✅ Status: On my list · Reading it now

📚 Dark fantasy · Urban fantasy · Romantasy · Trilogy · Book 1 · 2023 (German) / 2024 (Spanish)

🇪🇸 Inlov Publishing & Amazon
🇩🇪 Amazon DE (not yet available in English)

The story (spoiler-free)

Leaf Young has a perfectly ordinary life in New York — too many hours waitressing, an ex she can't quite get over, and a coworker who gets on her nerves just a little too much. But one night out with her friends, everything goes sideways. A strange encounter, a fight, a few deaths and one demonic possession later, it's safe to say that Leaf is no longer quite herself.

The Black Bird Academy is a dark school for exorcists dedicated to protecting humanity from demons — and their offer to Leaf is simple: train as an exorcist and you get your freedom back. Refuse, and they'll kill both her and the demon living inside her. The problem is that the demon in question, Lore, has absolutely no intention of leaving. And the exorcist assigned to keep an eye on her, Falco, doesn't trust her one bit.

Ancient demons, dangerous exorcists, secrets buried within the academy's walls — and one ordinary girl who might just change everything.

Why am I reading it?

I came across it in Spanish and the concept caught my attention straight away: a school for exorcists. Not witches, not wizards — exorcists. Which is already something different. I bought it without thinking too hard about it and got stuck in.

Then, looking for the English version to buy as well — because if you've been following me for a while you'll know I'm very particular about translations — I discovered it doesn't exist. The original is in German. So I looked up who the author was, and it turns out Stella Tack is Austrian, has 17 published books to her name, and seems like she really delivers. It took me exactly zero seconds to feel like a bit of an idiot for not knowing her already — and another zero seconds to carry on reading anyway.

I'm nearly 250 pages in now and I'm enjoying it more with every chapter. Lore, the demon sharing a body with Leaf, is an absolute delight — I am his cheerleader number one, his sense of humour is exactly my kind of thing. And I'm really warming to Leaf too. It looks like there might be some romance on the horizon — which I wasn't expecting, because nobody sold it to me that way, but honestly, I'm not complaining. And on top of all that, it's a trilogy, which is promising — given that I'd read a couple of standalones lately, and you know how that goes

What other readers say 🇪🇸 🇩🇪 

Opinions fall into two fairly clear camps. Those who love it highlight the pace once it gets going, Lore's sarcasm, the tension between the main characters, and a final cliffhanger that apparently has you running to get the second book (I'll report back when I get there). Those who are less convinced point to a very slow, introductory first third, and a magic system that — while interesting — doesn't always get the depth it deserves. The physical edition, though, wins everyone over without exception: hardback, gold details, and page edges painted with constellations and lunar phases.

📚 Status: Currently reading — I'll keep you posted