Fantasy

Celestial Academy: Essence

Celestial Academy: Essence

  • Downloads：9670
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-19 08:51:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Olivia Pharos
  • ISBN：1949920186
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

For fans of Crescent City， Guild Hunter and Zodiac Academy—Celestial Academy is your new book obsession！

Orphan。 Slave。 Drug dealer。

As a Demon-Owned human， in an Afterworld that has Hell and Heaven on Earth， Wen White is the lowest a being can be。 Her life is one of drudgery， degradation—and mortal danger。 And that's before she started dealing Angelescence。 Unlike anything in existence， it's a drug only she can produce， and everyone would kill， or die for。

With decommission and execution closing in， she’s desperate to buy out her and her best friend’s Indentures。 But upping her operations only gets her arrested， and her terrifying captor drags her to the Celestial Court to stand trial。 Her sentence？

Conscription to Celestial Academy。

As the most powerful nephilim in history， Godric is Heaven’s most ruthless soldier and assassin。 And he’s been assigned with discovering the root of her unprecedented ability to capture Angel Essence。

Both hate their enforced proximity—and each other。 Especially when the other provokes explosive emotions and cravings they never thought they can experience。

But being embroiled in their private war becomes the least of their worries as he unearths even more disturbing mysteries within her。 Meanwhile， a devastating internal war as well as another Apocalypse are brewing。。。

。。。and Wen seems at the center of it all。


Are you ready for your next book addiction？

One click right now， and dive into this binge-worthy， new-adult contemporary fantasy world， brimming with unforgettable characters， soul-searing enemies-to-lovers passion， edge-of-your-seat mystery and suspense—and apocalyptic stakes。
You will never want to leave。


Wen’s epic trials in the world of celestials and supernaturals continue in NEXUS， book 2 of Celestial Academy。

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Reviews

Benny Graziano ，

3。75

Tiffany L Poynter ，

I think I may have just found a new ‘buy now’ author！ Olivia has such an amazing way with words。 Her description of every detail is perfect。。not only when it comes to her world building but also her characters。 The apocalypse has happened and you either belong to the Angels or the Demons。 Wen knows no other life than being demon owned。。until she stands her ground and is discovered by the angels for something she can do。 The only other person who knows is her best friend and because of Wen’s sas I think I may have just found a new ‘buy now’ author！ Olivia has such an amazing way with words。 Her description of every detail is perfect。。not only when it comes to her world building but also her characters。 The apocalypse has happened and you either belong to the Angels or the Demons。 Wen knows no other life than being demon owned。。until she stands her ground and is discovered by the angels for something she can do。 The only other person who knows is her best friend and because of Wen’s sassy mouth and persistence they both find themselves at Celestial Academy。 They think their lives might be easier in an Angel ran safe school but man are they wrong。 Their troubles have only just begun。 I’m going to try my best to patiently wait for the next novel but it’s going to be hard！ There’s so many things that I need to know！ Oh。。and if you like slow build romance this is a book you need to read！！ Thank you BookSirens for this eARC。 I have read and left this review voluntarily。 。。。more

Molly Reads （Modelyn） ，

I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。4。5/5 stars ⭐️Celestial Academy: Essence is the debut novel of Olivia parhos and the first book to the series of Afterworld。 This book an amazing introduction to the world of the afterworld， it was full of action， forced proximity， enemies to lovers， touch her and you die， heaven and hell， supernatural beings and so many other good things。 What I liked about this book:- The characters were great， my favorite bei I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。4。5/5 stars ⭐️Celestial Academy: Essence is the debut novel of Olivia parhos and the first book to the series of Afterworld。 This book an amazing introduction to the world of the afterworld， it was full of action， forced proximity， enemies to lovers， touch her and you die， heaven and hell， supernatural beings and so many other good things。 What I liked about this book:- The characters were great， my favorite being Godric， Lorcan and Jinny。- I liked Wen and how she almost never backed down。 - The world building was amazing， and I really like this post apocalyptic setting。 - I loved learning about the different kinds of angels and demons and their powers。- I loved the supernatural beings presented in this book and hope that on the future the author could give us a book with a different story and in one of the other academies this world offers to you。 - I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers trope and the forced proximity this book gives us。 What I didn’t like about this book:- I didn’t like the co-dependence Wen and Sarah had。 I hope that in the future the author can made them less co-dependent of each other。- I didn’t like that wen didn’t have any self preservation for herlsef and that often made me frustrated。 But I can admit that also made the book entertaining。 - I feel like we could of have had less of Wen overthinking everything because I feel like some of it was unnecessary。 - The lack of multiple POV’s， I know that some authors don’t do it and just keep to one character but I feel like this story would of have benefited from it and given us an insight on other characters mind and understanding their actions。 I can only hope that in the future the author gives us more POV’s。Overall I really liked the book and can’t wait to continue this series and unravel all those secrets this world has in store for us。 。。。more

