Cover Image: Heroes

Heroes

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Member Reviews

I didn't realize this was part of series. Since my library doesn't have the others, it isn't a good fit.

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I love these Fairytale Reform series! They are a twist of my favorite fairytales! The writing is very humorous and magical! I recommend this fans of Shannon Hale, Chris Colfer, and E. D. Baker!

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As a lover of Jen Calonita's book, I was so excited to read this book. It holds the same charm as her other books in this series. In this book we get to see both Fairy Tale Remform School and Royal Academy Rebels combined. It was a great story full of childhood whimsy and fun.

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In a land where "Not Everyone who's Royal Is Meant to Rule" comes the third installment of the Royal Academy Rebels.
I always enjoy Jen's writing as it's fun and fantastic. A tale of loyalty and friendship with vivid worlds and colorful characters.
Her world building is always spot on, so much so, you want to escape into the pages of the book.
Although, you can read this alone, it's honestly best if you read book #1 (Misfits) and book #2 (Outlaws) to understand the different characters.
Another great story by Jen!

*I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Heroes is the third book in the Royal Academy Rebels series by Jen Calonita. I highly recommend reading this series in order, and perhaps reading the Fairy Tale Reform School series first as well, because the two come together in this installment.

Princess Devin didn't come to Royal Academy for fame, glory, or a crown. All she's ever wanted is to be a Magical Creature Caretaker. Just when Devin gets up the courage to ask about following her passion, disaster strikes. The evil Rumplestiltskin and Alva cast a curse that nearly destroys Enchantasia, a new villain is on the rise, and the students of Royal Academy find they now have to share their castle with the delinquents from the notorious Fairy Tale Reform School.Devin feels stuck—how can she think about going her own way when her kingdom clearly needs her now more than ever?

Heroes is an entertaining and engaging read, and a wonderful addition to the series. Devin is still trying to find her way to being an animal caretaker, but the world still seems to be in danger and everything seems to be problematic. She does not know who to trust, including herself. I liked that she has some serious character development in this book, even if she really frustrated me at many, many points in the story. I enjoyed getting to see Anna and Tara more in this book, but would have enjoyed more character development or depth from the rest of the group. I thought the mystery and danger aspects were well done, and thought there were some surprises in play, for instance some that I thought would be involved with the big bad were not, and some that I did not suspect at all were. I liked the way the story and world were build and grew. I think fans of the two series thus far will need to read this, and that this series might just be a favorite for a large group of middle grade and teen readers.

Heroes is another great installment to the series and world that Calonita has created. I hope to revisit this world and its characters again soon.

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I have loved this series from the beginning... and loved the Fairy Tale Reform School (FTRS) Series before it. In this installment these two school-worlds collide in a wonderful and creative way (although not surprising since they are in the same land).

Spoiler Alert from here out folks - sorry.

The story is told from Devin's point of view after the great war of Rumplestiltskin and Alva. Since much of that war took place at FTRS the readers are given a quick recap of what occured and how the war was won, but this was not the focus of the plot. Devin is still not ok being a part of Royal Academy (RA), she feels like she doesn't fit in and never will. She really wants to be a creature caretaker but RA doesn't offer those courses. Somehow she finds out about a school just for the care of maagical creatures and now she is determined to catch Olivina, the evil fairy godmother still on the loose, and make her way to the new school.

Olivina seems to lurk around every corner, he touch on everything happening as the world is trying to rebuild. Devin is thrown a curveball when the FTRS students must now attend classes at RA too and she is paired with none other than the almost evil Anna Cobbler.

I enjoyed this final installment of the Royal Academy Rebels series but I felt like it was a bit rushed. Since we didn't get to see the war from the Royals POV, and we just jumped into the next stages of repair, it felt like the story was missing a big middle action scene, although we wrap up with a bunch of action, it was as if the author just tried to run passed a lot of what led up to the main conflicts. I fully undertand that if you read the FTRS series you get all the information, but it is possible that may didn't read those books and the backstory being elaborated on a bit more would be helpful.

Devin has always been a strong royal that dislikes being a royal, she speaks her mind and is caring and loving, and in this book, she changes. I felt like she was more irritated by everything around her, more whiney, and more snobby than in previous books. It was like seeing her in relation to the other royals made her not seem so bad, but putting the FTRS kids in the mix made her seem like a brat. I really didn't like it. I had more of an affinity for Anna and it wasn't her story.

