While I enjoyed the banter between our couple, I didn’t quite enjoy the story as much mainly because the start of Wen’s story was confusing as heck. And the dialogue was too drawn out making this plot slow as molasses.

The found family trope was ok but felt like a bunch of teenagers trying to outdo the other out of pettiness and entitlement.

Godric and his broodiness was the saving point for me. I’m not a huge fan of slow burns IF they’re done well for me, but I felt that each encounter between him and Wen had little chemistry and no spark of excitement. Honestly, if this wasn’t an audiobook (in which I could finish quickly), I probably would have DNF’d.

Thank you @netgalley for an audio arc!

Sorry to say I am apparently an outlier here, but this book just did not work for me. The premise was interesting, but the pace was painfully slow and the title somewhat misleading. The reader is not even introduced to the academy until a full third of the way into the book, and even then, it seemed kind of like an aside. There were too many extraneous details that unfortunately did not add to the world-building or the character development. I did not get a good sense of what the academy looks like or feels like, and I did not have a clear understanding of the motivations of several of the characters. The narrator of the audio version did a decent job, but this one was just too long-winded without any discernable point.

If you like:
* Slow Burn
* Academy Setting
* Angels and Demons
* Morally Grey Characters
* Fun Banter

Then this book is for you. The sassy FMC and broody-powerful MMC along combined with all the tropes we love is the perfect combination to suck the reader in. It is a unique mix of Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, Paranormal romance at an Academy. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next installment.

Hilarious! Banter! I loved this book! I cannot believe it doesn't have more reviews. It's been out since 2022- Y'all, it is so good! It is available on KU!!

The FMC, Wen, cracks me up. I am swooning over Godric 😍 and there is a shocking and unexpected love triangle! I feel like the blurb gives too much away, but it has been described as Crescent City meets Zodiac Academy (not as dark). I haven't read Zodiac Academy but it was definitely giving Crave vibes. I can't wait to start the next one! But, alas, I have other things to read first.

I couldn't get in to the audiobooks for ACOTAR, but Amanda does an AMAZING job as Wen! I listened at 1.75 speed from the NetGalley app and it was the perfect speed for me! If you like audiobooks, this is a great one!

Angels and demons
Magical academy
Hate to love
Hidden powers
Forced proximity
Found family

"Do it then, my bane, follow your moronic code, but do one thing for me... Come back to me."

Thanks NetGalley and Olivia for providing me with a copy of this audiobook!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen to this audiobook

this was my first audiobook in quite a few years and though it was a slow build up i loved the innuendoes and the characters as they came along

the academy when they arrived was where the action took place and where we found our main character all in the same room all 5 of them who didnt really like each other but as it turned out they were destined to be together ....

its a compelling listen to and i did have my laugh out loud moments

cant wait to hear more from this academy

Attention! Calling all Deadpool fans! If you’re looking for a new engaging dystopian fantasy with a great cast of intriguing characters you’ll want to solve mysteries about, and an imaginative storyline with drop dead gorgeous angles and demons coexisting on earth, along with a sloooowww burn that will leave you feening for more, keep on reading!

So why Deadpool? The description of the book and many reviews mention Zodiac Academy, but since I haven’t read that series I can’t agree nor disagree with those statements. However, what I CAN say is that if you are a fan at ALL of our infamous Deadpool, you will absolutely adore this FMC! Wen is sure to keep you entertained with her constant witty remarks and incessant banter that seem to just fall out of her mouth even when her life is in great peril. Maybe ESPECIALLY when her life is in peril, just like our beloved anti-hero.
The book does get a bit heavy on the world building and hierarchy of celestial beings in parts, but Wens comic approach to the explanation of things keeps you engaged through the entire thing.
The story is unique and amusing from beginning to end and leaves you excited and desperate for more!
I was lucky enough to get the complimentary audiobook through @NetGalley, but by the time I finished it I owned the audio, ebook, AND physical form of the book which I plan to reread and annotate in the very near future.

The book is narrated by none other than Amanda Leigh Cobb, who has narrated other well knows titles such as ACOWAR, ACOFAS, The Serpents and the Wings of Night, just to name a few popular ones, and as always, her performance is phenomenal! The different voices and accents she does for each character really helps distinguish between them and brings them all to life.

Over all, a phenomenal book! 4.75 only because it didn’t evoke ALL emotions from the reader. Make me want to throw the book across the room, and shed some tears while making me run for the next book, and you’ll get that fifth ⭐️!!
Either way, hard to believe it’s Olivia Pharos debut novel. 🔥 Can’t wait to start the next book and continue the series!

I DNF’d this book at 66%, I really enjoyed the start of this book, but felt like the middle was too repetitive and dragging too much. I think this book just wasn’t for me.

Listening to this book as an audiobook probably didn’t help as i usually can’t rewind and avoid skipping forward so some of the more confusing scenes (there are a lot of characters to keep track of) would probably have been better to see on paper/kindle. I also didn’t connect to any of the characters, they all Went, Godric, the Unitas, Lorcan, … felt a bit one dimensional

Summary: Orphan. Slave. Drug dealer. In an Afterworld with literal Hell and Heaven, Wen is the lowest, dealing a unique drug everyone would kill for.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC, all thoughts are my own.

