Something Wicked (University of Morgana: Academy of Enchantments and Witchcraft #1) by Emma Dean

Something Wicked (University of Morgana: Academy of Enchantments and Witchcraft #1) Reviews

• 
  Marguerite (M)

  Rating: 4 stars
  
  Something Wicked takes place in the same universe as The Chaos of Foxes series. Emma Dean says reading the first series is not needed but I beg to differ.
  
  While the characters do change, the former cast do not act just as supporting characters but as secondary. They are always in the background and obviously very important to Mika. Also, if like me you have not checked Lexie's story beforehand, you might get a tiny bit completely lost for the first few chapters.
  
  But as I went on and was able to see both Mika and Lexie, I am glad I sticked with this one instead of going back to the first trilogy.
  
  Mika was a perfect character in my book; a triple D. Dark, Deadly and Damaged, you pervs. Because if I like broody heroes, I absolutely adore broody heroines.
  Mika was a classic kind of character you see in the harem of a Reverse harem and I loved it. She was closed off, wore an angry glare like a moody queen and she could have killed you and her sleep. She was a complete trainwreck but a total badass in my eyes.
  
  Otherwise, the book was almost perfect and got close to 5 stars. Slow burn with not a totally set harem, real friendship closing on sismance, some action and of course an academy setting. But the cliffhanger in the end threw me off as it became by itself the real plot of the story. I wish it would have come a bit sooner so the first book wouldn't end up in a long introduction.
  
  > MM later
  > No FF (I think)
• 
  Brandy

  3.5 Stars. It's a cute and fun read. Well written and clean. The pacing is a bit slower than I usually prefer, but I expect it will pick up speed as the series goes on. I'm interested enough to keep going.
• 
  Tiera McMillian

  2.5 stars. So this is the second time I've written this review because apparently my first one timed out. Grr. Hate spending 20 minutes writing a review just to have it disappear when you hit submit. Anyways. This series is a spinoff of the For Fox Sake Series (I think). Of course I learned this after the fact so I got caught cocked and ready to rock all up in a spinoff with not enough backstory to explain what was going on. We feel the repercussions of the first series but I didn't catch the bag of spoilers so not only are we caught up in the drama I have no clue what caused the drama so that has for certain effected my rating to some extent. There were, however, other reasons that I felt like this was just ok for me. I didn't feel like our FMC, Mika, had quite enough depth. She has a really rich and traumatic backstory that has obviously shaped her personality but we really barely touch on that. This may be because that is already written in the first series... but I think this series could have benefited from more information to show why Mika is the way she is. Also, as it stands in book one here I don't feel like Mika really has all that much chemistry between her and her potential harem. In fact barely friends could describe most of the guys. She has the most chemistry with the Hunter and it was only in very brief flashes. This could be explained away due to her powers and her block and fear of her capabilities but honestly you can convey chemistry with conversations and most of those were brief and seemed more aggravating to her than intriguing.. I couldn't even really tell that she was attracted to a couple of these guys. Lastly I don't feel like this first book in the series gave us a clear enough direction that the story is moving in. There are several things going on but there is no clear goal for where this is going to head in the next books making me, as a reader, not exactly pumped to continue the series onward from here.
  
  All in all it was a short read but I've definitely got to pause this and head backwards to see about the first series. I need to stop one clicking these covers and actually research so I can stop ending up in the middle of a story. I have issues lol.
• 
  Gwen

  Overall Series Review, I’m adding more stars after a re-read
  
  Rating: 3.9 ⭐️⭐️⭐️, except for book 9 which was 4.25/5 stars
  Spice: 2.5 🌶️🌶️, except book 9 was 3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (MMMMF)
  Tropes: RH, witches, paranormal, shifters, academy
  
  The series kept me engaged but the pacing was SLOW, a bit choppy, and this was lower steam than I anticipated for a RH - although I would really call this a polyamorous relationship more than a RH since MM. The world building was good, but slow. A lot of paranormal elements: witches, shifters, demons, archangels, fae, divine powers, and vampires. I wanted more dialogue. The spice was 1-2 scenes per book until book 8-9 and then it was holy spicy. I cried at the end of the series because the ending was SO good and SO sad.
  
  The book follows Mika, a high society witch who attends a witch university after a rough few years at home. Mika is lonely and numb. She thought the university would be awful, but soon she discovers that there’s more to her than she ever knew possible. There are secrets that she must keep and she finds others to trust along the way, including a whole harem of hotties. It’s a good thing too, since she unfortunately has to save the world and kill a bunch of assholes along the way.
• 
  Alaina

  Eh, Something Wicked was just okay. I feel like I was a bit confused with some things that were mentioned due to not reading the series before this. Which makes me feel like I should've just stopped reading this book and start the series before. It never happened though.
  
