Review: Darkblood Academy (Hitched Universe, Books #1-4)

Welcome to the Supernatural Slayer Squad!

Darkblood Academy by G.K. DeRosa is a spin-off teen romantic-action fantasy series that is set after the events in the Hitched series. It is advisable to read that series first. There are four books in the Darkblood Academy series: Half-Blood, Supernatural Slayer Squad, Demons, and Prophecies.

Half-Blood is the first novel in the Darkblood Academy series. The supernatural community came out of the closet on primetime television after the success of the Hitched series. Luna Hallows, an 18-year-old oprhan, discovers that she is one of them as well. Only she is a half-blood--and the daughter of a powerful dark warlock as well. She enrolls at Darken Academy, an elite training school for the supes: fae, shapeshifters (dragons and wolves), vampires, and witches. Her father insists that she may have inherited some of his magical abilities. Upon her arrival, Luna learns three rules about her new school:

1. Do not talk or even look at The Seven, the uber-powerful supes that rule the academy.
2. Never go into the Fae forest on a full moon… or else.
3. And most definitely do not fall for one of the extremely hot and unattainable instructors.

Despite this shift, the merging of the supernatural and human realms isn't going smoothly as planned. Luna is signed up to join a fighting squad who will protect humans from evil supernatural creatures. If word gets out that humans are no longer safe from the supes, the worlds will once again be closed off. It’s up to Luna and her friends to stop that from happening.

Supernatural Slayer Squad is the second novel in the Darkblood Academy series. Luna is getting the hang of her new school, and making progress with her classmates in training. Dubbed the Supernatural Slayer Squad, their task is simple: Kill all the evil demons before they wreak havoc on the human realm and destroy the fragile peace between the two worlds. Unfortunately, a surprise attack brands Luna with a devil's mark on her chest. If it is not removed, the demons won't stop coming for her.

Then there's Luna's love life -- she has totally fallen for her demon instructor. This kind of romantic relationship is strictly forbidden in the school. To make matters worse, the dark lord of the Underworld has set her sights on Luna and her unique powers. She’s dead set on making the human world her evil minions’ playground. Can Luna and the Supernatural Slayer Squad stop this plan before it's too late?

Demons is the third novel in the Darkblood Academy series. Luna's heart is shattered when her lover vanishes. She has barely survived her first year at Darkhaven Academy. But the dark lord and her evil minions are around the corner, waiting to kidnap Luna to the Underworld. The Supernatural Slayer Squad continues their training in their instructor's absence. Meanwhile, Luna's father is obsessed with unlocking her super powers. As the first female warlock ever, he wants to harness her abilities, even her darkest ones. The problem is, after months apart, Luna can’t focus on any of that when all she wants is her lover to return safely.

Prophecies is the fourth and final novel in the Darkblood Academy series. There are three things that Luna learns during her time at Darkhaven Academy: 1) Always make sure a demon is dead before walking away from the body. 2) All magic comes with a price. 3) Nothing stays buried for long—not secrets, not feelings and definitely not dark lords. Just when Luna believes her struggles with Luxora were finally over, the dark lord decides to rise from the ashes. She's back with a vengeance. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Coven Council has discovered Luna's warlock secret. And they’re pissed. Meanwhile, Luna's love life is in the flux. So what is a poor, human-warlock, half-blood supposed to do?

I really very excited to learn that G.K. DeRosa, who is also the author of other fast-paced young adult fantasy novels, Vampire Prophecy and Angel and Vampire War, was continuing the Hitched series. The original installment focused on Kimmie-Jayne, a young adult in her 20s from the Midwest, who was invited to become the Bachelorette for an innovative project that would shock the nation. G.K. DeRosa did a good job in introducing the audience to the two different worlds. This spin-off series focuses on her half-sister, Luna, who is an teen aging out of foster care with untapped warlock powers. Luna is shipped to another realm to become the first half-blood to train along with supes. How's that for an adventure? Several bachelors from the original Hitched series, such as Ryder and Cillian, also have reoccuring roles, much to the fans' delight. We also get to learn more information about their warlock father's background and ambitions. Furthermore, Darkblood Academy involves a great love triangle storyline that would leave some fans satisfied and others heart-broken (I won't spoil the finale, but I was definitely in the latter group).

Overall, I enjoyed reading this series from Luna's perspective as a half-blood teen at a supernatural training school. I also like the fact that DeRosa is taking cues from writers such as Michelle Madow and Leigh Walker to expand their novels across different supernatural species. One benefit is that we get to read a different point of view from cast members across the supernatural community.

Stay tuned for my next review on the third installment in the Hitched universe by G.K. DeRosa, The Dark Fae series.