What a fantastic book! I loved the twists, the references to mythology, and my goodness the romance. I highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, academia, and enemies to lovers. I look forward to reading whatever comes next!

Wow, this is the first book that I have read by Olivia Pharos.

This book is an amazing book it sucked me right into the story line. There is lots of twists and turns in the story lines. If you like fourth wing, sarah j maas, or Jennifer l armentrout. Olivia is right up there with them in my opinion. I have not been able to stop finished it in 2 days. Listening to the book all day at work which the book is 14+ hours long so made my days go by so much faster. I will be looking into more of her books.

The story line for this book has drama, adventure, love, hate and learning to work together when you hate each other for the better of the outcome for all involved! Can't wait for the next installment.

This book was super confusing. I genuinely had to rewind the audiobook more times than I can count. I wanted to like it and want to continue on the journey but it was all over the place.

The romance was concerning. He wasn’t like the best guy. He definitely didn’t have her best interest at heart until maybe the end but then we ended with more questions than answers.

The friendships were rough. I couldn’t tell why everyone hated her. Just because she was “different”

I didn’t hate this book but it could have been half as long as it was. 14 hours is generally way to long to keep your audience attention especially when you have like 10 plus characters to keep track of. I will be trying the second book but will probably get the ebook to see if I can catch up on what I actually read.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC of this book

I recieved an ARC copy of the audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think the author expected the readers to all have previous knowledge of the Archangels, fallen angels, and demons, so it was difficult for me to keep track of who was who. Why are Azazel and Azriel both characters in this book? Do you have any idea how confusing it was for me listening to the audiobook?

The main character was funny with her severe lack of self-preservation. I didn't see the ending plot twist coming, but maybe if I was more familiar with the symbology and mythology of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam I might have guessed it long before the end.

If the ebook or physical books have a glossary or appendix explaining about the various archangels, then I guess it's just a draw back for the audiobook (although publishers now are aware of this and have started to include such things as a download able pdf on their website). If that's the case once the audiobook has been released, then please ignore my rant.

Honestly, the only characters I was interested in were the arch demon in the main character's Unitas and Lorcan. Everyone else seemed so flat. I kept going solely to see what happened with those two. They're the reason for the 3.75 out of 5 star rating. Otherwise, it'd probably be a 1/5.

A little bit of a slow start, but once it picked up it was great. The FMC reminds me of Bryce from Crescent City. I listened to the audiobook ARC for and I LOVED the performance. It’s teenage angsty and sassy in a good way. No spice, but the best banter. It has elements from a lot of different epic fantasy books all compounded into one and I really enjoyed it and the writing style was stream of consciousness that is my favorite to read. The characters were all well developed and the plot twists were great. Can’t wait to read the next one!

When I started reading this book I did not expect it to be so good. I finished reading this in two days.
I absolutely love it. It is fast paced, it has enemies to lovers trope and amazing mystery element to it.
I loved Wen, I loved Godric too. I loved the Unitas.
An amazing Fantasy series after a very long time.
The whole series is also available on kindle unlimited which is fantastic as the second book in the series, here I come.

I love this slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantacy! It's a must read for fans of Rebecca Yarros or SJM. Our plucky(and impulsively snarky) heroine Wen is trying to survive post-apocalyptic earth with her BFF Sarah. She finds herself in trouble with the angels and conscripted into the Celestial Academy and has to do whatever it takes to survive. I was pulled in from the start and managed to finish this 15 hour long audio book in only 3 days!! The narrator was engaging and the story moved quickly. I laughed out loud several times and never knew what was going to happen next. The ending has me chomping at the bit for the next book!

As much as I loved the plot, I couldn't give it a full 5 stars because there were parts that drew me out of the main story line, particularly the constant lusty thoughts reminiscent of a hormonal teenager from both adult MCs that did nothing to further the plot or deepen their relationship.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Amazing. Not even battling a horde of monstrosities, a black hole, and a void slowed down your avalanche of questions."


Celestial Academy: Essence is the first book within the Afterworld series. In this, you will meet Wen, Sarah, and Godric. Wen is a drug dealing demon owned human. She wasn't always on this path, but what can you do when you are four years old. After a deal went sideways, she ends up going to the Celestial Academy. Which, I'm sure is just going to be a piece of cake for her, right?

Wrong. She has all kinds of trust issues and will probably butt heads with mostly everyone there. She's all kinds of stubborn and won't take anyone's shit. So, I'll admit it was very interesting when she runs into Sarah and sort of builds a friendship with her. Sarah is also a demon owned human and is sentenced right along with Wen. They are definitely opposites, but I really enjoyed their friendship and growth throughout the book.

Then there's Godric. My god, I loved him and honestly after how this book ended, I'm not sure what to think. He's an angel and definitely goes by the name Angelhole. Or maybe he just tolerates that nickname? The way he banters with Wen is just amazing. I also liked the slow buildup of their romance. Even though I felt like I was dying at time because of how slow it was going.

