Book excerpt: The whimsy of Harry Potter meets the dark seduction of Holly Black's The Cruel Prince in a tale perfect for fans of academy fictionIt all started when I almost died.First, I was healed from my wounds by a mysterious stranger masquerading as a doctor. A stranger who then vanished.Two weeks later, a letter was delivered to my house by smoke and spiders inviting me to a place called Spellwood Academy.As it turns out, I'm half mortal, half fae. My mother and grandmother have been keeping secrets from me. Who my father really is, where I'm really from. And, most recently, that the "accident" that nearly killed me was no accident at all. Someone is trying to kill me. Someone not human.Now, in order to stay safe from whoever is trying to kill me, they're sending me to a magical boarding school for those of both fae and mortal blood.Everyone has to join a society at Spellwood. There's Toadcurdle for the students who like machinery and nerdy games, Dewdrop for those who prefer cupcakes and books to adventure, Stormtongue for the clever who drink tea and debate mermaid philosophy, Flameforge for the brave and fearless, and Briar and Basilisk for the snobby elites.There's a lot of things to remember besides the school's rulebook-Don't go into the crypt at night. Don't go in the labyrinth ever. Don't attend any Basilisk parties (they're dangerous). Don't attend any Toadcurdle parties (they're boring). Don't go into the south woods alone at night. Don't go into the west woods alone in the winter. In fact, avoid being in the woods alone at all times.And absolutely no spells, charms, or curses allowed on school grounds.My room is at the top of a vine-covered tower with a winding staircase, like I'm Cinderella or something. The headmaster has feathered wings like an angel, and my roommate keeps asking me why we mortals set our birthday cakes on fire. A beautiful, golden-skinned fae prince from the sun court is relentlessly pursuing me, but I can't stop thinking about Lucien, the boy with dark hair and antlers whose golden-green eyes that pin me in place whenever he looks at me.I don't have the slightest idea what I'm doing, but I've already survived one murder attempt.How hard can this be?