t disappoint.
I’ll always defend enemies with benefits, but more importantly, I’ll always support an excessive amount of revenge. I’m petty AF. I need sweat. Blood. Scheming. Although, Blaze is a simp bully. Dude’s more self-destructive than I am.
3 observations worth mentioning
⌏ Another thing this book has in common with ZA is the need for more editing. Fucking or versions of the word is used so often, that if I’d take a shot every time it appeared, I’d be dead.
⌏ I’m a huge fan of Alecto’s underwear collection
⌏ Blaze needs to spend more time thinking and less time getting wasted
Lastly, I want to give my condolences to all students who got accepted into the most successful academy that exists, to end up being placed in House of Rats.
3.5 stars, rounded up
This is Zodiac Academy with fewer details, more sex, and a morally gray heroine. This is important because morally gray heroines are my life force.
Before I continue, let me just tell you how I fell down and literally died when this super hot demon came in and revealed his name is ✨ Rogue Smolder ✨ I was shook. I need more Rogue.
"Let his hair be as dark as night itself, eyes deeper than the fucking Mariana Trench, and let his cock be long and beautiful and capable, just like every fucking bitch deserves."
That’s Rogue for you, right there. And I’m firmly standing up for these priorities.
This book dove straight into business, the heroine is in her second school year, with most characters already close or familiar with one another. I don’t see this often, but I actually appreciated getting the facts along the way instead of some classic info dumping. But (and this is rich coming from me because I’m not a fan of flashbacks) I really missed some chapters that explained what happened during the first year. Especially, when it comes to the climate and earlier relation between Alecto and Blaze. In general, I’d like to see more characters and interactions with other Houses. More world-building. It was 400 pages, but I definitely felt it could've been longer.
This book was pretty centered on the relationship between Alecto and Blaze, and I’m not gonna lie, in the beginning I was like why is Blaze so chill this is a bully romance, bring the action 🤡 but it picked up eventually and he didn’t disappoint.
"There are certain things you fucking half breeds are good for. I can’t deny it. Stick with that, why don’t you? It’s what you know best after all."
I’ll always defend enemies with benefits, but more importantly, I’ll always support an excessive amount of revenge. I’m petty AF. I need sweat. Blood. Scheming. Although, Blaze is a simp bully. Dude’s more self-destructive than I am.
3 observations worth mentioning
⌏ Another thing this book has in common with ZA is the need for more editing. Fucking or versions of the word is used so often, that if I’d take a shot every time it appeared, I’d be dead.
⌏ I’m a huge fan of Alecto’s underwear collection
⌏ Blaze needs to spend more time thinking and less time getting wasted
Lastly, I want to give my condolences to all students who got accepted into the most successful academy that exists, to end up being placed in House of Rats.
August 31, 2023
Spicy Dark Academia- Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl-this was so in my wheelhouse I can’t even! Such a good story! Well developed plot and characters, excellent mystery and action. I really liked this read. Set up perfectly for book 2!
October 17, 2023
Update: I finished the book and although it is far from the worst, it was pretty bad. Some of the reasons are listed below, but on top of those, here are a few more:
- lackluster writing
- characterization that takes away from the depth of the personalities rather than to add to it
- misogyny that is reflected by the text itself and the choices that the author made: Alecto is sex-positive, but all her sexual experiences suck and despite being a witch in the House of Snakes (who are even more sexually open than the others) she is incapable of asking for what she wants. Another female character, Val, who sleeps around a lot, is portrayed in a negative light, especially through Alecto's eyes. When the MMC is complete man whore, though, that's fine. The novel does portray both of the main characters sleeping with other people and it's detailed and what really annoys me is that Alecto, when she sleeps with OM, she is punished by the narration first by the bad sex itself and later because .
Since this series I described as "sex-positive", I assumed that women and men would have equal rights to have fun in bed in this series. That is not the case. The heroine had zero good experiences with guys before Blaze. Val, the only other woman we see having sex in the first book, consistently uses sex as a form of currency or as a means to an end. We do not see her having sex just because she wants to and/or it's fun. Would it have killed the author to make the sex scene with OM even mildly enjoyable for the FMC? Like, it was fine but not amazing or something.
"Sex positive" in the context of this series just means everyone sleeps around. And that's fine! I'm not the neighborhood police. But if everyone sleeps around, and those scenes make it into the final cut of the book, can we at least see why the characters keep doing it? If it's so underwhelming and never fun, then why? Why keep doing it???
Pre-review before I finished the book:
CW: abusive parents, including SA (implied)
This was sold to me as a "Dark Academia Bully Romance" but it's really just about Slytherin winning (or losing) the House Cup Hunger Games.
I mean yuh there are technically 12 Houses in this school for magical dum-dums but really, only four of them matter. The Hogwarts ones!
Alecto Black is this weird protagonist who is v horny but at the same time her panties are in a bunch, which is too bad because in Slytherin, you have to be a massive (public) sex fiend!! Yeah, because they are the house of sex! (Snakes, but same thing.)
She has a high school rivalry/enmity with the pureblood legacy boi Blaze. He sometimes teases her so they hate each other. Also their abusive AH fathers are besties.
Blaze is a curiosity. He is best encompassed by his bewilderment when confronted with the fact that behind his back, everyone thinks he sucks in bed because he won't go down on any of his many partners!! W-What a shocking LIE! (Actually, not the going down part - Blaze really needs a ~ connection ~ for that kind of life commitment. But his dick is pretty sweet!! How dare anyone call him a selfish prick)
In a book that calls itself "sex-positive", the fact that Alecto has never really enjoyed (or gotten an orgasm) during sex, a hero like Blaze is quite the bold choice.
I'm not done yet but this is actually pretty hilarious. On the flipside, the abusive parents, who could have been your classic greedy billionaire cartoon villains are actually really horrible, massively abusive assholes. The text repeatedly and heavily implies that the heroine's father is abusing her sexually, and although nothing is shown or spelled out directly, it's very much there.
Not done reading yet so withholding a rating for now.
- lackluster writing
- characterization that takes away from the depth of the personalities rather than to add to it
- misogyny that is reflected by the text itself and the choices that the author made: Alecto is sex-positive, but all her sexual experiences suck and despite being a witch in the House of Snakes (who are even more sexually open than the others) she is incapable of asking for what she wants. Another female character, Val, who sleeps around a lot, is portrayed in a negative light, especially through Alecto's eyes. When the MMC is complete man whore, though, that's fine. The novel does portray both of the main characters sleeping with other people and it's detailed and what really annoys me is that Alecto, when she sleeps with OM, she is punished by the narration first by the bad sex itself and later because .
Since this series I described as "sex-positive", I assumed that women and men would have equal rights to have fun in bed in this series. That is not the case. The heroine had zero good experiences with guys before Blaze. Val, the only other woman we see having sex in the first book, consistently uses sex as a form of currency or as a means to an end. We do not see her having sex just because she wants to and/or it's fun. Would it have killed the author to make the sex scene with OM even mildly enjoyable for the FMC? Like, it was fine but not amazing or something.
