Listened to this via audiobook at 1.5 speed, which is what I found to sound more like a natural speech rate via my Bluetooth ear buds. The narrator did a good job.

Engaging story, fast paced start to draw you in. The lead female isn't too ditzy or self deprecating, which can be really annoying. I look forward to the next installment to see how things pan out.

This is suitable for young adults, the love interest is only blooming at this stage.

There were some good puns which made me laugh :D

Nice to not have a cliff hanger ending, but enough opening for the next book.

This book had a very interesting plot but it was kind of all over the place. The ending didn't feel like a resolution to all the questions that were brought up throughout the story. The audio narration was good and easy to follow and I enjoyed listening to it. If you like a school setting with challenges about angels and demons you will probably enjoy this book! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGallery for the audiobook listen!

This book: Instantly was addicted to this book. Mixture of hogwarts (the main characters are at a college type of school- 18+ aged characters) mixed with Percy Jackson but for adults. Looking forward to reading the next one!

Narrator: She did a great job!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️4.5 Stars

This book was quite the surprise. It has the makings of a very interesting fantasy series. It is set after the apocalypse and demons and angels have taken over the world. Wen has been demon owned for most of her life as most humans are. Along with her best friend Sarah, they have been working on getting free. She has been selling "angel essence" a street drug she makes from angels to help get enough money to obtain their freedom. She gets caught and has to go to celestial academy. This book is axction packed and the fantasy elements are easy to follow. My only problem is the romance. It almost feels like an after thought and godric is so harsh to her throughout most of it that it does not feel like romance at all. Other than that it is a very fun read and the narration was very well done. I am looking forward to book two.

This was a gripping listen! I thoroughly enjoyed landing right in the middle of something in chapter one - no slow world building here.

As a story, I enjoyed this - it's a post-apocalyptic setting set in our world with angels, demons and a few other types of beings. There are hierarchies involved within these races too, giving a scope for some political movements. There's also a magic-type school and trial involved. And cliffhangers. Yes. Plural... This book is told from the FMCs point of view, and the epilogue is from another character's POV - I thought this was clever and a really good way to set up book two!

I listened to this as an audiobook and want to just talk about Amanda Leigh Cobb's performance for a second... I'm not new to this narrator and really enjoyed her narrating other books. Her ability to sound annoyed and frustrated, be feisty and sneaky and also be a whole host of other character voices is brilliant. It helped tell this story. I never felt confused as to who was speaking, or when thoughts were internal or external.

Her speed is also perfect - sometimes I speed up a book to 1.25/1.5 but this narrator keeps a good pace and listening at 1x speed was good enough for me.

Overall, an enjoyable listen. Yes, some people may not enjoy this type of book, but it's a well narrated book with a storyline that includes magic, plotting, and the slowest of slow burns I have ever read.

What a ride! It’s told from Wen’s POV. We don’t get Godrick’s POV until the epilogue and WHAT?!? Like we didn’t get enough of a cliffhanger without it. I’m not the biggest fan of a cliffhanger but to leave me with two is not okay. Olivia Pharos does it so well that she leaves me with a “thank you” on my lips.

Let’s talk about the TROPES.

* It’s supposed to be enemies to lovers but it only ever gets to a kiss so don’t expect spicy scenes. They don’t even happen off the page.

* Hints of competing for her heart/love triangle shenanigans to come.

* The Chosen One/prophecy vibes but the ever present question as to which side will she ultimately benefit.

* The best friend (Sarah) has something about her that’s shrouded in mystery.

* Forced proximity as she’s bound to him by a celestial leash that he can make visible at will. He’s tasked with being in charge of her and her extra training.

Not a trope but the witty banter is wonderful.

It’s an audiobook so let’s talk NARRATION.

Amanda Leigh Cobb is a narrator that’s new to me and I swear she sounds like another that I love when she does her masculine and accented voices. She does a fantastic job of keeping her characters straight so the listener doesn’t get confused as to who is talking and there is quite the cast. She does an excellent job with her accents. At first I thought that they were going to be gimmicky but she does an excellent job at keeping them regionalized.

I thank NetGalley, Olivia Pharos, and IBPA for the ALC of this audiobook and the opportunity to share my thoughts and opinions with others. I’ve discovered I can read book 2 on Kindle Unlimited so I’m going to torture myself by reading it while knowing that the final book won’t be out until 2025.

Yeah, it’s really that good.

Can I just say WOW 🤩 I need the book and need to know what happens! I really enjoyed the audio of this book, I think the narrator did really well. I liked the writing style and will be recommending it to some friends who also enjoy fantasy.

This one just wasn’t for me. I know some will love it but I didn’t like the characters so it took away the enjoyment.

I loved every second of this book ! I found the premise of this book interesting the female protagonist was bold ,funny and I enjoyed seeing her relationships develop with other characters in the story. The narrator was great and fit the role perfectly ,her voice worked for all the different characters while making them all easy to distinguish each one and it makes this a book I would definitely recommend as an audio book .
The pace was steady and kept my interest throughout, but my favourite bit of the book was the character interaction and banter .