  Besides being confused throughout the entire book, we get to meet Mika. She's an okay character and I thought her power was kind of interesting. Yet, that's all for me. I mean, yeah, she has the potential to kill anyone and everyone but with the help of her friends they try to control her powers. Other than that, not much happens in this book.
  
  I guess you could say it had a few twists and turns but without knowing what happened in the series before... I couldn't be honest and say that they amazed me. It was just an okay book with some okay-ish characters. Might dive into the next book if I end up reading the fox series.. but the ending didn't really make me want to do so.
• 
  Jeanny

  I like all the potential love interest, Mika & Audrey. I’ll be following this series.
  
  Cliffhanger ending.
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/8/2019)! 🎁
• 
  Dallass

  A good start.
  
  I found this quick to read, with an interesting, if vague, plot plus it had a few characters who I found fun, intriguing and mysterious- or all three 😉
  
  Still nothing about a big bad, but the cliffhanger was definitely used well.
  
  3.5 stars ⭐️
• 
  Deanie Nelder

  While Something Wicked is an entertaining read, one thing it isn't is a true, complete book. Very little was actually solved in the book, which I assume is supposed to encourage people to read the rest of the series, but I was hoping that something would be resolved by the end of the book. That being said, I liked Mika an friends. I did wish that I'd read the Fox books that this series is related to first, since parts of this book were confusing when relating to characters in those books. I think the series is off to an interesting start. I just hope the rest of the books have a defined beginning, middle, and end.
• 
  Daisy Delfin

  I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and read the kindle version, according to my mood. This is another book for a Challenge and one which is now off my tbr!
  
  This is also another first, as I never read a Emma Dean book before. I like the authors style. The book is a bit short. It didn't end on a cliffhanger but leaves an opening for the next book. I'll put the rest of this series on my tbr, because I'm drowning in series which I am reading at the moment LOL.
  
  I liked the narrator of the audio version. It's a one woman show 😉.
• 
  4foxsake

  Amazeballs 🦊
  
  Love this book!! And loved Mika and Audrey. Mika was a really dynamic and different FMC. She was vulnerable but not pathetic. She had fire but was not overbearing. She has the capacity to recognize change is good and to work on herself despite her fears. I love Emma’s books and this is not different. She’s tee’d up an awesome mystery and romance with enough chaos to go around. So glad to see Kenzie and her foxes play a part in the story! Can’t wait for the next one!!
• 
  Klizbet

  2.5 Stars…
  
  I don’t know how I feel about this book yet. I think I had higher expectations. The FMC was a bit too emo for me. She’s all broody and silent and sad and miserable all the time. Those aren’t traits that I like in a female lead. All these men are instantly drawn to her for no reason I can tell, and she’s just mean to them constantly. None of her prospective men are all that interesting. They have distinct personalities, but they trail her around like drooling puppies. That’s not attractive. It’s a bit pathetic to be honest. I’m not into pathetic hero’s who stand around begging for attention.
  
  There isn’t a distinct plot that I can tell so far. The book seems to be all about the fmc’s faulty magic. There is no bad guy, nothing to solve, no one to find. I can’t say that I’m all that interested in this story. The whole book is just kinda ‘blah’. It feels like they spent the majority of the book talking about her magic or complaining about the politics of their paranormal world.
  
  Also, if you don’t read her other series first, the one about foxes, then this might not be the place to start. I’m wondering if I would find the story more interesting if I knew all these characters from other stories. They also spend a good portion of this book talking about what happened in the other series. Either way I don’t think I’ll be continuing with his series. I’m just not interested enough. It’s boring. I’m also not sure if I could handle any more of this girls brooding.
• 
  Megan

  Quick Info
  Standalone/Cliffhanger?: Cliffhanger ending
  Part of a Series?: Yes
  ----------------------------------
  Meeting the Characters
  Mika Marshall
  ----------------------------------
  What happens?
  Mika turns up to university for witches extremely broken. She has a block on her and magic she can't explain but power she doesn't really believe in.
  Her roommate is a human born witch who has spent the last few years on a mental health ward due to her parents not believing in her powers.
  Final thoughts
  There isn't any reverse harem stuff going on yet but its building up for it. The potentials i believe have been introduced and only two are kind of in play.
  This is a sister series which I hadn't realised until I hoped the book and started reading and while its not necessary for you to read the other series this book I think could potentially be confusing if you didn't focus. I do also think this book could spoil that other series because you kind of see how its come to be. So you know whats basically going to happen (kind of). Its a good series though and I'm enjoying what I read so far. I maaaay go and read the other series before continuing on I haven't fully decided yet.
  Would I read again?: Yes
  Would I read this author again?: Yes
• 
  Jennifer

  really liked this one! I was skeptical going in but I really enjoyed the character, I found her endearing and I wanted to know more. Loved the secondary characters and some cameo visits from the previous books characters. I think the other books/series should be read before this one it will make more sense in the context of the cameos but if you really don't want to I think you could get away with just reading this if that kind of thing doesn't bother you.
• 
  Cheryl Sedman

  Omg AMAZEBALLS
  
  Omg this book was amazing. The mc was in her own right a strong character you could connect with, along with Ethan and her roommate. Who help her open up and accept her power more etc. As for the ending wowza you will not be disappointed im still in shock. WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT is all I'm saying. Ready and waiting for book 2 like now haha.
  
