Book Title: House of Ydril: The Originals of Grimm Academy #1
Author: Lyra Forger
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Target Audience: New Adult
Publication date: May 1, 2023
What it’s about
When I woke up today, I didn’t expect to be kidnapped to the famous Grimm Academy and forced to spend time with my high-school celebrity crush.
Quinn is a fighter. Growing up bouncing from foster home to foster home will do that to you.
When she finds out she’s not actually human, but fae, she knows her old life is a thing of the past. Kidnapped to the prestigious Grimm Academy, she has no choice but to settle into the world of the Originals – vampires, shifters and faes. And if that weren’t enough, Quinn is selected to participate in the annual Trials – an exploit that has killed many students before her.
Trying to balance her efforts to discover her past, and the challenges of this new world, Quinn is forced to spend time with her high-school celebrity crush, the vampire prince Andreas Faust himself. But there are dark forces at work that are looking to sew destruction and a mystery that is begging to be solved.
And to make it even harder for Quinn, the handsome prince she used to have a crush on is an entitled asshole who seems to have it in for her.
If you enjoyed Shannon Mayer and Sarah J. Maas, you will find this book unputdownable.
“It’s like Harry Potter for women who like their books spicy!”
Spicy ✓✓✓
★ Standalone/No cliffhanger
★ Enemies to lovers
★ Strong female protagonist
★ Dual POV
★ Royal family
★ Touch her and d!e
★ Slow burn
★ Dark fairytale world
★ Kidnapping
★ Mythology
★ Forced proximity
Will Quinn become the Grimm Academy saviour and what will that mean for her steamy yet complicated relationship with the irresistible vampire prince?
What I Thought
This Book what once again not what I expected but I’m not sure in which way yet.
There were parts I liked and disliked which has me confused.
The MCs are all supposed to be 21 which I guess in Original ages that’s still young but they seemed very juvenile to me. Also for Quinn to be working in Social care due to her being in and out of Foster care to her being whisked away to this academy it seemed a bit odd that she never seemed to kiss her old life. She took too her new reality shockingly easy.
It’s fuel POV as mentioned in the synopsis however, it doesn’t tell you when the PIC shifts so that fist sentence or two seem a little out of place.
It you’re looking for pure spice then this isn’t the book for you. There is a slight romp about 75% ish then you have to wait for the last chapter for the spice. So when they say it’s a slow burn it really is.
Also the romance comes mainly from MMC’s POV when Quinn’s POV Andreas seems very cold and indifferent to Quinn. but when it’s Andreas’ POV we get the obsession.
The romance seems lacking and the story is a little choppy, we get to the end of he chapter and then we jump months into the future.
What was redeeming for me was the side characters Nuala and Moswen. I really liked how these tried to keep Quinn from doing stupid things and I would have liked to have more backstory from them.
I like the plot, it was a bit like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with the trials and the no backing out of the competition if youve been chosen. Also had a few balls thrown in here and there for good measure.
Have you read The House of Ydril? Let me know in the comments
I’m going to read the other books in this series as the author I believe took some of the points had in previous reviews and worked on them so I’d like to see what she does with the information and How she has improved.
Star Rating
Laura's Literary Loves 