Nightshade ARC Review

Book: Nightshade (ARC)

Author: Autumn Woods

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I would give 10/5 if I could)

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Nightshade is the first book in an unfinished Dark Acedamia Duology by Autumn Woods (possibly more books with some of our side characters, but the author is undecided for now). It releases on Paperback and Kindle Unlimited on January 28, 2025 (which means it's officially out now!).

First five star read of the year!! Woohoo!

If you like Dark Acedamia, you will absolutely DEVOUR this book.

For a brief overview (please check out the author's official synopsis if you're interested), Ophelia joins Sarrowsong University, a rich kid college for famous kids, children of mafia bosses and business entrepreneurs, etc, for the sole purpose of figuring out why her parents, who worked for the university, died in a crash in the faculty helicopter just a few miles away, and why it was covered up. It's there that she meets Alex, the son of Cain Green who just so happens to be the man who owned the helicopter that crashed and covered it up. Ophelia's mission since her parent's death has been gathering as much info as she could on Cain Green to be able to expose him for the P.O.S. he is and all the horrible things he's done that he's been able to cover up all these year, and it's a mission she's not ready to give up on. But can she expose Cain for all his sins when, despite her best efforts to stay away, she might be falling in love with his son?

Alex and Ophelia are our MCs in this dual POV novel, and they are both amazing! They are also the love interests in an enemies-to-lovers plot. Some may categorize it as GrumpxGrumpy, but seeing Alex be all mushy and happy, dreaming of the future with Ophelia, and doing anything to make her smile is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'm a sucker for a good he-falls-first-and-harder trope. I could 1,000% see Alex becoming the next big BookTok sensation. He might be my new favorite Book Boyfriend. And Ophelia is such a sweetheart and I relate to her on a spiritual level (minus the dead parents, the stalker, and the college full of rich, power hungry mafia bosses in traning, of course).

And I can't not mention my FAVORITE side character, Vincenzo! I LOVED him and would totally read a book where he is our leading man! I did not get nearly enough of my Italian mafia golden retriever, and I NEED to see more of him in the next book. I sincerely hope he gets a HEA at the end of this, or I will riot. The author has mentioned that if she decides to do the extra books after the duology for the side characters, Vincenzo's story will be one of the books, so it gives me hope.

I went through so many thoeries while reading this book, but at every turn something new was thrown in that had me second-guessing. Although, I'm very proud to say that by mid-book I had established a theory that did end up coming true in the end. This book damn near had me pulling out the string and making my own evidence wall trying to piece these clue together.

The world building was so intricate and incredible, and once again I am reminded that I do NOT have the brain to be a mystery writter. How anyone can come up with the plot twists, and the carefully disguised foreshadowing that accompanies a book like this is so amazing to me. I loved that while this book takes place in the real world, it's also removed from the real world slightly. While I am conviced (and no one can tell me otherwise) that schools like this really do exist for the children of the rich and powerful, it's not something the average person encounters. It's like Percy Jackson, taking place in Manhattan while still having all these fantastical elements. It's so fun to imagine a world like that existing right under our noses unless you know what you're looking for.

If I could rate this books higher than 5 stars, 10/10, and two thumbs up, I would. It was absolutely incredible, and a book that I know is going to stay with me for a while.

Pick up your copy of Nightshade by Autumn Woods, out now in Paperback and on Kindle Unlimited. The second book in the Nightshade duology is set to release sometime in 2025.