A gripping and highly entertaining page-turner. Excellently written.

I cannot say what it was that drew me to the book, but as soon as I read the book description, I was intrigued enough to pursue an ARC copy rather than wait for its release next month. By the end of page 1, I was hooked. It is rare for me to come across the book which grips me at the expense of my everyday life, where I would sooner forgo a meal, fake flu-like symptoms so that I can stay in bed and isolation for a few days, and ignore the ringing of my phone, rather than put the story down.

Olivia Pharos has a brilliant gift for storytelling and this is a fantastic debut. The character's voice draws you in and grips you. I loved the wit and humour throughout. There is plenty of it, both subtle and laugh out loud. It is Wen's one defense against the fears, the suffering and pain she endures. She has a unique voice that lingers with you long after you stop reading the book. The world itself is expertly woven. The characters were perfect, each with their own voice, and each one intriguing and interesting, and I wanted to know more about them all. The characters have a staying power long after you finish reading the book.

At the end, the book left me bereft and desperately needing book 2. I am very much looking forward to the next installment of the story.

I honestly cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you love fantasy or romance, or both in one story, this is definitely a book I would highly recommend. On my bookshelf, Celestial Academy:Essence sits comfortably and proudly beside those written by authors such as C.L.Wilson.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I enjoyed reading this first installment of this series. Story had a great combination of dystopia and mysticism.

I look forward to the next installment of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Overall, I LOVED this book! I was hooked from the first chapter, and I was slightly annoyed with myself that I finished it so quickly! This is a binge-worthy read, and I am definitely going to revisit this in the future.

It is the perfect fantasy read that is set in an Afterworld that is Heaven and Hell on Earth. This contemporary fantasy contains unforgettable characters, enemies-to-lovers trope, mystery that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, and suspense as an apocalypse stakes.

I simply cannot wait to reread this in the future!

2.5
Unfortunately, Celestial Academy: Essence just wasn't for me. Reading the book felt like an uphill battle, for the most part, it was unnecessarily wordy and repetitive without furthering the plot until around 60%. I found the main character, Wen, to be irritating with her constant questions and inner musings and her relationship with her best friend, Sarah, was unhealthy in its co-dependency. The book did pick up towards the end and the last 20% managed to keep my attention. Characters that I did enjoy, were Jinny, Lorcan and of course, Godric who I wish I'd read more from their PoV.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. I just fell in love with this wonderful story and it’s wonderful characters. I just couldn’t get enough of it. I will most definitely be reading more books by this wonderful author.

This was such a great start to a series! I’m addicted to say the least and this book has all the ingredients needed to be a success. The world building and writing were also great. Very excited for the next book.

Celestial Academy by Olivia Pharos
Overall Rating: 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)


For readers looking to escape into a mysterious post-apocalyptic world… with a wicked painfully handsome angel’s leash around your neck…

Thank you NetGalley and Seventh Wonder Press for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Celestial Academy: Essence is Olivia Pharos’s debut novel and the first book in her Afterworld series. Told from Wen’s POV (point of view), our badass female main character, this story begins in Los Angeles, a few decades after the Apocalypse hit Earth, and details the new society where magical beings (think demons, Fae, vampire and angels) have implanted themselves at the top of society’s hierarchy. Wen and her best friend Sarah are Marked, Demon-owned, basically slaves, until Wen is kidnapped by a terrifyingly stunning creature, Godric. Wen has always believed she is a regular, run-of-the-mill human but inexplicable changes makes her question her very existence.

Pace

Pharos does a good job at hooking the reader from the beginning. And, despite its volume, Celestial Academy: Essence maintains a steady pace throughout, driven by Wen’s recklessness, wit, mystery, and the growing tension with Godric. There are natural peaks and troughs throughout the plot that build right up to the torturous cliffhanger ending.

Characters

Oh, Wen. There is a lot to like about Wen and a lot that makes me want to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. Nevertheless, she’s a hilarious, yet mysterious FMC that will no doubt continue to be put through the wringer in subsequent books. Her relationship with best-friend Sarah, her opposite in looks and personality, is a central element to her story and is really quite heartwarming. Godric is your typical brooding, emotion-suppressing, duty-bound alpha male – so he gets a big, shiny stamp of approval from me. And cinnamon roll Lorcan provides a perfect balance to Godric’s sourness.

Pharos graces us with a Epilogue in Godric’s POV and it is frustratingly spectacular. I can’t wait to piece together the mystery that is Godric.

Tropes…

Enemies to Lovers-ish
Slow Burn (excruciatingly slow)
Forced Proximity
Trials/Contest
Hidden/Secret Ability
Angels
Demons
Dark Secrets
Elite Academy
Humans vs. ‘Others’
Found Family
All the Banter!


How’s the spice?

There is a whole lot of tension and tortured yearning. Lots of glaring, lots of hesitant touches, and lots of denial (at the start). The tension ramps up around the 60%-ish mark. I wouldn’t consider this spicy at all but I can see how Wen and Gordic’s ‘relationship’ (if ya wanna call it that) could turn into something very heated.

But, everyone kept their clothes on and hands to themselves.

I would rate the spice a 0.5 out of 5.

My Thoughts…

There are some stylistic elements that took me a while to get used to; for example, there was a lot of Wen’s internal dialogue and a lot of unanswered questions repeatedly asked throughout the story. I know that this is representative of how Wen feels in her circumstances but it does become a tad bit redundant/tedious to read resulting in some plot points getting lost in chunks of wordy prose.

And talking about word count, this isn’t a short read. There is a lot of detailed world building that is 100% expected for a first book in an urban fantasy series. As with some in this genre, there is an element of introducing the foundations and magical system of this post-apocalyptic world that takes a wee bit of pushing through and re-reading. For example, there is a touch of info-dumping within the dialogue and complicated abstract elements (mostly related to the power infrastructure) that take a bit of effort to understand. (Maybe it’s just a me thing? Presenting a simple picture of a complex fantasy eco-system is extremely hard to do well and I’ve only found a few authors that have really nailed it. Unfortunately, I think this complexity is what turns some people off the fantasy genre.)

That being said, it’s clear that Pharos has spent a lot of time constructing this world, the characters, and their experiences and her passion really shines in her writing.

Overall, the premise is exciting with its own unique take on ‘paranormal academia’ and Pharos has done a good job at plotting through into the next instalment. I think this is a solid debut effort and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the following books in the series.

Celestial Academy: Essence is one to check out if you liked Zodiac Academy, The Plated Prisoner series, or The Angels of Elysium series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The world we humans knew did end, if not in the way we thought it would. It’s now a whole new world— Afterworld—because of one tiny difference. We now have Hell— and Heaven— on earth."

Ummm, this was fantastic! Easily one of my favorite Fantasy stories I've read this year!

Olivia Pharos created a highly entertaining (After)world! Every chapter continued to develop and expand this post-apocalyptic society in a way that felt new and exciting. The mystery behind Wen's origin, and basically everything Godric related, kept me glued to my Kindle! The tension between them, and their absolute SLOW BURN chemistry ...chef's kiss🤌! And that epilogue ..... I NEED TO KNOW what happens next! Gonna need book two ASAP, k thanks.

Celestial Academy: Essence
Afterword #1
Sci-fi/Fantasy, NA
Olivia Pharos
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The premise of this book sounded really good and I was looking forward to reading it. The world building is detailed but it seemed to take a long time to actually develop.

The pacing was slow for me. I wish it was a little faster just to keep me engaged more, especially because this book is over 500 pages long and I found myself skimming paragraphs here and there.

The FMC is sassy and sarcastic which was great and I loved getting the extra POV from Godric at the end.

Overall this was a good book but I think there's some room for improvement.

*Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. I don’t read fantasy books often but I really enjoyed reading it. It had almost every mythical creature you could think of. Angels and demons more prominently.. It was a little confusing at times but as it’s the first book I think it’ll be easier to understand as the books go on.. The main leads chemistry was insane and I loved the friendship. Can’t wait to read the next book!!

At first, I really wasn't sure what type of read this would be for me. I love these type of books, but when done completely done right. But holy shit, THIS WAS TOTALLY DONE RIGHT!

I've had such mixed thoughts throughout the book. But one thing I have to say - I've never wanted to put this book down! Ever. I've suffered through a little secondhand embarrassment, hated some moments, absolutely fucking loved some (which was most of it, definitely 😊), so the credit totally goes to this author.

It was all so good because of the banter and the snarky af fmc. I adored her, thought she was pigheaded sometimes lmao 😂😂😂 but she really was amazing. Wen went through so much shit her entire life and I thought it was totally stubborn of her as well as totally her to resist the changes in her surrounding environment.

This was totally much longer than I expected, but I flew thru the pages because I had to know what was happening! The romance was so little and slow-burn but just the right amount for them. They had - well, things, to sort out, before actually *coming* together, IYKYK. And the plot? So insanely addictive, I just - I can't. 😮❤️😘

And oh my god I was fangirling so hard for Godric and Wen by the end. Yes, yes, even Godric, for some reason. Who I mostly hated throughout the book because I was totally questioning his motives! 👀😈 But rn I'm loving their relationship because it's so filled with this banter and antagonism? Idk, you guys. But really. Amazing. ❤

Ugh! So frustrating I can't talk about it but that ending. The plot developed at an insane pace and omgg, loved. Floved! It was so frigging romantic and ominous and that premonition from before? Okay, I’m not saying anything, I swear 😉, but just have a feeling it's all so connected. Don't tell me that actually gonna happen, tho 😰😱.