"Sex positive" in the context of this series just means everyone sleeps around. And that's fine! I'm not the neighborhood police. But if everyone sleeps around, and those scenes make it into the final cut of the book, can we at least see why the characters keep doing it? If it's so underwhelming and never fun, then why? Why keep doing it???
Pre-review before I finished the book:
CW: abusive parents, including SA (implied)
This was sold to me as a "Dark Academia Bully Romance" but it's really just about Slytherin winning (or losing) the House Cup Hunger Games.
I mean yuh there are technically 12 Houses in this school for magical dum-dums but really, only four of them matter. The Hogwarts ones!
Alecto Black is this weird protagonist who is v horny but at the same time her panties are in a bunch, which is too bad because in Slytherin, you have to be a massive (public) sex fiend!! Yeah, because they are the house of sex! (Snakes, but same thing.)
She has a high school rivalry/enmity with the pureblood legacy boi Blaze. He sometimes teases her so they hate each other. Also their abusive AH fathers are besties.
Blaze is a curiosity. He is best encompassed by his bewilderment when confronted with the fact that behind his back, everyone thinks he sucks in bed because he won't go down on any of his many partners!! W-What a shocking LIE! (Actually, not the going down part - Blaze really needs a ~ connection ~ for that kind of life commitment. But his dick is pretty sweet!! How dare anyone call him a selfish prick)
In a book that calls itself "sex-positive", the fact that Alecto has never really enjoyed (or gotten an orgasm) during sex, a hero like Blaze is quite the bold choice.
I'm not done yet but this is actually pretty hilarious. On the flipside, the abusive parents, who could have been your classic greedy billionaire cartoon villains are actually really horrible, massively abusive assholes. The text repeatedly and heavily implies that the heroine's father is abusing her sexually, and although nothing is shown or spelled out directly, it's very much there.
Not done reading yet so withholding a rating for now.
Want to read
August 14, 2022OKAY, I'm curious. Will it be good? Will it be bad? I don't know. All I do know is that you have to mention The Atlas Six and I will come running.
October 12, 2022
4.25 stars rounded to 4. The Magicians meets 50 Shades of Gray. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Alecto Black is just trying to survive college.... literally. As a half breed witch she is looked down upon by her fellow students at her magical university. But no one pushes her buttons quite like her fellow House of Snakes member, Blaze. Rich, arrogant, and sexy as hell; Blaze is always looking for new ways to make Alecto suffer. When the yearly competition between houses called the Game starts, will it force Blaze and Alecto to work together? Or will it further their divide?
I really enjoyed this story!!! There was plot, smut, dangerous consequences and a fun magic system. Alecto and Blaze make a spicy pairing wading through hormones and destiny, all while trying to leave their mark on the House of Snakes. I truly hope there is more to come of Alecto and Blaze and I'll be anticipating book 2. Some of the elements were a bit cliche and troupe-y but I felt like the plot and characters made those troupes feel original within the story. This story is very smutty, so if that kind of spice isn't your personal flavor I would skip this one.
4.25 stars for this magical and spicy treat. Recommended for readers looking for a grown up Harry Potter-esk read, those who enjoyed The Magicians, and those looking for a spicy good time. Age recommended for 17+ as the adult content is very adult.
Alecto Black is just trying to survive college.... literally. As a half breed witch she is looked down upon by her fellow students at her magical university. But no one pushes her buttons quite like her fellow House of Snakes member, Blaze. Rich, arrogant, and sexy as hell; Blaze is always looking for new ways to make Alecto suffer. When the yearly competition between houses called the Game starts, will it force Blaze and Alecto to work together? Or will it further their divide?
I really enjoyed this story!!! There was plot, smut, dangerous consequences and a fun magic system. Alecto and Blaze make a spicy pairing wading through hormones and destiny, all while trying to leave their mark on the House of Snakes. I truly hope there is more to come of Alecto and Blaze and I'll be anticipating book 2. Some of the elements were a bit cliche and troupe-y but I felt like the plot and characters made those troupes feel original within the story. This story is very smutty, so if that kind of spice isn't your personal flavor I would skip this one.
4.25 stars for this magical and spicy treat. Recommended for readers looking for a grown up Harry Potter-esk read, those who enjoyed The Magicians, and those looking for a spicy good time. Age recommended for 17+ as the adult content is very adult.
October 30, 2022
House of Pain is the first in a supernatural bully academia romance by author, Karolina Wilde. The blurb describes this as a cross between Harry Potter and Gossip Girl, but for me it felt more like an adult-version of Zodiac Academy and would probably be enjoyed by fans of that series. Be warned though this one is a little more adult, and there are a fair few steamy scenes (right from the get go). Told in alternating POV between our two main love interests and including some pictures which are truly amazing to look at. I enjoyed this one a lot. My only criticism would be that there isn’t a lot of world building and the main focus seems to be on the relationship between the two main characters. I’d love to have known more about the magical world and even about the house game, which is only briefly explained. There isn’t really a grand overarching storyline which entices you to keep reading. This book serves as a bit of an introduction I suppose to the world, characters and does set up some things but overall I’d like to have known more and had more depth in this one. I feel this would have taken it from I liked it, to I loved it. Given that it is the first book, I am hopeful that more will be explained in book 2 and going forward. This book does give us some great characters, some steamy romance which made it a lot of fun to read and great escapism. I will read book 2 just to see where else this series goes. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book.
November 25, 2022
This book is like Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl meet the new Wednesday series. I had a lot of fun with this one. There were moments that felt a little slow, but then it would pick right back up again. I’m excited to read the second one and continue with these characters!
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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August 27, 2022
1.5 ⭐ - This book was not for me.
House of Pain is a Harry Potter x Dark Academia bully romance, and when I read the comparison to Dramione in the blurb I jumped at the chance to read this. I should have corralled my excitement.
Here we have Alecto, a half-blood witch, as the FMC. She’s discriminated against because of it, and his biggest bully happens to be part of the same inner circle she’s in as part of the House of Snakes. Blaze - the MMC - is as fucked up as the rest of the characters in the story, if not more, and he’s conviction that Alecto is inferior to him was hard to read because it happens throughout the entire book. I’m all for morally grey characters, truly, I think they’re far more interesting to read about, but I was rooting for exactly zero characters by the end of this… Well, I liked Jolene and Andro. And I suppose Alecto is not the absolute worst, but she’s pretty close - worst, she looks up to them.
The obvious borrowed themes and plot points from other books didn’t really bother me, but I’ll be honest, this read like a fanfiction, and not the good kind. That being said, I’ve been known for loving trashy fanfics in the past - this was not one of those instances. Also, I feel like there should be a TW about the fact that the physical, psychological, and emotional violence - and specially the molestation - happen at the hands of the characters’ fathers.
It was an overly long book with an unsatisfying ending – so, like I said, not for me.
1.5/5⭐
*Thank you so much Net Galley for the eARC*
House of Pain is a Harry Potter x Dark Academia bully romance, and when I read the comparison to Dramione in the blurb I jumped at the chance to read this. I should have corralled my excitement.
