An Academy for Liars

Lennon, a 24-year-old college dropout who was once engaged to her university TA, has just been offered a place at Drayton, a secret college of magical persuasion. The pressures placed on her are intense, and the mind games and physical danger only get worse as she gains power. Personal studies with handsome professor Dante reveal that she may have reality-shaping powers seen once in a generation. But finding out the cost of her powers—and what Drayton wants with them—might be more than Lennon can take. Henderson’s take on fantasy dark academia creates a refreshing look at the genteel brutalization of the academy as an institution. The breathless pace and constant escalation keep the plot moving, letting themes like autonomy and Black scholars’ disproportionate academic sacrifices float in the background before later landing like a sucker punch. There is the brief requisite teacher-student romance, though it’s explicitly framed as destructive, and more emphasis is placed on ways scholastic romances feed on power imbalance and spiral into abusive control.