• 
  Vici

  I was presently surprised by this book I had thought it would be good but I wasn’t expecting to get so sucked in. I can’t wait to see how the story proceeds and I feel like so many things have been set up to happen I just have a feeling this will be one of those series that gets me so invested in the characters and their story line. I’m excited to start the next book.
• 
  grace | reads for love

  **June 20, 2024 Stuff Your Kindle Haul**
  
  AMAZING READ!
  
  It's my first 5-star read in a while and it's so worth it!!! Kickass FMC is my weakness.
  
  THE FMC - Mika is awesome and I love, LOVE her. The way she's deliberate and smart with everything she does, the way she's trying to be cold and isolated but now she's letting people in, her awesome battle magic powers and how she's not afraid to use it against bullies... She's the whole package for me.
  
  THE MMCs - We have Ethan, Lucien, and Malachi so far... And Ryan, maybe? Tbh, I can't really distinguish them from each other (physical attributes-wise) because I didn't pay much attention but I am excited to see how her relationships with them will grow. I think it said there's gonna be MM at some point and I hope it won't detract from my enjoyment of the series.
  
  THE PLOT - Well paced, I loved how the scenes flowed and how all the scenes contributed and did not feel like "filler" or empty scenes.
  
  THE WRITING - The author's storytelling is superb! I love how I can feel the gravity of the situation from the get go. And even though the FMC had a lot of internalization going, she didn't sound annoying at all. Her monologues are very insightful and the details were introduced bit by bit instead of overwhelming at the start.
  
  I am so excited to read the next books and I fully recommend this to lovers of paranormal/fantasy reverse harems!
• 
  Sydney

  Exciting new series!
  
  I can't help it, I'm a sucker for a multi-series universe. Something Wicked picks up after the Chaos of Fixes trilogy (which I highly recommend, though isn't too necessary to understand this book) and introduces new characters to know and love. Mika is a character tormented by her past and mysterious magic. She's instantly likeable for her wit and it's great seeing characters that challenge her slightly introverted nature. Audrey is an awesome bff for Mika, and honestly her backstory is just as interesting! I could read a prequel book just about her! Also the various guys dotted around Mika's campus life have me intrigued. Some of them are hiding things and others are just too fun to have in the scene! I'm very excited to see what the next semester at the University of Morgana will bring for Mika and the witches.
• 
  Charlotte Lowe

  Something Wicked
  
  This book has enough mystery, meanness, acceptance, differences, and discovery to keep it interesting and fresh. I do like Academy stories.
• 
  Punkin

  Hmm
  
  S.l.o.w. burn is right. Lots of drama and back and fourth. A whole lot of insecurity. Not much romance yet. But all the mystery.
• 
  Courtney

  3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
  Interesting plot. I love the academy. I didnt know when I downloaded the book it was a Slow burn Reverse Haram.
• 
  Margaux Espinosa

  Mika is a fantastic character! I love Emma Dean’s world building, but this particular world is my favorite. All the characters have sass and heart and Mika is no different. Her dorm mate, Audrey, is equally amazing as are the hunky men introduced in this story. Ethan a powerful witch she can’t manage to stay away from, Malachi the captain of the magic dodgeball team, that she definitely finds attractive. Then there is Lucien, the sexy, mysterious Hunter that she spars with, both literally and verbally and manages to get under her skin.
  The characters aren’t the only thing that’s amazing, the storyline is fantastic as well. It ties into all that happened and the fallout of everything from The Chaos of Foxes series (fantastic, action packed and sexy series you should definitely read). I definitely look forward to what Emma has in store for these characters in the next book, because that ending had me gasping in shock!
• 
  Cat

  All MC does is complain
  
  Seriously, get over yourself. If you keep complaining about taking 8 classes because you want to graduate “on time” then why don’t you test out of the classes you’re loathe to be in? Pages upon pages of MC complaining about having learned this stuff before she was 10 but refuses to do anything about it.
  
  Book doesn’t make sense.
• 
  Alyrica

  I am a huge fan of this author and was not disappointed with this first novel in her new series. There are realistic characters, great pacing and lots of mystery. I definitely recommend.