danielle ，

Imagine if the Apocalypse happened and instead of wiping out all of humanity， we lost roughly 1/8th of the global population。 Oh， and those that survived had to learn to adapt to their place at the bottom of the hierarchy thanks to the arrival of angels， nephilim， demons， fae， and all the other beings we didn't know were real。 Heaven and Hell are now on Earth， literally。Wen has spent her entire life a slave， demon-owned and unable to escape the confines of the existence she was forced into， unle Imagine if the Apocalypse happened and instead of wiping out all of humanity， we lost roughly 1/8th of the global population。 Oh， and those that survived had to learn to adapt to their place at the bottom of the hierarchy thanks to the arrival of angels， nephilim， demons， fae， and all the other beings we didn't know were real。 Heaven and Hell are now on Earth， literally。Wen has spent her entire life a slave， demon-owned and unable to escape the confines of the existence she was forced into， unless she miraculously comes up with the unimaginable amount of money it would cost to buy her own freedom。 So what does she do？ Your girl decides to start a side hustle stealing what is essentially bodily fluid from angels and making it into a drug only she can， opening her up to a world of danger as the Archangels find out what she's peddling and embark on a mission to find out how。 What to expect？🗡Enemies to lovers🪄Awakening magical powers😡Grumpy but lovable MMC👯‍♀️Found familyThis was an absolute ride from start to finish and I am so excited for the sequel to be released。 There are definitely some issues with the execution， mostly in relation to Wen's OTT snarkiness and excessive inner monologue， which is why I'm considering it a 4 ⭐️ read instead of a 5， but I see a lot of potential in both the plot and overall world building。 I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review， but you can also find this book on KU！ 。。。more

Sheree ，

So I'll be honest， I totally thought this was going to be a Zodiac Academy rip-off， and I was ok with that cos I love that series。 But what I read was an excellent fantasy world where angels and demons （and other assorted supernatural beings） have made their homes on earth， and the humans have just had to deal with it as the immortals are constantly on the edge of the final apocalypse。 We meet Wen， who has the questionable power of being able to collect what appears to be Angel sweat， which turn So I'll be honest， I totally thought this was going to be a Zodiac Academy rip-off， and I was ok with that cos I love that series。 But what I read was an excellent fantasy world where angels and demons （and other assorted supernatural beings） have made their homes on earth， and the humans have just had to deal with it as the immortals are constantly on the edge of the final apocalypse。 We meet Wen， who has the questionable power of being able to collect what appears to be Angel sweat， which turns out to be a highly effective hallucinogen， and she has the only supply。 Her only concerns in life are keeping her best friend Sarah safe， and escaping the yoke of their demon owners to live freely。 Her priorities change somewhat， when she is caught dealing Angelesence by a powerful （and super attractive） Angel and ripped from her home to face trial and judgement in the Celestial Court。 I love Wen。 Her snark and sassiness get her in a whole lot of trouble， but it makes her so entertaining。 While this book could definitely have used a final edit for some grammar， it was an advance copy from Netgalley， so I'm sure most of it has been fixed。 I'm very keen to read the next book after all that was revealed in this one， and I want to see certain relationships develop， because Wen will certainly need allies with all that is to come。 。。。more

zaikanshu ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The story is set in a post-apocalypse world where celestial beings have supreme power over the humans。I was interested from the first time I read it， at first the pacing was fast but at around 25-30% the pacing turned slow so I started to lose focus on reading。 The story where Wen started at the academy actually made me lose my reading mood even more。 The plot focuses heavily on Wen's dislike of Sarah having other friends。 I think Wen's obsession with Sarah is starting to get a little odd here。R The story is set in a post-apocalypse world where celestial beings have supreme power over the humans。I was interested from the first time I read it， at first the pacing was fast but at around 25-30% the pacing turned slow so I started to lose focus on reading。 The story where Wen started at the academy actually made me lose my reading mood even more。 The plot focuses heavily on Wen's dislike of Sarah having other friends。 I think Wen's obsession with Sarah is starting to get a little odd here。Regarding the characters， at first I enjoyed the jokes given by Wen。 She's so sassy， and has an interesting comeback answers， she makes me laugh。 But after I read more it seemed that Wen could only throw verbal attacks and those nicknames given by Wen become annoying。Am I the only one who feels Godric's role is very minimal？ The plot focuses around Wen's activities， and Godric only appears a few times when he is mentioned， as well as the other characters。The part that I like is the worldbuilding of this story it was actually well-built。 I just hope that the existing glossary can be added with made-up words and their meanings， because so many new words are popping up that they become easily forgotten。I hope for the second book Wen and Godric's dynamics and interactions can be further improved。Thank you NetGalley and Seventh Wonder Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Hazel ，