Here we have Alecto, a half-blood witch, as the FMC. She’s discriminated against because of it, and his biggest bully happens to be part of the same inner circle she’s in as part of the House of Snakes. Blaze - the MMC - is as fucked up as the rest of the characters in the story, if not more, and he’s conviction that Alecto is inferior to him was hard to read because it happens throughout the entire book. I’m all for morally grey characters, truly, I think they’re far more interesting to read about, but I was rooting for exactly zero characters by the end of this… Well, I liked Jolene and Andro. And I suppose Alecto is not the absolute worst, but she’s pretty close - worst, she looks up to them.
The obvious borrowed themes and plot points from other books didn’t really bother me, but I’ll be honest, this read like a fanfiction, and not the good kind. That being said, I’ve been known for loving trashy fanfics in the past - this was not one of those instances. Also, I feel like there should be a TW about the fact that the physical, psychological, and emotional violence - and specially the molestation - happen at the hands of the characters’ fathers.
It was an overly long book with an unsatisfying ending – so, like I said, not for me.
1.5/5⭐
*Thank you so much Net Galley for the eARC*
October 12, 2022
3.5 Stars
Thank you both to the author and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review!
Okay here me out. The premise here was good (witches, boarding school, strong and bold characters… it was all there really) but the result didn’t leave me completely satisfied although I must admit these people kept me company for an entire week.
I’ll just introduce the characters to you before I leave my considerations.
1. ALECTO BLACK
Alecto is our lead female character (and I still don’t know what I think about her😭). She’s an half-breed witch who doesn’t feel like she belongs in her house because she’s the only one with an human parent (her very dead mother) apparently. The thing is she might be an half witch (as everyone keeps reminding her) but she’s still “legacy”. Now, I don’t actually know what being legacy means because it wasn’t really explained but I’m just assuming it means your daddy is rich, which is actually kind of ?? because if you’re LEGACY you would think every legacy kid should come from old money. They do not. Whatever.
Alecto isn’t your typical virgin mary protagonist but still, half of the choices she made left me with question marks dancing in my mind. Everything she does is because of what people think of her, to prove them she’s not weak and kind like humans are (the author and I do not live on the same planet apparently) but overall she wasn’t bad. She would eventually talk back to everyone so I’ve got to give that to her AND her thoughts in the last chapters made me CLAP go girlie bring the action finally.
N.b.she has some massive daddy issues we still have to dive into so for the girls who despise their dads !!!
2. BLAZE LEVEAU
Our dear male mc with the same personality as every other brooding boy out there ❤️. Look this man is the weak point of the book, even their bitch club leader Valeria was better than him.
Don’t get me wrong if you like the whole bad boy, smoke addicted, rich as hell, leather jacket, black hair/black eyes, every girl in that school wants him but he’s emotionally unavailable etc. etc. etc. this is your guy. Unfortunately I’ve had enough or rather, homeboy has to be written well to make me like him.
I didn’t even dislike Blaze, he was just dull #TOME. Succubus mother, abusive father, he can’t be with the girl because she’s not full blooded so he hates her and all that. We’ve seen it already so it must be very very very well written to be liked by me. I don’t know if it’s because this was just the first book but it felt like he came to the conclusions of his feelings a bit too fast?
Also he wasn’t that cruel as everyone makes him out to be (he also appoints himself as “cruel” but really…), for all the trigger warning the author included at the very first page (shout out to that btw) this book isn’t THAT dark, really. Yes, he tries to kill Alecto a few times (and everyone of them was very weak spirited) but that was expected this is a witch world dear, wake up.
3. VAL
Listen trust me to always defend the morally grey bitch dictator coming from the street and fucking her way to richness. I’m her defender and they’re right to say they wouldn’t be anything without her lead.
4. Jolene & Alessandro
they’re… just there… being good friends. hopefully we see more of them in the next books?
In conclusion, I was expecting much more but I’m not mad. Yes the plot was weak and more focused on the romance and the world building could have been much better because half of the things are left at it but considering this is the author‘s debut novel I’m very hopeful it can get better furthermore in the series. I also expect it to become much darker than this book because most of the things that pissed me are linked to the way these people were babbling about being cruel and devilish and the baddest people alive and then the most of it was trying to kill (unsuccessfully) their rivals OR having a little bit of pain kink.
READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:
- Dark Academia
- Enemies to lovers to enemies to idk
- Boarding school setting
- Bully romance
- Witches & demons
BONUS: reading the book I created a Pinterest board so if you’re interested here it is 🫶🏻 https://pin.it/1qJnHhB
Thank you both to the author and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review!
Okay here me out. The premise here was good (witches, boarding school, strong and bold characters… it was all there really) but the result didn’t leave me completely satisfied although I must admit these people kept me company for an entire week.
I’ll just introduce the characters to you before I leave my considerations.
1. ALECTO BLACK
Alecto is our lead female character (and I still don’t know what I think about her😭). She’s an half-breed witch who doesn’t feel like she belongs in her house because she’s the only one with an human parent (her very dead mother) apparently. The thing is she might be an half witch (as everyone keeps reminding her) but she’s still “legacy”. Now, I don’t actually know what being legacy means because it wasn’t really explained but I’m just assuming it means your daddy is rich, which is actually kind of ?? because if you’re LEGACY you would think every legacy kid should come from old money. They do not. Whatever.
Alecto isn’t your typical virgin mary protagonist but still, half of the choices she made left me with question marks dancing in my mind. Everything she does is because of what people think of her, to prove them she’s not weak and kind like humans are (the author and I do not live on the same planet apparently) but overall she wasn’t bad. She would eventually talk back to everyone so I’ve got to give that to her AND her thoughts in the last chapters made me CLAP go girlie bring the action finally.
N.b.she has some massive daddy issues we still have to dive into so for the girls who despise their dads !!!
2. BLAZE LEVEAU
Our dear male mc with the same personality as every other brooding boy out there ❤️. Look this man is the weak point of the book, even their bitch club leader Valeria was better than him.
Don’t get me wrong if you like the whole bad boy, smoke addicted, rich as hell, leather jacket, black hair/black eyes, every girl in that school wants him but he’s emotionally unavailable etc. etc. etc. this is your guy. Unfortunately I’ve had enough or rather, homeboy has to be written well to make me like him.
I didn’t even dislike Blaze, he was just dull #TOME. Succubus mother, abusive father, he can’t be with the girl because she’s not full blooded so he hates her and all that. We’ve seen it already so it must be very very very well written to be liked by me. I don’t know if it’s because this was just the first book but it felt like he came to the conclusions of his feelings a bit too fast?
Also he wasn’t that cruel as everyone makes him out to be (he also appoints himself as “cruel” but really…), for all the trigger warning the author included at the very first page (shout out to that btw) this book isn’t THAT dark, really. Yes, he tries to kill Alecto a few times (and everyone of them was very weak spirited) but that was expected this is a witch world dear, wake up.
3. VAL
Listen trust me to always defend the morally grey bitch dictator coming from the street and fucking her way to richness. I’m her defender and they’re right to say they wouldn’t be anything without her lead.
4. Jolene & Alessandro
they’re… just there… being good friends. hopefully we see more of them in the next books?
In conclusion, I was expecting much more but I’m not mad. Yes the plot was weak and more focused on the romance and the world building could have been much better because half of the things are left at it but considering this is the author‘s debut novel I’m very hopeful it can get better furthermore in the series. I also expect it to become much darker than this book because most of the things that pissed me are linked to the way these people were babbling about being cruel and devilish and the baddest people alive and then the most of it was trying to kill (unsuccessfully) their rivals OR having a little bit of pain kink.
READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:
- Dark Academia
- Enemies to lovers to enemies to idk
- Boarding school setting
- Bully romance
- Witches & demons
BONUS: reading the book I created a Pinterest board so if you’re interested here it is 🫶🏻 https://pin.it/1qJnHhB
August 23, 2022
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for this ARC.
As with most ARCs, I went into this with 0 expectations and holy fucking shit. I loved every dirty, dark, beautiful moment of it. I can’t wait for it to come out in DECEMBER 6 2022 so I can read it again in its physical form. So let’s get into it:
Alecto Black is a second year student at the prestigious academy of Venefica in the cruel realm of witches. Every year each house in the school competes in The Game to earn their rank and legacy. But these aren’t ordinary games and the stakes are high. Alecto has to face not only the dangers of participating in the games but also the hate she gets for not being a pure blood witch, particularly from her rude, wicked, and obviously sexy housemate, Blaze.
The book is duel POV done very well. The spice level is fantastic and the romance really blew my mind. The characters are hilarious, dark, and dynamic. I found myself loving each and every one of them which rarely ever happens (someone always annoys the crap out of me).
I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who has ever loved magic, dark romance, morally grey characters, and drama. Dying for the sequel.
As with most ARCs, I went into this with 0 expectations and holy fucking shit. I loved every dirty, dark, beautiful moment of it. I can’t wait for it to come out in DECEMBER 6 2022 so I can read it again in its physical form. So let’s get into it:
Alecto Black is a second year student at the prestigious academy of Venefica in the cruel realm of witches. Every year each house in the school competes in The Game to earn their rank and legacy. But these aren’t ordinary games and the stakes are high. Alecto has to face not only the dangers of participating in the games but also the hate she gets for not being a pure blood witch, particularly from her rude, wicked, and obviously sexy housemate, Blaze.
The book is duel POV done very well. The spice level is fantastic and the romance really blew my mind. The characters are hilarious, dark, and dynamic. I found myself loving each and every one of them which rarely ever happens (someone always annoys the crap out of me).
I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who has ever loved magic, dark romance, morally grey characters, and drama. Dying for the sequel.
October 6, 2022
3.5⭐️ This book was entertaining and I liked the world the book was set in. I love books with magic, witches, and other creatures so this book was fun because of that. I feel like think book had a lot going on and there were many storylines unfinished, so I am hoping that some of the questions I have will be answered in the next book. This book did feel pretty long, but I still enjoyed it. I LOVED the art that was included throughout the book!
Themes in the book:
-Dark Academia
-Fantasy
-Witches, magic, and other magical creatures
-Boarding school setting
-Bully Romance
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC for my honest opinion.
Themes in the book:
-Dark Academia
-Fantasy
-Witches, magic, and other magical creatures
-Boarding school setting
-Bully Romance
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC for my honest opinion.
August 18, 2022
Rating: 3.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Readers who loved Zodiac Academy, this is the book for you! This book is very similar where there are houses in the school who compete against each other. The main difference is that this competition is the main focus of this book.
Blaze and Alecto’s relationship is very very VERY similar to Tory and Darius’ relationship in Zodiac Academy, to the point where I was looking for something special or different that will differentiate them in a way. That is where the wasted potential of Rogue comes in. Rogue had so much potential in this book in so many ways but just wasn’t utilized. Rogue could have been used as someone to make Blaze jealous, to try and create conflict in the inner circle, to maybe confuse Alecto in her feelings towards both the inner circle and Blaze. His character barely had any development, I wish we got to know him more.
I also wished there was more of a plot outside of winning the competition and stealing the books. The book was around 900 pages long and most of it was about Blaze and Alecto’s very toxic relationship or stealing the book. Give me some fun side characters, maybe more of a story behind the legacy’s parents, I was just looking for a little something more.
Overall, the book was entertaining and interesting.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Readers who loved Zodiac Academy, this is the book for you! This book is very similar where there are houses in the school who compete against each other. The main difference is that this competition is the main focus of this book.
Blaze and Alecto’s relationship is very very VERY similar to Tory and Darius’ relationship in Zodiac Academy, to the point where I was looking for something special or different that will differentiate them in a way. That is where the wasted potential of Rogue comes in. Rogue had so much potential in this book in so many ways but just wasn’t utilized. Rogue could have been used as someone to make Blaze jealous, to try and create conflict in the inner circle, to maybe confuse Alecto in her feelings towards both the inner circle and Blaze. His character barely had any development, I wish we got to know him more.
I also wished there was more of a plot outside of winning the competition and stealing the books. The book was around 900 pages long and most of it was about Blaze and Alecto’s very toxic relationship or stealing the book. Give me some fun side characters, maybe more of a story behind the legacy’s parents, I was just looking for a little something more.
Overall, the book was entertaining and interesting.
September 25, 2022
House of Pain is a new book by Karolina Wilde.
In this book, Alecto Black goes to a boarding school for witches. Unfortunately for her, she is only half a witch and faces a lot of prejudice for it. All the students are sorted into houses, and every year they have to play the Game. This year, Alecto is determined to win.
I liked few things about this book. It was an interesting premise, and could have been a very interesting book. Unfortunately, this plot is barely focused on. Even by the end of the book, I was unclear on what the Game was, they never explain it. What the book is focused on is the "romance" between Alecto and Blaze Leveau, the local Bad Boy. This also could have been good, but it fell into the same tropes as all the others. Namely, they get together, break up, get back together, break up again...and so on. Despite the awful things that Blaze does to her (trying to kill her a few times) she never actually makes him suffer for it, she just forgives. For a character who is meant to be strong and independent, this really undermines her.
I would recommend this book for younger readers (mid teens) who are more interested in romance than plot.
I got this ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, Alecto Black goes to a boarding school for witches. Unfortunately for her, she is only half a witch and faces a lot of prejudice for it. All the students are sorted into houses, and every year they have to play the Game. This year, Alecto is determined to win.
I liked few things about this book. It was an interesting premise, and could have been a very interesting book. Unfortunately, this plot is barely focused on. Even by the end of the book, I was unclear on what the Game was, they never explain it. What the book is focused on is the "romance" between Alecto and Blaze Leveau, the local Bad Boy. This also could have been good, but it fell into the same tropes as all the others. Namely, they get together, break up, get back together, break up again...and so on. Despite the awful things that Blaze does to her (trying to kill her a few times) she never actually makes him suffer for it, she just forgives. For a character who is meant to be strong and independent, this really undermines her.
