An Education in Longing –Charlotte Stein

A terrific paranormal romance from Charlotte Stein. Tender, angsty, and at times confusingly gentle – I loved it!

Mina gets into Harrowhall, a college for learning sorcery, but only for those who have the touch. Mina has it, but she’s from a much lower social class than most of the students and she feels this immediately. Once there, she crosses paths with the unspoken King of the Campus, Harker St James. What follows is dramatic and tense as Harker challenges Mina to find her magic. It’s not rage, or fear, or happiness that enables it though, it’s desire – what fun! Harker flips between turning her on and trying to kill her so it’s quite the ride. At the same time, Mina (‘bookworm’, as Harker calls her) is learning all about magic, where it comes from, how to fight it and the secrets of Harrowhall. Harker is not the only one trying to destroy her though.

While all this is happening there are other themes being explored, and these make this romance so compelling. Charlotte Stein weaves in wealth inequality, bullying, the power of female friendship, memory and perception and of course the power of good. And best of all, so much longing – and yearning and all the softness about love. Most of the time it’s only Harker and Mina on the page and they are challenging each other, bantering and bickering and initially fighting their attraction. The pace changes in the final third, and no spoilers, but there’s much more to both Harker and Mina, and I cheered them on.

Thank you so much Charlotte Stein, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. Opinions are my own.