Good narration with interesting world building. I enjoyed the story and it kept me coming back. I want to read the next book in the series to see what happens.

I enjoyed the book but it sid not captivated as many other books have done. I enjoyed the story but it was almost to much to keep up with.

I thank Netgalley, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and Members‘ Audiobooks for providing me with this audio review copy.

Synopsis

In a post-apocalyptic world where Angels, Demons, and other fairy tale creatures made themselves known and took control over world governments, Wen White and her best friend Sarah barely scrape by as indented assistants to the demon lords. Wen is determined to buy them out by selling the only-to-her visible substance she dubs ‘Angelesence’ but when a deal goes awry and she is captured by the alluring and almighty nephilim Godric, she is carted off to celestial academy to determine what kind of being she truly is. Under the private tutelage of Godric and her other angelic teachers, she learns to harness her own strength, discovers millennia-old mysteries, and learns to trust in her ‘friends’.

My Experience

As we are thrown into the story it moves at a good pace and the double pack of humour in the writing told through Wen’s snarky personality had me gripped. To see quite serious situations and terrifying people made fun of was a really nice twist to the usually somber dystopian atmosphere. As soon as the plot progressed to the academic setting though, the humor felt overused.

This was also the point where the plot progression halted for a sizeable portion of the book and only picked up again at the end. Instead, we got overly extensive banter and inner thoughts, that took up so much space, that from time to time I forgot that Wen was in an actual conversation at the moment.

As more characters are introduced you get that the author shoots for the found family vibe that may come in book two, as Wen slowly combats her paranoia with strangers (really slowly though). I could have used more flesh to the secondary characters‘ personalities to get this thought across better so that they also mean something to you by the end.

Godric was an interesting character who would have shone with a little more to him than just protecting Wen.

The story was really intriguing in the beginning but the longer it went and nothing was answered with the simple explanation of ‘I can’t tell you’ or ‘I don’t know yet’ was aggravating.

As the end was in sight though the plot progressed again and gave me enough to be curious about the second book. As many plot points were set up and not addressed in this title I hope those to pass in the next one.

As for the spice

This is truly a slow burn with only overly graphic thoughts thrown around.

The Narration

The Narrator gives her all with different tones of voice and accent for every character and she nails Wen’s personality. Fantastic narration.

My Rating

C A W P I L E
5 6 6 6 7 8 6

3.5 ⭐️ | 1 🌶️

This book just isn’t for me. I could get into it and can’t say I found any buy in for finishing it. I found the main characters annoying. Sadly I dnf the book

I did like the narrator

ARC audiobook review from Netgalley: 4 stars!

I absolutely loved the audiobook narrator. I found it so easy to decipher which character was speaking, and for one woman to do it all - that is a task! I would have loved a dual narration for this book... But still she crushed it!

For the book itself, my goodness this slow burn is driving me wild.
I love Wen's sassy attitude!
Wen and Sarah's friendship is precious. I was hoping that this could have been slightly more than a friendship... 💜
Godric and Wen's banter is hilarious, and I just want to know what happens next! Bring on the spice! PLEASE!

I can say that I will gladly continue this series, and hope that I can ARC review the next audiobook!

**5 Stars – An Engaging Fantasy Romance You Won't Want to Put Down**

I thoroughly enjoyed *Celestial Academy: Essence* by Olivia Pharos, so much so that I binged the entire audiobook in just two days! The story pulled me in from the start with its vivid world-building and intriguing characters. Even though some of the character development was a bit predictable—especially the relationship between Wen and Godric—it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

One of the standout aspects for me was the concept of a post-apocalypse where demons and angels coexist with humans. This idea was executed brilliantly, adding depth and a unique twist to the typical fantasy setting. The dynamic between the characters kept me engaged, and the unfolding romance was both satisfying and fun to follow.

I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment to see where the story goes next. If you’re a fan of fantasy and romance, *Celestial Academy: Essence* is definitely worth a listen. Five stars!

My jaw dropped multiple times! I listened to the audio and LOVED IT!! The story pulls you in immediately. I love ALL the morally grey characters. I really hope the second one is done like this with the same narrator as well.

I don’t know what is going on…recently it seems like I’ve found a few more books that have angel/demon dynamics in them. I won’t say that Celestial Academy: Essence the first book in the Afterworld series has large religious intonations, because it definitely does not. It is more like various teams playing on the court. You have team Angels, they appear to be the upper crust of society now and make many of the rules in the human world. Then there is team demons who tend to run some of the shadier happenings in this world. There are also some fey, vampires, shifters, goblins and other supernaturals hanging out too. Then there is the bottom of the food chain so to speak, the humans. Most are sold into slavery to Angels, demons or others. They have been since the world was lost in the magical war twenty-ish years ago. This is the story of one of those Humans, Wen.

