Author: Petra Lord
Genre: Dystopia, Queer Fiction, Teen Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance (but not romantacy), Dark Academia, People of Color (Fantasy)
Publisher: Macmillian Children's Publishing Group
Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)
Release Date: Feburary 3rd, 2026
TW: murder, genocidal acts (explicit), parental abuse and abandonment, mutilation, suicide. racism
I loved this book, and am glad it exists for teens to read. However, I have a few problems with it.
But first the plot (taken from the back of the book): "Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. But Ana can’t afford to escape it, even as the wealthiest in Caimor buy and discard expensive designer bodies without a thought. When she fails to gain admittance to the prestigious Paragon Academy—and access to the healthy new forms the school provides its students—her final hope implodes. Now without options, Ana must use her illusion magic to try to steal a healthy chassis—before her own kills her. But Ana is caught by none other than the headmaster of Paragon Academy, who poses a brutal ultimatum: face execution for her crime or become a mercenary at his command. Revolt brews in Caimor's smog-choked underworld, and the wealthy and powerful will stop at nothing to take down the rebels and the infamous dark witch at their helm, the Black Wraith. With no choice but to accept, Ana will steal, fight, and kill her way to salvation. But her survival depends on a dangerous band of renegades: an impulsive assassin, a brooding bombmaker, and an alluring exile who might just spell her ruin. As Ana is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, the line between villain and hero shatters—and Ana must decide which side is worth dying for."
The characters are probably the best part of this book. Anabelle isn't a chosen one; she's flawed and reckless and sometimes a but dumb. However, instinctively, I do like her. She's great to read about, and I want to see her succeed. I feel her pain and her entrapment.
I love Wes. I cannot expand on him due to spoilers, but I must say, that his exploration of his identity and inherent queerness was great to read. Nima and Mr. Nameless were less flushed out, but still fun to read about, and I can't wait for the book to focus on them all more.
I have a few issues however. For one, certain anachronistic phrases (tonkatsu,) and discussion of those topics (discussion of favourite manga) weakened the worldbuilding for me. These words are inherently tied up with modern japan (especially manga) and don't really fit in a fantasy setting that seems to be based in 1920's England. This is a shame, because I love the idea of being able to swap bodies and all of the horrific implications and gender freedom that implied, but that was overshadowed by the choppy worldbuilding. I also wish that queerness was explored a bit more, as most of the characters are genderqueer, but I understand that the dying is more important.
For two, there isn't much academia in this Dark Academia book. There's one class, and some small explanation of the magic system, but I didn't know most of the professors at the end of the book. I was fine with this but be warned.
There is no sex/spice in this book, only kissing, and a brief love triangle. It was fine.
But overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the sequel.
Thanks to Macmillian Children's Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!
Final Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 Stars
Drink Paring: Wild Da Hong Pao oolong, roasted and dark
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