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Ironside Academy #1
Plier
Ironside is more than a regular academy. It’s also the biggest reality TV show in the world � and a very elaborate, very luxurious prison. Their hallowed halls are ruled by the powerful Betas and the middling Omegas, with the plentiful Deltas as their main targets, but this year, the officials are stirring things up.
Isobel Carter—the only rare Sigma to be accepted—is the first sign. But there are others. Many others. A sudden influx of precious Alphas will turn academy life, and Isobel’s life, upside down. She might be the lowest rung on the ladder, but in order to survive Ironside, where social media is king and consequences are deadly, she will need to make her mark.
She will need to climb.
This isn’t a game for the faint of heart, and those who rise should be prepared for a beautiful, brutal fall.
Beware the pretty posers, because this social media game just got dangerous.
The Hunger Games collides with America's Got Talent, and you've just been invited to binge it all in high definition. But here's some viewer discretion before you continue:
This book is a “why choose� romance with as many book boyfriends as enemies, so expect a slow-to-medium burn. If you like your omegaverse, reverse harem, and academy troupes twisted and defiled to stretch your imagination, then this is the book for you!
Now it's time to grab some popcorn and dive right in!
Isobel Carter—the only rare Sigma to be accepted—is the first sign. But there are others. Many others. A sudden influx of precious Alphas will turn academy life, and Isobel’s life, upside down. She might be the lowest rung on the ladder, but in order to survive Ironside, where social media is king and consequences are deadly, she will need to make her mark.
She will need to climb.
This isn’t a game for the faint of heart, and those who rise should be prepared for a beautiful, brutal fall.
Beware the pretty posers, because this social media game just got dangerous.
The Hunger Games collides with America's Got Talent, and you've just been invited to binge it all in high definition. But here's some viewer discretion before you continue:
This book is a “why choose� romance with as many book boyfriends as enemies, so expect a slow-to-medium burn. If you like your omegaverse, reverse harem, and academy troupes twisted and defiled to stretch your imagination, then this is the book for you!
Now it's time to grab some popcorn and dive right in!
470 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 9, 2023
1,525 people are currently reading
10.4k people want to read
About the author
Jane Washington
38books4,273followersJane is a Wall-Street Journal bestselling author who spends all her time writing books and then telling people not to read them.
Find her here:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 955 reviews
August 14, 2024
If you love The Bonds That Tie series? Or Zodiac Academy? Or The Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac? Then this is the series for you 👀
I was curious to see how a girl mating with ten Alpha's will play out and ngl I am impressed. I was obsessed and consumed by this book and its characters. I definitely don't think it's a perfect book. One will either hate it or love it, no in between. There are flaws but I was so into it, I just don't care. I want more. I was flying through this book and when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the characters.
The world building is pretty simple to follow. The pacing of the book is however, a tad slow. I liked the concept of cameras following them around, it definitely does make things interesting and drama worthy. There is bullying in this book, although not as dark or extreme as Zodiac Academy or done by the love interests, it's still present and one might want to check out the trigger warnings first.
I ate up the characters and their arcs. They are all written so beautifully and in an intricate way, it was hard not to like them. Isobel, our Sigma is a delicate fmc and one I liked. Some may find her annoying, given she struggles to stand up for herself and lacks confidence at first BUT given the hierarchy of the world, it makes sense and I loved how she started growing in confidence and fierceness with the Alphas. Coming to the Alphas, I don't have a favorite yet tho. There are some of the mates who intrigue me for now, but I don't have a favorite. Theodore in particular is given a lot of screen time, it makes sense as Isobel needed a friend. I like him and his golden retriever energy but at the same time, he's not dark enough for me 🫣 I am super intrigued by Kalen and Easton tho.
I gotta admit tho, with ten love interests, it was a bit confusing to remember them all and their names. Not every guy stood out. Some of them sort of blended together. I hope the next book helps me out in that area.
A reverse harem with ten guys and making it a slow burn is very difficult to play out. I applaud the author for making it seem like a piece of cake. The chemistry and dynamics with each character is so well written. I liked how there's no insta lust. The way I was yearning for them to just kiss already had me going insane 😩😩 I appreciated how things didn't just happen to them all when Isobel arrived and it took a year for them to start getting to know each other.
Loved the ending and that cliffhanger. So excited to read the next one already 😍😍
•~•~
I wanna know what this girl did to get mated to ten guys when I can't even find one 🥲🥲
I was curious to see how a girl mating with ten Alpha's will play out and ngl I am impressed. I was obsessed and consumed by this book and its characters. I definitely don't think it's a perfect book. One will either hate it or love it, no in between. There are flaws but I was so into it, I just don't care. I want more. I was flying through this book and when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the characters.
The world building is pretty simple to follow. The pacing of the book is however, a tad slow. I liked the concept of cameras following them around, it definitely does make things interesting and drama worthy. There is bullying in this book, although not as dark or extreme as Zodiac Academy or done by the love interests, it's still present and one might want to check out the trigger warnings first.
I ate up the characters and their arcs. They are all written so beautifully and in an intricate way, it was hard not to like them. Isobel, our Sigma is a delicate fmc and one I liked. Some may find her annoying, given she struggles to stand up for herself and lacks confidence at first BUT given the hierarchy of the world, it makes sense and I loved how she started growing in confidence and fierceness with the Alphas. Coming to the Alphas, I don't have a favorite yet tho. There are some of the mates who intrigue me for now, but I don't have a favorite. Theodore in particular is given a lot of screen time, it makes sense as Isobel needed a friend. I like him and his golden retriever energy but at the same time, he's not dark enough for me 🫣 I am super intrigued by Kalen and Easton tho.
I gotta admit tho, with ten love interests, it was a bit confusing to remember them all and their names. Not every guy stood out. Some of them sort of blended together. I hope the next book helps me out in that area.
A reverse harem with ten guys and making it a slow burn is very difficult to play out. I applaud the author for making it seem like a piece of cake. The chemistry and dynamics with each character is so well written. I liked how there's no insta lust. The way I was yearning for them to just kiss already had me going insane 😩😩 I appreciated how things didn't just happen to them all when Isobel arrived and it took a year for them to start getting to know each other.
Loved the ending and that cliffhanger. So excited to read the next one already 😍😍
•~•~
I wanna know what this girl did to get mated to ten guys when I can't even find one 🥲🥲
October 14, 2024
1 eye stabbing star
This book made me want to pull my hair out. It was sooooooo bad like honestly it was just 350 pages which is very short and it should've taken me two days max to finish but it took me FIVE DAYS and you know what?? Me and Roxy initially were gonna buddy read it on facetime and we did or at least tried but it was soo bad that it took us two hours to read two chapters (we started yapping and our adhd kicked in) but I actually wanted to cry because when I was thinking of writing this review I was trying to find something good and it took me so long, the funny thing is that me and Roxy were supposed to finish it one day but it was so horrific that she still hasn't LMAOO. This book felt like a prologue becuase honestly nothing much of substance happened and the writing style wasn't that good either, it had me laughing at it because I was absolutely baffled at what I was reading, it honestly torture. The idea of this book was very interesting and it also had one thing that I think is majority of the reason why people are reading this 10 mates one girl and lmao dont be going through this book thinking that cuz that part doesnt happen until the very last chapter. We want to know the answer to our question so we will read the second book but not until we've fully healed.
The pacing was absolutely terrible because long chapters coupled up with slow pacing NEVER works and this book suffered the same fate, I also believe that there are many RH books that did it wayy better than this.
Me and Roxy basically started this book because we wanted to how the relationship worked and we thought that the BR of this would be fun like our BR for den of vipers (we hated it) would be and the only similar thing about our buddy read of this with that was how bad both the books were but while reading that we actually got some enjoyment, this was more torturous. The whole relationship was not handled well, the arcs werent explored well, I couldn't feel anything for anyone and most of the time I ignore if the book is flawed or now IF I enjoy it but I found nothing in this to enjoy so that couldn't be the case here.
I have no idea how Isobel (megamind) survived with one man let alone ten considering how much girls hate men at times. Megamind was the most emotionless, expressionless, dumb, dry fmc that I have ever read, the only time I ever felt anything for her was when she got to know what happened to her mother and everything that she did felt so forced and so unnecessary, I honestly do not know what even happened in this book because I NEEDED SOMETHING but Jane Washington GAVE US NOTHING. I honestly stopped this to open my insta to watch those brain rotting reels because those were 10x more enjoyable and yk its bad when you find brain rot to be more enjoyable but going back to Megamind, I wanted more from her character and I think one thing that made it very hard for us to like this book would be her monologue because there was this quote at the beginning in her first chapter and me and Roxy laughed for 5 minutes straight given how bad it was. She needed to stand up. It's very hard to read a book when their main characters are doormats. Also in the covers shes a dancer but she barely did anything related to that in this book?? we should've gotten smthing considering how awkward the pose on the cover is.
The mates? it was a shame to read about the wasted potential becuase these ten men were so blahhh like where the spark?? where was the chemistry?? where was the tension?? I was so sad :( There was one thing that I wanted to try and it was to name all 10 men, lets see how many I can remember- There was theodore, Killian, I wanna say watson but im not sure. How am I supposed to like or feel something for ten men when I barely remember all of them. I feel like it would've been better if a few of them came in the later books or if we were given some time and I dont know how its gonna work with all 10 with a slow burn because barely any of them got to spend some time with her. It was mostly Theodore and Killian that was with her there was one more but my dory memory can't remember.
The romance was definitely messy!! It could have been dealt with in such a better way but it wass not and I who is a sucker for slow burn think that this should not have been one it made the story very boring and honestly I dont know how i'll feel about the killian conflict but the ten mates being revealed at the very end was so meh. I definitely wasnt a fan of the romance because I only got to know two guys iut of then ten (barely) and out of those ten I can only somewhat recall 3 more and the remaining 10 were completely lost on me. So yeah not the best way to start, I still stand by introducing the 4 or 5 mates in the next books or at least give us a list to remember them.
The plot said bye bye after chapter 1 and the world building had me cringing so bad with terms like sigma and beta and alpha being thrown around. I think this is how I would feel if I went to high school now but yeah no this was very hard to get used to and I did but it was after a very long time and I hated it but I think it should be better during book 2 because I have an idea on what to base my expectations on. The world building wasnt that good tbh.
The only enjoyment that I got from this book was by reading it with Roxy despite her abandoning it midway but the updates and the hating was so fun!! I dont know when or if we'll buddy read this series ever again because we were lowkey traumatized with how bad it was.
