I don’t quite know how to word this, so let me word vomit for a bit to get my thoughts across. I have just finished An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson and my head is a bit everywhere. This dark academia novel laced with horror and supernatural elements has held my attention for a few days now, bringing a dark and sinister feel to the polarising genre, and providing a novel that is lush and dangerous.

Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart. Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself. After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her. As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton College, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption…and it’s a test she’s terrified she is going to fail.

So An Academy for Liars is far more than this blurb eludes to. It is a deep, heavy novel full of tough themes, dark subject matter, and detail that will shock, captivate, and scare you. From the magical mystery of Drayton College’s existence to the coursework and exploration into learning the arts of persuasion, An Academy for Liars undoubtedly has that dark academia feel to it. The more we read, the more ominous and violent the truth becomes, and if you know Alexis Henderson from The Year of the Witching (which is a fantastic dark fantasy horror you should absolutely read) then you know the horror elements will be gory and visceral, and rich.

I am very opinionated and picky with my dark academia reads, needing layers, conflicts, and conundrums to keep me engaged while the philosophical, social, political, and/or institutional themes are navigate and exposed. I need complexity and inner turmoil, I need characters who are questioning themselves and others and what they thought they knew. I need worlds to be shattered and a new reality to take its place. An Academy for Liars gave me that and more. It was a little hit and miss with one trope that I am often against, skirting by that red flag enough to keep me reading, so overall it is not my favourite dark academia I have read, but it is certainly a good one.

There is something about it that left me wanting though, and I feel this may be its downfall for a lot of people. Ultimately, there is little change enacted and a hollow ending, at least from what I felt and how I read it. Others will disagree, and I am all for it. Personally, I wanted a little something else from the ending. I wanted to really lean into some of the themes and foreshadowing that I felt brewing. It was a good ending, but you know that I can often nitpick the books I see potential in and want more from them as a result.

I highly recommend adding An Academy for Liars to your September or October TBRs. This is a moody, haunting read that is lush with academic intrigue, magical realism, and aspects of horror that is perfect for this time of year.