I received a copy of #CelestialAcademyEssence from #NetGalley。 This review is my honest opinion。This is the first book I’ve read by this author。 The first quarter of this book took me the longest to get through。 This is often the case with a new world that is being explained and detailed。 I had to concentrate on the humans， angels， demons， demon owned， archangels and nephilim。 Once I got my head around it I started to read faster and got engrossed in the story line。Wen is the main character， a h I received a copy of #CelestialAcademyEssence from #NetGalley。 This review is my honest opinion。This is the first book I’ve read by this author。 The first quarter of this book took me the longest to get through。 This is often the case with a new world that is being explained and detailed。 I had to concentrate on the humans， angels， demons， demon owned， archangels and nephilim。 Once I got my head around it I started to read faster and got engrossed in the story line。Wen is the main character， a human that is demon owned and trying to get freedom for herself and her best friend Sarah through selling a ‘drug’ she has created called Angelesence。 One of her deals goes wrong and she finds herself in a whole new environment and under the wing of Godric and contemplating what she really is and what she can do。There is a sexual chemistry between Wen and Godric but it is very slow burning！ Most of the time they are insulting each other。 I loved both Wen and Godric。 Wen is tough with a no nonsense attitude although I think her never ending ability to ask questions would fray on my nerves。 Godric is strong and moody and a total anti hero。 The supporting characters are also interesting and I can’t wait to read more about them and to see how the plot develops and what Wen is capable of！ 。。。more

Angela Palmer ，

Celestial Academy WOW！I do not often leave reviews for books， but this one deserves my time and attention。 This book was really interesting！ The story is set in a post-apocalyptic L。A。 where angels and demons roam the earth as the new “celebrities。” The main character Wren discovers a way to harvest angel essence and then turns it into a drug she can sell in order to earn her freedom from her indentured servitude from her demon owner。 She is captured by the angels and sentenced to Celestial Acad Celestial Academy WOW！I do not often leave reviews for books， but this one deserves my time and attention。 This book was really interesting！ The story is set in a post-apocalyptic L。A。 where angels and demons roam the earth as the new “celebrities。” The main character Wren discovers a way to harvest angel essence and then turns it into a drug she can sell in order to earn her freedom from her indentured servitude from her demon owner。 She is captured by the angels and sentenced to Celestial Academy because her ability to see and harvest angel essence is unprecedented。 Needless to say mayhem ensues。 I will say the writing style took some getting used to。 Much of the book flow is choppy and chaotic which created a feeling of confusion and made it difficult to follow at times。 It was also a little slow to start as the exposition seemed to drag on quite a bit。 But as the story progresses， the chaos begins to make sense as this is the foundation of Wren’s thinking process。 The mystery involved is fantastic and keeps you turning pages in between action sequences。 I am excited to see what happens in book 2 because the final chapter makes you question everything you think you know about what it’s going on at Celestial Academy！You should read it！ 。。。more

Samantha Keenja ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is totally a slow burn type of story。 But the characters are just amazing and so worth the while。 Godric is definitely my favourite。 And i just cant wait for the second book to see whether they finally profess there obvious love for each other。

Lana ，

DNF at 40%。 I was really excited to get started on reading this book， because the blurb looked very promising， containing a lot of elements I would normally enjoy。 However， this book just wasn’t for me。 I really struggled with the writing style and the main character being way too snarky for me （all her inner dialogue was also too much for me to handle）。 These elements kept me from getting sucked into the story。 I had to force myself to keep on reading。 On the other hand， the academy still looks DNF at 40%。 I was really excited to get started on reading this book， because the blurb looked very promising， containing a lot of elements I would normally enjoy。 However， this book just wasn’t for me。 I really struggled with the writing style and the main character being way too snarky for me （all her inner dialogue was also too much for me to handle）。 These elements kept me from getting sucked into the story。 I had to force myself to keep on reading。 On the other hand， the academy still looks like an interesting place， and certain characters such as Lorcan and Godric were the main reason I tried to push through this book （but these positive elements just didn’t outweigh the less positive ones）。 So I can definitely see why other people enjoy this book， it just wasn’t for me。 Thank you NetGalley and Seventh Wonder Press for sending this book for reviewconsideration。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Bea ，

2。5 ⭐Seeing this book compared to Crescent City and Zodiac Academy， I was immediately intrigued。 Unfortunately， it was not nearly as emotional as the former nor as entertaining as the latter。 I felt like very little happened in an otherwise long book - half the time we were stuck inside the main character's head and were forced to listen to her inner monologue for multiple pages， even in scenes that were supposed to be fast-paced and high stakes。 At least 150 pages could've been edited out， the 2。5 ⭐Seeing this book compared to Crescent City and Zodiac Academy， I was immediately intrigued。 Unfortunately， it was not nearly as emotional as the former nor as entertaining as the latter。 I felt like very little happened in an otherwise long book - half the time we were stuck inside the main character's head and were forced to listen to her inner monologue for multiple pages， even in scenes that were supposed to be fast-paced and high stakes。 At least 150 pages could've been edited out， the story would've stayed the same， and it probably would've kept my attention more。 The pacing was weird， the first 40% of the story was incredibly slow and spanned over only a day basically， then when it finally got more interesting， and we arrived to the academy， we jumped weeks into the future and missed out on all the magical school aspect that I was looking forward to。 Characters besides our heroine and her love interest felt very one-dimensional， especially the best friend， who our main character spent half the book worrying about even though her only personality trait was being nice to everyone。I think I would've enjoyed this a lot more had it been dual POV; Godric's one chapter in the end was more interesting than a lot of Wen's chapters combined。 As it turns out， there's such a thing as a too snarky main character。 Being witty should not come at the expense of me wondering how the hell this girl is still alive when she's determined to be bratty to everyone and constantly speak her every thought without even being aware of it。 I'm sad that my first read of 2023 ended up being a disappointment， but I hope the only way from here is up lol 。。。more