___
Im sorry but why does she look like megamind on the cover 😭
-Buddy reading this with Roxy because we wanna know some things for research purposes (how 10 guys can do it with one girl.🧑🏻�)
This book made me want to pull my hair out. It was sooooooo bad like honestly it was just 350 pages which is very short and it should've taken me two days max to finish but it took me FIVE DAYS and you know what?? Me and Roxy initially were gonna buddy read it on facetime and we did or at least tried but it was soo bad that it took us two hours to read two chapters (we started yapping and our adhd kicked in) but I actually wanted to cry because when I was thinking of writing this review I was trying to find something good and it took me so long, the funny thing is that me and Roxy were supposed to finish it one day but it was so horrific that she still hasn't LMAOO. This book felt like a prologue becuase honestly nothing much of substance happened and the writing style wasn't that good either, it had me laughing at it because I was absolutely baffled at what I was reading, it honestly torture. The idea of this book was very interesting and it also had one thing that I think is majority of the reason why people are reading this 10 mates one girl and lmao dont be going through this book thinking that cuz that part doesnt happen until the very last chapter. We want to know the answer to our question so we will read the second book but not until we've fully healed.
The pacing was absolutely terrible because long chapters coupled up with slow pacing NEVER works and this book suffered the same fate, I also believe that there are many RH books that did it wayy better than this.
Me and Roxy basically started this book because we wanted to how the relationship worked and we thought that the BR of this would be fun like our BR for den of vipers (we hated it) would be and the only similar thing about our buddy read of this with that was how bad both the books were but while reading that we actually got some enjoyment, this was more torturous. The whole relationship was not handled well, the arcs werent explored well, I couldn't feel anything for anyone and most of the time I ignore if the book is flawed or now IF I enjoy it but I found nothing in this to enjoy so that couldn't be the case here.
I have no idea how Isobel (megamind) survived with one man let alone ten considering how much girls hate men at times. Megamind was the most emotionless, expressionless, dumb, dry fmc that I have ever read, the only time I ever felt anything for her was when she got to know what happened to her mother and everything that she did felt so forced and so unnecessary, I honestly do not know what even happened in this book because I NEEDED SOMETHING but Jane Washington GAVE US NOTHING. I honestly stopped this to open my insta to watch those brain rotting reels because those were 10x more enjoyable and yk its bad when you find brain rot to be more enjoyable but going back to Megamind, I wanted more from her character and I think one thing that made it very hard for us to like this book would be her monologue because there was this quote at the beginning in her first chapter and me and Roxy laughed for 5 minutes straight given how bad it was. She needed to stand up. It's very hard to read a book when their main characters are doormats. Also in the covers shes a dancer but she barely did anything related to that in this book?? we should've gotten smthing considering how awkward the pose on the cover is.
The mates? it was a shame to read about the wasted potential becuase these ten men were so blahhh like where the spark?? where was the chemistry?? where was the tension?? I was so sad :( There was one thing that I wanted to try and it was to name all 10 men, lets see how many I can remember- There was theodore, Killian, I wanna say watson but im not sure. How am I supposed to like or feel something for ten men when I barely remember all of them. I feel like it would've been better if a few of them came in the later books or if we were given some time and I dont know how its gonna work with all 10 with a slow burn because barely any of them got to spend some time with her. It was mostly Theodore and Killian that was with her there was one more but my dory memory can't remember.
The romance was definitely messy!! It could have been dealt with in such a better way but it wass not and I who is a sucker for slow burn think that this should not have been one it made the story very boring and honestly I dont know how i'll feel about the killian conflict but the ten mates being revealed at the very end was so meh. I definitely wasnt a fan of the romance because I only got to know two guys iut of then ten (barely) and out of those ten I can only somewhat recall 3 more and the remaining 10 were completely lost on me. So yeah not the best way to start, I still stand by introducing the 4 or 5 mates in the next books or at least give us a list to remember them.
The plot said bye bye after chapter 1 and the world building had me cringing so bad with terms like sigma and beta and alpha being thrown around. I think this is how I would feel if I went to high school now but yeah no this was very hard to get used to and I did but it was after a very long time and I hated it but I think it should be better during book 2 because I have an idea on what to base my expectations on. The world building wasnt that good tbh.
The only enjoyment that I got from this book was by reading it with Roxy despite her abandoning it midway but the updates and the hating was so fun!! I dont know when or if we'll buddy read this series ever again because we were lowkey traumatized with how bad it was.
___
Im sorry but why does she look like megamind on the cover 😭
-Buddy reading this with Roxy because we wanna know some things for research purposes (how 10 guys can do it with one girl.🧑🏻�)
September 18, 2024
This is the first book I've felt like binging in two months and I would literally give it five stars just for that 😚😚
I had obviously heard really good things about this series but I wasn't sure what to expect going in...I mean, ten guys!??? 👀I can't even find one
But it did get a bit confusing at times with so many names 😭 But I still think the author managed it beautifully.
Giving it 3.5 stars, maybe because I went in with too high hopes 😭😭 It wasn't necessarily bad, the writing was good, easy to read; The tension oof 🤌 The slow burn was eating me alive!!! We get a proper kiss on the last page. LAST PAGE!!
Plot wise, there was not much going on to be very honest...I believe this book was just for the build up, a light introduction but I genuinely can't wait to read the next book!!
***
I'll do anything to get out of the slump atp, plus SK convinced me with this one🤭
I had obviously heard really good things about this series but I wasn't sure what to expect going in...I mean, ten guys!??? 👀
But it did get a bit confusing at times with so many names 😭 But I still think the author managed it beautifully.
Giving it 3.5 stars, maybe because I went in with too high hopes 😭😭 It wasn't necessarily bad, the writing was good, easy to read; The tension oof 🤌 The slow burn was eating me alive!!! We get a proper kiss on the last page. LAST PAGE!!
Plot wise, there was not much going on to be very honest...I believe this book was just for the build up, a light introduction but I genuinely can't wait to read the next book!!
***
I'll do anything to get out of the slump atp, plus SK convinced me with this one🤭
April 3, 2025
3.75 �
towards the end it got kinda disappointing but overall i enjoyed it! onto book two🤭
-----------
i think we all know who convinced me to read this lol
towards the end it got kinda disappointing but overall i enjoyed it! onto book two🤭
-----------
i think we all know who convinced me to read this lol
January 9, 2025
Holy fricking shit!!! 😱🤩🫠
5 (thousand) stars �
Short review
WHY...HOW WAS THIS SO GOOD?!? 😳
Long review
I had an inordinate amount of fun reading this book, and I did not expect that in the least. You could say I've been shocked about it all book long.
The only reason it took this long to finish is that I kept re-reading some paragraphs in a loop, and made quote updates of so much of this book, everyone is probably fed up with seeing them in their feed. 😅
I know the blurb sounds silly and eye-rolling material. 🙄 I was about to pass this over when I read it. 🤦🏻♀�
It mentions so many things that usually are a no for me like they were its strengths, and it annoys me how it undersells the book.
It sounded trashy.
It is so not trashy, and I'm still wondering how this could be.
Reality show + omegaverse + 10 guys RH seemed like a recipe for disaster.
Instead it's much better than the popular books with their flat romances and instaloves. And our heroine is NOT a silly thirsty girl that get all the boys just because she happens to be FMC.
This is also, FINALLY, a wonderful example how to do slowburn properly! I mean we are there for the romance, but if you give it to us all at the beginning what are we in for later if you plan 6 or 7 books?? Plus making us care for 10 guys and a plot should indeed take the time it needs to take.
By the time I write this I can tell you I am already struggling to make a prediction of my favorites, and I can only tell there is only one guy who I'm meh about. I won't even be too surprised if I'll change my mind even on that 1/10.
(Moses, Cian, Sato are my current podium, but we didn't even scratch the surface. I'm also giving a thirsty side-eye to Kalen👀)
All this rant to say that despite feeling like a grumpy old bitch that felt nothing with all the popular books for so long, I have been ITCHING to add Plier to my favourites shelf since like 20% in, and I am not even ashamed anymore. 🤷♀� Gimme a Ironside shirt and I'll wear it to work. Whatever! 🙌
I want to HUG this author! Grumpy me wants to freaking HUG her for all the good time she gave me and it's just the beginning! We had like 2 kisses in the whole book? Two kisses, lots of light banter, and a devious, innocently obscene, cupcake. 🧁
I'm so gonna order physical copies. I need to watch those spines on the shelf and remind myself of the time I was about to miss out on THIS. 😐🤫
I'm so glad I started this on vacation, as I have no idea how I could have been functional enough for work with this book living in my head. Especially since there are 4 others out and this was only the warm up. 🙂🙃🫠🥴😵 I think I'm gonna die by the end. Faint, at least.
Thanks @Youssra and @Mikayla for showing me the way. I'm definitely an acolyte of this cult.
If what I glimpsed from your comments about Moses is true, I'm taking this review to say it was nice knowing you, in case I just die by the time I get to Glisser. Or if my eyes burn, or if my hands stop working.
------------
25%
Is 25% too early to put a book on the "favorites" shelf? 🤣
Pre-read
I've added a book for quality, and I'll add this fun. No matter if it's skipping ahead of the 8 books I meant to read first.
5 (thousand) stars �
Short review
WHY...HOW WAS THIS SO GOOD?!? 😳
Long review
I had an inordinate amount of fun reading this book, and I did not expect that in the least. You could say I've been shocked about it all book long.
The only reason it took this long to finish is that I kept re-reading some paragraphs in a loop, and made quote updates of so much of this book, everyone is probably fed up with seeing them in their feed. 😅
I know the blurb sounds silly and eye-rolling material. 🙄 I was about to pass this over when I read it. 🤦🏻♀�
It mentions so many things that usually are a no for me like they were its strengths, and it annoys me how it undersells the book.
It sounded trashy.
It is so not trashy, and I'm still wondering how this could be.
Reality show + omegaverse + 10 guys RH seemed like a recipe for disaster.
Instead it's much better than the popular books with their flat romances and instaloves. And our heroine is NOT a silly thirsty girl that get all the boys just because she happens to be FMC.
This is also, FINALLY, a wonderful example how to do slowburn properly! I mean we are there for the romance, but if you give it to us all at the beginning what are we in for later if you plan 6 or 7 books?? Plus making us care for 10 guys and a plot should indeed take the time it needs to take.
By the time I write this I can tell you I am already struggling to make a prediction of my favorites, and I can only tell there is only one guy who I'm meh about. I won't even be too surprised if I'll change my mind even on that 1/10.
