Blackstone Academy for the Magical Arts

It's ok, if there was a neutral option that's what I would give it. If you want a super casual magical school experience with low risks then this might be your cup of tea. I enjoyed it for what it was but I wish it was more substantial in character development and what not.

Wholly enjoyable. The plot is roughly thus, without spoilers: One plays as a young student at a magical academy, as one might expect, and deals with all the adventures and mishaps within. It is quite like if J. K. Rowling had researched non-English traditions of belief, and was far better acquainted with the idea of internal consistency. (Indeed, it tackles Ireland far better than the Harry Potter series.) Despite generally despising sports, Sky Sailing was far more interesting than expected, and the cast of characters was interesting and diverse. In a list of very strong showings by the author (A. J. Abbot), including such classics as Choice of the Pirate, it is the strongest yet. In all, it deserves both praise, and a sequel.

7/10
If you like these types of choose your own adventure games/ visual novels, you'll probably like this one. There are pros and cons to it for sure.
Pros
+Inclusive language and dating options!
+LGBTQ+ characters
+Lots of options and endings
+Plot twists galore, some predictable, others actually surprised me
Cons
-Story is not so much about the school as it is about the world and the role that magic plays in it.
While this is awesome, if they wanted to take this approach they should have 1. Advertised it in a different way. and 2. Spent more time world building. It's confusing to focus the plot on a world we know close to nothing about.
-Not very emotional in emotional scenes.
I'm not sure why, this may be a me thing. I feel as though there is not enough time spent with characters, and so when an emotional moment comes up, it feels really awkward.
All of that being said, I think this is a decent read/ play if it sounds interesting to you. I definitely think it is intended for younger audiences (young teens to young adults) but if you're not looking for a particularly challenging read, I think adults (myself included) will get a nice relaxing experience out of this.

A really fun choose your own adventure game with a lot of choice for anyone wanting to play a morally interesting character. I loved the relationships you could build. The only thing I didn't like was the statblock as it was a bit confusing. I recomend this game to anyone wanting a magical based lgbt friendly school game, it's hella good.

It's good!
That's the important stuff out of the way, but it's not without criticism. The big issue here is the "fast-paced" part of the story that is advertised as a feature. While I appreciate that this is a short read, I would have appreciated something denser.
The first part of the story is both a slog and a sprint. Maybe I'm spoiled by Harry Potter and it's "magicalness," or maybe I'm reading this digitally on a screen and it's harder to feel enthralled, but I was just so bored and confused. Going to magic school should be eye-opening and exciting, but it gets so bogged down into what everyone's gender is and trying to wrap you up in the school drama. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, again, it's just rushed. Like, REALLY rushed. The scenes are occurring at a break-neck speed, even though nothing is happening in any of them. First we're looking at the distant school from a town, far away, and then moments later, we have a line of dialogue with a character who is our roomie and basically our best friend as of 2 seconds ago. I don't want to be conned into going to an illegal school party 3 seconds after getting into my dorm; I want to see why this school is so magical, and discover more about my powers!
This continues into the next chapter or two, while the story tries to build its lore. It's all just really sloppy and rushed, and feels like it's too concerned with its political commentary on racism, sexism, and transgenderism, philosophy, and ancient lore, and less on its fantasy world. And this is coming from someone who is biracial, LGBT, and a huge fantasy fan! It really doesn't need to be this heavy-handed and on the nose. We get it, the school is diverse and has a history.
However, once the author gets out of their own way, and actually starts allowing their characters to act outside of the paradigms they were built to inhabit, the story REALLY picks up. Going to The Nest is always fun; expanding on Thistlepoint makes the world feel lived in; and everything from the "powow" section and beyond is extremely engaging and fun. I feel like other people writing reviews just gave up before this, which is a pity, because the middle and last half of the story are the best parts.
From a game perspective, I do feel like some of the stat-based decisions are a bit obscure. But I typically like that, because you can go into the story organically and feel like your view was unique. There is a place, however, to say that it can be confusing what counts as a stat bonus, and what counts as learning more about the world, both of which have value for two separate reasons.
Also the ending can feel a bit abrupt. I wish there was a little more pomp and circumstance before the story ended, just to give some closure. But on the whole, this was a fun read, especially if you love the aesthetic of students at magic school.

I enjoyed this, but had to re-start a few times to get a consistent path through to the end. Just over 8 hours for 1 complete play including the re-starts. I DO understand where the negative reviews are coming from, but I think a lot has to do with how consistent you stick to your chosen path and faction. Personally I think the author did a decent job describing the choices so that you could identify which choice paired up with which faction. Remember, you are playing what amounts to an American freshman student in high school. Yes, the game gives you the OPTION to get involved with inter-faction politics, but how many young high-schoolers are involved with politics in any way? (Not many). THAT is a hint imo. *Minor spoiler* I chose to ignore faction politics except for a few actions on the fringes and ended up with the best ending (I think)

A very enjoyable read. One that i look forward to repeating a few more times at least. The writing is well done, the story is interesting and even though I had a feeling about who was the bad guy, I was really pleasantly surprised not by whom but by what they were up to. Also kudos for allowing me to get out of the "competition" portion of the story line. I really groaned out loud when I was told my character had to participate, and went on a self rant (you know when your talking out loud as if to the author arguing your points,) about how not every hero has to be the team captain or even interested in trying to be in the limelight of school spirit and popularity. So i was very grateful when the story line allowed me to show my less than stellar interest and allow someone else to go do all that ; ) TY!
So if you liked Creme de la Creme or The Fog Knows Your Name, you will enjoy this story. If you happened to like both this is almost like their love child!