I would recommend this book for younger readers (mid teens) who are more interested in romance than plot.
I got this ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 22, 2022
House of Pain is a dark, fantasy romance with extremely flawed and devious characters. While I admit it's probably not a book for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely had Gossip Girl vibes and lots of spice. I found both of the main characters to be well-developed, and I liked getting to know the side characters. I flew through this book and cannot wait for the sequel!
April 24, 2024
Did I enjoy myself? Absolutely. Is it a great literary work? absolutely not. The dramione, bully romance was what it was described as and that’s the vibes I got from it. I enjoyed the first two books more so than the final but if you’re looking for a trashy good time, this is worth a read.
Warning: there is a decent amount of typos if that’s something that bothers you (my brain just Input the right word and carried on)
Warning: there is a decent amount of typos if that’s something that bothers you (my brain just Input the right word and carried on)
October 21, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an early arc in exchange for an honest review!
The cover and the premise of an adult romance with magical school, hints of dark academia and a bully romance intrigued me to pick up this book. House of Pain follows Alecto Black, who goes to Venefica Academy and is part of the House of Snakes. She is half witch which is why she is bullied by the other witches. Every year the houses compete in a game where many of the witches don't survive.
1,5 stars. I was not a big fan of this book, I don't think I am the target audience. First off, it is not clear why the witches play the deadly game. Is it just for honour? It's not made clear enough for me. The plot felt underdeveloped. Furthermore, the book felt a bit like fanfic. Don't get it wrong, I don't think fanfic is inferior by any means. I say this because there's barely any characterisation apart from them being 'wicked'. The lack of introduction to characters or the world makes it feel like fanfic, just jumping into the story without establishment of goals, personalities or worldbuilding.
I don't think the book is for any of the mentioned media in the summary, but for people who like adult bully romance without much plot.
The cover and the premise of an adult romance with magical school, hints of dark academia and a bully romance intrigued me to pick up this book. House of Pain follows Alecto Black, who goes to Venefica Academy and is part of the House of Snakes. She is half witch which is why she is bullied by the other witches. Every year the houses compete in a game where many of the witches don't survive.
1,5 stars. I was not a big fan of this book, I don't think I am the target audience. First off, it is not clear why the witches play the deadly game. Is it just for honour? It's not made clear enough for me. The plot felt underdeveloped. Furthermore, the book felt a bit like fanfic. Don't get it wrong, I don't think fanfic is inferior by any means. I say this because there's barely any characterisation apart from them being 'wicked'. The lack of introduction to characters or the world makes it feel like fanfic, just jumping into the story without establishment of goals, personalities or worldbuilding.
I don't think the book is for any of the mentioned media in the summary, but for people who like adult bully romance without much plot.
November 4, 2022
FOUR STARS
“You’re a fucking curse on my poor immortal soul, Black.”
House of Pain is book one in the Precious Villains Series by Karolina Wilde and it definitely set up this series to be amazing. This book was created with such good ideas, and I genuinely think the author did an amazing job putting them all together in this book. It has plots and subplots of, romance, found family, magic, school competition/game, and other surprises that keep being added within.
The characters were all so different yet well-developed which made this novel so much better to read since everyone had a different personality and didn’t all just mesh together. Our main characters all live in the House of Snakes which is said to be the best house to live within the academy. Think of it as Slytherin in power levels.
Alecto Black is one of the coolest most girl boss fmc I’ve ever read about. She puts up with ZERO drama or tricks which was so powerful of her. Alecto is a half-blooded witch but is also a legacy which means she comes from money AND power giving her a higher target level from other students. At some point in the book it is insinuated that she has some type of fatherly trauma, but it was never explored anymore besides the one chapter it was in, so I hope it’s developed more in the next book(s). Alecto is a super powerful and popular student but inside she is the sweetest character.
Meanwhile, Blaze Leveau is the epitome of a cruel bully male love interest but with an intense knowledge and skill level of magic. Blaze did some TERRIBLE things to Alecto but after everything he was always forgiven because of his undeniable charm. Even though he was this terrible seeming character I loved him so much. He was raised by a terrible father and therefore acts how he was raised. Blaze had development towards the end, and you could see when he was finally starting to open up and soften towards Alecto which just made me so happy.
The chemistry between these two was SO heavy I couldn’t get enough of it. Each time these two were thrown together it either ended very badly or very intense, in a good way… Alecto’s and Blaze’s banter was so witty and charming I just can’t get enough of them. The soft scenes between these two don’t happen often but when they do, I wanted to melt, they just made me want to cry but not because I was sad.
The storyline of this book was really interesting to me, and I couldn’t put this book down even though it was told from a third-person point of view. The dark academia vibes were unbeatable especially because there was also academic rival trope!!!
The whole premise of the plot is a game between the different houses of Venefica Academy. This game is very intense and only one house can win. The Snakes win every year, and this year is no different. Except this year, the Snakes want to try a new tactic which is considered a forbidden type of magic. The twist at the end due to this was not very surprising but still done very well. All the characters have to work together to steal the other houses books and protect their own at the same time.
I do feel like this book was more character based than plot driven but the mix between the two was good. While I do hope to see more of the plot progress in the next couple books I can’t complain about the romance since I do love all the character and romance quotes. I would like to see some more world building though because we didn’t seem to venture outside of the academy and characters real houses too much.
Overall, House of Pain is a good book to read if you’re in the mood for a enemies to lovers, dark academia, magical book! It was definitely worth the read and I cannot wait to read book two whenever it comes out.
A huge thank you to the Author, Publisher, and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review!
September 20, 2022
“Karma is a bitch, I suppose.”
Witches didn’t believe in karma. It was a moral thing.
If they did, they would never get a decent night’s sleep.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Karolina Wilde for the opportunity to consume this ARC!
House of Pain is a *DARK* fantasy, appropriately coined “Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl.” Throughout our time at Venefica we follow the half-witch, half-mortal, Alecto Black. There are what seem to be a myriad of houses (I counted seven) in which the college-age students are divided into. There is a huge competition between houses that is the main focus of the plot - there’s betrayal, sex, drugs, and magick…sometimes all at the same time. This book is definitely not for a prude reader: this book is HOT off the presses.
I was captivated by this story - I’ll admit that at first I was a bit overwhelmed by all the specific details and the academic world building along with sex magick from the getgo…but the first 5% of the book definitely sets the tone and the pace for the rest of the book. You will not be bored!! This book is full of twists.
Blaze’s dad and Alecto’s mom were romantic with one another once upon a time and *spoiler alert* that’s definitely a big part of this story - the toxic romance between these two. There is a demon that was summoned early on named “Rogue” who I was really rooting for as the love interest, so I guess I was a bit disappointed when she ends up pining for this extremely horny witch boy haha. I wasn’t really fond of the way Blaze was written, he was a bit cringey to me. I loved when Alecto gave him the business and put him in his place:
“I’m not here to be your play thing when Val or the others aren’t enough to satiate your fucking needs!”
