Thank you, NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have been in a reading slump since last October and I saw this and decided to give it a chance. I can say without a doubt that this was worth the chance.
I was 100% entertained by Celestial Academy: Essence by Olivia Pharos. Now, for some... it might be an issue because It does have a lot of other book ideas within it. For me, I have no issue with that. Celestial Academy is perfect and amazing. It was so amazing for me that I went out and bought it and the second book.
*Cough* I'm gonna need that third one soon. *Cough*

Anyway...
Content Warnings/Trigger Warnings that I remember off the top of my head for those that need it:
Cursing
Mentions of rape (Chp. 3)
Talks of sex
Depictions of violence
Mentions of Death (lots of it)
Religion (for those who have religious trauma or might be easily offended because there is a religious aspect to this book.

Ummm... I might be missing some but I got too caught up in the story to keep track of them because it was that good. LOL. Sorry.

So... within the first chapter, we jump right into the story and it takes off running. The Female main character is extremely snarky and humorous. I found myself laughing a lot due to her dark humor and the banter between her and the rest of the characters.

The Narrator was.... one of the best Narrators I have listened to in a while. Very expressive and read at a... good pace. She even did the different tones and voices for different characters. It was a very enjoyable listening experience. Well done.

I'm not usually one for audiobooks, I get myself confused with the story and the characters and almost always, end up forgetting what happened because my son has grabbed my phone and turned it off with his grubby little paws. HOWEVER, this did not happen with this audiobook. This story has it all, demons, angels, Nephilim, magic, elements, forced proximity and hate turned into love. I chose this one because as soon as I saw that it was for lovers of Zodiac Academy, I knew I had to read it. Zodiac Academy is one of my favourite series. This debut novel from Olivia Pharos is masterpiece and a brilliant entry into the world that she is creating, I loved the slow burn between the two main characters but the main thing I really loved was the mix of Greek Mythology in the story. As a Classical Studies student, anything that incorporates myth, I must read and this definitely did not disappoint. I did feel like this was a little like Zodiac Academy meets Good Omens meets Supernatural. So if you like anything like this, then please give this a go!

Summary: When Wen is hauled off to Celestial Academy as punishment for her crimes she must learn how to work with her dorm mates. She's also required to train with Godric, an "arch angel spawn" who has immense power and dangerously good looks.

My thoughts: I almost DNF this one at 10%. But I'm so glad I pushed on because I soon got sucked into the story and even found myself laughing out loud when Wen started getting snarkier. The tension between Wen and Godric was great and her love for her best friend was sweet. Some parts were hard to follow what was actually happening, but it didn't intrude on the overall flow of the story. I found myself laughing at her wit and not being able to stop listening. There was some forced proximity and some claiming "mine" but not much romance.

Overall - 4.5 but I rounded to a 5
Spice level - No spicy scenes but some hints
Book type - Audiobook (received as an ARC)

Olivia Pharos writes a very entertaining book. Don't believe me? Go listen for yourself. You won't regret it.

Celestial Academy: Essense is the first in a series and I hope there are a ton of books to come. She takes the main character with a unique talent and catches her in the middle of breaking a law that lands her in an academy where she doesn't really belong. She suddenly goes to struggling to make ends meet and protect her roommate to the lowest of the low at the most amazing academy for angels. The twists and turns of this book will have you begging for the next audio book in this series!

Narrator Amanda Leigh Cobb brings this story to life and will have you loosing yourself in this story!

This fast moving urban fantasy is set in a post semi-apocalyptic world filled with Christian mythology with elements of Gnosticism, Jewish Mysticism and the Book of Enoch.

The laugh out loud snark and dark humor of the FMC was delightful and the banter between her and ALL of the rest of the characters is hilarious!

This was an outrageously fun and entertaining read with just enough mystery and slow burn romance to make me want more! apocalyptic world filled with Christian mythology with elements of Gnosticism, Jewish Mysticism and the Book of Enoch.

The laugh out loud snark and dark humor of the FMC was delightful and the banter between her and ALL of the rest of the characters is hilarious!

This was an outrageously fun and entertaining read with just enough mystery and slow burn romance to make me want more!

I both listened to audiobook and read the digital version. The audiobook narrator was expressive and read at a good pace. I usually speed audiobooks up to at least 1.25 speed but I didn’t have to speed this one up.

In the Afterworld, Heaven and Hell are on earth, literally. Wen, a demon owned orphan, is working to buy back her and her best friend’s freedom by selling Angelescence, a drug only Wen can make. When the angels track down Wen, they send her to Celestial academy until they can figure out how she is able to make the drug. Grodic, heavens most ruthless soldier, is charged with discovering Wen’s unique ability.

The world with angels and demons and other creatures roaming around was very interesting, though could have been developed more. The plot itself was intriguing. There were so many questions I wanted answered that kept me reading the book!

The book did start somewhat abruptly and I had trouble keeping up with the hierarchy of supernatural beings. It did come together in the end. I had trouble relating to the main character. She has a snarky attitude which I usually love but her stream of consciousness started to get old. I did love a lot of the side characters, especially Lorcan.

Overall, this book was a promising start but some parts really dragged and other parts I didn’t feel we had enough information.

