I was gripped early, wasn't sure what to expect but I was engrossed and listened it solid every chance I got for 3 days. Then I was annoyed that I'd finished it too quick!
It's so detailed, but not useless detail, it's rich detail that gives the tale texture and makes you want to know more as you get to know and care about the characters.
Upon finishing I immediately wanted to grab the next book in the series and carry on. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat needing more.
Absolutely mesmerizing storytelling.

4.8/5

This story surprised me. It has a new story perspective from what I have read. The writing keeps me engaged and it is done is such a way that I rarely guessed what was coming. I look forward to reading the sequel!

Celestial Academy: Essence (Afterworld, Book 1)
By Olivia Pharos
Narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (3,75/5)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)

An incredibly sexy enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance set in a unique post-apocalyptic world where angels and demons walk the earth, CA: Essence's audiobook was a very fun listen.

~~Caught dealing the drug only she can make, Angelescence, our FMC Wen is catapulted from indentured servitude to a demon to sentencing by archangel tribune. MMC Godric, her captor, jailor and - after she is sentenced to conscript at Celestial Academy - reluctant mentor, is set on harnessing her unique and mysterious powers. Wen must navigate her newfound superhuman abilities, life at the academy and her intense attraction to Godric to survive. ~~

I was very torn about what to rate this book. CE: Essence offers amazingly interesting and unique world-building, complex characters and a thrilling plot. The banter between Wen and several other characters is hilarious, making me chuckle out loud several times. It's clear Pharos loves her own characters, making the reader fall in love with them as well. This, along with the absolutely sizzling and incredibly well-executed tension between Godric and Wen made me want to keep and keep reading. It's what immediately made me buy book 2 after finishing at 4am, to keep going with the story.

On the other hand, Pharos's writing style simply did not mesh with me well on many occasions. It's very colloquial and train-of-thought, centered almost fully on Wen's character. This makes the reading experience messy. Scenes sometimes drag on for about 3 times as long as they should, the characters repeating the same thoughts over and over again. While this makes sense when one considers some characters are immortal, that's a rationalisation I added myself - the painful slowness of some scenes does not seem an intentional tool. Sometimes the seriousness of predicaments is sacrificed to include more banter and almost slapstick situations. This, while definitely funny, did drag me out of immersion.
In the same vein, sometimes characters seem fickle, doing what the plot needs them to do, rather than what the character would do in this situation. The result is moments of stilted, frustrating pauses in the flow of the novel and slow plot progression.

Amanda Leigh Cobb's narration is an absolute saving grace here. She manages to make Wen's thoughts sound less chaotic than they sometimes are, masterfully inflecting every snarky barb and brazen forwardness into something far less stilting. Cobb's voice is personable and flexible without sacrificing clarity, clearly showing off every character's personality from their first sentence. Pharos's writing and Cobb's voice also combine to create an excruciatingly delicious slow-burn that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book.

In the end, I decided to go with the closest thing to 4 stars without actually going there, so a 3,75. I was given a copy of the audiobook to review via NetGalley, and I'm very glad to have found a series I'll enjoy reading when I'm after a fun, steamy read. Celestial Essence (or the Afterworld series) definitely gets my recommendation. While the informal writing style won't be for everyone, I know plenty of readers that will love the lighter voice Pharos uses. If given the choice, I would absolutely recommend going for the audiobook. Cobb's narration adds a polish to the story that I fear it might lack on the page, but that definitely suits Pharos's enticing world well.

NetGalley ARC review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thankful for the audiobook ARC! Life got in the way of starting this one, but I'm glad I got around to it this weekend. Usually I'm not a fan of academy-style storylines, but Heaven/Hell post-apolocalyptic academia certainly got my attention. Definitely unique in where this fits between subgenres (in a good way, I promise!).

Pros: Strong, outspoken, stubborn, yet likable FMC? Check. Magic? Check. Villains? Check. Plot twists that actually surprise you? Check. Unique take on all the above? Check. Happily entertained by both the storytelling itself and the reading of it.

Cons: At times, it would've helped me to have a hard copy of the book versus audiobook. I found myself missing key details and having to skip back to be sure I heard what I thought I heard. I'm sure I would've re-read hard copy pages too, so this is a personal problem more than a book problem.