Bibliophile Unicorn ，

Very interesting world！A little bit complicated at the beginning！ A prologue of the Apocalypses and all the supernatural in existence might have helped！About the story， I really liked it。 Wen is a super strong human （ who might be something else） I loved how she is so loyal and even when she sometimes do bad things。 Wen has her moral compass and believes and behaves according to it。In the romance part Wen and Godric are in the enemies to lovers trope and in a very slow burn cathegory！ Looking fo Very interesting world！A little bit complicated at the beginning！ A prologue of the Apocalypses and all the supernatural in existence might have helped！About the story， I really liked it。 Wen is a super strong human （ who might be something else） I loved how she is so loyal and even when she sometimes do bad things。 Wen has her moral compass and believes and behaves according to it。In the romance part Wen and Godric are in the enemies to lovers trope and in a very slow burn cathegory！ Looking forward to sew how their relationship developes。Anxiously awaiting book 2！ 。。。more

Daisy ，

This might just be the perfect book！ I devoured it in one prolonged sitting， and it truly made me forget I was reading， not living this incredible story in this fantastic new world。 The pacing is breathtaking， the writing itself with not a word out of place or unneeded， the world so vividn I felt I was there and as awed as Wen （the heroine） was to enter it， and the characters so meticulously drawn and real and unpexpected， and not only the hero and heroine。 Then comes the agonizing slow burn ene This might just be the perfect book！ I devoured it in one prolonged sitting， and it truly made me forget I was reading， not living this incredible story in this fantastic new world。 The pacing is breathtaking， the writing itself with not a word out of place or unneeded， the world so vividn I felt I was there and as awed as Wen （the heroine） was to enter it， and the characters so meticulously drawn and real and unpexpected， and not only the hero and heroine。 Then comes the agonizing slow burn enemies-to-lovers passion that's simmering at a near-boil all the time， and the hottest male lead I've read in ages， and the heroine who is slowly bringing him to his knees， and yes， that book *is* perfect。 I've read it twice and I expect I will re-read it more by the time Nexus （Book 2， which I've already pre-ordered） comes out。 Do yourself a favor and read this epic debut。 You can thank me later。 。。。more

Niamh C。 ，

Thank you NetGalley for the ARCFirst off I want to say this book has a lot of potential。However the execution unfortunately lacks quite a bit。The writing: It took roughly until page 130 for things to actually happen despite the world having been explained within the first 30 or so pages and I got bored again around page 300。 Getting through those was a task in itself but it did actually get better… for a bit。 The book is 50% snarky inner monologue by the MC Wen and 50% conversation that most of Thank you NetGalley for the ARCFirst off I want to say this book has a lot of potential。However the execution unfortunately lacks quite a bit。The writing: It took roughly until page 130 for things to actually happen despite the world having been explained within the first 30 or so pages and I got bored again around page 300。 Getting through those was a task in itself but it did actually get better… for a bit。 The book is 50% snarky inner monologue by the MC Wen and 50% conversation that most of the time is meant to be funny banter （but often just feels annoying and childish）。The book definitely needs another round of editing as there were some blatant mistakes in the writing however I can ignore that as shit just happens。I think my biggest and main concern with the writing was that most of the time we don’t actually SEE things happen we just get told that they did happen， in retrospect。 E。g。 the whole looking up things in the library。 We weren’t there for that as the readers no we just got told by Wen in another one of her endless inner monologue in some sort of side note。 All we really see live is her banter with Godric， insulting others and obsessing over Sarah。 And all of that put together just starts to make it all feel very boring despite it being a really good story。 There were so many good opportunities to make us suffer with the character and watch them grow （for example Wens endless workout sessions） but all we got was like one maybe two sessions and then a “we finished the trial is tomorrow” and in that missed out on all the actual character development。This brings us to the characters:Wen is a highly sarcastic and distrusting MC she feels a lot like the two main characters from Zodiac academy or the MC from the fever series。 Except that she feels a lot more annoying。 There is such a thing as too much snark and too much banter。 I get that it’s her way of protecting herself but at least in her inner monologues she could be a bit more vulnerable and offer the reader some insight as to why she is how she is。Also it felt ew times she wasn’t insulting anyone or bantering with Godric all the did was ask questions， so so many questions yet somehow she managed to always miss the most important ones？You would think someone with a background like her knew how to get information a little better。As for the other characters I genuinely enjoyed Godric he seems to have some depth and Opi would love to see how he grows throughout the series。Sarah just annoyed me with all her perfect lovable innocence。 There was nothing to her she just felt like a means for developing plot。The other side characters were genuinely enjoyable and all had something unique to them。 So the author definitely knows how to write characters， she just needs to be carful not to fall into stereotypes and tropes。Lastly as for the overall story and world building:I really loved the idea of the book and it had some solid world building until the author seemed to want too much at the same time。 But over all it is still a really good story that just needs to have its pacing fleshed out a bit more as at times nothing happened and then everything happened。I loved the setting and would have enjoyed actually hearing more about the academy rather than just going straight to the trials。 There was not one class Wen went to with us readers。 All we got to see was her dorm some random walks across campus and one or two lunch times。It kinda is amazing how almost 500 pages were filled with so much…nothing？To sum it up， the story potential is 100% there and it has some potentially really great characters but the book is poorly executed and needs another go through editing。I do hope to see more from the author though as I feel like there is a lot of talent。 。。。more