(Moses, Cian, Sato are my current podium, but we didn't even scratch the surface. I'm also giving a thirsty side-eye to Kalen👀)
All this rant to say that despite feeling like a grumpy old bitch that felt nothing with all the popular books for so long, I have been ITCHING to add Plier to my favourites shelf since like 20% in, and I am not even ashamed anymore. 🤷♀� Gimme a Ironside shirt and I'll wear it to work. Whatever! 🙌
I want to HUG this author! Grumpy me wants to freaking HUG her for all the good time she gave me and it's just the beginning! We had like 2 kisses in the whole book? Two kisses, lots of light banter, and a devious, innocently obscene, cupcake. 🧁
I'm so gonna order physical copies. I need to watch those spines on the shelf and remind myself of the time I was about to miss out on THIS. 😐🤫
I'm so glad I started this on vacation, as I have no idea how I could have been functional enough for work with this book living in my head. Especially since there are 4 others out and this was only the warm up. 🙂🙃🫠🥴😵 I think I'm gonna die by the end. Faint, at least.
Thanks @Youssra and @Mikayla for showing me the way. I'm definitely an acolyte of this cult.
If what I glimpsed from your comments about Moses is true, I'm taking this review to say it was nice knowing you, in case I just die by the time I get to Glisser. Or if my eyes burn, or if my hands stop working.
------------
25%
Is 25% too early to put a book on the "favorites" shelf? 🤣
Pre-read
I've added a book for quality, and I'll add this fun. No matter if it's skipping ahead of the 8 books I meant to read first.
November 22, 2024
Fucking atrocious. There you go. Thats the review.
August 6, 2023
Plier definitely takes the prize of the best Reverse-Harem book of the year 🔥
Jane Washington is one of those authors whose books have the ability to completely captivate me. Whenever I start reading one of her stories, I lose track of time. It's as if I just blinked, and suddenly I find myself at the end of the book.
Her writing is incredibly engaging and addictive. Every time I pick up one of her books I know I'm in for a thrilling adventure that will keep me hooked until the very last page.
� What to expect:
� New Adult
� Paranormal Romance
� Alternative Omega Verse
� Multiple POV
� Gifted Academy
� Reality TV Show
� Reverse-Harem (large)
� Kind & sweet FMC � she's also a dancer
� Morally Grey/Bankrupt MMCs
� Loveable MMCs
� Delicious Banter
� Tension & Spice
� Secrets
� Tropes:
� Strangers to Friends to Lovers
� Rejected Mates
� Slowburn
� Professor x Student
� "Who did this to you?"
� Trigger Warnings: attempted rape, sexual assault, bullying (not by the MMCs), physical & emotional abuse, trauma, panic attacks
� Summary
Ironside Academy is not your typical academy; it is the largest reality show in the world. Betas, Omegas, and Deltas can be found wandering the halls, occasionally mingling with a few Alphas in the crowd. However, this year brings some changes.
Suddenly, ten Alphas made an appearance on the academy's grounds, along with a Sigma named Isobel Carter, the only one to be accepted. As expected, people are unhappy about having a Sigma among them. However, despite being the lowest in rank, Isobel is determined to survive Ironside.
� Plot
I can count on one hand the number of books I've read with a reality TV show theme, and none of them come close to Plier - it tops them all. The addition of supernatural elements only serves to make it more exciting.
Isobel has escaped the nightmare of her home life, only to find herself in another. Trying to fly under the radar proves impossible when you're the only sheep among the wolves.
She quickly realizes that her attempts to remain unnoticed are futile, especially after an unexpected encounter leads to an Alpha wanting to be her friend. She's an enigma, soon catching the interest of other Alphas and that's like painting a target on her back.
While not everything is sunshine and rainbows, there are some laugh-out-loud moments mixed in with the tension and angst. They serve as a refreshing break from all the chaos.
� Worldbuilding
We have an intricately crafted world with a well-defined rank system and a thorough description of the magic system. I found myself captivated by every intricate detail about the characters' powers and the rules of society. It was fascinating to read about, and I didn't want to overlook any aspect of it, which is why I highlighted every bit of information presented.
� Characters
� Isobel
Isobel Carter is a Sigma, born to an Alpha father. Despite growing up in a somewhat luxurious life compared to others, she has endured years of abuse at the hands of the man who was supposed to be a parent to her and keep her safe.
Her tragic past didn't succeed in breaking her, and neither will these students who are set on making her years at the academy hell.
She's a survivor. She'll show no weakness. Not in front of the cameras and not in front of them.
Isobel is a sweet girl who's often showing concern for others' well-being, even though they're undeserving of her kindness. It's impossible not to become invested in her story and root for her. She's a strong character who has earned my admiration, and I couldn't help but shed a few tears whenever she faced the consequences of her powers or endured yet another attack. She hides her emotions beneath a frigid, stone-faced exterior.
� The Alphas
This was my first time reading a Reverse-Harem(why-choose) book where there are so many love interests and I have to admit that I'm impressed by Jane's ability to craft characters with distinct and diverse personalities. It was easy for me to tell them apart, which is an essential aspect for me when reading RH books.
The Alphas haven't asked for her help, and she definitely hasn't asked for theirs. However, after she helps one of them, they start rushing to her aid, despite her refusal to accept it.
In fact, some of them go as far as taking it upon themselves to seek revenge on her behalf. There's nothing I enjoy more than when the MMC(s) take such actions.
In addition, there is an underlying mystery surrounding these men, and I am eagerly anticipating the revelation of what they are hiding.
While observing their interactions and the development of their relationship with Isobel, I find their connection with each other particularly intriguing. They're all really supportive, they care for each other, have each other's backs, and it seems like there are no secrets between them. It adds another layer of complexity and intrigue to the story.
� Some of my favorite Alphas so far are:
Overprotective and BFF material - Theodore
Sweet, soft-hearted and precious - Killian
Dark, mysterious, and dangerous - Oscar
Damaged, shy, protect him at all cost - Moses
Charming and flirty - Cian
Granted, we don't know much about any of them yet, but I'm excited to learn more in the next book(s).
� Romance
As I've come to anticipate from Jane's books, this series has all the makings of a slowburn romance, which happens to be my favorite trope. I love it when there is a buildup to the romance, especially when there are multiple love interests.
There are already subtle signs of deeper emotions and connections forming between Isobel and a few of the men, but the gradual development of romance allows me to fully invest in the characters and their stories. It gives dimension to the story by allowing us to see the progression of emotions and the complexities of each interaction.
With every page, I find myself eagerly awaiting the moments when these connections will deepen and evolve, all while relishing the deliciously slow pace that keeps me hooked. The anticipation is palpable, and I can't wait to see how these relationships develop in the upcoming books.
� Conclusion
Fast-paced, filled with action, tension, angst, and laugh-out-loud moments, this book has been an entertaining read!
I eagerly anticipate uncovering the secrets and witnessing the further development of the characters' relationships in the series. I can't wait for the next book!
Jane Washington is one of those authors whose books have the ability to completely captivate me. Whenever I start reading one of her stories, I lose track of time. It's as if I just blinked, and suddenly I find myself at the end of the book.
Her writing is incredibly engaging and addictive. Every time I pick up one of her books I know I'm in for a thrilling adventure that will keep me hooked until the very last page.
� What to expect:
� New Adult
� Paranormal Romance
� Alternative Omega Verse
� Multiple POV
� Gifted Academy
� Reality TV Show
� Reverse-Harem (large)
� Kind & sweet FMC � she's also a dancer
� Morally Grey/Bankrupt MMCs
� Loveable MMCs
� Delicious Banter
� Tension & Spice
� Secrets
� Tropes:
� Strangers to Friends to Lovers
� Rejected Mates
� Slowburn
� Professor x Student
� "Who did this to you?"
� Trigger Warnings: attempted rape, sexual assault, bullying (not by the MMCs), physical & emotional abuse, trauma, panic attacks
� Summary
Ironside Academy is not your typical academy; it is the largest reality show in the world. Betas, Omegas, and Deltas can be found wandering the halls, occasionally mingling with a few Alphas in the crowd. However, this year brings some changes.
Suddenly, ten Alphas made an appearance on the academy's grounds, along with a Sigma named Isobel Carter, the only one to be accepted. As expected, people are unhappy about having a Sigma among them. However, despite being the lowest in rank, Isobel is determined to survive Ironside.
� Plot
I can count on one hand the number of books I've read with a reality TV show theme, and none of them come close to Plier - it tops them all. The addition of supernatural elements only serves to make it more exciting.
Isobel has escaped the nightmare of her home life, only to find herself in another. Trying to fly under the radar proves impossible when you're the only sheep among the wolves.
She quickly realizes that her attempts to remain unnoticed are futile, especially after an unexpected encounter leads to an Alpha wanting to be her friend. She's an enigma, soon catching the interest of other Alphas and that's like painting a target on her back.
While not everything is sunshine and rainbows, there are some laugh-out-loud moments mixed in with the tension and angst. They serve as a refreshing break from all the chaos.
'Theodore: Where are you?
Theodore: Say “boo� if you’re standing right next to me.
Kilian: Veryfunny,loser.'
� Worldbuilding
We have an intricately crafted world with a well-defined rank system and a thorough description of the magic system. I found myself captivated by every intricate detail about the characters' powers and the rules of society. It was fascinating to read about, and I didn't want to overlook any aspect of it, which is why I highlighted every bit of information presented.
"It wasn’t that Sigmas were hated, necessarily. It’s just that they weren’t interesting. They all had the same power. Empathy. Isobel could take on people’s negative feelings, leaving them lighter and happier."
� Characters
"She was different. She had teeth. She bowed, just like the Sigmas were taught to� but she refused to break. She had just used him� an Alpha, a predator� to hide her tears from the cameras, to conceal her momentaryweakness."
� Isobel
Isobel Carter is a Sigma, born to an Alpha father. Despite growing up in a somewhat luxurious life compared to others, she has endured years of abuse at the hands of the man who was supposed to be a parent to her and keep her safe.
Her tragic past didn't succeed in breaking her, and neither will these students who are set on making her years at the academy hell.
She's a survivor. She'll show no weakness. Not in front of the cameras and not in front of them.
Isobel is a sweet girl who's often showing concern for others' well-being, even though they're undeserving of her kindness. It's impossible not to become invested in her story and root for her. She's a strong character who has earned my admiration, and I couldn't help but shed a few tears whenever she faced the consequences of her powers or endured yet another attack. She hides her emotions beneath a frigid, stone-faced exterior.
"She was a Sigma. A never-ending vessel for pain, sorrow, fear, and anger, but as much as she could take it away from other people, she couldn’t ever seem to expunge it fullyfromherself."