I loved the art work that was sprinkled between the sections. The scene in the bath tub was my favorite.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is into dark acadamia looking for something FUN, fast paced and a little spicy!
Witches didn’t believe in karma. It was a moral thing.
If they did, they would never get a decent night’s sleep.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Karolina Wilde for the opportunity to consume this ARC!
House of Pain is a *DARK* fantasy, appropriately coined “Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl.” Throughout our time at Venefica we follow the half-witch, half-mortal, Alecto Black. There are what seem to be a myriad of houses (I counted seven) in which the college-age students are divided into. There is a huge competition between houses that is the main focus of the plot - there’s betrayal, sex, drugs, and magick…sometimes all at the same time. This book is definitely not for a prude reader: this book is HOT off the presses.
I was captivated by this story - I’ll admit that at first I was a bit overwhelmed by all the specific details and the academic world building along with sex magick from the getgo…but the first 5% of the book definitely sets the tone and the pace for the rest of the book. You will not be bored!! This book is full of twists.
Blaze’s dad and Alecto’s mom were romantic with one another once upon a time and *spoiler alert* that’s definitely a big part of this story - the toxic romance between these two. There is a demon that was summoned early on named “Rogue” who I was really rooting for as the love interest, so I guess I was a bit disappointed when she ends up pining for this extremely horny witch boy haha. I wasn’t really fond of the way Blaze was written, he was a bit cringey to me. I loved when Alecto gave him the business and put him in his place:
“I’m not here to be your play thing when Val or the others aren’t enough to satiate your fucking needs!”
I loved the art work that was sprinkled between the sections. The scene in the bath tub was my favorite.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is into dark acadamia looking for something FUN, fast paced and a little spicy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2022
Thank you so much to the author for sharing this great dark paranormal romance book with me !!!!
Trigger warnings: (written at the beginning of the book) violence, psychological abuse, bullying, blood, toxic relationship
“During this year’s Game, hearts would break”
“Blaze belonged in a way Alecto never could, and for that alone, she hated him more every day he spent wasting”
“Oh, you know what I’m taking about, Blaazy”
Wow this book !!! Saying that I need book two now would be a HUGE understatement!!!!
I’m completely speechless !!!
This dark paranormal romance was not what I was expecting at all !!!
Witches and demons, mystery and some Harry Potter and the goblet of fire vibes made it all super interesting!!!!
The plot was amazingly developed and I loved the magic system this book provided !!!
The characters were absolutely amazing !!! Imagine “All of us villains” and you get precisely what kind of characters we are talking about !!!
And the romance in this … it was WILDE !!!!
It is described as a dramione bully romance … but I would say more of a Jude and Cardan kind of relationship… even Rika and Michael if you want !!! (Penelope Douglas kind of bully to lovers)
But this one was also so much more !!!
Alecto and Blaze are so complicated both in their individual being and in their dynamics. The spicy scenes they share … IMMACULATE!!!! Absolutely crazy good !!!
I loved every minute of reading them !!
And I have to say I am a huge fan of the little SURPRISES the author left almost at the end of each section of the book !!!
I wasn’t expecting that at all !!!
People have to read this one !!! And I already can’t wait for book two to be out and go on with this amazing trilogy!!!!
“Your misery is miserable”
“She is mine to fuck with … and I don’t like others messing with what’s mine”
“A cruel beauty”
“Ruin them before they ruin you”
Trigger warnings: (written at the beginning of the book) violence, psychological abuse, bullying, blood, toxic relationship
“During this year’s Game, hearts would break”
“Blaze belonged in a way Alecto never could, and for that alone, she hated him more every day he spent wasting”
“Oh, you know what I’m taking about, Blaazy”
Wow this book !!! Saying that I need book two now would be a HUGE understatement!!!!
I’m completely speechless !!!
This dark paranormal romance was not what I was expecting at all !!!
Witches and demons, mystery and some Harry Potter and the goblet of fire vibes made it all super interesting!!!!
The plot was amazingly developed and I loved the magic system this book provided !!!
The characters were absolutely amazing !!! Imagine “All of us villains” and you get precisely what kind of characters we are talking about !!!
And the romance in this … it was WILDE !!!!
It is described as a dramione bully romance … but I would say more of a Jude and Cardan kind of relationship… even Rika and Michael if you want !!! (Penelope Douglas kind of bully to lovers)
But this one was also so much more !!!
Alecto and Blaze are so complicated both in their individual being and in their dynamics. The spicy scenes they share … IMMACULATE!!!! Absolutely crazy good !!!
I loved every minute of reading them !!
And I have to say I am a huge fan of the little SURPRISES the author left almost at the end of each section of the book !!!
I wasn’t expecting that at all !!!
People have to read this one !!! And I already can’t wait for book two to be out and go on with this amazing trilogy!!!!
“Your misery is miserable”
“She is mine to fuck with … and I don’t like others messing with what’s mine”
“A cruel beauty”
“Ruin them before they ruin you”
November 9, 2022
Thank you to the publisher/NetGalley for letting me review this book!
Alright, first off the dedication was top-tier! It will go down as a favorite for me. That being said, while I did enjoy this book I did feel like it was missing some key elements.
The synopsis definitely tells you what this book will be about before you even read. It is enticing for a reason. The only part I question is the morally-greyness of the MC. She seems to only do things in retaliation to others not because she wants to do them for herself automatically. Hopefully that will be remedied in the next installment. While I do critique that, the rest of the characters are highly morally grey. It is amazing. The Dramoine vibes were high key killing me and I was loving it. I will say that although this is 'spicy' I felt like it could have taken it farther.
The plot was not on the mainstage for most of this book so the story seems to slowdown here and there. I think this would have been better if it had a little more action. The smut it okay, I personally wouldn't say it was the spiciest for myself but for others it might be. Some of the scenes kind of felt forced but did at least add to the characterization and the plot.
One part I highly enjoyed was the found-family type of trope this book was developing. I wish we had seen more interactions between all of the members. I didn't understand how the parents fit into this, it was vague or at least not completely developed. This might be because it will come to light later in the series but as of right now it left a lot of questions unanswered.
Overall I think this series has a lot of potential and that anyone who enjoys fanfiction, morally grey couples, etc. will enjoy this book.
Alright, first off the dedication was top-tier! It will go down as a favorite for me. That being said, while I did enjoy this book I did feel like it was missing some key elements.
The synopsis definitely tells you what this book will be about before you even read. It is enticing for a reason. The only part I question is the morally-greyness of the MC. She seems to only do things in retaliation to others not because she wants to do them for herself automatically. Hopefully that will be remedied in the next installment. While I do critique that, the rest of the characters are highly morally grey. It is amazing. The Dramoine vibes were high key killing me and I was loving it. I will say that although this is 'spicy' I felt like it could have taken it farther.
The plot was not on the mainstage for most of this book so the story seems to slowdown here and there. I think this would have been better if it had a little more action. The smut it okay, I personally wouldn't say it was the spiciest for myself but for others it might be. Some of the scenes kind of felt forced but did at least add to the characterization and the plot.