ANTC ，

DNF。This book started off SO strongly。。。giving Crescent City vibes and the writing and world building were actually quite impressive for a debut。But quickly。。。Wen， the heroine， started becoming VERY VERY annoying。 Literally all of her thoughts and dialogue are jokes and snark。。。she takes nothing seriously。 And because of that - I can't take the book seriously。 It's like one big， long-running joke。 She's mouthing off to all-powerful Archangels too。。。it just never stops。 Not to mention she makes a DNF。This book started off SO strongly。。。giving Crescent City vibes and the writing and world building were actually quite impressive for a debut。But quickly。。。Wen， the heroine， started becoming VERY VERY annoying。 Literally all of her thoughts and dialogue are jokes and snark。。。she takes nothing seriously。 And because of that - I can't take the book seriously。 It's like one big， long-running joke。 She's mouthing off to all-powerful Archangels too。。。it just never stops。 Not to mention she makes a joke of snoring really loudly and drooling all over herself enough to make a big wet spot on her shirt。。。like please be for real。。。you might die here and also aren't you in front of your love interest right now？？？。。。Self-published fantasy romance authors need to get a grip with all the snark and sass and cringy humor and stop overdoing it。 It makes the characters feel very immature and takes away of the all tension and epicness that fantasy worlds should produce。 This author is actually creative and witty too where most are not。。。like there is definitely talent there。。。so the humor would actually work if only it were turned down like 95%。 。。。more

Meredith Brammer ，

2。5

Nat Navarro ，

EPIC Debut！ ✨️I'm absolutely in love and obsessed with this new， brilliant series by Olivia。。。 couldn’t asked for a better debut， than this fantastic first book！ 😍😍😍 Wen is freaking amazing and Godric， hot as hell。。。 their interactions had me fanning myself; I could feel their intense attraction and sexual tension， damn！！！ 🥵🔥 Wen is absolutely hilarious， I love her snarky and witty attitute towards everyone， but intensified towards Godawful 🤣 Godric is my hottest dream come true: f'ing grumpy， p EPIC Debut！ ✨️I'm absolutely in love and obsessed with this new， brilliant series by Olivia。。。 couldn’t asked for a better debut， than this fantastic first book！ 😍😍😍 Wen is freaking amazing and Godric， hot as hell。。。 their interactions had me fanning myself; I could feel their intense attraction and sexual tension， damn！！！ 🥵🔥 Wen is absolutely hilarious， I love her snarky and witty attitute towards everyone， but intensified towards Godawful 🤣 Godric is my hottest dream come true: f'ing grumpy， physical perfection， dark hair， green eyes， bad tempered and powerful as a god。。。 yeah， my perfect alphahole！！！ 🖤🔥 The plot is so mysterious， just when we thought we know something， a lot of more questions arise; the world building is awesome and the side characters so interesting， as Sarah， Lorcan and her other roomies！ 🤩 Can't wait to know what Olivia has in store for us in the rest of the books; I'm so excited to read them all and find out！！！ 😍❤️ 。。。more

Tay ，

I have to say， by the end， I was very invested with what’s in store for our main characters！ Like a lot of fantasy， world building takes a predominant role in the first half of the book so for me the story didn’t really start moving until about 2/3 of the way in。 The world building is good， I love the post apocalyptic world that’s ruined for humans by heaven and hell still being involved。 We met a lot of unique character and I appreciate the creativity that went into writing these entities！ I al I have to say， by the end， I was very invested with what’s in store for our main characters！ Like a lot of fantasy， world building takes a predominant role in the first half of the book so for me the story didn’t really start moving until about 2/3 of the way in。 The world building is good， I love the post apocalyptic world that’s ruined for humans by heaven and hell still being involved。 We met a lot of unique character and I appreciate the creativity that went into writing these entities！ I also like the grim reality of Wen and Sarah’s life as demon bond that we’re shown prior to Celestial Academy。 Once at the academy， I expected the story to pick up a bit more but there was still a LOT of new information。 It would of been a bit more fluid with more story and less background。 Overall， I enjoyed the story but wasn’t fully invested until about 70% in。 There was just a lot of information before the plot picked up and things started to click into place。 Thank you to NetGalley and Seventh Wonder Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Lauren ，