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Book 3 of the Royal Academy Rebels finds Devin and all her friends back at the Royal Academy and Olivina revealed as the villain and ousted as headmistress. But things are still not back to normal. Large portions of Fairy Tale Reform School were damaged or destroyed in the battle with Rumpelstiltskin and Alva. Now the FTRS students will be attending RA and even rooming with the royals! To make matters worse, it is rumored that Rumpelstiltskin and Alva are planning to cast a spell that will entirely rewrite the history of the kingdom and erase everything the students from both schools have fought to achieve.

With security tightening around the school, possible attacks by the villains and their minions, and pressure from the royal court for Devin's group to act as role models for the other students (including having to make speeches and talk to the press), things may never get back to normal. Devin hopes that a new teacher hired for a Creature Caretaker class may see her potential and help to convince her parents to let her pursue her dreams, but circumstances keep spiraling out of control.

This book mixes together some of the characters from both series, most notably making Anna and Devin roommates. Favorites from previous installments are all here - princes, princesses, and even Lily the bearded dragon. A bonus FTRS story is included for fans who can't get enough of Gilly and her pals. For those who have loved and supported the characters through all their troubles, this brings resolution to many of the story lines, explores themes of friendship and being true to oneself, and still manages to leave the door open for future adventures.

Great for middle grade readers who enjoy fairy tale remixes, magic, adventure, and stories that rely on friendship to help the heroes succeed.

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Much better than the second book. Liked the inclusion of the fairy tale reformed school. Had shades of Isle of the lost with the goods vs villans theme. A fun book of adventure and heroes.

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"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I love this spin off of Royal Academy. Jen does such a good job with character development and story telling. This book didn't disappoint.

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I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOK Kids through NetGalley.
This series concludes with characters taking on one last challenge to defeat the Fairy Godmother. No one has seen her but hints that she is still about appear in almost every chapter. Calonita also confronts prejudice and making judgements with her descriptions of how the gargoyles are treated. Readers see this story through Devin's point of view as she struggles with her life's call and with her own biases and judgements. She has to reassess her abilities and filters when she meets Anna (Gilly's younger sister for those who know the whole series). She has been branded and few think she really changed after leaving Rumplestiltskin's army. Readers watch their relationship evolve as the story progresses. Both the Royal Academy and Fairy Tale Reform School have to share space after the "final" battle that takes place at the beginning of the book but is not directly part of the story.
Well done conclusion that offers openings for further adventures but wraps up the good versus evil battles that have run through the series.

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*I revived and eArc via NetGalley for an honest review*
I’ve been a fan of the Fairy Tale Reform School and the Royal Academy Rebels series for a few years now! I was so happy when I found out there was going to be a third book in the Royal Academy Rebels series! This book was really fast-paced and can be read in one sitting! The characters are such fun and awesome characters to read about!

I will say, I was a little disappointed by the ending, but besides that I really liked this book!

Overall, this book did not disappoint and I would recommend this series to any person looking for a fun series to get into fantasy!

4.75/5 Stars!

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The Last book in the series: 9/10

My Review:
You should know by now I love Jen Calonita’s writing. (Half of my website is her books) but I really must say this book just wasn’t it. I hate saying this about an author I love, but I feel like it had to be said. There was some interesting things in the beginning and I did LOVE how FTRS and RA have to move in together, since it FTRS was destroyed by Rumps and Alva. The ending though was just un-cinematic. I mean the author’s writing is fantastic but the ending of the story just wasn’t as intense as I would’ve liked it to be. Yes, in this book there was more character development which is important for any story, which is why I liked it so much.

Jen Calonita, if you are reading this please know I still absolutely love your writing and I don’t want you to ever stop. You are an amazing writer that I can’t wait to see more of. But I did love the Enchantasia universe, and the crossover. I loved the short story in the end, becasuse I needed more of Gilly.

OVERALL: You should read this series. It doesn’t really stand alone and I think in order to get the most out of the story, you should read Fairytale Reform School.

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This was once again a homerun in the fairytale arena! Jen Calonita brings us yet another diamond in a sea of coal! This was a fantastic conclusion to Outlaws and Rebels fantastic an I truly hope there's more to come!

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Super fun ending to the series. I wish we got more interaction between Devin and Anna, but there was so much to wrap up. I liked the action and each getting their positive ending. I really enjoyed all of the stories set in Enchantasia, so I hope there will be more.

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This was a fun conclusion to the end of the Royal Academy Rebels series. I liked the character arc of Devin and the way the FTRS series was included. It was a nice ending and I can't wait to read more of this author! This is a good book for ages 8-11.

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Review to come. Thanks to Netgalley for the review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication date October 5, 2021
#Heros #RoyalAcademyRebels #Netgalley

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