The Culling Trials (#1 Shadowspell Academy) by K.F. Breene - Starting September 2nd 2021

[Saar The Book owl]

You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You.

I had no idea how those words would change my life. Or how they’d changed my life already…

Until the day the most dangerous man I’ve ever met waltzed onto my farm and left us a death sentence.

In an invitation.

My younger brother has been chosen for the prestigious, secret magical school hidden within the folds of our mundane world. A place so dangerous, they don’t guarantee you’ll make it out alive.

If he doesn't go our entire family will be killed.

It’s the same invitation my older brother received three years ago—the same place he mysteriously died.

The academy has already killed one sibling. I’ll be damned if they take another.

I do the only thing an older sister can: chop off my hair, strap on two bras to flatten the girls, and take my brother’s place.

Magic and monsters are real. Assassins are coming for me, and the dead are prone to rise. What’s a girl faking it as a boy supposed to do? That’s right—beat the academy at its own game.

Or die trying.

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

I just finished my last book and start this one now! :)

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

28 % - Chapter 5
(view spoiler)[So far, I'm enjoying it. Wild is about to go to the college. There is very little worldbuilding, which is bothering me a bit. I thought it would be some other world but they mentioned Facebook and New York and I'm like ??? The Facebook remark especially has put off my stride. (hide spoiler)]

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

43 % - Chapter 8
(view spoiler)[Okay, that was weird. Why didn’t they tell Billy/her, that they were taking them to the Culling Trials? It was her plan to get there anyway, right? I feel like there’s something missing… (hide spoiler)]

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

59 % - chapter 11
(view spoiler)[They are on the trail now. Wild has found some friends, I wonder if the invite for Billy was actually for her. Someone said they were using tactics to get the kids there, maybe it was a trick all along and they knew they had a better chance at getting Wild there, when they threaten her family again. (hide spoiler)]

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

77 % - Chapter 14
(view spoiler)[I feel like getting sick from all this fast paced action. There’s no moment to pause for a second. I guess that’s the trick behind the Culling trials, but I’d wish for a second to catch my breath. (hide spoiler)]

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

86 % - Chapter 16
(view spoiler)[Okay, so this Ethan-guy was/is bad news, no surprise there. And I knew we would meet Rory at the Trials or at least at the College, especially after Wilds father let on that he also went to the school. And how many people know already that Wild is a girl? The vampire, the healer, probably her crew… (hide spoiler)]

[Vippi]

Just finished.

Ta wrote: "28 % - Chapter 5"
(view spoiler)[The lacking worldbuilding is the biggest flaw of this book. I get that Wild (btw, what is her real name?! It's never mentioned!) didn't know anything about the magical world, but it is quite frustrating nonetheless. I imagine that the story is set in a world pretty similar to the one we live in where magic exists even though 'normal people' don't know it... but I am not sure since it's how I reconstructed it starting from the little scraps of information provided. (hide spoiler)]

Ta wrote: "43 % - Chapter 8"
(view spoiler)[I had your exact feeling of something missing. She fought her 'captors' but never even stopped to question their motives or simply ask what they wanted from her. (hide spoiler)]

Last chapters - random thoughts:
(view spoiler)[Considering what happened when the trial finished, it's now clear that the invitation was meant for Billy and that Sideburns knows that she is a girl. What is not clear is why he decided to get along and not expose her.

I am pretty curious about the curse that her father mentioned and about what Orin said after the final fight...
Rory will likely become a lovely interest and definitely will play a crucial role in the next books. (hide spoiler)]

The ending was (view spoiler)[pretty abrupt and the book is so short that it feels as if the story was left halfway. (hide spoiler)]
Even though I have several reservations, I am intrigued enough to read the next instalment. Would you like to join?

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

Vippi wrote: "Just finished.

Ta wrote: "28 % - Chapter 5"
[spoilers removed]

(view spoiler)[I think Wild's her real name, isn't it? But I was wonderin the same since her brothers and sister have regular names... (hide spoiler)]

Ending
(view spoiler)[So many people now know that she's a girl...

I was wondering about the curse as well, maybe her father is the one where she got her powers from. Wild mentioned him being really slow, maybe that has something to do with the curse. (hide spoiler)]

Yes, I'd lolve to read the next one with you. (view spoiler)[I had the same feeling, that the rest from the book is missing since it just stopps in the middle. I even checked Goodreads if the page count in my version was off... :D (hide spoiler)]

[Vippi]

Ta wrote: "Vippi wrote: "Just finished.

Ta wrote: "28 % - Chapter 5"
[spoilers removed]

[spoilers removed]

Ending..."

(view spoiler)[Too many people know her secret. I wonder how she'll manage to keep it quiet throughout the trials! (hide spoiler)]

Great! Just let me know when you are free so I will request the thread ☺️

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

I'm free from Tuesday on :)

[Vippi]

Ta || bookishbluehead wrote: "I'm free from Tuesday on :)"

Hi Ta! Sorry for the late reply, it was a very busy weekend!
If you are still available, Tuesday will be fine for me (or any other day later). Just let me know what are your preferences and I'll set the thread ;)

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

Tuesday still works for me. :)

[Vippi]

Fine! I'll set the thread :)

[Vippi]

Here is the thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The synopsis alerts that it ends with a cliffhanger (again) and it's very short too. Would you prefer to already set a thread for the third book or wait and see how the second one goes? ;)

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

Thanks!

I'm planning to read them both, we can set up the thread for the third one now if you want to. :)

[Vippi]

Ta || bookishbluehead wrote: "Thanks!

I'm planning to read them both, we can set up the thread for the third one now if you want to. :)"

Yeah! When do you want to set the thread for the 3rd one?

Thank you for the friend request: I'll definitely read Project Hail Mary asap :)

[Ta || bookishbluehead]

Vippi wrote: "Ta || bookishbluehead wrote: "Thanks!

I'm planning to read them both, we can set up the thread for the third one now if you want to. :)"

Yeah! When do you want to set the thread for the 3rd one?
..."

For the 9th? Then we have two days to finish the second one and can start the third right after? Would that work for you?

And yes! Please do! It's so great and let me know what you thought, once you finished it! :)