I went into this with very few expectations， drawn in by the promise that anyone who enjoyed Zodiac Academy would enjoy this， and it's true， I did enjoy it， but it holds it's own against Zodiac， in my opinion。 Which is big for me to say， since I absolutely love Zodiac Academy。 Wen was such a fun heroine to be inside the mind of。 I loved the nicknames she made up for everyone around her and her insults had me laughing throughout the entire book。 There is little to no obvious romance in this， but I went into this with very few expectations， drawn in by the promise that anyone who enjoyed Zodiac Academy would enjoy this， and it's true， I did enjoy it， but it holds it's own against Zodiac， in my opinion。 Which is big for me to say， since I absolutely love Zodiac Academy。 Wen was such a fun heroine to be inside the mind of。 I loved the nicknames she made up for everyone around her and her insults had me laughing throughout the entire book。 There is little to no obvious romance in this， but delightful tension that builds throughout， which I really didn't mind one bit。 This story did remind me of Zodiac， only in the sense both had a 'magical' academy， but it also kind of gave me dystopian vibes and reminded me a little of Percy Jackson， too， but instead of the greek gods， we got the archangels and the archdemons。 The relationship between Wen and Godric is the closest to an actual enemies to lovers I've read since Zodiac Academy， incidentally。 I hate nothing more than something being advertised as that when the two main characters have no real source of conflict and are friends within the first couple of chapters。 That didn't happen here。 The development of their relationship drew me in and I can't wait for it to develop throughout the books。 I also can't wait for the development of the other characters， especially the Unita。 There were a couple of issues throughout the book with grammar and spelling， but those were easy to overlook。 They did knock a star off， though。 A good editor should have caught these before the books release， but hopefully this will improve as the series goes on and gains more traction。 I can't wait to jump into book 2， and thankfully， it doesn't look like the wait for it will be long！ 。。。more

Olivia ，

As the type of book I would typically hate the plotline was amazing however， the delivery could do with a bit more polishing。 THE STORYLINE:Wen is taken from her home and her best friend （Sarah） in L。A。 Both girls are enslaved by demons and Wen is the only person who can create Angelescence （I think that's how its spelled） She's then tracked down by Godrick， an all-powerful half angel half human who kidnaps her in a van。 Wen is then whisked into the world of the angels which I fell in love with。 As the type of book I would typically hate the plotline was amazing however， the delivery could do with a bit more polishing。 THE STORYLINE:Wen is taken from her home and her best friend （Sarah） in L。A。 Both girls are enslaved by demons and Wen is the only person who can create Angelescence （I think that's how its spelled） She's then tracked down by Godrick， an all-powerful half angel half human who kidnaps her in a van。 Wen is then whisked into the world of the angels which I fell in love with。 She then finds out that her power is unusual and no one knows it's extent or what exactly she is。 Those two factors were the only thing keeping me going。 WEN （MC）:Wen was abused as a child and was enslaved to a demon until the age of around 20。 As a 20-year-old she has an immature sense of humor and acts like a 14-year-old。 I found most of her witty comments fell flat and the name-calling started to get on my nerves。 For someone who was abused this is somewhat understandable but she seemed to be immune to mental trauma which I feel could've added a layer of depth to the story。 GODRIC: An all-powerful half-human half-archangel， this is your morally grey hunk who the MC hates then loves then hates then cannot live without。 Overall， the writing style needed another run-through as it was fairly disjointed。 I just hated the MC， I found her to be quite immature for her age which began to get on my nerves。 Other than that the world was amazing and the plot was well done， this definitely has a lot of potential。 Recommend for ages 15+ who are wanting to explore a rich new world filled to the brim with angels and demons who are looking for a well-written plot to keep them on their toes with a healthy dose of enemies-to-lovers。 *ARC review* 。。。more

Min （abookworld___） ，

Frankly what caught my attention in the first place was the cover， but I'm blown away by the storyline of Celestial Academy！ It's an action packed Urban Fantasy with a blend of Greek Mythology and supernatural vibes， it's the perfect series for fans of Crescent City and Zodiac Academy！ I admire Wen's strength and determination， although there might be times where she's a damsel in distress but she never back down。 Although there's a few cringey moments， the author did created an astonishing worl Frankly what caught my attention in the first place was the cover， but I'm blown away by the storyline of Celestial Academy！ It's an action packed Urban Fantasy with a blend of Greek Mythology and supernatural vibes， it's the perfect series for fans of Crescent City and Zodiac Academy！ I admire Wen's strength and determination， although there might be times where she's a damsel in distress but she never back down。 Although there's a few cringey moments， the author did created an astonishing world building along with fun+well developed characters。Plus the slow burn+ enemies to lovers trope are killing me！ Looking forward to read the sequel。Thank you Netgalley for providing an Ecopy of Celestial Academy！ 。。。more