� The Alphas
This was my first time reading a Reverse-Harem(why-choose) book where there are so many love interests and I have to admit that I'm impressed by Jane's ability to craft characters with distinct and diverse personalities. It was easy for me to tell them apart, which is an essential aspect for me when reading RH books.
"She seemed overwhelmed with three Alphas crowding up her closet of a room, but she needed to get used to that if she wanted to be friends with Theodore. They were a unit until they graduated. That was non-negotiable. Every one of them had to be protected, even if it was fromthemselves."
The Alphas haven't asked for her help, and she definitely hasn't asked for theirs. However, after she helps one of them, they start rushing to her aid, despite her refusal to accept it.
In fact, some of them go as far as taking it upon themselves to seek revenge on her behalf. There's nothing I enjoy more than when the MMC(s) take such actions.
The grey storm was carefully restrained, his expression guarded.
“Who did this?� He waved the bloodied paper towel, a subtle warning in his tone. It didn’t really sound like it was for her.
“I don’t want to tell you,� she said quietly.
“That makestwoofus.�
In addition, there is an underlying mystery surrounding these men, and I am eagerly anticipating the revelation of what they are hiding.
While observing their interactions and the development of their relationship with Isobel, I find their connection with each other particularly intriguing. They're all really supportive, they care for each other, have each other's backs, and it seems like there are no secrets between them. It adds another layer of complexity and intrigue to the story.
"Kilian wasn’t sunny like Theodore and Niko, moody like Moses and Oscar, stupid- smart like Gabriel and Elijah, or tough like Mikel and Kalen. Maybe he was like Cian, but Cian was wily and guarded his heart behind a ten-foot wall of mystery, which was guarded by a twenty-foot wall of charm. Kilian was softer than the rest of them. He was fucking sensitive,dammit."
� Some of my favorite Alphas so far are:
Overprotective and BFF material - Theodore
Sweet, soft-hearted and precious - Killian
Dark, mysterious, and dangerous - Oscar
Damaged, shy, protect him at all cost - Moses
Charming and flirty - Cian
Granted, we don't know much about any of them yet, but I'm excited to learn more in the next book(s).
� Romance
As I've come to anticipate from Jane's books, this series has all the makings of a slowburn romance, which happens to be my favorite trope. I love it when there is a buildup to the romance, especially when there are multiple love interests.
There are already subtle signs of deeper emotions and connections forming between Isobel and a few of the men, but the gradual development of romance allows me to fully invest in the characters and their stories. It gives dimension to the story by allowing us to see the progression of emotions and the complexities of each interaction.
With every page, I find myself eagerly awaiting the moments when these connections will deepen and evolve, all while relishing the deliciously slow pace that keeps me hooked. The anticipation is palpable, and I can't wait to see how these relationships develop in the upcoming books.
� Conclusion
Fast-paced, filled with action, tension, angst, and laugh-out-loud moments, this book has been an entertaining read!
I eagerly anticipate uncovering the secrets and witnessing the further development of the characters' relationships in the series. I can't wait for the next book!
August 19, 2024
What the hell did I just read. And why was it so good.
I was going to read this and finish it quietly, removing the update like a shameful little bitch. But this book deserves the spotlight. Because, what the fuck, and I can't stress this enough, did I just read.
I read this for shits and gigs but I think I'm the joke now, the moment I found out this RH consists of TEN guys I was like there ain't no way it could be good.
I was so so wrong.
Idk what kind of witchcraft Jane Washington practiced but she somehow made a book about a girl being mated to ten different dudes an emotional rollercoaster with depth like you would not believe. The angst almost caused me a fucking ulcer.
The rejected mate trope in this is insane because being rejected by one or two mates is one thing but 10? I'd cry myself to sleep every day and night tbh
AND THE SLOWBURN? I'd like to think I'm well versed in slowburn romances but holy hell, this book. The tension, the angst? Out of this world. And I loved it. If it started getting spicy somewhere in book 1 I probably would've lost interest.
But the spark cannot burn any slower, and that's exactly the way I like it. Keep me guessing and wishing as long as possible, PLEASE.
This book was addicting as hell. I was in a daze the whole day. I feel like this book is the equivalent of shows like... NCIS or something. I could read 15 of these no problem.
This is so beautifully written, and easy to read. Which is something because I usually have problems with third pov, but it felt effortless in this book.
This book might be peak omegaverse I fear. Or maybe just RH in general honestly lol.
Even though it's not the traditional omegaverse people might be used to. I might like this one better actually. The author described it as an alternative-omegaverse, with the familiar alpha-beta-omega system but with completely different rules. And this one has sigmas.
I think this book would be perfect for people not familiar with omegaverse.
Isobel, our fmc, is a Sigma. Literally the lowest of the lows. If it was any other book in any other universe I don't think I would like her very much because of her obedient & agreeable nature. But because she's a sigma it makes sense for her to act that way, and I could see little glimpses of her snarkiness & inner bad bitch peeking through sometimes and that makes me excited. I hope she will get to step outside her sad sigma bubble & let her real self come through in future books.
And the ten alphas? I was expecting to get them all mixed up because while I'm not slow, memorizing 10 different love interests seems like a laughable task.
But Jane proved me wrong yet again.
She somehow was able to make the ten alphas distinguishable. They all have unique, different personalities. Grouping some of them in twos is a smart move honestly.
It didn't take me long (really, it didn't) to be able to tell who's who and who's likely to do what. Also, the author provided a really handy, EXTREMELY stunning cheat sheet of the characters on her equally stunning website, so that helped.
And who's my favorite, you ask? I don't know. Not yet. The easy answer would be Theo, but Oscar is too hard to ignore. But I like to torture myself, so for now I'd say Kalen, for the sake of the plot. But also Gabriel and Elijah. Because, reasons. Wink.
I'm not sure what I can and cannot say because this series is so full of secrets and mysteries and I've heard it's better to go in blind so if you want to read this, go straight into it like I did. It's worth it, I promise.
Now excuse me while I race to the next book.
I was going to read this and finish it quietly, removing the update like a shameful little bitch. But this book deserves the spotlight. Because, what the fuck, and I can't stress this enough, did I just read.
I read this for shits and gigs but I think I'm the joke now, the moment I found out this RH consists of TEN guys I was like there ain't no way it could be good.
I was so so wrong.
Idk what kind of witchcraft Jane Washington practiced but she somehow made a book about a girl being mated to ten different dudes an emotional rollercoaster with depth like you would not believe. The angst almost caused me a fucking ulcer.
The rejected mate trope in this is insane because being rejected by one or two mates is one thing but 10? I'd cry myself to sleep every day and night tbh
AND THE SLOWBURN? I'd like to think I'm well versed in slowburn romances but holy hell, this book. The tension, the angst? Out of this world. And I loved it. If it started getting spicy somewhere in book 1 I probably would've lost interest.
But the spark cannot burn any slower, and that's exactly the way I like it. Keep me guessing and wishing as long as possible, PLEASE.
This book was addicting as hell. I was in a daze the whole day. I feel like this book is the equivalent of shows like... NCIS or something. I could read 15 of these no problem.
This is so beautifully written, and easy to read. Which is something because I usually have problems with third pov, but it felt effortless in this book.
This book might be peak omegaverse I fear. Or maybe just RH in general honestly lol.
Even though it's not the traditional omegaverse people might be used to. I might like this one better actually. The author described it as an alternative-omegaverse, with the familiar alpha-beta-omega system but with completely different rules. And this one has sigmas.
I think this book would be perfect for people not familiar with omegaverse.
Isobel, our fmc, is a Sigma. Literally the lowest of the lows. If it was any other book in any other universe I don't think I would like her very much because of her obedient & agreeable nature. But because she's a sigma it makes sense for her to act that way, and I could see little glimpses of her snarkiness & inner bad bitch peeking through sometimes and that makes me excited. I hope she will get to step outside her sad sigma bubble & let her real self come through in future books.
And the ten alphas? I was expecting to get them all mixed up because while I'm not slow, memorizing 10 different love interests seems like a laughable task.
But Jane proved me wrong yet again.
She somehow was able to make the ten alphas distinguishable. They all have unique, different personalities. Grouping some of them in twos is a smart move honestly.
It didn't take me long (really, it didn't) to be able to tell who's who and who's likely to do what. Also, the author provided a really handy, EXTREMELY stunning cheat sheet of the characters on her equally stunning website, so that helped.
And who's my favorite, you ask? I don't know. Not yet. The easy answer would be Theo, but Oscar is too hard to ignore. But I like to torture myself, so for now I'd say Kalen, for the sake of the plot. But also Gabriel and Elijah. Because, reasons. Wink.
I'm not sure what I can and cannot say because this series is so full of secrets and mysteries and I've heard it's better to go in blind so if you want to read this, go straight into it like I did. It's worth it, I promise.
Now excuse me while I race to the next book.
Want to read
September 4, 2024I have been looking for a rebound from zodiac academy, I hope this series meets the criteria 🤞🏽😌😌
October 2, 2024
I tried to like this book. I really did. But I did not care. Not for the characters or the exhaustive interactions between Isobel and all those alphas😐
� I loved the idea of an academy with a reality show kinda vibe to it with cameras all around where trending and happening students got the points.
Even though I did not care about the storyline I still would've continued for the reverse harem part of it but even that will not happen for another I don't know how many books and I won't be reading those.
� I loved the idea of an academy with a reality show kinda vibe to it with cameras all around where trending and happening students got the points.
Even though I did not care about the storyline I still would've continued for the reverse harem part of it but even that will not happen for another I don't know how many books and I won't be reading those.
January 12, 2025
"For most people, being attracted to their mate was a given, not just a blessing.
But for them? It would be a soul-deep curse."
Hell yeah. The fuss was worth it.
𐙚 Omegaverse Dynamics (Alpha, Beta, Omega, Sigma hierarchy)
𐙚 Reverse Harem
𐙚 Fated mates
𐙚 Slow-but really slow- burn
𐙚 Tension
𐙚 Academy Setting
𐙚 Reality TV Show
𐙚 Multiple POV
𐙚 She's a ballerina
Isobel enters the Ironside Academy, a place where students are constantly watched, their every move scrutinized. They are admired, wagered on, celebrated for their talents and power. The ultimate goal? Win the game. Isobel is a Stigma, the lowest rank beneath Alpha, Beta, and Omega. To everyone, she’s useless, unworthy of being acknowledged.
She has no desire to be noticed, let alone to play this game. But fate has other plans when she befriends Theodore, an Alpha. Everything begins to spiral, and soon, she finds herself entangled with the very Alphas she tried to avoid.
