I was so close to getting everything I wanted, an internship with my Uncle, an officer with the special-ops team. If it weren't for a stupid boy that had to go and make me angry, causing me to turn a certain part of his anatomy purple and sparkly, I wouldn't have accidentally revealed to my family what I really was. What I had been hiding. Now, my father is making me attend the school he headmasters, a stuck-up elite academy that will never take a bodysmith like me seriously. Fate may have cursed me with six mate spots to fill, but that doesn't mean I need to tell everyone my true purpose for being at the academy. If I can survive the other petty circulators at the school that think they're queen bee, and hide my own status from everyone, I just might be able to find the six men that I don't really want. They might think I'm inconsequential, but I'm determined to carve out my own happiness, no matter what it takes.

MY THOUGHTS

From the world to the magic, this was an interesting story. Gabriella deals with finding herself as her life took a sudden turn and yearns to find organic relationships having nothing to do with status. Uninterested in actually finding any mates, she’s forced to roll with what life throws at her.

About the Characters

Gabriella is sassy and down to Earth. She embraces Palmer’s over the top drama instead of being embarrassed. My favorite thing about her is that without being a moody bitch or going on some ranting monologue, she doesn’t take shit from anyone. Balfour is a studious professor who plays by the book, yet is open to new possibilities. Once he commits to something, he goes all in. Foster is freaking adorable when he first meets Gabriella. He’s so shy and awkward and not what you would expect from a football player. Grey is really easy going which makes him a pretty chill roommate. He accepts Gabriella as she is and remains loyal even just as friends. Palmer is the shamelessly fun and over the top goofy one. However, he has his demons that lead him to royall screw himself over. Dar comes off as arrogant at first, but it soon becomes apparent that he’s really just surprised, frustrated, and protective. Cyrus seems chivalrous, old fashioned, and sweet, but damn does he end on a heartbreaking note. Braxton is the ex. While he’s not a prominent character or anything, I felt he warranted a special mention because despite seeming a little contrite, he’s a total asshole.

Things I Liked

Despite any mate bond, she takes things slowly, getting to know each other before jumping into bed. She has a good relationship with her dad. Her guys and friends are all pretty cool and cute. I loved her revenge on her ex, and the nerf gun challenge was a big highlight.

Things I Didn’t Like

It took me a while to realize that this is a fantasy world. Everyone is something magical, whether it be a shifter, vampire, magic user, or something else. There’s also different names for some things, such as a succubus is a “bodysmith”. Shifting seems a little unclear. Does the person just shift to what they’ve practiced, imagined, and studied – or do they have “animals” inside them that come out when they shift? Foster mentioned he’s been working on his bear form, but then his wolf sounds like a separate entity. Gabriella herself comes off a little bratty in the beginning which made me nervous for a minute, but she was only whiney to try to convince her dad to not send her to Hemlock. Once she accepted it, she was totally fine.

More Thoughts

The academy was a pleasant surprise. There’s a mean girl or two, but no big ugly high school type drama. We don’t really have to sit through any classes or deal with any other professors. The harem seems like it’ll be pretty big, but so far I like everybody (for the most part).

Bottom Line

In the end, despite a bit of a cliffhanger, I enjoyed the hell out of it and couldn’t put it down. Bring on the next one!