And I loved, absolutely LOVED getting Godric's point of view in the end! I almost wish it had been there throughout as a duel point of view, but it would have totally spoiled it, I now realise. But in the epilogue, I was mostly like - dude, you look like you hate her and want to fuck her at the same time and in your head, you're thinking such romantic things?

jsffdfsfdfdsf. 😂😂😂

I’m so completely in love with this world, oh my gosh.

Oh, and yep - I also made so many notes when I was reading, I just can't remember all of them because this. This was so action-packed and wonderful!

Thank you NetGalley and Seventh Wonder Press for the chance to read and review this book.

While the plot is good, the writing could be better. It feels immature and unedited. The book also dragged. While the world building was important, I feel like spending (what I can only estimate) 120 pages building up the world and not even getting her to the academy was a bit much. I also felt like rolling my eyes at the Sarah vs Wen thing, with Sarah being perfectly angelic and lovely while Wen being a drug dealer.

This was such a well done novel in the Celestial Academy series, it does what I was hoping for in this type of book. I enjoyed getting to know this world and the characters within. The characters were so well done and glad I got to know them. I look forward to more in this series.

"My snort is impressive for a change. “You mean you didn’t use privileged info about my best friend’s identity, not to help her as you promised, but to drag her here into this Sinister Academy?”

A unique mix of urban fantasy, dystopian, paranormal romance and supernatural academy! I felt I was watching a blockbuster movie not reading a book! The characters are complex, the relationship arcs unexpected-then comes the romance. Prepare for your new book husband, everyone! Godric is mine now. And the enemies to lovers romance is like nothing l've ever seen. You'll know what I mean when you read the book. The slow burn is nerve-wracking! The best part? This book got even better the second time around. I know it will keep getting better with every re-read. Good thing, too, since l'm already dying for the next installment!

Let me just say that this book really blew my expectations out of the water. The world felt gritty without feeling grimdark, the characters were distinct and likable (in their own quirky ways), and I felt that Pharos did a really solid job of keeping the reader interested in peeling back more of the mystery behind Wen and Godric. The story did feel campy or cliched in parts, but never in a boring or suffocating manner. In fact, I found it charming and comforting in a world with very little charm and comfort to offer. I devoured this book within the span of a day, and I'm eagerly looking forward to returning to the Afterworld when book 2 is ready to go!

That being said, my few real gripes with the book is that the sentence structures are sometimes a bit confusing in places, and I did have to go back and reread things to really understand what was happening. Also spotted a couple typos towards the back of the book (oops!). Nothing an extra pass-over can't iron out!

I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this, and I look forward to seeing more of Olivia Pharos' work!

This is an epic blend of dystopian, paranormal, and all the good things wrapped up in one great story that hits the ground running. The world building and characters are wonderful. I could not put it down

Olivia Pharos’ Celestial Academy: Essence is a winner. Could we be seeing the beginnings of a new world, ie. Pern, Darkover, Valdemar or Dune? “Wordsmith comes to mind while reading her book! Vocabulary is much like the authors from early, legendary days of science fiction with some of her descriptions being quite unique.
Olivia Pharos has Good vs Evil in a new light in this newly restructured world after the apocalypse. It’s a love story with strong character development. I love it, you get to know all the characters.
I kept reading always holding my breath until the calm which was relatively short in between the chaos. With emotions running high in the characters, my anticipation for what would happen next was extreme.
If you want a post-apocalyptic read, with all the bells and whistles and a great vocabulary, this is the book for you.

This was an amazing book. Well defined characters. Wen is brilliant, funny. You find yourself lol at her antics. Cannot wait for the next book to find out all the secrets they are keeping. 🥇😁

I came for the cover....that GORGEOUS cover....and of course, the description. I'm a sucker for mash ups of fantasy genres. But I stayed...and I mean stayed UP ALL NIGHT AND THE NEXT DAY...for the writing. I tore through the story like a starving woman at a feast. Then when I reached the end, I attacked my kindle, looking for the next book...only to remember this was an ARC...and there's no more of this incredible and ADDICTIVE story to read. Not for months maybe! My heart actually sank at the realization that I was almost sorry I read that book when there's no more of the story, of this world and those characters out there to get my hands on.

What am I going to do now? How can I wait for book two to five? The sane thing to do is to NOT read anymore before this series is complete. But I know I'll pounce on book two the moment it's available, then go through the same withdrawal. This book is THAT good, Olivia Pharos's writing, characters, world building and plot are THAT mesmerizing.

OK...I've ranted long enough. I'm now going to do the only thing I can do...re-read this book over and over...until the next book is out.

Do yourselves a favor, and wait until the book is out and you know when the next is coming, or go through my same frustration. Or...if you're like me, and you're in need of a totally fresh voice and world and a unique set of characters...grab this now...NOW!

Absolutely adored this gem. Urban fantasy blended with so many classic fantasy themes; I have read it a few times through now. Pharos does a wonderful job of meeting the mark with the likes of Crescent City while being a fresh take on the genre. I very much recommend this book!