𐙚 My favorites
𖥻 Theodore
"She should have picked Kilian or Niko, and then they wouldn’t have had to worry, but she chose Theodore. Theodore, who had become the glue binding them—and their plan—together. Theodore, who was now pulling himself across the lake by the rope she had strung up, proving to them all that he would always be the first one to jump in, to face the unknown on his own, and they would have no choice but to follow."
I think I liked him the first, because he’s also the first person we meet who genuinely takes an interest in Isolde. They meet under unique circumstances and end up becoming friends with her. But honestly, he’s like my little teddy bear—he’s so sweet and adorable with Isolde! Like the other characters, it’s obvious he’s falling for her. I don’t know, I just felt something, and I loved getting to know him.
𖥻 Kilian
"She opened her mouth, and he forgot all about what he had to do. Just one taste � He drove his tongue between her sweet lips, trying not to lose himself in the potent sensation of her little tongue licking back curiously against his. It was just attraction. She was just � attractive. He liked most things about her, and she was so fucking responsive. That’s all it was. He could ignore that."
For Kilian it's different. My feelings for him grew progressively, but at the same time, it felt intense from the start? As soon as we get to read more about him and see his interactions with Isolde, I immediately liked him. I just want to give him a big hug. He’s such a joyful character—he’s a sunshine, so caring, kind, and just amazing.
𐙚 Isobel
Her character is just so well-written; there’s nothing excessive about her. She might be considered a nobody, but she’s not pathetic either. She’s not written in a way that would make us tire of her—quite the opposite. We move forward with her, and we want to move forward with her. We want to learn more about her, and deep down, we know there’s still so much left to discover.
𐙚 The alphas
Kilian and Theodore aside, I’m intrigued by all of them, but especially Mikel, Kalen, and Cian after the last few pages of the book. Oscar also intrigues me, but not as much for now.
When it comes to Elijah and Gabriel, I really like their dynamic—it’s like they function as one person.
I can’t wait to see how the different relationships will develop.
𐙚 About the story in itself
I absolutely lost track of time. This book was such a fast read! I literally devoured it. It’s fast-paced, but at the same time, it slows down enough for everything to be well-detailed and explored.
The writing style is just amazing, and I think that’s why I felt like I started the book, blinked, and suddenly finished it.
The story is well-structured and rich in detail. I feel like this book is a huge introduction to something much larger. The characters, especially Isolde, have so much depth. Even though we haven’t had the chance to fully explore the other characters yet, you can sense their potential. The interactions between them might not have allowed for that just yet, but it leaves so much to look forward to.
I just love the story itself! The idea of an academy where students are, in a way, part of a reality show based on their performance, the concept of winning a game, and the need to stand out� it’s all so fascinating.
I also love the powers tied to the different characters and their ranks. I really hope we’ll learn more about them as the series goes on. Everything is so well-balanced, which makes the story truly incredible.
That being said, if you’re not a fan of slow burn, you might find it a bit slow since not much happens at times. But in a way, that’s what makes the story work. Relationships are built gradually, the tension is carefully developed, and everything happens when it’s supposed to, at just the right moment.
𐙚 The ending
Now that was an ending full of emotions. I was smiling like an idiot and furrowing my brows at the same time.
I absolutely loved reading that ending, and now I just want to dive into the next book to finally get some answers. I need things to go well in the next one, though. I need Kilian to make the right choice.
𐙚 Last words for this review
I absolutely loved this reading. I didn't expect it at first to be honest.
I was really curious but didn’t expect anything in particular, and I wasn’t disappointed. There's just something about this book and i'm here for it.
Now, I’m off right away to devour the next books in the series !!!
𐙚 Quotes
“Cherries,� he suddenly blurted, his lips lifting into a small grin. “That’s what you smell like.� Isobel chuckled despite herself, his little smile forcing it out of her. “Is that a good thing?� He stared at her. “I like cherries.�
“And there it is,� he breathed out quietly. “That’s why me and you will be friends. Because underneath the yards of nonsense that puts you down one end of the ladder and me up at the other end � we both still just straight up despise ourselves.�
“That would be nice. Night, Kane.� “Theo,� he corrected her, a large hand skimming over the surface of the cold water. “Only the producers call me Kane.� Isobel snorted. “Everyone calls you Kane.� “Except anyone who matters. Goodnight, Illy.�
“No way,� he growled. “There is no way in hell you’re going to carry me bridal-style through the lake. I will never hear the end of it. And there are cameras out here,�
Theodore was turning in the water, following her with his eyes. “He likes her,� Elijah commented. “Obviously,�
Sato made a soft, dangerous humming sound. “He’s lucky I didn’t kill him. Back to the problem, Sigma.� “Isobel,� she corrected. “Little rabbit,� he countered.
But for them? It would be a soul-deep curse."
Hell yeah. The fuss was worth it.
𐙚 Omegaverse Dynamics (Alpha, Beta, Omega, Sigma hierarchy)
𐙚 Reverse Harem
𐙚 Fated mates
𐙚 Slow-but really slow- burn
𐙚 Tension
𐙚 Academy Setting
𐙚 Reality TV Show
𐙚 Multiple POV
𐙚 She's a ballerina
Isobel enters the Ironside Academy, a place where students are constantly watched, their every move scrutinized. They are admired, wagered on, celebrated for their talents and power. The ultimate goal? Win the game. Isobel is a Stigma, the lowest rank beneath Alpha, Beta, and Omega. To everyone, she’s useless, unworthy of being acknowledged.
She has no desire to be noticed, let alone to play this game. But fate has other plans when she befriends Theodore, an Alpha. Everything begins to spiral, and soon, she finds herself entangled with the very Alphas she tried to avoid.
𐙚 My favorites
𖥻 Theodore
"She should have picked Kilian or Niko, and then they wouldn’t have had to worry, but she chose Theodore. Theodore, who had become the glue binding them—and their plan—together. Theodore, who was now pulling himself across the lake by the rope she had strung up, proving to them all that he would always be the first one to jump in, to face the unknown on his own, and they would have no choice but to follow."
I think I liked him the first, because he’s also the first person we meet who genuinely takes an interest in Isolde. They meet under unique circumstances and end up becoming friends with her. But honestly, he’s like my little teddy bear—he’s so sweet and adorable with Isolde! Like the other characters, it’s obvious he’s falling for her. I don’t know, I just felt something, and I loved getting to know him.
𖥻 Kilian
"She opened her mouth, and he forgot all about what he had to do. Just one taste � He drove his tongue between her sweet lips, trying not to lose himself in the potent sensation of her little tongue licking back curiously against his. It was just attraction. She was just � attractive. He liked most things about her, and she was so fucking responsive. That’s all it was. He could ignore that."
For Kilian it's different. My feelings for him grew progressively, but at the same time, it felt intense from the start? As soon as we get to read more about him and see his interactions with Isolde, I immediately liked him. I just want to give him a big hug. He’s such a joyful character—he’s a sunshine, so caring, kind, and just amazing.
𐙚 Isobel
Her character is just so well-written; there’s nothing excessive about her. She might be considered a nobody, but she’s not pathetic either. She’s not written in a way that would make us tire of her—quite the opposite. We move forward with her, and we want to move forward with her. We want to learn more about her, and deep down, we know there’s still so much left to discover.
𐙚 The alphas
Kilian and Theodore aside, I’m intrigued by all of them, but especially Mikel, Kalen, and Cian after the last few pages of the book. Oscar also intrigues me, but not as much for now.
When it comes to Elijah and Gabriel, I really like their dynamic—it’s like they function as one person.
I can’t wait to see how the different relationships will develop.
𐙚 About the story in itself
I absolutely lost track of time. This book was such a fast read! I literally devoured it. It’s fast-paced, but at the same time, it slows down enough for everything to be well-detailed and explored.
The writing style is just amazing, and I think that’s why I felt like I started the book, blinked, and suddenly finished it.
The story is well-structured and rich in detail. I feel like this book is a huge introduction to something much larger. The characters, especially Isolde, have so much depth. Even though we haven’t had the chance to fully explore the other characters yet, you can sense their potential. The interactions between them might not have allowed for that just yet, but it leaves so much to look forward to.
I just love the story itself! The idea of an academy where students are, in a way, part of a reality show based on their performance, the concept of winning a game, and the need to stand out� it’s all so fascinating.
I also love the powers tied to the different characters and their ranks. I really hope we’ll learn more about them as the series goes on. Everything is so well-balanced, which makes the story truly incredible.
That being said, if you’re not a fan of slow burn, you might find it a bit slow since not much happens at times. But in a way, that’s what makes the story work. Relationships are built gradually, the tension is carefully developed, and everything happens when it’s supposed to, at just the right moment.
𐙚 The ending
Now that was an ending full of emotions. I was smiling like an idiot and furrowing my brows at the same time.
I absolutely loved reading that ending, and now I just want to dive into the next book to finally get some answers. I need things to go well in the next one, though. I need Kilian to make the right choice.
𐙚 Last words for this review
I absolutely loved this reading. I didn't expect it at first to be honest.
I was really curious but didn’t expect anything in particular, and I wasn’t disappointed. There's just something about this book and i'm here for it.
Now, I’m off right away to devour the next books in the series !!!
𐙚 Quotes
“Cherries,� he suddenly blurted, his lips lifting into a small grin. “That’s what you smell like.� Isobel chuckled despite herself, his little smile forcing it out of her. “Is that a good thing?� He stared at her. “I like cherries.�
“And there it is,� he breathed out quietly. “That’s why me and you will be friends. Because underneath the yards of nonsense that puts you down one end of the ladder and me up at the other end � we both still just straight up despise ourselves.�
“That would be nice. Night, Kane.� “Theo,� he corrected her, a large hand skimming over the surface of the cold water. “Only the producers call me Kane.� Isobel snorted. “Everyone calls you Kane.� “Except anyone who matters. Goodnight, Illy.�
“No way,� he growled. “There is no way in hell you’re going to carry me bridal-style through the lake. I will never hear the end of it. And there are cameras out here,�
Theodore was turning in the water, following her with his eyes. “He likes her,� Elijah commented. “Obviously,�
Sato made a soft, dangerous humming sound. “He’s lucky I didn’t kill him. Back to the problem, Sigma.� “Isobel,� she corrected. “Little rabbit,� he countered.
July 17, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm just a reviewer, standing in front of a reader, asking you to read this book.
Ever since Jane Washington’s series “A Tempest of Shadows� completed in 2021 I have been patiently waiting for what her next rh series was going to be, so when she announced “Ironside Academy� earlier this year it was safe to say that I may have squealed out of pure excitement!