All that said, I will be waiting to find out how the ending of this book plays out in book #2.

I thoroughly enjoyed Celestial Academy and will read parts two and three. 📚✨

I did think it was more young adult than new adult, and I feel like I would have rated it higher if the writing were a bit more advanced.

The narrators performance was great!

I listened to the audiobook via NetGalley. Can't wait to read Book 2.

This was unexpected fun read/listen. I love the banter between MMC and FMC. It did take a minute for me to understand the world building. However once I got a good grasp of the world, it was enjoyable.

Slow-burn, enemies to lover. Trials. Twists. Demons. Angels. Humans.

Not everything is as it seems.

#CelestialAcademyEssence #NetGalley #ComeBacktoMeAlways

“Celestial Academy: Essence” written by Olivia Pharos…
I was excited for this read but unfortunately I have very little positive feedback. I ended up DNFing this book at sixty percent, I couldn’t handle the fmc, or her constant swooning over Gaudric. It was annoying and frankly not worth it. I feel the plot would have been great if it was a slow burn instead of her instantly finishing at the thought of him. The read wasn’t even close to worth it.
Still thank you for the e-arc and the examples of what not to do when I work on my books.

Ahhh! Just finished the audiobook. Sooooo good! The slooooooow burn and banter had me hooked the entire time. Cannot wait for the next book to come out in audio but I might have to break my streak and read it on my own.

What can I say? I NEEd to know what’s happening next!

This book had me intrigued from the start and I want to know who White truly is, I am not going to go into too much details since it would spoil the fun, but within the last few chapters we learn a bit more and now I NEED to know all of it!

It felt like a fresh take from the typical academy/school settings for fantasy books.

I am not usually a fan of the demon/angel thing, but I was surprised by this one!

Right off the bat, loved the sassy tone of the FMC. No nonsense attitude. This dystopian style modern story is fast paced and the character interactions are great. I would say that some content is geared more adult that YA (drug use and some nsfw moments as examples). But overall, I enjoyed this. I hope to get a copy of this book and read it.

This was a fast-paced fantasy tale about a world ruled by demons and angels, neither of which are the good guys and prone to stamping humans as their slaves. Wen finds herself shipped off to their version of magic academy under the guidance of a grumpy angel, Godric.

Although this was flagged for explicit content, there was none in this book so it would be OK for teens. The romance is very, very slow burn and mostly consists of knowing looks.

Great audio narration.

This was such an easy read. The banter is good. I’m not really attached to Godric but Lorcan makes up for it. I treat this book as world building even tho there’s not much world building involved. I have so many questions that are not answered! Which makes me want to drop all mh current read and read book two. I’m intrigued with Sarah’s origin and the “void” in Wen. Hopefully, we get answers in book two. So far I’m recommending this series.

This was a delightful listen.

The story and characters took me away from my life and allowed me to detach from reality in the best way.

The humor was great and the main character was stubborn, hard working and likeable. While sometimes frustrating to listen to, she was still a joy.

I was on the hook for every twist and turn.

And the enemies to lovers was developed really well. I hated Godric at first and I was determined to hate him always for how he treated Wen, and then Pharos worked her magic and I came to like him as Wen did.

This story was a delightful start to a whimsical yet modern urban fantasy series with a dystopian-rapture vibe. The main character, Wen, is a sassy delight throughout the plot, and her antics had me laughing out loud numerous times, adding a layer of amusement to the narrative.

There is something genuinely immersive about listening to an audiobook, especially when it's a fantasy. This series's quips, sarcasm, and detailed world-building make it a must-listen, keeping you engrossed in the story. Like a guilty pleasure, I will return to Afterworld and reread this one. I cannot wait to continue with this slow-burn romance series.

Thank you to author Olivia Pharos, the publisher of Seventh Wonder Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC and express my opinion.

I read the premise of the book and immediately asked to be an early reviewer. Im so glad I was given the chance to listen to this book. As someone who primarily focuses on fantasy, this one was right up my alley. There are a lot of amazing fantasy books out there, who have similar premises, and at first I thought this would be one of those. However, I am happy to say that the slow burn romance, the kick ass characters and unique plot kept me entertained for hours. I found myself laughing out loud on a couple of times, and now, all I can think about is that ending! I need to know who these characters actually are! Where is the next book?

