Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
Tristan thought life was already as bad as it could get... Orphaned. Beaten. An outcast. Then he’s taken. Stolen in the night. They chose the right boy. No one will miss Tristan Webb. No one will come looking. And no one will hear him scream as he’s trained inside the Shadow Academy. As Tristan’s power grows, so does the fear of what he’s becoming. He isn’t being educated — he’s being shaped into a weapon. In a world where darkness wears many faces, Tristan must decide who the real enemy is… and whether survival is worth surrendering everything he once was. Shadow Academy is the first book in The Last War series — a dark dystopian fantasy set in The Hybrid Universe, where a new generation of humans has begun to develop dangerous abilities.
Tags
Shadow Academy: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This dark dystopian story depicts child abduction, prolonged physical and psychological abuse in a training facility, and a young person being forcibly transformed into a weapon. The synopsis explicitly references beatings, screaming, and traumatic conditioning.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include child abuse, torture, and captivity (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers interested in dark explorations of power, agency, and survival will find a harrowing coming-of-age story about resisting dehumanization.