One part I highly enjoyed was the found-family type of trope this book was developing. I wish we had seen more interactions between all of the members. I didn't understand how the parents fit into this, it was vague or at least not completely developed. This might be because it will come to light later in the series but as of right now it left a lot of questions unanswered.
Overall I think this series has a lot of potential and that anyone who enjoys fanfiction, morally grey couples, etc. will enjoy this book.
September 4, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, Karolina Wilde and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC of House of Pain.
Secondly, this book had me fairly hooked!! It felt like a mixture between Harry Potter and Zodiac Academy, with a good dosage of enemies to lovers to enemies to....who knows?
The magic, lore and families were so interesting! You can tell there's so much history between each family, that this is a generational thing and that there's a lot of meat there for more stories if we don't find out more in the sequel.
I adored Alecto!!! It was so interesting and amazing to have a female MC who is strong, sex positive and its never viewed as this bad thing, it is just *is*. She knows how to handle herself, and I feel like we're just getting the tip of the iceberg with her growth. Her relationship with Blaze is so interesting because it reminded me of Dramione fanfics and even Darius/Tory from ZA. Morally gray tortured boys are amazing, and Blaze fits that perfectly!!
I will say a few cons for me were:
- I felt like we were dropped into it all very quickly without much explanation about the game, or the day to day running of the school and their houses.
- There were certain things I felt needed more in depth focus like Val, and Rogue (totally under used) and the girl who was found in the House of Tigers.
I'm really excited to read the sequel!!!!! Definitely a good read for people who like enemies to lovers, magic, bully romance, strong female mcs and a bit of spice!
Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, Karolina Wilde and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC of House of Pain.
Secondly, this book had me fairly hooked!! It felt like a mixture between Harry Potter and Zodiac Academy, with a good dosage of enemies to lovers to enemies to....who knows?
The magic, lore and families were so interesting! You can tell there's so much history between each family, that this is a generational thing and that there's a lot of meat there for more stories if we don't find out more in the sequel.
I adored Alecto!!! It was so interesting and amazing to have a female MC who is strong, sex positive and its never viewed as this bad thing, it is just *is*. She knows how to handle herself, and I feel like we're just getting the tip of the iceberg with her growth. Her relationship with Blaze is so interesting because it reminded me of Dramione fanfics and even Darius/Tory from ZA. Morally gray tortured boys are amazing, and Blaze fits that perfectly!!
I will say a few cons for me were:
- I felt like we were dropped into it all very quickly without much explanation about the game, or the day to day running of the school and their houses.
- There were certain things I felt needed more in depth focus like Val, and Rogue (totally under used) and the girl who was found in the House of Tigers.
I'm really excited to read the sequel!!!!! Definitely a good read for people who like enemies to lovers, magic, bully romance, strong female mcs and a bit of spice!
September 20, 2022
I’m not gonna lie, this book had me hooked. It’s described as gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl and I suppose that’s accurate enough with the school of magic, House competitions, rich kids, teenage drama, and romance. It follows Alecto, a half-witch half-mortal at a school of witches who see her as lesser. She’s part of the House of Snakes and is participating in a deadly game against the other Houses while also dealing with her nemesis Blaze Leveau.
What I liked:
- Blaze Leveau. I’d let him ruin my life too.
- The dynamic between Blaze and Alecto. Very angsty/passionate/will they or won’t they with a bit of bullying
- Alecto’s determination and willingness to be ruthless in order to survive
- The dark academia setting
- The spice 🔥
- The dual POV
- The illustrations
What could have been better:
- The writing - some cringey dialogue, modern slang, and excessive swearing for the sake of being edgy/shocking
- The reveal at the end could have been better
- Blaze and Alecto’s back and forth got to be a little too much for me by the end
- I still don’t really know much about the other Houses or the people in them
- The demon Rogue had a lot more potential
Overall the negatives didn’t bother me too much and the story kept me wanting more. I will definitely read the next book! Thank you to Karolina Wilde and NetGalley for the ARC!
What I liked:
- Blaze Leveau. I’d let him ruin my life too.
- The dynamic between Blaze and Alecto. Very angsty/passionate/will they or won’t they with a bit of bullying
- Alecto’s determination and willingness to be ruthless in order to survive
- The dark academia setting
- The spice 🔥
- The dual POV
- The illustrations
What could have been better:
- The writing - some cringey dialogue, modern slang, and excessive swearing for the sake of being edgy/shocking
- The reveal at the end could have been better
- Blaze and Alecto’s back and forth got to be a little too much for me by the end
- I still don’t really know much about the other Houses or the people in them
- The demon Rogue had a lot more potential
Overall the negatives didn’t bother me too much and the story kept me wanting more. I will definitely read the next book! Thank you to Karolina Wilde and NetGalley for the ARC!
November 9, 2022
Oh my goodness! “House of Pain” is, in a word, enthralling.
“House of Pain” is a dark academia, enemies-to-lovers (-to-enemies…?) novel that is the first in its series. The author compares it to Harry Potter, and while I saw glimpses of that, I also felt like there were pieces of Crescent City in there, too. The world building is intense, and you’re thrust right into the world from the first page. There is not a lot of backstory, which is what I struggled with in the beginning. However, once you let go of the need to know and choose to enjoy is, in my opinion, when the story truly shines.
One of my favorite tropes is found family. On “House of Pain” the found family is incredibly well done. Despite being five very close friends, there are multiple times throughout the book where you can’t tell if they actually enjoy one another, much less care about the rest of the group. They call themselves the “Inner Circle”, though most of the storyline follows Alecto, our FMC, and Blaze, our MMC. Jolene was a close favorite of mine, and Val I went back and forth on. Is the good, is she evil? Even after finishing I don’t think this question was answered— and I LOVE that! As a reader, many of the questions are left for us to interpret, which made the story so enjoyable to me.
“House of Pain” is a dark academia, enemies-to-lovers (-to-enemies…?) novel that is the first in its series. The author compares it to Harry Potter, and while I saw glimpses of that, I also felt like there were pieces of Crescent City in there, too. The world building is intense, and you’re thrust right into the world from the first page. There is not a lot of backstory, which is what I struggled with in the beginning. However, once you let go of the need to know and choose to enjoy is, in my opinion, when the story truly shines.
One of my favorite tropes is found family. On “House of Pain” the found family is incredibly well done. Despite being five very close friends, there are multiple times throughout the book where you can’t tell if they actually enjoy one another, much less care about the rest of the group. They call themselves the “Inner Circle”, though most of the storyline follows Alecto, our FMC, and Blaze, our MMC. Jolene was a close favorite of mine, and Val I went back and forth on. Is the good, is she evil? Even after finishing I don’t think this question was answered— and I LOVE that! As a reader, many of the questions are left for us to interpret, which made the story so enjoyable to me.
November 23, 2022
4.25⭐️
House of Pain is a dark academia fantasy romance novel with Zodiac Academy, Harry Potter, and Atlas Six vibes. It’s a dual perspective, steamy enemies to lovers bully romance with both the main characters (Alecto and Blaze) being morally grey.
