Half-Blood Academy 1: Magic Trials

I had never heard of this author before, but boy oh boy am I THRILLED that I checked out this book. I adore the main character Marigold. In a world where half the world is ruled by Lucifer, and the remaining half by four demi God's suffice to say it's not all sunshine and roses. Mari has had to fight to survive for many years. Not long out off her teens and she'd grown up on the streets surrounded by gangs and criminals everywhere. Leaving her warded camp, she never left without an arsenal of weapons and a spitfire attitude. Luckily she wasn't alone any longer since a few years past she'd taken in a young werewolf and witch. It was with them that everything changed. They were fighting another crude gang, and had it almost taken care of when a huge wave of power appeared. Enter The Dominion soldiers: an elite group of soldiers descended from the line of Gods, our supernatural working with these super soldiers. Known for taking anyone they felt also had a lineage from the Gods, or supernatural to attend Half Blood Academy. Those with Gods lineage has to endure a trial...one that no human or supernatural can survive. Imagine the shock when one of the almighty Demigod s himself appears among the soldiers...then decided to make her attend said school and the ritual. What the heck? She refuses to bow down like everyone else. She may be human but she's not stupid. Nor does she get why everyone seems stunned at her reaction. Suffice to say things get even stranger once she's at the school. There are triggers of bullying and other things, so be warned. However I'm cheering Mari on at every step! This woman is sassy, strong, emotionally tough, but with a heart that will die for those she cares for... She doesn't know how to give up! There are many unknowns, mysteries and more when it comes to Mari....even to herself. I look forward to seeing as more is revealed (hopefully in the next book?). This lavender haired young woman had so much under strength and heart. I honestly can't wait for the next book! Warning: this book is utterly addicting!💗💗💗

Horrible heroine. She’s trying WAY too hard to be a bad*ss and is seriously underdeveloped. This is one of those “books” where the author purposely leaves it short in order for you to have to buy the next two books. This trilogy could have easily been 1 book.

I was sceptical to try this series; as there are too many half-planned "academy" based stories that end up being more annoying than anything. Too often, I encounter an overly dramatic MC that has no common sense or intelligence & I truly despise that type of writing. Just not for me at all. I was surprised at this series as I finished this book in 1 day. Every opportunity I had was spent reading it.I did find some negative attributes, but it wasn't enough to stop me from continuing. For instance, the MC is stupidly impulsive with her words. I imagined a few alternative ways she could of approached situations or people that would of still kept in line w/ her backstory, while not making her appear uneducated in "street smarts". Many of her reactions contradict her background & I've noticed that this is a pattern with the author's other books I've read. Character inconsistencies turn me away from a series/book faster than anything else. At least this series isn't too far off the mark, as I'm enjoying it so far.English majors be warned. This book contains run on sentences, missing commas, & various other grammatical errors.*** Negatives that contain some SPOILERS ***.........1. MC feared her friends' safety (after the demigod threatened their lives for MC's continued insubordination) but continued to behave w/ no regard for the consequences of her actions.2. MC showing a lack of discipline even though she was the "leader" of her group (before the academy).3. The demigods stating that they'll be training the MC; but that has yet to happen. Paxton only arrived after someone reported her absence from class.4. During her sparring match, MC never attempted to access or use her magic even after it was announced that there were "no rules".5. Lack of world building made some of the later revelations seem lackluster & insignificant; although I bet those moments will be the most significant aspects of this entire series.6. Again, a lack of world building made the story seem flat, like the common unimaginative blueprints used when other authors create a boring, yet highly predictable, series.7. The story seemed too fast paced, with very little detail, after the initial ritual was completed. Many details were used to describe the beginning scenes in the Crack, during the ride to the academy, & the initial ritual; but then the writing vaulted over everything else.8. Lastly, the 3 demigods at the academy had summoned the 4th; but why did he never answer them? That was never explained. Even though there were so many alternative paths this book could of went, it took the most predictable path without answering the question.There may have been others I missed; but I'd rather start the next book to see if the story becomes more fulfilling!

Can I tell you how much I love Marigold. He snark. Her kick butt personality. The confidence. And the stubbornness. I absolutely love her. She is everything I would imagine someone who give two craps about the politics of the world would be.Still haven’t put a finger on what she is. But my guess is she is the descendent of both a god and Lucifer. And I can’t wait to see her kick some more bootay. As well as see Paxton get his butt stomped by Héctor. Because I know it’s coming.Marigold is the only woman he could ever touch and Paxton had someone beat the living crap out her. Yeah. I don’t see that ending well at all.I am definitely curious as to what is going on with the Shifter and witch so hopefully we get an update on those two soon as well.But yeah this book had me up in the middle of the night unable to put it down or stop reading. My eyes literally had to start closing on me before I fell asleep. LOVED 💕 💗 IT!!!

I read this book through kindle unlimited not sure if I was going to like it or not. Turns out I didn’t like it, I loved it!!! This was such an amazing book, I was sucked in from the first chapter and didn’t put it down until I finished!! I actually ended up purchasing it (something that’s very rare for me) so I can have it permanently as I plan on re-reading it multiple times!! I can’t wait for the next book, I need more! Thank you for bringing me into this world and giving me this book ❤️🖤❤️🖤

overall i liked the way it was written sort of and story line.. there were times where i felt there were jumps in character progression that was sudden... and the ending was sudden and out of the blue and made the book feel incomplete. to be quite honest having finished the story it felt as though only a 1/4 of the book was written, nothing was resolved nor did any part of the story had an actual ending. would not get the next one.. 2.5 stars.. would have been more if the book felt complete

Okay, the writer is aiming (possibly) a young readers, or at least a reader less knowledgeable than I. The story is not bad, and is it well written, and well paced. But I must say a bit... predictable.Spoiler alert: as soon as it was announced that someone named the demigod of death, could not touch anyone and therefore could not be loved, I guessed straight away that he was the one in her dreams.While the pace is good, and the descriptions are as well... the characters, especially those on the sidelines... are a bit... underdeveloped. is a kid writing these stories? it may as well be. Because they are ... shallow.Also, for the price, I think it should have been a much longer book. But maybe that's only me. I would say that the author has potential... but I am not in a hurry to buy the other books.one final note about female portraits: a woman does not need to be aggressive or violent in order to be strong. Maybe a bit stereotypical?

This book was really hard to put down. It's about a women called Marigold whose very protective of those she considers a part of her inner circle. She will fight tooth and nail to save them and she will never surrender......even when the odds seem against her. At the moment her issue is with the Demigods....when the book ends...I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.

This book is amazing. It draws you in from the start I’ve read other books of Meg’s such as the Court series. This first book of this series hasn’t let me down. I will definitely be buying more of her books. The main character is spunky, sassy and not afraid to shed some blood. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series and seeing where it takes her.

Wow! You are grabbed right away by the amazing Marigold. She is protective of her friends and defies authority, but she is one of the best female Leeds i have met in a long time. I feel sorry for Adel as he does his best and still gets lumped in with pigston :0I wish I found this when book 2 was released!!