Wen, well what can I say I loved her from the beginning. She has sass, an unusual talent, a really high threshold to pain, a mouth that runs away with her when it should just shut up and a propensity to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Owned by a demon she is doing everything to get out of his clutches along with her best friend and roommate Sarah. Wen will do whatever it takes, even if that means selling Angel Essence (something only she seems able to collect) to earn the money needed to buy their freedom. After she is busted by Godrick one of the Nephilim, whom she dubs Angelhole (see sassy), she is swept away to the Celestial school to be trained by none other than the sexy half angel she just can’t help antagonizing. As Godrick tries to whip her into shape, Wen just tries to stay alive in this magical school that seems to want her dead.

There are fights and challenges to move to the next level. Wen, will have a shot to learn what she is capable of and possibly a little bit into the question of who/what she really is. With her bff Sarah also at the school, at least she has one ally.

I hear this is like Zodiac Academy (ZA), but I haven’t read that series yet and so cannot comment on the similarities. Still that said now I want to jump into ZA as well. I always enjoy the magical school set up. Wen is roommate with four other women of various background and the five of them make up one team. They are supposed to learn how to work together to pass the tests coming at them. A little had to do with a demoness, a fey, a paltry human, a Nephilim and whatever Wen is. It was also nice that all the characters are around twenty so them lusting a little here and there felt slightly more mature and less icky. The romance aspect of the story is a really slow burn. The forced proximity wore Godrick down as Wen is likeable overall and her needling of him turned from aggravating to flirtatious. It is a fun relationship to watch.

Come back to me - always

I’m really excited to see what is in story for the characters of this story in the next book. The ending wasn’t a cliff hanger, but the author definitively gave us a tease and dropped a little bomb to get the reader really excited to see where the next story is going to go.

Narration:
I have listened to a few other books that Amanda Leigh Cobb has narrated. I think she is a good pick for this series as it is through Wen's PoV and Amanda delivers Wen's humor and snark really well. She brings out both the tough and the vulnerable sides of the main character while not diminishing the performances of the other characters. I enjoyed her performance of the novel and believe it added to my overall enjoyment of the book. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC and ALC of this book first in a series

Unfortunately I was not able to enjoy this or care about the characters... I listened to 65% before I DNF'D the book.

I can see allot of others liking this book but it wasn't for me

The audiobook was well done with a narrator who was pleasant to listen to

As an avid audiobook enthusiast, I found Celestial Academy: Essence to be an engaging and entertaining listen, particularly for those who enjoy a protagonist with sharp wit and a healthy dose of sarcasm. The narrator excels in bringing Wen, the main character, to life, capturing her snarky and irreverent tone with just the right amount of edge. This is crucial, as much of the story’s humor depends on Wen’s personality.

That said, Wen’s relentless quips can occasionally verge on excessive, which might not sit well with every listener. While her sarcasm often hits the mark, there are moments when it risks becoming grating. However, these instances are balanced by genuinely humorous and entertaining interactions, particularly with Godrick. The playful nicknames Wen gives him add a delightful layer of charm to the narrative, contributing to the slow-burn tension between them. The chemistry between Wen and Godrick simmers throughout the story, though it never quite reaches full "spice"—except in Wen’s fantasies. So, if you’re looking for a very spicy romantasy, this may not fully satisfy that craving, but it remains thoroughly entertaining nonetheless.

One of the novel’s more wholesome elements is the relationship between Wen and Sarah. The narrator skillfully navigates their dynamic, infusing their interactions with warmth and depth. This relationship serves as a grounding force in the story, offering a counterbalance to Wen’s more abrasive tendencies. The emotional resonance between the two characters adds a layer of heart to the book that is both heartwarming and essential.

In terms of pacing and flow, the audiobook maintains a consistent rhythm that keeps listeners engaged from start to finish. The transitions between chapters are smooth, with the narrator ensuring that the listener is never lost or disoriented, making for a seamless listening experience.

Overall, Celestial Academy: Essence is a solid recommendation for those who enjoy a blend of fantasy and humor, led by a protagonist who doesn’t shy away from sarcasm. While Wen’s snark might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the audiobook is a worthwhile experience for listeners who appreciate sharp dialogue and a lively narrative. The narration adds an extra dimension to the story, making it an enjoyable choice for fans of the genre.

The blurb didn't quite prepare me for the style of the book, but it is fair to say this is a good debut. I listened to the audio ad the narrator did a fantastic job re pace, emphasis, intonation and alternate character accents, but I did struggle with the American Accept, which was a little saccharine, come high pitched for my taste.

It did take me a good while to get into the story. I think I struggled with the level of attitude that came from Wen, the main character. She is very sassy, dripping with sarcasm, but her wise ass cracks and insults were a bit of the top. She does settle a bit as the story progresses.

The fantasy twists and turns were absolutely great as they were not predictable and offered some really entertaining gear shifts during the story. The pace was good and the relationships built were entertaining and at times quite endearing.

Post 100 pages, I found the read more enjoyable and absorbing, so did get to enjoy the quests, deliberations and outcomes. There was some tension, but I never felt tense or that the characters were in real danger even though technically they could have died. The relationship development between Wen and Godric was quite heart-warming really.

If you like angels. fae, demons, kick ass characters I am sure you will devour this book. decent enough a read for me