Celestial Academy audiobook was definitely an entertaining 🎧 listen. The narration of this book was great, the only caveat would be to have duel narration on the next audiobooks. 📚

The banter between “Angelhole” aka Godric and Wen had me cracking and kicking my feet, however, the slowest burn 🔥 ever. So was agonizing.

Wen is reminiscent of Alein (tog) or Bryce (cc) to me, absolutely loved her badass and quick witted banter. The side characters also interesting side storylines can’t wait for this to unravel in the upcoming books.

You will enjoy this book if you love a fast pace action packed book and the below tropes interest you.

Tropes:
- Forced Proximity
- Enemies to Lovers
- Greek Mythology
- Paranormal Romance
- Morally grey characters
- Slow burn
- Hidden powers
- Academy
- Angels and Demons
- Friendship/found family
- Amazing banter
- Training sessions with MMC
- Trials

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

First of all the narrator for this book was AMAZING!! She did a fantastic job with this book. She had different tones and voices for different characters. It was a very enjoyable listening experience. The story was so good too. I got wrapped up and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I am very much looking forward to reading more from this author!

A quite interesting new fantasy series. As far as I remember, I have never read a fantasy book where angels are one of the main focuses. So that was quite refreshing.
Our MC, Wen, is very likeable and has an interesting background/-story. At last what we know so far. She is saved from her fate of being enslaved by a demon drug lord by the angel Godric. Not sure I vibe with the name, as it doesn't feel quite fitting for celestial / angelic being - to me at least.

Some parts of the book feel a bit too long winded and could probably have used a bit more editing (or rather shortening), but it is an engaging first book in a series and I'm looking forward to reading more.

4.5⭐️ for the narration!
2.5⭐️ for the actual prose.

I am thankful to have gotten the Audio/ ALC for free from Netgalley and the author so I can leave my voluntary review.

I’ll be honest, I needed an audiobook and didn’t feel like searching for one. This has been as a “listen now” in Netgalley for a while and I always passed it by. Why? I had a feeling it wouldn’t live up to its description and would be a copy of other current popular fantasy books and I was right.

But I’m going to focus on the audio part of it as that’s what I am tasked to review.

The narration is great! The way Amanda Leigh Cobb handles the material is great. At first I chided myself for putting this off so long as I got completely engaged with the FMC because of the narration. She was funny and spunky and her energy reading the character just drew me in. So A+ for the narration which makes this a better book than it is!

Sadly once the FMC gets to the academy itself it just doesn’t have the power to keep one hooked. That’s not the narrators fault at all. It’s like when you have a fabulous actor working with a bad script, there’s only so much they can do.

So if you haven’t read any other popular fantasy of late that are similar or have a real penchant for angel and demon content then you may really like this.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Thank you netgalley and Olivia Pharos for the audio book arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was an almighty surprise!
So as I started listening to this I got major zodiac academy vibes.
This was all action, all banter and all consuming slow burn from the start.

Wen is a demons slave and her bestie sarah is also a slave together it’s a struggle to just get through every day without drawing attention to themselves.
Wen has started saving her money from selling angel essence on the side to get them out of the slavery. Until she is tracked down and arrested by Godric an archangel son.

Wen is then thrown in the celestial academy by the archangels to discover what and who she is.
Godric is forced to become her mentor and train her for the trails.

This is an extremelyyyyyyy slow burn enemies to not lovers (yet)
Not quite yet but possibly found family
Major action packed
Hogwarts meets zodiac academy with their bestie fourth wing.
It’s definitely worth a read/listen for sure.
The narrator is top she’s so good and I’ve listened to some of her narrations before and she is great.

My only gripe on this is there is a whole lot of info and action so at some points it was over whelming and I had to go back and re listen.

But 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Join Wen on a heavenly adventure filled with magic, romance, and unforgettable characters.

Olivia Pharos' debut novel, Celestial Academy: Essence, is a captivating and splendiferous (IYKYK) read that will leave you breathless. With its fast-paced plot, witty humor, and dynamic characters, this book is a must-read for fans of fantasy and romance.

Why you'll love it:
* A unique and magical world: Step into a realm filled with celestial beings, ancient magic, and breathtaking landscapes. Pharos' world-building is both imaginative and immersive, drawing you into the story from the very beginning and taking you across multiple realms.
* A sassy and unforgettable heroine: Wen is a witty and snarky protagonist who will quickly win your heart. Her sharp tongue and quick wit add a touch of humor and relatability to the story.
* A slow-burn romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat: The enemies-to-lovers romance between Wen and her celestial mentor is a slow-burn that will leave you longing for more. Their banter, tension, and undeniable chemistry will keep you captivated.
* A diverse and lovable cast of characters: From the mischievous Jinny to the cinnamon roll Lorcan, the characters in Celestial Academy: Essence are well-developed and full of personality. You'll find yourself rooting for their friendships and love stories.

Genre: The line between YA and New Adult (NA) can sometimes be blurry but, this first book in the series feels more YA to me especially with the book cover art. I expect more adult themes to surface as the series progresses.
Perfect for fans of:
* Powerless
* Mortal Instruments
* Crescent City
* Crave

Grab your copy of Celestial Academy: Essence today and embark on a celestial adventure you won't forget!

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.