Angelakaye30 ，

**ARC Review** In a post apocalypse world there are angels， demons， and humans。 There are two best friends who are demon-owned， but have some kind of connection to the angels as well。 Wen is selling a drug called Angelessence and is caught by a nephillem named Godric。 The archangels advise as punishment/ to keep track of her she must attend their Celestial Academy。 Her best friend Sar is also brought to the academy as they believe she may be angel-graced。 They have to undergo a test （trials） wit **ARC Review** In a post apocalypse world there are angels， demons， and humans。 There are two best friends who are demon-owned， but have some kind of connection to the angels as well。 Wen is selling a drug called Angelessence and is caught by a nephillem named Godric。 The archangels advise as punishment/ to keep track of her she must attend their Celestial Academy。 Her best friend Sar is also brought to the academy as they believe she may be angel-graced。 They have to undergo a test （trials） with their other three roommates and during this test Wen saves everyone by accessing her void， but learns of her true connection to the angels… this may not be a good thing。 They book was very engaging and the world/time building was great。 There were times， especially in the beginning where it was a bit slow and hard to stay engrossed。 The end leaves the reader with many questions， which will hopefully be addressed in the next book！ 。。。more

Sam ，

4。5

*_Nina_* ，

I'm in a phase at the moment of LOVING books with angels。 This one has a really cool premise where the apocalypse is over and angels and demons are living together in an uneasy truce。 The main character Wen， a human bound in servitude to a demon， is trying to navigate all this when she gets swept up from her criminal dealings by angel Godric and discovers there's more to her abilities than meets the eye。 This book was probably longer than it needed to be with lots of wordiness and exposition tha I'm in a phase at the moment of LOVING books with angels。 This one has a really cool premise where the apocalypse is over and angels and demons are living together in an uneasy truce。 The main character Wen， a human bound in servitude to a demon， is trying to navigate all this when she gets swept up from her criminal dealings by angel Godric and discovers there's more to her abilities than meets the eye。 This book was probably longer than it needed to be with lots of wordiness and exposition that could be cut， but the plot was great and the building UST of the romance was compelling too。 The heroine was way too snarky at times （and not always as funny as she thinks she is which can verge on being cringe！）。*I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily。* 。。。more

Anns Bibliotherapy ，

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one but I really enjoyed it。 A young woman selling a drug she shouldn't even be able to come into contact with puts her in the sight of the Angels。After what can only be considered a trial by fire Wen receives the best yet worst news， best in that they let her live， worst in that they're sending her away from everything and everyone that she knows， and leaves her feeling more lost than ever before。 We see a world that rivals master filmmakers in its c I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one but I really enjoyed it。 A young woman selling a drug she shouldn't even be able to come into contact with puts her in the sight of the Angels。After what can only be considered a trial by fire Wen receives the best yet worst news， best in that they let her live， worst in that they're sending her away from everything and everyone that she knows， and leaves her feeling more lost than ever before。 We see a world that rivals master filmmakers in its complexity and beauty characters that seem so believable you find yourself forgetting this is a book and a story that draws you in and keeps you there。If I could give this book 4。5 stars I would and I have a feeling as we see where our characters go and what happens in the next book there may be higher ratings to come。 Thank you to NetGalley and Seventh Wonder Press for providing an advance copy of this ebook， I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more

Cassandra Dellinger ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Celestial Academy: Essence is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn following Wen White as she is arrested by angels and forced to attend Celestial Academy as the angels try to find out what exactly she is。 Her power is unprecedented and incredibly dangerous， for angels， demons， and the entire universe。I completely adored this book。 It was outstanding and beautifully written。 Every character had substance， good and bad traits， and nothing felt unnecessary。 Wen is always asking questions， she can't seem Celestial Academy: Essence is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn following Wen White as she is arrested by angels and forced to attend Celestial Academy as the angels try to find out what exactly she is。 Her power is unprecedented and incredibly dangerous， for angels， demons， and the entire universe。I completely adored this book。 It was outstanding and beautifully written。 Every character had substance， good and bad traits， and nothing felt unnecessary。 Wen is always asking questions， she can't seem to stop herself because no one tells her anything。 Sometimes I wanted to be annoyed by all the questions， but I was also asking the same things， so I felt incredibly connected to Wen and her character。I've seen this book be compared to Zodiac Academy and ACOTAR， and I've never read those books。 However， my favorite book series is The Mortal Instruments， and this book reminded me of them in the best possible way。 If you enjoyed those books as a teen， then Celestial Academy is the perfect next step in your reading journey！ It's a little spicy， there's so much pining and tension you could cut it with a knife， and the story itself is easily consumed and digested。 Godric and Wen are the perfect enemies-to-lovers couple， they embody everything I love about that trope， and I can't wait to see how their relationship progresses in the next books。 If you like fantasy， slow burns， a sort of "chosen one" heroine， and sometimes hilarious dialogue， this is the book for you！ 。。。more

