Audio Book Review: Fallen Academy: Year One By Leia Stone

Fallen Academy:
Year One
(Fallen Academy #1)
By Leia Stone

Narrator: Vanessa Moyen
Length: 7 hours and 19 minutes

Brielle Atwater isn't sure of much, but she knows a few things:

1. Having black wings is not normal. 

2. Selling her soul to the demons was a mistake. 

3. Lincoln Grey is the biggest *** she's ever met … but not falling in love with him might prove impossible. 

When angels fell from the sky to war with the demons that ravaged Earth, their combined powers infected humanity. Now, the humans are assigned one of two fates, being either demon gifted or angel blessed.

After wings sprout from Brielle's back at her awakening ceremony, she's sure she's an angel blessed celestial. It's not until she sees black wings that she realizes something is terribly wrong.

Having sold her contract at a young age to save her father's life means she should be bound for Tainted Academy. That is, until a fallen angel unexpectedly fights for her to be accepted into Fallen Academy, the elite school for those that inhabit Angel City.

She's immediately matched with her impossibly handsome celestial teacher, Lincoln Grey. Laying eyes on him, her first thought is that her time at the academy might actually be fun, but this theory quickly fades when she and Lincoln clash on day one. To further prove her admission into Fallen Academy is cursed, the entire school is thrown into chaos when an Abrus demon reveals that he knows Brielle's secret. Now, above all else, Lincoln must fight to protect her.

To his surprise, the only thing more difficult than trying to save her … is trying not to fall for her.

Available At: | Amazon | Audible | B&N |
My Review:

This book proved to be very entertaining in a train-wreck sort of way. The concept for the world the author created with all the different creatures, powers, and hierarchy was awesome. It's what kept me invested in this book in the first place. The characters made it lose a little bit of its shine by the end though.

Brielle was something alright. I liked that she was stubborn, loyal, and sassy to a fault but her repetitive inner monologues got annoying the longer it progressed. I disliked that she was this special never-before-seen being and how everything came SO easy to her. I would have liked to see her struggle to control her powers or maybe even *gasp* lose a battle here and there and make it so it had real-world consequences.

I didn't see the appeal Lincoln had. He's bossy and knows how to sass her back but that's about it. He's interesting and all but I just don't see or feel the chemistry he supposedly has with Brielle.

I will say that even though things didn't happen one after another in the story, because there were time passes mentioned in between, it did feel back-to-back in a rushed, coincidental, and not-good sort of way.

This novel felt like it was missing something crucial for me to fully be submerged in it. It felt like everything was go-go-go all the time that the characters never took a breath and that ended up affecting my reading experience in a not-so-positive way.

The Audio Book:

The narration was great! I could tell all the characters apart while 3 or more were having a conversation. Though I would've liked to see more of a variety in male voices/tones.

My Rating: