Precious Villains #1
by Karolina Wild, Pub date Dec 6, 2022
3.5* (Rounded to 4), Best enjoyed with bitter chocolate and sweet red wine
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“**This is an adult 18+ novel
During this year’s Game, hearts would break.
Gothic Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl, House of Pain is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy set in the magical world of Inathis, where the witches are beautiful just as much as they’re wicked.
Alecto Black has spent her whole life in Inathis, yet she never quite fit in being the half-witch amongst the purebloods. When she finally enrolled in the most prestigious witchcraft university, The Venefica Academy, last year and joined the House of Snakes as a rightful legacy member, she thought she had finally found her place.
But every year, The Venefica Academy students that belong to 12 Houses all participate in the deadly Game that many witches don’t survive. And when the second year at Venefica starts, Alecto finds herself a target of one of the rival Houses while also having to face the enemy from the inside — fellow Snake, Blaze Leveau. As secrets start unraveling, hate turns into something more dangerous and deadly.
While Alecto tries to fight her new dangerous attraction to Blaze, she also finds herself asking how far she is willing to go to secure her place in the world that wants to destroy her?”
Blood & Bones:
House of Pain is the bitterest of dark chocolate cake laced with the sour tang of blackberries and raspberries—which is totally something I would make as a fall desert. Okay, fine. I already did—but can you blame me? It was just as deliciously sinful as this book! And this is definitely a guilty pleasure read given the dark content and anti-hero cast. If I had to make this into a movie, it would be low-lighting with lots of red.
The setting was dark, the characters were purposely not the most likeable and were morally charcoal. The best way to describe them was vicious—but what do you expect in a dark academia novel where the main characters are witches and warlocks from the House of Snakes whose magic mainly comes from sex and other more devious means? They also tend to use forbidden forms of magic in their pursuit to win “The Game”, a yearly competition amongst the magic Houses (think frat houses but co-ed) that is akin to capture the flag, but replace the flag with the House’s Book of Shadows. Witches have died in pursuit of glory during the game, and houses will go to truly insidious means to win.
Naturally, being a New Adult, this book has a lot of sexual content and darker themes. The main romance is a bully romance between Alecto and Blaze. Alecto is somewhat of an outsider in the core group of the House of Snakes, lead by Val. Alecto is considered somewhat prudish at the beginning, but we learn she has her reasons aside from the obvious as to why she doesn’t take part in the public displays of sex magic that the House of Snakes sometimes demonstrate. Blaze is a powerful warlock with hidden family troubles that cause him to lash out and bully. His current favorite target is Alecto. He does some truly heinous things people, but so does everyone else at the Venefica Academy. However, he discovers that not all of his passionate feelings towards Alecto are hate-based. And Alecto has desires that are Blaze-based that she wished she didn’t have. They fight their feelings throughout, but grim truth is that sometimes you can’t fight against some cravings, no matter how bad they may be for you.
Over the course of House of Pain, loyalties are tested, vengeful demons are unleashed, and powerful magic is used in insidious ways. This is a dark, dark book, but also very good. It’s like watching a fast, sexy train wreck happen. By the end, you’re grateful it’s fiction but you’re also not done with this world. And it’s not done with you.
Thank you to Netgalley & Karolina Wild for the advanced copy in exchange for this fair and honest review.
Always Lost in Words 