Alicia Evans's Reviews > Root Rot Academy: Term 1

I received a free ARC of this book for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book and delve into my first series from Watson! I absolutely loved her previous standalone novels and the plot for this trilogy is really interesting. I like that the relationships are all with the professors/staff, so there aren't any student/adult relationships. I liked Alecto right away--she's confident in herself and what she wants, plus she truly cares about her students and her work. I adored the setting too. It made me think fondly of reading books and fan fiction housed at Hogwarts.

I did have a harder time getting into this book that the previous books from this author, and I think that it was because it is a trilogy so the pacing is different. I kept expecting her to start sexual relationships with the rest of the menfolk, but sadly I must wait for that. I came to enjoy Gavriel by the end, but he was not likeable for most of the book, and that was frustrating in a way considering that he was the partner that Alecto had as of this installment. By the end, their relationship started verging into more verbal sparring with a lot of eye-rolls, but it was a little tricky in the middle there.

I look forward to seeing how this relationship and the others will develop. I am also curious to see how the larger plot pans out. I wanted to know more about it in this book, but sadly I will have to wait for that too. I could see these points being disheartening for other readers too, but I know that the next books will be AMAZING and the build-up will be well worth it. I can't wait!

Tropes or flags: reverse harem; confident out-for-revenge witch meets a vampire, a fae, and a warlock (3 males); roommate romance, hate/love romance, and boss romance; NOT a slow burn (sex around 17-19%) with one partner, though no sex with other partners in this installment; crude language and sex; blood, death, murder, violence, gore, and characters in peril; rough sex; mentions of BDSM, though not explored in this installment; torture, prejudice, bullying, and suicide; previous death of family members.

Heat rating: HOT—sex scenes throughout with explicit language, which adds to the overall story and relationships (more build up here than sexy times).