Book Review: Above by Brea Lamb

⭐️⭐️⭐️ | It’s Okay. Still Recommend.

Read Above if you like Dramione-coded chaos, shadow magic, and a military academy with dangerous trials.

✨Heads up! Some links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping me keep this blog running and my TBR endless! 📚

📖 What’s Inside:

Dual POV
🖤 Shadow magic
On-page intimacy 🟡
Magic vs non-magic wielders
Military academy ⚔️
🌈 Inclusive
♿️ Disability rep
Explicit language
Dangerous trials 🎯

Book Boyfriend Meter: 🤍

No chemistry. No thank you.

(Jury’s still out on the other MMC tho… 👀)

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✨ Vibes:

💚 Dramione fanfic energy (and I mean that literally)
💉Divergent — factions, trials, and survival
🐉 Fourth Wing — military training + magic

💭 My Thoughts:

I picked this up for one reason and one reason only: The cover.

It was giving Hermione Granger… but with a Death Eater mask.

Obviously I had to know more.

And listen—

The Dramione vibes?

Immediate. The FMC and MMC are totally Draco and Hermione-coded.

Like… not subtle about it either.

At one point I could literally picture Draco, Theo, Blaise, and Pansy in the cast lineup and I was like—

Okay yeah. This is a Dramione read-alike and I’m locked in.

Now, the beginning is a little slow.

BUT—

Once we hit the ritual (aka the moment she gains more magic)?

That’s when things finally start moving.

The full cast comes in, the stakes feel clearer, and the story actually starts to click.

The magic system:

This is a soft magic system.

Very “power of the mind” vibes.

Which is fine—in theory.

But in execution?

It creates some issues.

There were moments where characters suddenly couldn’t use magic, and it felt very “because the plot said so” rather than something grounded in actual rules.

So yeah… a few plot holes popped up because of that.

BUT—

The shadow magic concept itself?

Cool. Interesting. Worth it for the vibes.

Now the writing… there are some clunky phrases here and there that pulled me out of the story.

But honestly? I didn’t care. With the heavy Dramione inspo, it read like fanfic.

Which, depending on who you are, is either a downside…

Or the entire appeal.

But let’s discuss the romance for a minute.

Here’s where things get messy.

The relationship being pushed early on?

Not it.

Like… we all know that’s not endgame, so every interaction felt a little…

Cringey.

Desperate MMC energy is just not my thing, and this one leaned hard into that.

Personally?

I would’ve rather skipped that whole dynamic and just suffered through a painfully slow burn with the actual endgame.

But that’s just me.

To summarize: this book is messy.

It’s imperfect.

It has plot holes and clunky moments.

And yet—

I still had fun.

Because at the end of the day?

It’s basically a Dramione-coded fantasy romance with shadow magic and academy trials.

And that alone carries it. (for me)

📚Read Alikes:

If you’re here specifically for the Dramione vibes?

Start here: Fantasy Romance books like Dramione (because this one fits RIGHT in)

And if you want similar fantasy romance energy:

Fourth Wing — Military academy setting with shadow magic Read my review
Divergent — trials, factions, and proving yourself in a brutal system
Zodiac Academy — dark magic school + deadly survival stakes + morally complicated characters

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Should you add Above to your TBR?

Yes—especially if you’re coming from the Dramione fandom.

If you’re here for:

✔️ Hermione/Draco-coded dynamics
✔️ Magic academy + trials
✔️ Shadow magic vibes

You’ll enjoy this.

If you’re here for:

❌ Tight worldbuilding
❌ Strong magic rules
❌ Polished, seamless writing

You might notice the cracks.

🛒 Buy Now

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