I was sat at midnight on the dot ready with my kindle in hand waiting for Plier to be released. I told myself that I was totally going to regret reading it so soon after release because I knew how much of a mess I was going to be waiting for the sequel. But I just couldn’t help myself 😩 Plier was just way too good to put down!!! It was everything that I have been wanting in a
RH book (seriously I have not been able to find an RH series that could top “A Tempest of Shadows� but “Ironside Academy� could very well be that one).
I could go into the details of what this book is about but all you really need to know is: 10 alpha men, 1 sigma girl, mate-bonds, SLOW-BURN, and so many moments that will make your heart feel like it is pounding out of your chest (the pain hurts SO GOOD). If you have read these reasons and you still haven't picked up Plier then there is not much more I can do to help you (please help me help you and go read this book). Let me save you from the future version of yourself that will be filled with immense levels of regret from waiting to read this book.
Edit: It has been one week since Plier was released and I am unwell. My poor fiance has heard nothing from me except "I need book 2", "why isn't it august 8th", and "I need you to multiply into 10 versions of yourself". My three cats wonder why their mother is in a constant state of deliriousness (the reason being that I do not have book 2). If you too would like to feel this way, then pick up Plier and get reading. This book is straight up crack. I feel like a crackhead. Why can't I get this book out of my head. Clearly the only cure is for August 8th to get here faster.
I'm just a reviewer, standing in front of a reader, asking you to read this book.
Ever since Jane Washington’s series “A Tempest of Shadows� completed in 2021 I have been patiently waiting for what her next rh series was going to be, so when she announced “Ironside Academy� earlier this year it was safe to say that I may have squealed out of pure excitement!
I was sat at midnight on the dot ready with my kindle in hand waiting for Plier to be released. I told myself that I was totally going to regret reading it so soon after release because I knew how much of a mess I was going to be waiting for the sequel. But I just couldn’t help myself 😩 Plier was just way too good to put down!!! It was everything that I have been wanting in a
RH book (seriously I have not been able to find an RH series that could top “A Tempest of Shadows� but “Ironside Academy� could very well be that one).
I could go into the details of what this book is about but all you really need to know is: 10 alpha men, 1 sigma girl, mate-bonds, SLOW-BURN, and so many moments that will make your heart feel like it is pounding out of your chest (the pain hurts SO GOOD). If you have read these reasons and you still haven't picked up Plier then there is not much more I can do to help you (please help me help you and go read this book). Let me save you from the future version of yourself that will be filled with immense levels of regret from waiting to read this book.
Edit: It has been one week since Plier was released and I am unwell. My poor fiance has heard nothing from me except "I need book 2", "why isn't it august 8th", and "I need you to multiply into 10 versions of yourself". My three cats wonder why their mother is in a constant state of deliriousness (the reason being that I do not have book 2). If you too would like to feel this way, then pick up Plier and get reading. This book is straight up crack. I feel like a crackhead. Why can't I get this book out of my head. Clearly the only cure is for August 8th to get here faster.
July 17, 2023
THIS is the book I needed for my Fourth Wing hangover. (Although now I have a Plier hangover)
I had forgotten how much I enjoy Jane Washington's writing. Lucky for me, that means I have a bit of backlist to catch up on until Tourner comes out.
Also, can someone please explain these titles to me?
I had forgotten how much I enjoy Jane Washington's writing. Lucky for me, that means I have a bit of backlist to catch up on until Tourner comes out.
Also, can someone please explain these titles to me?
August 25, 2024
� 𝟐⭐️
﹌﹌
So the first thing that intrigued me was how she got so many mates�
tbh when I saw the typical:
� “𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲—𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀”✧.*
I knew where this was going. When I first started the book it was like� okay. Sometimes, I got stuck with the characters’s names, as 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗌. Anyways, it was really well handled and I like how the author made the “𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗺� trope work in this story.
(I’ve never read a reverse harem book before and I gotta say this was� interesting)
📽� I liked the idea of 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗋𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗎𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾.
╰┈� 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 ₊˚⊹🪞🕯️�
[🎶] 𝐈𝐬𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐥
she’s the fmc, the 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹, who’s 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗌𝖾𝖽
to do what everyone else wants her to do. 𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹. I’m usually not a fan of “powerless girls� but I don’t wanna judge ‘cause 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 so maybe across the series she gets more badass.
𝗗𝗢𝗡’� 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 I like reading about any kind of girls, as it makes my reading more realistic, however I get like so mad when they’re always lowering their head 😭
̶I̶’̶m̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶i̶r̶l̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶s̶o̶n̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶I̶’̶v̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶f̶m̶c̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶g̶u̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶(̶?̶
[💥] 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬
so there were 𝟭𝟬 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 ( yeah ik) and I didn’t really liked any of them. OK THAT WAS KINDA HARSH but I have to say that none of them caught my attention and I feel like 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’� 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗹, but then again, this is only the first book and this could change.
ೃ⁀� 𝙼𝚢 𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 ｡💭� °┊�
I enjoyed the book and its atmosphere. The theme was pretty original but I sometimes got lost and struggled to understand what was happening. It had a 𝖿𝖾𝗐𝗐 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗒 and boring to me. I think I didn't DNF this book because I wanted to see if it was going to change and get better, but I just ended up more bored and wanting to be done with it. Overall, I'm pretty sure I only gave it 2 stars because 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻-𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲-𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 vibes was pretty cool
� 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞 one of the character said, 🪶📜
�*·˚”� 𝗱𝗼𝗻’� 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁�
lol I didn’t need to say it myself, as 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 😔
𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀? probably NO, sorry :/
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� ·˚ � ✧𝐩𝐫�-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝┊�
I’ve been hearing amazing things about this one, so I’m eager to see what all the fuss is about
﹌﹌
So the first thing that intrigued me was how she got so many mates�
tbh when I saw the typical:
� “𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲—𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀”✧.*
I knew where this was going. When I first started the book it was like� okay. Sometimes, I got stuck with the characters’s names, as 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗌. Anyways, it was really well handled and I like how the author made the “𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗺� trope work in this story.
(I’ve never read a reverse harem book before and I gotta say this was� interesting)
📽� I liked the idea of 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗋𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗎𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾.
╰┈� 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 ₊˚⊹🪞🕯️�
[🎶] 𝐈𝐬𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐥
she’s the fmc, the 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹, who’s 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗌𝖾𝖽
to do what everyone else wants her to do. 𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹. I’m usually not a fan of “powerless girls� but I don’t wanna judge ‘cause 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 so maybe across the series she gets more badass.
𝗗𝗢𝗡’� 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 I like reading about any kind of girls, as it makes my reading more realistic, however I get like so mad when they’re always lowering their head 😭
̶I̶’̶m̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶i̶r̶l̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶s̶o̶n̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶I̶’̶v̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶f̶m̶c̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶g̶u̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶(̶?̶
[💥] 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬
so there were 𝟭𝟬 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 ( yeah ik) and I didn’t really liked any of them. OK THAT WAS KINDA HARSH but I have to say that none of them caught my attention and I feel like 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’� 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗹, but then again, this is only the first book and this could change.
ೃ⁀� 𝙼𝚢 𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 ｡💭� °┊�
I enjoyed the book and its atmosphere. The theme was pretty original but I sometimes got lost and struggled to understand what was happening. It had a 𝖿𝖾𝗐𝗐 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗒 and boring to me. I think I didn't DNF this book because I wanted to see if it was going to change and get better, but I just ended up more bored and wanting to be done with it. Overall, I'm pretty sure I only gave it 2 stars because 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻-𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲-𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 vibes was pretty cool
� 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞 one of the character said, 🪶📜
�*·˚”� 𝗱𝗼𝗻’� 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁�
lol I didn’t need to say it myself, as 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 😔
𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀? probably NO, sorry :/
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� ·˚ � ✧𝐩𝐫�-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝┊�
I’ve been hearing amazing things about this one, so I’m eager to see what all the fuss is about
March 3, 2025
5 ⭐️ can i please quit my full time job and read this series all day, every day? i can’t adult with ironside academy on my mind all day.
plier is perfection. i can’t even put into words how much i love this book. i find most books somewhat predictable but i had absolutely no idea at any point how things were going to go. these men are so unpredictable. you hear ten alphas and think you’re in for mindless smut but no, this is so much more complex. this is the ultimate slowburn - high tension, heaps of angst and so many secrets.
the alphas were slowly introduced so i didn’t feel so confused between who was who, and the cheat sheets/characters cards are a nice touch. theodore is book one’s main man and he’s such a golden retriever - high quality boyfriend material for sure. oscar is a walking red flag - tortured and chaotic, so of course, i need more. kilian is an absolute angel and probably my favourite of the alphas so far. i expect some of the lesser known alphas will be highlighted in the next books.
our fmc, isobel is the sweetest little thing. mistreated and neglected in a brutal society, isobel starts as a meek angel but really finds her backbone throughout this book. she’s kind hearted, resilient and gains so much more confidence as her friendships develop. i am furious at society for her. if anyone deserves ten hot alphas, it’s isobel.
i am immediately starting the next book. can’t stop, won’t stop.
plier is perfection. i can’t even put into words how much i love this book. i find most books somewhat predictable but i had absolutely no idea at any point how things were going to go. these men are so unpredictable. you hear ten alphas and think you’re in for mindless smut but no, this is so much more complex. this is the ultimate slowburn - high tension, heaps of angst and so many secrets.
the alphas were slowly introduced so i didn’t feel so confused between who was who, and the cheat sheets/characters cards are a nice touch. theodore is book one’s main man and he’s such a golden retriever - high quality boyfriend material for sure. oscar is a walking red flag - tortured and chaotic, so of course, i need more. kilian is an absolute angel and probably my favourite of the alphas so far. i expect some of the lesser known alphas will be highlighted in the next books.
our fmc, isobel is the sweetest little thing. mistreated and neglected in a brutal society, isobel starts as a meek angel but really finds her backbone throughout this book. she’s kind hearted, resilient and gains so much more confidence as her friendships develop. i am furious at society for her. if anyone deserves ten hot alphas, it’s isobel.
i am immediately starting the next book. can’t stop, won’t stop.
January 10, 2025
5�
I LOVE THIS FREAKING MASTERPIECE
First: yes I did just go back and change my rating because I can't stop thinking about this series and it's everything to me and I'm obsessed
Second: in this book, Killian was my favorite with Theo in a close second.....not anymore tho🤫
Third: I literally love everything about this series, and I usually hate why choose romances but HELLOO!!?? THIS SERIES CHANGES EVERYTHING.