The fact that I listened to this in one day should be stated, as that is how much this book consumed me. Fabulous first book!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers for this audiobook.

Wen is our star in this, she's a demon owned girl in an post-apocalyptic world. Demons and angels kind of run the show now. Indentured with her best friend Sarah, she is stuck stealing angel-essence and creating a drug for demons. Stay with me...
She lands herself in trouble for selling this stuff and is shipped off to the Celestial Academy as a punishment of sorts. Her mentors are two arch-angels and she has a smidge of a love/hate with Godrick, who straps an invisible leash around her neck, tosses her around when sick of her lip and toys with her emotions...so obviously she swoons for him.

We meet other "cadets" or "trainees" and they are a fun diverse group with lots of sass.

The storyline centers around the trials Wen will endure to get through the academy and we have some mystery, like IS Wen human? Why can she do the things she does?

My only complaint is this thing is long, and often got confusing. I sometimes had to rewind and try to keep track of what happened to whom.
I think if read in book form I would follow it better.

It ends with a cliffhanger and I get the feeling it will be just the beginning of some cool world building.

Celestial Academy: Essence
A book for Adults who love YA books, but wish they were......more adultish. Wen, the relentlessly sassy and stubborn FMC, is introduced to us as a human in the demon run territory of a post-apocalyptic world. The force opposing the demons on earth is none other than heaven above's angels. While the writing style could benefit from subtlety and nuance, I don't mind suspending logical thinking for the sake of enjoyment. Wen's quick wit and issues with authority, while quality in most scenes, was so pervasive that even in the deepest, darkest moments of the plot she couldn't stop herself from yapping. Wen would benefit from some sense of self preservation. Her redeeming qualities are her steadfast loyalty and tendency toward sporadic NSFW daydreams, Key characters include the sweet Sarah and brooding Godric. As someone who has not yet read Crescent City or Zodiac Academy, I could recognize similarities in plot and worlds, but my enjoyment was unaffected. Excellent narration by Amanda Leigh Cobb. I was left with more questions than answers at the end, but that is not a complaint! Cliff hangers welcome.

I absolutely loved listening to this audible. There was a great mix of friendship, romance, resilience, and growth. The slow burn started to pick up after 15% of the book and you could feel the tension brown Wen and Godric and I am here for it. You learn about the supportive characters and have they big roles in this book, which I loved. I cannot wait for the second book in this series.

Thanks #netgalley, the publisher, and Olivia for the audible arc of this amazing debut novel.

Very interesting concept for the book and I was really looking forward to the book. I felt like there could have been more world building and less redundant internal dialogue. There were some parts that made the MC annoying. I did like the ending and cliff hangers but the story like it drug on in some places with the redundant dialogue.

Thank you to Olivia Pharos and NetGalley for an eArc of the audiobook of Celestial Academy: Essence!

With comparisons to books like Crescent City and Fourth Wing, this book had some HUGE shoes to fill for me. While it wasn't necessarily on their level, I found myself sucked into the Celestial Academy world and by the end of the book I was left wanting more.

Reading the first book in a fantasy series is always tough because AT LEAST the first third of this book is world building. As a reader, I very much dislike the awkward stage of only semi-understanding what is going on so I always struggle with book 1 of a series. Once we got to the actual Celestial Academy portion of the book and the antics happening at school, my interest finally peaked. Here I understood the comparisons to Fourth Wing and definitely got attached to the characters.

My favorite part of the book was definitely the bickering back and fourth between Wen and all of the angels & demons. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments and honestly I wished Wen would flirt more with some of the male side characters just to piss of Godric.

The last third of the book was super heavy with actions. Some events were a bit too drawn out and I would find myself thinking "Ok... enough explanation...let's get this over with and continue with the story." Again - some of this was essential to building the world of Celestial Academy, but other parts felt overdone.

The banter and supernatural elements will bring me back for book 2, though! I'm ready to see what Celestial Academy: Null has in store for Wen, Godric, and crew.

This read was 3.5/5 stars rounded up for me.