The Academy of the Dead | A REVIEW
- writereditor.sophia
- May 17
- 6 min read
Living and Dying
By Sophia Considine
As a bookstagrammer (1), I've had the chance to learn about many indie authors (2) trying to find their audience on Instagram. One of the first authors I was drawn to was Vermilion H. Baine when her first book The Fey Hotel (2024) popped up on my feed. At the time, she was asking for ARC (3) readers, but I failed to complete the application form by the deadline. Because I missed out on that opportunity, I was ecstatic when Baine revealed a new book and ARC reader applications last year. I immediately signed up and began reading. Unfortunately, school took hold of my time, and I didn’t finish this masterpiece until well-past its release date in October 2024.
On Baine’s website, she emphasizes her attempts to “sprinkle in humor between the extreme bouts of angst” (4) in her books. This goal is fully realized in The Academy of the Dead (2024), which is her second book in the Haunted Creatures, Haunted Places series of standalone fantasy and paranormal romances set in the same universe. The Academy of the Dead is a gothic, fantasy romance that centers around the will-they/won’t-they couple of necromancers (5), Maddox and Atticus. Maddox is a woman who comes from a family of healers and is the only necromancer in her family since her grandfather. She was a bit of an outsider at home because of that, and she was an outcast at school because her family didn’t have much wealth or notoriety, especially in the necromancy world. Atticus is a man from a wealthy and prominent necromancer family with a big secret from his childhood. He isn’t close with his family, and although he is respected at school, he doesn’t have many friends.
After a rocky start, Maddox and Atticus become study partners and eventually friends at the Academy. However, Atticus suddenly cuts off their friendship without an explanation, and they don’t see each other for a long time. So, how is Maddox supposed to react when he shows up at a party years later with an offer she simply couldn’t refuse? Well, first she says no, then she hexes him and almost buries him alive. Eventually, she says yes because Atticus offered her the chance of a necromancer’s lifetime to analyze a page from an ancient necromancy book.
Let me tell you, I was not expecting the twists and turns in the first few chapters, and especially not the reveal towards the end. But to keep you on the edge of your seat, the most I will give you are allusions, quotes, and reasons why you want to read this book.
First of all, let’s talk about what you’re all here for—the romance. Obviously, the cover indicates romance, but this is not your momma’s romance book with a half-naked man and a woman embracing on the edge of a cliff. This is a young, sassy, fun, and flirty romance novel with a background of magic and curses to keep not only your heart sated, but your mind. The friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope comes in clutch. It seems that friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers were a little too boring and common for Baine, so she had to incorporate something different. I think this was done very well, as there was a lot of bickering, flirting, unnecessary silence, and steamy kisses that left both of them wanting more.
Now it’s time to reveal heart-wrenching, hilarious, and top-notch literary quotes that chewed up my heart and spit it out only to lure me back in. Baine uses a dual-POV throughout the novel, going between Maddox and Atticus, but instead of describing their character traits, she shows them through each person’s eyes. “Maddox missed the tantalizing vanilla scent of old books, of paper cuts slicing her fingertips as she turned pages, desperate to learn more.” I reread this sentence in my notes app many times, always loving how I can almost taste, see, feel, smell, and hear Maddox’s moment. When reading physical books in my own time, I love caressing covers, reading through the acknowledgments, and smelling the paper—very cliche, I know—to fully appreciate all the time, effort, and love that went into its creation. As an avid reader and someone who enjoys learning, Baine captured that feeling perfectly.
Leaning into the dramatics, if you want heartbreak, heartache, and angst, Maddox and Atticus will give it to you. “In that moment, he realized what their relationship was, and what it never would be, and Atticus wanted nothing more than to stop thinking about her.” When I tell you I clutched my hand to my heart, that is no exaggeration. At this point, it wasn’t very far in the novel, but the emotional pain he was in reached through the book (my phone screen) (6) and tugged at my heartstrings. Towards the end of their tale, Atticus says, “She’s better at research—better at fixing things. And I’m better at suffering.” — ‘NO! WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?’ I said calmly (7). And that’s when I cried—what a punch to the gut. Needless to say, I freaked out while typing the quote into my notes app.
On the light-hearted end, for how stubborn and stupid (lovingly) (8) these main characters are, they also have silly commentary, like Maddox thinking, “He looked like he belonged in a male librarian porno.” I burst out laughing when I read this, and I actually had to set my phone down in disbelief that I read those words. They fit perfectly. Then, there were comments like, “And Atticus was staring, hopefully not open-mouthed, but his throat had gone instantly dry” that got me giggling and rereading the sentence five times because I love when the guy secretly adores the girl. I constantly got a kick out of their witty, off-hand comments made verbally or mentally, and it added just the right amount of humor amongst the angst that Baine was hoping for in her writing.
Although I highly recommend reading The Academy of the Dead, a couple of aspects could have been improved. While I was drawn in because of the concept, the pace was slower in the beginning, which made it easier for me to set it down and forget to pick it up. However, anytime I did pick it up, it was super exciting, funny, and had me giggling, blushing, and kicking my feet. Besides the pacing, one thing I realized after my initial read and while hearing others’ thoughts on the romance, I concede that there was a lot of miscommunication and stubbornness between Maddox and Atticus, which hindered their relationship for most of the novel. Even though the miscommunication trope is fundamentally the bane of my existence, Baine took the trope and flipped it on its head. She could have made the miscommunication something cheesy, like ‘Person A kisses Atticus and Maddox sees but runs away before she sees Atticus push off Person A’. Instead, Baine made it a real issue that Atticus was dealing with. This secret is revealed towards the end and ultimately brings Atticus and Maddox closer together. What could have been a stupid decision done on a whim, Baine made it part of the characters’ personality and provided context.
If you’re a fan of fantasy, romance, magic, part-academia-setting, witty banter, heartache, and being buried alive—if I had a nickel for every time someone was buried alive in this book, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice (9)—then you will love Atticus and Maddox’s story in The Academy of the Dead.
Footnotes:
(1) bookstagrammer = A person who runs an Instagram page dedicated to books, reading, and/or writing.
(2) Indie Author — independent author; a writer who takes full control of their creative process, from conception to publication.
(3) ARC = Advanced Reader Copy — given to certain readers ahead of the release date in exchange for reviews and promotion on various platforms.
(5) Necromancer — a person who practices the conjuration of dead spirits for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events.
(6) It’s a lot easier for authors to share ebook ARCs because then they don’t have to pay for shipping. So, I was reading it on my phone.
(7) Yes, this is a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reference for when Dumbledore “calmly” asked Harry if he put his name in the Goblet of Fire.
(8) They are very stupid, but I love them.
(9) Yes, this is a reference to Phineas and Ferb, in which Dr. Doofenshmirtz refers to being doomed by a puppet twice in his life.
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