I have officially joined the cult😌🤭
Please read this series
I LOVE THIS FREAKING MASTERPIECE
First: yes I did just go back and change my rating because I can't stop thinking about this series and it's everything to me and I'm obsessed
Second: in this book, Killian was my favorite with Theo in a close second.....not anymore tho🤫
Third: I literally love everything about this series, and I usually hate why choose romances but HELLOO!!?? THIS SERIES CHANGES EVERYTHING.
I have officially joined the cult😌🤭
Please read this series
July 31, 2023
I am just confused honestly.
What is the TV show even about?
How does one person have ten mates?
How does any one keep up with that?
I feel like the writing was somewhat choppy for me and there were things that shouldve been said and werent. I feel like there was a LOT of wasted time.
I was genuinely shocked at how high this book is rated because I 100% do not feel the same.
What is the TV show even about?
How does one person have ten mates?
How does any one keep up with that?
I feel like the writing was somewhat choppy for me and there were things that shouldve been said and werent. I feel like there was a LOT of wasted time.
I was genuinely shocked at how high this book is rated because I 100% do not feel the same.
November 17, 2024
4.25 �
excuse me what? rtc...maybe because wtf was this
--
i'm really scared to start this ngl, hope i love it <3
excuse me what? rtc...maybe because wtf was this
--
i'm really scared to start this ngl, hope i love it <3
July 23, 2023
The way I ate this up in one sitting. Fantastic. Looking forward to august 8th.
April 7, 2025
—� 3.75.� stars.
oh well this was much better than I expected? I honestly had concrete level expectations, since some of the tropes weren’t very appealing for me, but honestly I had fun.
the plot is about a girl named Isobel, she is a Sigma, the lowest rank of the gifted people. (basically this is omegaverse, there are alphas, betas, deltas, omegas and sigmas) She has to attend to the Ironside academy, a place you attend that is also a televised competition (think about got talent but in an academy setting and where people win points if they become viral) , if you win you become and Icon, and you have privileges on the outside world.
honestly the plot was interesting but it’s very slice of life and not very centered on the competition at all, at least so far. I was way more interested in the drama between all the characters.
the pace was very slow at the beginning, and that, added with long ass chapters isn’t the best combo, but the book is very short and honestly I couldn’t put it down. If I wasn’t reading I was thinking about Isobel and the other ten, yes, you read that right TEN, “love interests�.
now, about the characters I really enjoyed them overall, it was like reading a bit of a Wattpad novel but in a good way? I don’t know how to explain it. If you want deep and pretentious literature don’t come here I guess lol.
Isobel was ok, a bit bland sometimes but I still liked her. And the rest of the guys, let’s just say it’s a bit difficult to catch up at first with all the names and surnames, but the author has an amazing cheat sheet on her website .
so far my favorites are theo and killian but honestly, it’s difficult to chose since not all of them were present enough yet, and those two are the main ones for now.
the book seems to be completely introductory, and honestly it has me hooked lol, also the world building is small for now, and not very complex neither deep! And I will stop writing here because I’m itching to start the second one lol.
⋆｡‧˚� pre read ɞ˚‧｡�
trying something different! reverse harem scares me and intrigues me in equal measure lol
“Fate brought people together, and fate put them in danger at exactly the right moment.�
oh well this was much better than I expected? I honestly had concrete level expectations, since some of the tropes weren’t very appealing for me, but honestly I had fun.
the plot is about a girl named Isobel, she is a Sigma, the lowest rank of the gifted people. (basically this is omegaverse, there are alphas, betas, deltas, omegas and sigmas) She has to attend to the Ironside academy, a place you attend that is also a televised competition (think about got talent but in an academy setting and where people win points if they become viral) , if you win you become and Icon, and you have privileges on the outside world.
honestly the plot was interesting but it’s very slice of life and not very centered on the competition at all, at least so far. I was way more interested in the drama between all the characters.
the pace was very slow at the beginning, and that, added with long ass chapters isn’t the best combo, but the book is very short and honestly I couldn’t put it down. If I wasn’t reading I was thinking about Isobel and the other ten, yes, you read that right TEN, “love interests�.
now, about the characters I really enjoyed them overall, it was like reading a bit of a Wattpad novel but in a good way? I don’t know how to explain it. If you want deep and pretentious literature don’t come here I guess lol.
Isobel was ok, a bit bland sometimes but I still liked her. And the rest of the guys, let’s just say it’s a bit difficult to catch up at first with all the names and surnames, but the author has an amazing cheat sheet on her website .
so far my favorites are theo and killian but honestly, it’s difficult to chose since not all of them were present enough yet, and those two are the main ones for now.
the book seems to be completely introductory, and honestly it has me hooked lol, also the world building is small for now, and not very complex neither deep! And I will stop writing here because I’m itching to start the second one lol.
⋆｡‧˚� pre read ɞ˚‧｡�
trying something different! reverse harem scares me and intrigues me in equal measure lol
August 23, 2024
oh yeah, i can tell this series is going to be a new guilty pleasure read. it’s giving slight zodiac academy and bonds that tie vibes (my 2 favorite guilty pleasure reads)
personally, i’m a kilian and theo girl so far and kalen intrigues me even though he was barely mentioned. do not fuck with oscar and moses yet, but who knows?
this was so hard to put down and had me up past 4am reading until i had to force myself to sleep. already know i'm going to fly through this. love a good RH
update: now that i’ve finished the series i 100% have no doubts that it’s a 5-star series for me
personally, i’m a kilian and theo girl so far and kalen intrigues me even though he was barely mentioned. do not fuck with oscar and moses yet, but who knows?
this was so hard to put down and had me up past 4am reading until i had to force myself to sleep. already know i'm going to fly through this. love a good RH
update: now that i’ve finished the series i 100% have no doubts that it’s a 5-star series for me
December 2, 2024
Oh, the irony of this prestigious place,
As puppets dance inside, lost in the chase.
The world applauds from outside the bars,
Iron on all sides, but inside are stars.
I got curious about this series mainly because how one girl can juggle 10 men and for now I can't say if it's too much. I don't know them enough to make my judgement, like I can distinguish a few of them but with some I need more time to see how they all fit. It doesn't help that they're being called once by their names, then another time by surnames and then nicknames. It can be a little confusing.
The idea of this whole competition/live broadcasting was very interesting but I have to say that when it comes to world building, I didn't feel the differences between the "lower" groups, like the omega/delta/sigma basically felt the same to me.
The ending was a bit unexpected but I know their plan isn't going to work in the long run 😂
As puppets dance inside, lost in the chase.
The world applauds from outside the bars,
Iron on all sides, but inside are stars.
I got curious about this series mainly because how one girl can juggle 10 men and for now I can't say if it's too much. I don't know them enough to make my judgement, like I can distinguish a few of them but with some I need more time to see how they all fit. It doesn't help that they're being called once by their names, then another time by surnames and then nicknames. It can be a little confusing.
The idea of this whole competition/live broadcasting was very interesting but I have to say that when it comes to world building, I didn't feel the differences between the "lower" groups, like the omega/delta/sigma basically felt the same to me.
The ending was a bit unexpected but I know their plan isn't going to work in the long run 😂
September 14, 2024
I liked this but I feel like the slump I was in kind of negatively affected my reading experience. Also this was quite slow but I loved seeing the slow burn romances. I still don't know how Isobel has ten mates and she hasn't really interacted with some of them. That ending was a pretty good cliffhanger though. RTC.
June 13, 2023
What can I say? Jane’s done it again! Plier is a damn masterpiece, a class act in her character-based writing and fantastical worldbuilding that gets me every single time. From the enticing setting to the magical magic, everything about this draws you in. The start of the book reminds me of a snowball down a hill, gaining slow and steady momentum, and the insane ending feels like that snowball crashing into the side of a building.
I have many things to say about this book, but as with every JW book, my favourite will always be the main character. Isobel is a shy girl, who you’d think first of all is a pushover. She is probably the exact opposite of that, in reality. She’s grown up in a society that sees her as lesser than dirt, as both a gifted and the lowest rung on the ladder, a Sigma. With an abusive father and a worn down Sigma mother, she’s had it tough. So the absolute strength we see in her, even after everything the world continues to throw at her, is staggeringly moving.
Other than our FMC we also have to mention the guys in this. Ten Alpha men? While a lot of other fans didn’t think she could pull it off, I had utter faith. Jane delivered. While we don’t get to connect with every guy in this book, the ones we do absolutely tear at my heartstrings. While I do love Theo, the first to see our girl and go ‘That’s mine�, the ones who intrigue me most are Oscar the Grouch and Killian the ‘I swear I’m gay�. Their dynamics are all hilarious, and the way I can already see the slow burn inevitable wrecking ball collide they’ll have with Isobel makes my mouth water!
Finally, I have to talk about the setting. I know I said my favourite part of JW books is the FMC but LEAVE ME BE! As always, Jane’s world building completely sweeps me away. I genuinely feel like I’m in a different place when I read these books. To be fair they are often quite dark, with some glaring social issues that doesn’t make me really WANT to be there. This book is in the same vein, with humans and the ‘gifted� in completely different social classes. The gifted by birth have no rights, and the only way to get them is (you guessed it) the Ironside games. Everyone in Ironside is fighting for a chance at not only riches and an escape from poverty, but to be treated like an actual person, not just a beast. Technically this is Omegaverse, but Jane has made this setting her own with magic, societal problems, and the special title Isobel has as Sigma. I will be quietly holding out hope that this series smut has the more� interesting facets of Omegaverse. But it’s JW, so slow burn and no spice yet.
Anyways to wrap up. Buy this book, I am not asking I am telling you to. If you want the best slowburn reverse harem goodness in the world, buy this book and all of Jane’s other books. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read this again.
I have many things to say about this book, but as with every JW book, my favourite will always be the main character. Isobel is a shy girl, who you’d think first of all is a pushover. She is probably the exact opposite of that, in reality. She’s grown up in a society that sees her as lesser than dirt, as both a gifted and the lowest rung on the ladder, a Sigma. With an abusive father and a worn down Sigma mother, she’s had it tough. So the absolute strength we see in her, even after everything the world continues to throw at her, is staggeringly moving.
Other than our FMC we also have to mention the guys in this. Ten Alpha men? While a lot of other fans didn’t think she could pull it off, I had utter faith. Jane delivered. While we don’t get to connect with every guy in this book, the ones we do absolutely tear at my heartstrings. While I do love Theo, the first to see our girl and go ‘That’s mine�, the ones who intrigue me most are Oscar the Grouch and Killian the ‘I swear I’m gay�. Their dynamics are all hilarious, and the way I can already see the slow burn inevitable wrecking ball collide they’ll have with Isobel makes my mouth water!
