Author: Olivia Pharos
Published: December 15, 2022 by Seventh Wonder Press
Format: Kindle, 422 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Afterworld #1
First Sentence: I squint up against the cloudy glare of another dreary morning, hoping for a glimpse of my latest victim.
Blurb: Orphan. Slave. Drug dealer.
As a Demon-Owned human, in an Afterworld that literally has Hell and Heaven on Earth, I'm the lowest a being can be. My life is one of drudgery, degradation—and mortal danger. And that's before I started dealing Angelescence. Unlike anything in existence, it's a drug only I can produce, and everyone would kill for.
With decommission and execution closing in, I'm desperate to buy out my and my best friend's Indentures. But upping my operations only gets me arrested, and my terrifying captor drags me to the Celestial Court—on a leash—to stand trial. My sentence?
Conscription to Celestial Academy.
As the most powerful nephilim in history, Godric is Heaven's most ruthless soldier and assassin. And he's been assigned with discovering the root of my unprecedented ability to capture Angel Essence.
We both hate our forced proximity—and each other. Especially since we're seething with explosive emotions and cravings that neither of us ever thought to experience, and can't possibly afford. Anything between us isn't only forbidden, it's disastrous. Potentially for all of existence.
But being embroiled in our passionate war becomes the least of our worries as he unearths even more terrible mysteries within me. Meanwhile, lethal trials loom at mid-term, and a devastating internal war as well as another Apocalypse are brewing...
...and I'm at the center of it all.
My Opinion: I almost put this book down. The first twenty percent was too manic and unfocused, and then boom something happened. That is where I found the rhythm since this book comes in waves. Slow sections have you trudging to get through, then a race to the next peak, all while watching the battle of good and evil playing out without truly knowing who is good and who is evil.
The age difference within this enemies to friends (they aren’t at the lover’s stage, yet) theme was a bit cringy. Wen is a mouthy sixteen full of insults and questions, Godric, all scowls, and growls, is somewhere between 30 and 30 thousand. For being an “inexperienced” teen girl, her thoughts are spicy with descriptions way beyond her years.
So many characters. There is a glossary at the end, but you might need to keep notes with both names and how they are related to the hierarchy. Lorcan and Gideon, cousins of Godric, bring humor and lighthearted parts that the book needs. Sarah, Wen’s only friend, is reminiscent of Enid Sinclair from the show Wednesday. Yet, there is more to her story, way more, and the reader is just getting to the tell me more parts with her. And the twenty or so others at the academy all vying for a place without dying first.
What carries this book is the banter. You will find yourself laughing and smirking. As far as I can tell, the plan is 7 books, but with the “oh, that’s interesting”, that carries the reader from one chapter to another, there is no telling how far this series can go.
I’m assuming Olivia Pharos is a pseudonym since the writer comes across as someone with more experience than the usual first-time indie author. Be careful while searching out this book, it appears there are a couple of different authors using the same book title.
With Wen’s spicy thoughts, the Celestial Academy falls firmly into the new adult fantasy realm.
Blurb: Orphan. Slave. Drug dealer.
As a Demon-Owned human, in an Afterworld that literally has Hell and Heaven on Earth, I'm the lowest a being can be. My life is one of drudgery, degradation—and mortal danger. And that's before I started dealing Angelescence. Unlike anything in existence, it's a drug only I can produce, and everyone would kill for.
With decommission and execution closing in, I'm desperate to buy out my and my best friend's Indentures. But upping my operations only gets me arrested, and my terrifying captor drags me to the Celestial Court—on a leash—to stand trial. My sentence?
Conscription to Celestial Academy.
As the most powerful nephilim in history, Godric is Heaven's most ruthless soldier and assassin. And he's been assigned with discovering the root of my unprecedented ability to capture Angel Essence.
We both hate our forced proximity—and each other. Especially since we're seething with explosive emotions and cravings that neither of us ever thought to experience, and can't possibly afford. Anything between us isn't only forbidden, it's disastrous. Potentially for all of existence.
But being embroiled in our passionate war becomes the least of our worries as he unearths even more terrible mysteries within me. Meanwhile, lethal trials loom at mid-term, and a devastating internal war as well as another Apocalypse are brewing...
...and I'm at the center of it all.
My Opinion: I almost put this book down. The first twenty percent was too manic and unfocused, and then boom something happened. That is where I found the rhythm since this book comes in waves. Slow sections have you trudging to get through, then a race to the next peak, all while watching the battle of good and evil playing out without truly knowing who is good and who is evil.
The age difference within this enemies to friends (they aren’t at the lover’s stage, yet) theme was a bit cringy. Wen is a mouthy sixteen full of insults and questions, Godric, all scowls, and growls, is somewhere between 30 and 30 thousand. For being an “inexperienced” teen girl, her thoughts are spicy with descriptions way beyond her years.
So many characters. There is a glossary at the end, but you might need to keep notes with both names and how they are related to the hierarchy. Lorcan and Gideon, cousins of Godric, bring humor and lighthearted parts that the book needs. Sarah, Wen’s only friend, is reminiscent of Enid Sinclair from the show Wednesday. Yet, there is more to her story, way more, and the reader is just getting to the tell me more parts with her. And the twenty or so others at the academy all vying for a place without dying first.
What carries this book is the banter. You will find yourself laughing and smirking. As far as I can tell, the plan is 7 books, but with the “oh, that’s interesting”, that carries the reader from one chapter to another, there is no telling how far this series can go.
I’m assuming Olivia Pharos is a pseudonym since the writer comes across as someone with more experience than the usual first-time indie author. Be careful while searching out this book, it appears there are a couple of different authors using the same book title.
With Wen’s spicy thoughts, the Celestial Academy falls firmly into the new adult fantasy realm.
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