Royals of Villain Academy 1: Cruel Magic Paperback – May 1, 2019

This was a great read! It pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention the entire time. I loved getting to know Rory and watching her as she is yanked from life as she knew and thrust into something totally unexpected. She had no idea that she had magic of her own and that it wasn't like her adoptive Joymancer parents but instead Fearmancer. She is essentially kidnapped on their rescue attempt and had to watch her "rescuers" kill her parents that treated her well and loved her and she loved them. She is thrust into this world that thrives on causing fear in others in order to gain magic at Bloodstone University and told that she is the long lost heir to the Bloodstone Barony. She quickly becomes a target when she doesn't just jump at the offer Malcom and the other Scions give on her first day there after stepping in when she sees Malcolm bullying and scaring a younger teen. I really enjoyed getting to know Rory and watching her stand her ground though it is very shaky for her right now. She is learning the rules here at the University and doesn't like what she is seeing for sure. She has a lot to figure out and a lot to stand strong on in the midst of grieving for her parents and having to hide that from everyone. This story was well written and flowed smoothly. I was engaged with the characters and really love Rory and am excited to see how things turn out with the other Scions.

I had been waiting to start this series until I could get enough credits to finish it (because of the reviews I knew I wanted to be able to listen all in one go with the cliffhangers involved haha). So far I am really enjoying this series and am already breezing through book 2 (I promise no spoilers from me!).In terms of the story, you will have a ton of questions that will lead into the future books (no, not really any of them have been answered in book 2 so far haha, but that's half the fun!) and you will second-guess everyone because you don't know who to trust at this point. I mean that is kind of the point because the Bloodstone heir is thrust into a world she didnt know she was a part of, people have been lying to her her entire life, and she is supposed to be this big shot villain pretty much and she is no where close. I liked the supernatural aspects of this story, some things were similar to another series by Eva that I enjoyed previously, so that was kinda cool to see. I can't wait to see more of that in the future books as Rory learns more about her past and deals with her current magical standing. Now regarding the men of this future harem....the scions are definitely harsh to Rory at times, some worse than others. I really was liking Connar buuuuut then he ruined it so we shall see how he redeems himself once he realizes Malcolm is not the messiah and should be put on a pedestal. I am intrigued by the Barons and cannot wait for Rory to put some of them in their place (what I am assuming the storyline is going, I could be totally wrong!). I hope Rory is able to make real friends and doesnt have everyone hurt or betray her. I feel like a lot of heartbreak is going to come in the next couple books, but I am here for it all!In terms of narration, I thought Meg Sylvan did a good job, sometimes Jude's tone grated on my nerves, but you could always tell it was him talking with her intonation change. I thought she did a fantastic job with Rory, her parents, the side female characters, made my heart swell and then obliterated it haha. Stephen did a good job as well, he was much better at the male voices and interpretations, but he also had some weaker moments with the female characters (sometimes sounding very whining when it was Rory and not one of the mean girls on campus).I would definitely recommend this series and these audiobooks, now back to listening to book 2 ❤️❤️❤️

A very all round meh experience2.5 stars rounded up to 3A bunch of snooty scared boys throwing their weight around so no one discovers how scared they are. Sticking around for when Rory gets her pound of flesh and they have to grovel.

So I’ve read some Romantasy books but THIS ONE has me doing a deep dive into my Romantasy era. I love it. It’s entertaining. It has great plot. There isn’t a lot of smut in this first book BUT the smut that is in here is very spicy. I love how strong Rory is as a FMC. I can’t say I have a favorite guy at the moment so we shall see who wins my heart!

This review is written after reading and listening to this book.This is the first book in a new series, I liked Rory she's such a strong character and the author took the time to develop her and give her depth. At the start of the story is seems to be somewhat meek but almost immediately she starts to build up her self confidence which continues throughout this book and by the end she has earned the respect of many. She has a purpose and knows what she must do if she is to survive and refuses to stray from her mission.Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything to like about the other Scions and didn't think they were worthy partners for her. They were as far as I was concerned bullies without any redeeming qualities but hopefully, this will change.This is a series which builds slowly but the story does have lots of drama and potential and I look forward to reading/listening to more of it.The narration by Meg Sylvan and Stephen Dexter is well done and it made listening to this story an enjoyable experience.

You tell em’ Rory!! I couldn’t imagine what she’s going through and to be strong and tough! I was definitely on my toes reading this book and feeling sad and yelling at the book! Can’t wait to read the next book!!