In the end, I really liked the audiobook of this. It was easy to listen to and just work on... well, work. I'll have to see if I can get the next book as an audiobook.

So how do I describe this book? Aside from I loved it, that is.
First, it is definitely a New Adult book or Young Adult because there is the constant gushing of the love interest's person and assets. But, unlike the rest of the book in the genre, there is no constant invitation to her 'woe is me' drama and party everywhere. None of the constant angst and moping. Instead, I see the consistency in the main character's tough and survivor personality. She acknowledge how unfair life is and then she buckles in and face what is coming with attitude that makes me root for her to succeed.
And while she is tackling life, she is also raising havoc with her irreverence personality that just cracks me up and made her company a good space to be. (I wish NA books are like this then I would pick more of them.)
Her name is Wen, short for Gwendolyn. (Don't know how the author spelled the names as I had the audiobook). Anyway, she is truly and orphan and to top that a slave to a heartless owner. Her descent to dealing is not surprise to me but her product is one of a kind. I liked her more when she showed that even in her misdeed she has her own line in the sand not to be crossed and that is not selling to kids. She loves and protects her 'people' with all her heart with all the ferocity of her malnourished body and snarky tongue. But wait until you see what she can do that scares all the powers that be.
The created world is also an interesting one for me. At least I haven't seen this set up before and to me it is a perfect world for a lot of story and possibilities. Everyone else see Armageddon as the end of all but this created world surprise me by making it as a beginning of something interesting. To me its a world I like to explore.
Then there is the mystery of who or what the main character is and I love how they slowly peel her out. At the end of the book, although she isn't totally revealed, we know enough to be at peace that she is okay for now as we wait for the next book.
I really hope the author will finish this series. I wish I knew it was an unfinished series before I picked this up but so far, I had a great time with getting to know Wen and exploring her dangerous world. I love this author and would finish the series if she manage to finish writing it.
The book details mentioned Crescent City Series and Zodiac Academy Series and I cannot speak for them because I did not read them. However, the Mortal instruments series....From this one and only book alone I can say that this is way better - for me - than the Mortal Instruments books.
Thanks to netgalley for the audiobook.

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest review and I am leaving it voluntarily. Oh my gosh this is so good! This is a long one and I STILL wanted more! What do you mean this is only book one? Where is the rest??? It has amazing world building and great characters. I need a time line on book two please!

"Celestial Academy: Essence" didn't click with me. It felt like a slog due to its wordiness and slow plot development until about 60%. The main character, Wen, annoyed me with her constant questions and inner thoughts, and her relationship with Sarah seemed unhealthy. However, the book did improve towards the end, and characters like Jinny, Lorcan, and Godric stood out. Initially intimidated by its nearly 600-page length, I was pleasantly surprised by the book, which was marketed to fans of "Zodiac Academy." Despite my initial skepticism, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise, With that being said I am unsure If will read the next story in the series.

DNF at 38%. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley but this isn’t for me and I believe I’ve read enough to give an honest review. I liked the premise but the FMC is extremely annoying and has not shown any redeeming qualities. I don’t see myself rooting for her in any sense because all she does is mouths off. The world building is poor. The beginning has way too much info dumping and due to that the reader is immediately working double time to catch up to what the character knows which is usually fine but did not work in this sense. There’s no originality. I like the nickname “God awful” but that’s about all I like. This is also an insta lust story that I don’t find believable nor do I care to see how it develops. The real kicker- if this is marketed as enemies to lovers it is vastly mismarketed. The FMC almost immediately gets arrested and is in peril for the duration of what I read but she’s immediately thirsting for the man who arrested her to the point where she orgasms just by imagining being with him (no touching or anything- JUST imagination). And this is right after she explains how she hasn’t orgasmed before. This story is a mess unfortunately and I wanted to push through but I can’t.

Why did it take me so friggin long to finish this book when it was SO FRIGGIN GOOD?! I have no idea, maybe subconsciously I didn't want it to be over and start the wait for the next one? I don't know but THAT FRIGGIN ENDING! I'm so glad it appears the wait for book 2 isn't going to be too long.

Wen White is the bottom of the barrel. Found as a child in the left over rubble of a building she's sold to a demon to be a slave. Her life is rough but thanks to her one friend, Sarah, she stays grounded and keeps pushing through. One day Wen discovers that she can harness and sell Angel Essence, it's a drug, but if Wen ever wants to buy her and Sarah their freedom this is how she can do it. Wen is extremely careful about who she sells to and when because getting caught or ending up dead isn't going to help get Sarah free of her indenture. One night though, she has a couple deals fall through and gets a little sloppy. Enter Godric/Godawful/Angelhole.

If you enjoy and Academy vibe, Angels/Demons, enemies to lovers, slow burn, etc. then this is for you.

Update 7/05/24 for audio: Amanda Leigh Cobb was FANTASTIC at narrating this one. Perfect choice!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Seventh Wonder Press for the opportunity to read and review this story. Thank you also to Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for the opportunity to listen to and review the audio of this book.