The Art of Exile

By: Andrea Max

Narrated by: Emily Lawrence

Legendborn meets The Da Vinci Code in this captivating light academia contemporary fantasy following a teen who infiltrates a secret school for the descendants of exiled Renaissance masters to steal their long-lost arts and sciences.

Unlike the high-achieving members of her family’s secret society, Ada Castle has mastered nothing but the art of falling for the wrong guys. But now she finally has the chance to prove her worth: she just needs to gain access to a hidden school that her family has been trying to locate for generations. Granted, she accidentally goes on a date with the recruiter first, then is temporarily abducted, but Ada manages to secure herself an invitation to the Genesis Institute, where descendants of exiled Renaissance masters practice long-lost arts and sciences.

The school is a utopia of sustainable technology, medical advancements, and myths come to life, yet they are unjustly hoarding their resources. Ada goes undercover to steal their innovations for the rest of the world, but Genesis nurtures her creativity and challenges her views, and she can’t help but fall for the school…and maybe also for her frustratingly off-limits recruiter-turned-mentor.

Ada’s tangle of lies starts to unravel when one of her new friends goes missing. To rescue her, Ada is forced to work with a dangerous (and dangerously hot) classmate whose suspicions threaten her cover. And when the information she’s shared with her family puts her missing friend and all of Genesis in peril, she’ll have to choose whom to betray: the family she loves or the school that has helped her find herself.

Great Premise!

such a unique premise. i loved the characters and the writing and performance was so strong.

Fun, smart, and sexy!

Amazing writing and narration. Such a fun story and premise that hooked me from the start. I love the characters. Ada is so funny but also relatable. This love triangle is definitely going to create factions. (Team Rafe!) I love the messages about creativity and how the author imagined a utopia, and the ethical issues that would come with it. I really enjoyed the world building and novel magic systems, and how the school breaks the mold in terms of not every student having ‘magic’ and students being able to master multiple guilds. I love that message about having multi-faceted identities (in a world that encourages picking a lane and specialization). I also loved the messages about how it’s okay to be a beginner at something creative and to not get discouraged and stop trying. So impressed by the narrator, she really brought the characters alive, nailed the accents, and gave every line its full due. Pleasure to listen to.

Richly imagined fantasy world with surprises around every corner!!

So very enthralled by this story that kept me guessing until the very end!!! This coming of age/coming into power story is perfect for fans of stories featuring magic schools, renaissance history, and sizzling love triangles. Give this gorgeous tale a listen!