Amber ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed it。The book was engaging and suspenseful， I loved the story and the worldbuilding！The writing style reads like the main character is just thinking about it right now。 There was the excessive use of "But"， "And"， "So" at the beginning of sentences， which made it repetitive and sometimes annoying for me。Wen is insolent， I get it。 However， I wondered several times why the people around her were letting her get away with it。 I would have expecte I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed it。The book was engaging and suspenseful， I loved the story and the worldbuilding！The writing style reads like the main character is just thinking about it right now。 There was the excessive use of "But"， "And"， "So" at the beginning of sentences， which made it repetitive and sometimes annoying for me。Wen is insolent， I get it。 However， I wondered several times why the people around her were letting her get away with it。 I would have expected more conflict/consequences because of that。 There was no scolding or penalty （e。g。 cleaning， no meal， additional tasks）。 Same with Jophiel - instead of screaming a thousand questions and insults at her， maybe she could have waited for an actual answer？ This was the point where it was cringeworthy for me。 I'm not a fan of slow-burn romances。 I would have hoped that in the end， when they finally kissed each other， it would be more spectacular， since I had to wait an entire book for it！ These were all minor things， which I could easily tune out， because the story really pulls you in and the polt twists kept you clued to the pages。 I'm looking forward to the next book！ 。。。more

Ashley Camille-Bates Dicks ，

WowI loved this book。 I loved the main character Wen！ I found myself laughing a lot at Wens snark。 I will be reading anything this author writes。 I can't wait for the next book！ WowI loved this book。 I loved the main character Wen！ I found myself laughing a lot at Wens snark。 I will be reading anything this author writes。 I can't wait for the next book！ 。。。more

Marya ，

First of all， I want to preface this review by saying how much I loved the world building and the overall story arc of this book。 My main gripes， unfortunately， come from the execution on the page。Cut to a world， where an *almost* apocalypse killed billions， and now angels and demons walk amongst humans on Earth。 Wen has been a demon-owned slave since the time she was 2 or 4 years old （yeah， no one really knows， least of all Wen herself）。 She’s been producing and selling a mysterious drug in ord First of all， I want to preface this review by saying how much I loved the world building and the overall story arc of this book。 My main gripes， unfortunately， come from the execution on the page。Cut to a world， where an *almost* apocalypse killed billions， and now angels and demons walk amongst humans on Earth。 Wen has been a demon-owned slave since the time she was 2 or 4 years old （yeah， no one really knows， least of all Wen herself）。 She’s been producing and selling a mysterious drug in order to raise money she hopes will buy her and her best friend， Sarah， their freedom。 Cue angel enforcement， who come to capture her， and dole out her punishment: she will become a student at Celestial Academy。 She will also have the 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘸𝘯， Godric， as her personal tutor， and let’s just say， there are definitely more than a few sparks between the two of them。 This book is marketed to “fans of of Crescent City， Guild Hunter， and Zodiac Academy。” Having only read CC， I can only make the comparison to that one， and I will say it did have similar vibes， especially the heavy world building at the start of the book， which I felt was very similar to start of HOEAB。Wen is a sassy FMC that never knows when to shut up。 I understand that part of her personality is that she asks a lot of questions， but I found that this was a bit overdone throughout the book; I swear there was a chapter in the midst of the climax that was just her asking herself questions within her inner monologue。 I think the book could have been better with a bit less inner monologue/questions。Also， there were several places where I had to read， read， and re-read sentences because their structure was a little off to me， for example:𝘐， 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴， 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴。A bit of polishing with an editor/beta reader could maybe help with that？This is a VERY slow burn romance。 So slow， in fact， that there is just a tease of romance in this one。 But I have a feeling things will start to heat up in Book 2。 Again， I did really enjoy the story and world building， I just found some of the sentences difficult to read， and could have done with way less inner monologue/questions， and more action; I always appreciate when I can be shown， and not just told throughout a book。 I am definitely interested in trying out the next installment， and hope I can enjoy it even more than this one。Rating:⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½ / 5What this book is giving:✅ Enemies to maybe someday lovers✅ Sassy FMC ✅ Forced proximity✅ Fun World Building 。。。more

1000_books_1000_lives ，

Once the world building was established this story really picked up！ It was a fantastic adventure- I loved it！ The main characters are such a good mix- the wit and angst are hot！ Can’t wait to see where book 2 goes。I received an early copy of this from NetGalley- all opinions are my honest own

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Celestial Academy: Essence

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Celestial Academy: Essence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Celestial Academy: Essence&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0