ARC Review: “The Aftermyth” (The Aftermyth #1) by Tracy Wolff

“The Aftermyth” (The Aftermyth #1) by Tracy Wolff

Publishing Date: February 3, 2026

Genre: Middle Grade, Dark Academia, Fiction

Page Length: 448 pages (paperback review edition

Synopsis:

What’s your myth?

Penelope Weaver has spent her whole life preparing to attend Anaximander’s Academy, where students learn how to bring to life the stories of Greek mythology as well as discover the Greek god whose principles they most embody. Penelope knows she’s an Athena—all smart, practical, and rule-following girls who take part in stories that matter are Athenas.

But when Penelope and her twin brother Paris arrive at Anaximander’s, it appears fate has other plans. Penelope isn’t placed with Athena but with students who are anything but practical and who prefer parties to rules. And that’s just the beginning. She’s given the world’s worst muse, her assigned tasks feel impossible, and the magic of Anaximander’s is overwhelming. Not to mention, there are two very different boys making her new life even more confusing.

But as things go from bad to dangerously worse, one thing becomes in a world where everything is fated to happen a certain way, some stories need to be rewritten. As the world around her shifts and cracks, Penelope is asked to forget everything she thought she knew to help create a better story…even if that changes every plan and breaks every rule.

Review:

The Aftermyth is delightful start to a new middle grade series filled with:

Dark Academia vibes
Newfound friendships
Magical wonders
A puzzling mystery

All of these elements combined made for a engaging reading experience from the very first pages of the novel. The first installment of this series follows Penelope’s start to her freshman year at Anaximander’s Academy who’s curriculum and teachings are shaped around Greek mythology. The reader doesn’t need to know all the mythology sourced from to create the story, but having a basic grasp of the mythology does help to make aspects of the narrative easy to grasp. Any Greek figure I wasn’t familiar with, got me excited to look into their origins (and do some research on the side) and try to help solve the mystery.

The novel is action-packed with some scenes that are thrilling, but most of all it has a light-hearted tone throughout the novel. I appreciated Penelope’s story of feeling like a fish-out-of-water and coming to terms with being separated from her twin brother and struggling to navigate things on her own. I admired her tenacity to get problems solved and also her vulnerability of opening up to others and finding true friendship. Her, Arjun, and Fifi are such a fun trio to follow throughout their adventures and every reader will enjoy their perspectives throughout the novel.

I like that even though some mysteries were solved in the first novel, there are still many unanswered questions that makes the reader curious of what’s to come next. I loved the setting of Anaximander’s Academy and how immersive it was with Wolff’s detailed writing. Every time I thought we had explored most of the new school, we kept getting introduced to new and exciting hidden rooms and cool rooftop scenery. The world building was done very well and the fantasy elements are very exciting. I can’t wait to see what will come in book two of the series! I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy lengthier and in-depth fantasy novels.

Final Verdict: