Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

To satisfy my curiosity, what's the connection between girls being sent to supernatural or paranormal academies and ending up with reverse harems?

I don't know. I've started reading one academy series Bloodline Academy by Lan Chan (promoted as "A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel") and am now at the end of Book 2 and will not continue reading this series of 13 books.
I do like Urban Fantasy an looked at the other books suggested by Amazon. Seeing so many Academy series by various authors, I entered 'Academy' – nothing else – into the search field and got thousands of hits.

Because I haven't read any I don't know why some of the girls end up with a reversed harem.

Legacy of Shadows: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (Supernaturals of Castle Academy Book 1)
Book one in a new paranormal, why choose, reverse harem romance trilogy from Amazon Top 20 author, Tessa Hale.

And here another quote (Fate Hollow Academy)

Against all odds, I found refuge with seven irresistible supernatural men, each one more different from the last.
Would the bond of my mates be enough to manifest my hidden power? Without it, I was vulnerable. And with a dragon cult attempting to wage war on humans, I had no choice but to fight.
Fate Hollow Academy is a four book completed series, and this ebook contains all 4 books. It is a paranormal why-choose romance with all characters over the age of twenty-one. It contains mature subject matter that may not be suitable for all readers.

and from Made for Magic

Turns out, magic is real, and more than that, there hasn't been a witch born in generations.
Until me…
Now, I'm in a school full of deliciously hot wizards who aren't used to having a woman around. What's a girl to do in this strange new world, other than fall in love... again... and again... and again?

and about Hemlock Academy

There is m/m content and this is a slow-building reverse harem which means the main character has more than one love interest and she collects them slowly over the course of the series.

Arcane Arts Academy: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance

Arcane Arts Academy is a complete paranormal academy series where the heat level rises in each book. You can expect a tough heroine, 'touch her and die' vibes, and some delicious taboo and enemies to lover's tension. This is a WhyChoose romance, which means the main character will have multiple love interests and will not have to choose between them.

Seems "reverse harem" and "why choose" are in effect the same.

I still don't know from which of the series I'll download free samples and if – after reading the samples – I'll buy some of them.

HM.

The connection is that these are books written for teen girls and young women. The setting is something that teens will relate to (school) and the reverse harem is just an expansion of the love-triangle trope but with more female agency.

The protagonist is the person in charge of who she dates -- rather than being the prize won by the successful guy -- and she chooses "all of the above".