Henderson built a fantastic atmosphere in An Academy for Liars, and the premise was absolutely enthralling and persuasive (see what i did there), but the actual story missed the mark. The pacing was off throughout the story and once I made it through the slow parts, the action filled scenes felt too fast and didn't have any impact. The ending was fantastic and the reveal took me by surprise, which is a bit unusual for me. Lennon's character swapped between compelling and insufferable, and while I love a forbidden romance trope, the romance subplot fell flat and I found myself actively rooting against them. The prose was very strong, however, which definitely saved this for me.