Finally, I have to talk about the setting. I know I said my favourite part of JW books is the FMC but LEAVE ME BE! As always, Jane’s world building completely sweeps me away. I genuinely feel like I’m in a different place when I read these books. To be fair they are often quite dark, with some glaring social issues that doesn’t make me really WANT to be there. This book is in the same vein, with humans and the ‘gifted� in completely different social classes. The gifted by birth have no rights, and the only way to get them is (you guessed it) the Ironside games. Everyone in Ironside is fighting for a chance at not only riches and an escape from poverty, but to be treated like an actual person, not just a beast. Technically this is Omegaverse, but Jane has made this setting her own with magic, societal problems, and the special title Isobel has as Sigma. I will be quietly holding out hope that this series smut has the more� interesting facets of Omegaverse. But it’s JW, so slow burn and no spice yet.
Anyways to wrap up. Buy this book, I am not asking I am telling you to. If you want the best slowburn reverse harem goodness in the world, buy this book and all of Jane’s other books. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read this again.
August 6, 2023
Angry
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It had all my favorite tropes, Professor/student relationship, RH and paranormal. What I hate more than anything is when an author doesn’t disclose if the series will be MM. I don’t care about MM in a book if it’s just in group scenes but when the MM have a relationship it just feels like the FMC is just a side piece. And it seems to be there will be multiple MM relationships. I kinda wonder if all the 5 star reviews were from people given free books because there was no relationships building what so ever in this book or any characters besides one that really liked the FMC. I get it’s a slow burn but these boys were not good to her. One even offers to kill her!!! One is just gay, never been with a girl and now you’re going to say they are mates. They were so not into her, they even say this throughout the whole book. I don’t know how the author will ever make this book feel like genuine love and affection. I gave it a 2 for all these reasons, the premise of the story is good but that’s it. I love angst and red flags in my books but to a certain point, and this was just not doing it for me. I’m a glutton for punishment so I will still probably read the second to see if it gets better.
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It had all my favorite tropes, Professor/student relationship, RH and paranormal. What I hate more than anything is when an author doesn’t disclose if the series will be MM. I don’t care about MM in a book if it’s just in group scenes but when the MM have a relationship it just feels like the FMC is just a side piece. And it seems to be there will be multiple MM relationships. I kinda wonder if all the 5 star reviews were from people given free books because there was no relationships building what so ever in this book or any characters besides one that really liked the FMC. I get it’s a slow burn but these boys were not good to her. One even offers to kill her!!! One is just gay, never been with a girl and now you’re going to say they are mates. They were so not into her, they even say this throughout the whole book. I don’t know how the author will ever make this book feel like genuine love and affection. I gave it a 2 for all these reasons, the premise of the story is good but that’s it. I love angst and red flags in my books but to a certain point, and this was just not doing it for me. I’m a glutton for punishment so I will still probably read the second to see if it gets better.
September 7, 2024
4�
-written in 3rd person//dual pov
-reverse harem paranormal romance
-slow burn
� the plot:
the characters are featured in the most popular reality show on tv and attend an academy for gifted people [think dancing, singing etc]
the plot was really intriguing to me. this has a bit of omega~verse[alpha, beta, delta, omega, sigma] and light fantasy, as some characters have magical powers.
�the romance:
when i heard this series had 10 mmc, i expected zero to no romantic development but i was pleasantly surprised. this is a slow burn forsure. no smut and no-one got together in this book. i really enjoyed that!! our fmc is slowly getting to know and build a relationship with each man. although, most of them don't really fuck with her rn.
the characters:
okay ngl, i had a hard time getting a good grasp on the men. they switch from 1st name to last name, often so it was confusing to me. the author has character cards on her website with fanart (which i referred to a lot)
� isobel our fmc, is a sigma so the lowest on the hierarchy. she gets bullied and abused yet she's still so strong. technically she knows her place (ew gross), is shy, lacks confidence, and doesn't stand up for herself but i liked her a lot. i can't wait to see her gain more confidence and her character arc.
�She was different. She had teeth. She bowed, just like the Sigmas were taught to—but she refused to break. She had just used him—an Alpha, a predator—to hide her tears from the cameras, to conceal her momentary weakness.�
�theodore. he's the 1st alpha our sigma be-friends so he gets the most on-page time. he is very sweet, caring and protective. the perfect friend and future boyfriend hehe
i can't wait to learn more about the other mmcs. we get small glimpses of them but I'm salivating for more
❝Kilian wasn’t sunny like Theodore and Niko, moody like Moses and Oscar, stupid-smart like Gabriel and Elijah, or tough like Mikel and Kalen. Maybe he was like Cian, but Cian was wily and guarded his heart behind a ten-foot wall of mystery, which was guarded by a twenty-foot wall of charm. Kilian was softer than the rest of them. He was fucking sensitive, dammit.�
things i didn't like: there are some pacing issues especially towards the end, typos, plot holes, i had a hard time picturing the setting, and i had a really hard time keeping track of all the mmc. but i finished in less than one day soooo i don't really care too much about these things, i'm just nit-picky.
⚠︎ trigger warnings: bullying and torture, traumatic death, violent, traumatic crime resulting in multiple deaths, sexual harassment, attempted//sexual assault of main character (not by characters of the main group), panic attacks//flashbacks, references to abuse and neglect of underaged characters, parent death
┍━━⋆⭒˚.⋆☁️⋆.˚⭒⋆━┑
Ironside academy series
plier 4�
tourner ~tbr
sauter ~ tbr
relever ~ tbr
glisser ~ tba
┕⋆⭒˚.⋆☁️⋆.˚⭒⋆━━━┙
⌞pʰ�
i've heard homegirl has 10 mates. color me intrigued
-written in 3rd person//dual pov
-reverse harem paranormal romance
-slow burn
� the plot:
the characters are featured in the most popular reality show on tv and attend an academy for gifted people [think dancing, singing etc]
the plot was really intriguing to me. this has a bit of omega~verse[alpha, beta, delta, omega, sigma] and light fantasy, as some characters have magical powers.
�the romance:
when i heard this series had 10 mmc, i expected zero to no romantic development but i was pleasantly surprised. this is a slow burn forsure. no smut and no-one got together in this book. i really enjoyed that!! our fmc is slowly getting to know and build a relationship with each man. although, most of them don't really fuck with her rn.
the characters:
okay ngl, i had a hard time getting a good grasp on the men. they switch from 1st name to last name, often so it was confusing to me. the author has character cards on her website with fanart (which i referred to a lot)
� isobel our fmc, is a sigma so the lowest on the hierarchy. she gets bullied and abused yet she's still so strong. technically she knows her place (ew gross), is shy, lacks confidence, and doesn't stand up for herself but i liked her a lot. i can't wait to see her gain more confidence and her character arc.
�She was different. She had teeth. She bowed, just like the Sigmas were taught to—but she refused to break. She had just used him—an Alpha, a predator—to hide her tears from the cameras, to conceal her momentary weakness.�
�theodore. he's the 1st alpha our sigma be-friends so he gets the most on-page time. he is very sweet, caring and protective. the perfect friend and future boyfriend hehe
i can't wait to learn more about the other mmcs. we get small glimpses of them but I'm salivating for more
❝Kilian wasn’t sunny like Theodore and Niko, moody like Moses and Oscar, stupid-smart like Gabriel and Elijah, or tough like Mikel and Kalen. Maybe he was like Cian, but Cian was wily and guarded his heart behind a ten-foot wall of mystery, which was guarded by a twenty-foot wall of charm. Kilian was softer than the rest of them. He was fucking sensitive, dammit.�
things i didn't like: there are some pacing issues especially towards the end, typos, plot holes, i had a hard time picturing the setting, and i had a really hard time keeping track of all the mmc. but i finished in less than one day soooo i don't really care too much about these things, i'm just nit-picky.
⚠︎ trigger warnings: bullying and torture, traumatic death, violent, traumatic crime resulting in multiple deaths, sexual harassment, attempted//sexual assault of main character (not by characters of the main group), panic attacks//flashbacks, references to abuse and neglect of underaged characters, parent death
┍━━⋆⭒˚.⋆☁️⋆.˚⭒⋆━┑
Ironside academy series
plier 4�
tourner ~tbr
sauter ~ tbr
relever ~ tbr
glisser ~ tba
┕⋆⭒˚.⋆☁️⋆.˚⭒⋆━━━┙
⌞pʰ�
i've heard homegirl has 10 mates. color me intrigued
December 31, 2024
4.25 ⭐️
UGH I have so much shit to do today, are you kidding me??
::stares blankly at wall::
::opens Kindle Unlimited::
::immediately downloads Book 2::
More thoughts, I have MORE thoughts, but later.
I AM CULT MEMBER🧎♀�
UGH I have so much shit to do today, are you kidding me??
::stares blankly at wall::
::opens Kindle Unlimited::
::immediately downloads Book 2::
More thoughts, I have MORE thoughts, but later.
I AM CULT MEMBER🧎♀�
February 12, 2024
I read this extremely quickly, and overall, I enjoyed it. This is a very dark dystopian world, so that took some time to get used to because it was a bit depressing at times. I do think that 10 (yes, TEN!) men is too many love interests, but it was handled better than I thought it would be. We definitely only really know a few of the guys well so far. This really was Theodore's book with a dash of Kilian. It is confusing that all 10 of the men are referred to by their first names sometimes and last names at other times, especially when many of their last names can also be first names in reverse harem series (Kalen West, Cian Ashford, Elijah Reed, Gabriel Spade, Theodore Gray, Mikel (Mikki), etc.).
This was a 4-star book for me at first, but honestly sometimes I struggled with the writing. Specifically, I didn't understand how a scene would get from point A to point B at times. Things would just escalate very quickly and I wouldn't understand how the plot would progress in the way that it did.
All that being said, I will definitely read book 2. It's quite addicting, and I'd like to know what happens next!
This was a 4-star book for me at first, but honestly sometimes I struggled with the writing. Specifically, I didn't understand how a scene would get from point A to point B at times. Things would just escalate very quickly and I wouldn't understand how the plot would progress in the way that it did.
All that being said, I will definitely read book 2. It's quite addicting, and I'd like to know what happens next!
July 11, 2023
I feel like 10 guys is too much. I am confusing the guys lol
Want to read
August 25, 2024finds a book about ballett with an academy setting only to realise that the word sigma is overused in the description😔
(ofc i put it on my tbr anyway)
(ofc i put it on my tbr anyway)
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