Alecto Black is just trying survive her time through college. As a “half breed”, most of the witches in Venefica Academy think she is weak and underneath them. Which can’t be further from the truth, but no body pushes her buttons quite like fellow House of Snakes mate, Blaze. Rich, full of himself, and sexy as sin, Blaze is happiest when he is making Alecto suffer. Unfortunately, because of The Games, the two must work together to beat the other Houses.
While I loved the LGBTQ+ diversity is this book, there was a lack of world building and plot development that left me slightly confused, but since this is book one it is setting everything up. With that said, I still had a good time reading this one. I was laughing at how hard both Alecto and Blaze were fighting their attraction to each other. I enjoyed this spicy dark fantasy and look forward to reading book 2!
🔞 Be sure to check content and trigger warnings!
Thank you Netgalley and Karolina Wilde for giving me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
House of Pain is a dark academia fantasy romance novel with Zodiac Academy, Harry Potter, and Atlas Six vibes. It’s a dual perspective, steamy enemies to lovers bully romance with both the main characters (Alecto and Blaze) being morally grey.
Alecto Black is just trying survive her time through college. As a “half breed”, most of the witches in Venefica Academy think she is weak and underneath them. Which can’t be further from the truth, but no body pushes her buttons quite like fellow House of Snakes mate, Blaze. Rich, full of himself, and sexy as sin, Blaze is happiest when he is making Alecto suffer. Unfortunately, because of The Games, the two must work together to beat the other Houses.
While I loved the LGBTQ+ diversity is this book, there was a lack of world building and plot development that left me slightly confused, but since this is book one it is setting everything up. With that said, I still had a good time reading this one. I was laughing at how hard both Alecto and Blaze were fighting their attraction to each other. I enjoyed this spicy dark fantasy and look forward to reading book 2!
🔞 Be sure to check content and trigger warnings!
Thank you Netgalley and Karolina Wilde for giving me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 29, 2022
This book had a chokehold on me! I was engrossed and on the edge of my seat every chapter wondering what would happen to Alecto next or what would Blaze do. The tension, chemistry and spice between these two was top notch. I couldn't get enough of them. All of the side characters were just as intriguing as the main characters, the magical system and the world building needed a little bit more work as well as the grammar throughout the story but let me tell you it did not lack on the usage of magic and battles with creatures from their world. There are many Houses at the school the characters attend, and the Houses compete against each other because of a Game that the school requires the students to participate in. There are no limits to what you can do to a fellow student just don't get caught! There was an exceptional balance of fantasy and romance. Plot and character driven. I look forward to reading the next book in this trilogy!
Did I mention the ARTWORK?! Because that MUST be mentioned! It was absolutely STUNNING!
P.S. This is a dark fantasy, and you need to check TW!
Did I mention the ARTWORK?! Because that MUST be mentioned! It was absolutely STUNNING!
P.S. This is a dark fantasy, and you need to check TW!
November 23, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Karolina Wilde for the book! Here I leave my honest review.
Gothic Harry Potter, that's what draw me in, but I couldn't feel the magic system like in Harry Potter. Yes they are witch, even half witch but I think I missed the world building in this book. Suddenly there's a game and they want to win it. I even missed the explanation about the House (is there or not?). I really wished that the author could explain us about the world, what kind of school they're now, what is the concept and purpose of the Game? Cause I think it's too heavy and I can't find the enjoy of this Game.
Okay, this is a bully romance. I think the author didn't disappointed in this aspect. She wrote it nicely and it makes this book centered on this two characters, Blaze and Alecto. Not bad but that's not what I hoped when I read this book.
I think this is an okay book. I still curious what will happen on the next book.
Gothic Harry Potter, that's what draw me in, but I couldn't feel the magic system like in Harry Potter. Yes they are witch, even half witch but I think I missed the world building in this book. Suddenly there's a game and they want to win it. I even missed the explanation about the House (is there or not?). I really wished that the author could explain us about the world, what kind of school they're now, what is the concept and purpose of the Game? Cause I think it's too heavy and I can't find the enjoy of this Game.
Okay, this is a bully romance. I think the author didn't disappointed in this aspect. She wrote it nicely and it makes this book centered on this two characters, Blaze and Alecto. Not bad but that's not what I hoped when I read this book.
I think this is an okay book. I still curious what will happen on the next book.
November 5, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Karolina Wilde for my arc in exchange for my unbiased review.
OKAY. So "House of Pain" is the first in the Precious Villains series and we essentially are following a young woman and her group of friends as they try to make it through what is basically magic college.
I decided to request this one because I wanted something light and quick to read and reading the blurb, I thought this would be perfect to pick up in-between grad work and teaching. BOY was I wrong.
Now, if I were younger and still read fanfic often, I'd probably like this but unfortunately, I'm 30 and have no patience with cringey dialogue, NLOG characterizations, and uncomfortably written sex scenes.
This book was absolutely not for me but I know that there's a whole market for books like this and related like Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thrones and Roses, Zodiac Academy, etc.
OKAY. So "House of Pain" is the first in the Precious Villains series and we essentially are following a young woman and her group of friends as they try to make it through what is basically magic college.
I decided to request this one because I wanted something light and quick to read and reading the blurb, I thought this would be perfect to pick up in-between grad work and teaching. BOY was I wrong.
Now, if I were younger and still read fanfic often, I'd probably like this but unfortunately, I'm 30 and have no patience with cringey dialogue, NLOG characterizations, and uncomfortably written sex scenes.
This book was absolutely not for me but I know that there's a whole market for books like this and related like Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thrones and Roses, Zodiac Academy, etc.
November 16, 2022
House of Pain is a dark academia/fantasy set in a prestigious witchcraft university. Alecto, the morally grey heroine, is a half-blood witch in a place full of pure-bloods and feels like she constantly needs to prove herself to the others. The school is divided into different Houses who all compete against each other to be the top of the school.
I love that it was told in dual POV from Alecto and her enemy/love interest Blaze. Blaze has had it out for Alecto since she first arrived in House of Snakes at Venefica Academy and he has made his dislike well know. In return, Alecto can't stand the rich, arrogant asshole and gives as good as she gets. Somewhere along the way hate turns to lust and all of the steaminess kicks up a notch.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I loved the premise of the story with it's dark academia feel but unfortunately it failed to fully capture my attention and I often found my mind wandering from the story. I would still recommend checking out if dark new adult witch/fantasy stories with an enemies-to-lovers steamy aspect appeal to you.
I love that it was told in dual POV from Alecto and her enemy/love interest Blaze. Blaze has had it out for Alecto since she first arrived in House of Snakes at Venefica Academy and he has made his dislike well know. In return, Alecto can't stand the rich, arrogant asshole and gives as good as she gets. Somewhere along the way hate turns to lust and all of the steaminess kicks up a notch.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I loved the premise of the story with it's dark academia feel but unfortunately it failed to fully capture my attention and I often found my mind wandering from the story. I would still recommend checking out if dark new adult witch/fantasy stories with an enemies-to-lovers steamy aspect appeal to you.
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