This is my first book by David Slayton and I wasn't sure what to expect, though I've been meaning to read his Adam Binder series for a while. Rogue Community College (no connection to the actual Rogue Community College in Oregon) introduces a different character a "phage" named Isaac Frost who has been raised as an "Undertaker", a magical assassin. He manages to infiltrate the college, a school built by elves to train "Guardians", another type of magic-user, by being forced to be a student there while he finds a way to destroy the school from within. Oh, and what's a phage, you ask? They're a breed of not-quite-humans who, by eating a bit of someone's blood, can read their memories and gain some of their powers. Except Isaac's the last one of his kind. And he's falling in love with another student--an elf who's been shunned by his own kind and who seems to have his own darkness lurking beneath the surface. But if Isaac doesn't finish his job, the Undertaker will send someone else, someone who won't be as kind.

This is definitely a book for hardcore D&D style fantasy fans, with lots of character races and magic. However, it felt to me more like a YA story, the college feeling like a Hogwarts-type high school complete with cliques, a crotchety dean, demerits (!), a sweet tragic romance, and themes of trying to fit in and search for identity. That's not a criticism but just something to be aware of in considering this book. The story itself is fun with a lot of decent humor, and I could see it adapted as a TV series. There were points where the story seemed to jump abruptly and I had to back up the chapter, but I'm not sure if that was just a glitch in the recording or a jumpy narrative.

Michael David Axtell does a bang-up job narrating this book, adding depth and feeling to both the characters and even the narrative. Thank you to David, Blackstone, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having enjoyed the author’s Adam Binder urban fantasy series, I picked up Rogue Community College, book one in the Liberty House series, a (kind of) new adult academia fantasy story that is set in the same world as the Adam Binder books. Some of the characters in this story will be familiar to readers of that series – Argent, sister to the Elf King, and Vran, the sea-elf – but the central protagonist and most of the secondary cast are entirely new.

Isaac Frost is an Undertaker – an assassin – who has yet to make a kill, and because of this he’s the ideal candidate to infiltrate Rogue Community College – a magical college for magical misfits – and bring it down from the inside. Of course, the longer Isaac remains there and becomes friends with some of his fellow students – and falls in love with one of them – the harder it becomes for him to want to complete the job. An orphan and possibly the last of his kind, Isaac has never experienced the kind of friendship and acceptance he finds at the RCC – but the Undertaker owns him and will not brook defiance or failure.

The story is fast-paced with plenty of humour and action, and there are some thought-provoking explorations of the concepts of morality and power along the way, too. The worldbuilding is excellent, and Isaac is a complex, flawed and engaging protagonist who is easy to root for as he discovers his found family and begins to reach for kindness, love and a better life. The secondary characters are well drawn; I particularly liked Ford, half man, half troll, and of course, the whimsical, waspish, loveable Vran, who is Isaac’s love interest. Their tender yet heartfelt romance is swoony, but although it’s secondary to the rest of the plot it’s nicely done and – fair warning – will leave your heart in pieces by the end of the book.

I was pleased to see the return of Michael David Axtell to the narrator’s chair; he delivered excellent performances in the Adam Binder books, and he’s equally good here. I really liked his portrayal of Vran; there’s a slight edge to his voice that speaks of cynicism but there’s wit and warmth there, too – and he does a good job of giving Isaac an edge of vulnerability beneath the initial bravado. His pacing and character work are very good, and I could really feel the strength of the emotional connection between Isaac and Vran in their more romantic moments. It’s an excellent performance all round, and is a terrific complement to the story.

I really enjoyed the listen, despite the fact that when I finished, I felt as though I’d had my heart ripped out and stomped on. But Rogue Community College is billed as book one of a series, so I am hoping that there will be a way to fix The Thing That Made Me Cry – or Mr. Slayton and I are Going To Have Words. ;)

B+ / 4.5 stars

I absolutely loved this book and had the best time listening to the audiobook. The only thing keeping me from recommending it to everyone is that I can't morally encourage other people to experience the heartbreak I felt at the end until we're closer to the sequel coming out. That being said, I love the Adam Binder series and "Rogue Community College" does a great job at expanding that world and setting up another fantastic series.

A thoroughly enjoyable college adventure, with exceptionally fun and interesting world building, great characters, depth and heart. It felt like a good balance between adventure and pining “I’m lying and here to ruin everything and I don’t deserve these friends or this hot elf boy” angst. I loved all the students and hope we get to know more of them in future books. I’m not going to lie, I cried a bit at the end. Definitely looking forward to more of this series.

The audiobook narrator was great.

Isaac Frost was raised by a dark man and has given Isaac Frost a task. A task to infiltrate and destroy the elves’ new school. But this task isn't as easy as Isaac thought it would be. Isaac finds himself forming relationships and unexpected bonds with his classmates. He's not sure what he's supposed to do. I thought this was a good character driven story that shows found family and friendship. The characters are supposed to be in their 20s, but for me they did feel a bit younger. While that ending was not what I was expecting (my heart)! I'm eager to see what happens next in this series. I ended up listening to the audiobook, narrated by David Axtell and it was such a fun experience being able to see the voices that David chose to do for all of the characters.

A very special thanks to Blackstone Publishing, Bibliolifestyle and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @blackstonepublishing & @netgalley for 𝑹𝑶𝑮𝑼𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑴𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑮𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑹. 𝑺𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒕𝒐𝒏, out October 15th!

This is a bit opposite of the typical dark academia/magic academy story! Not irreverent, per se, but RCC houses the less typical magic students where most are not human. Isaac was raised by a sinister Undertaker in the Graveyard where he, and many other young boys, were trained to become assassins. His presence in the school is for a darker purpose, but as he unexpectedly develops friendships and one deeper connection, he becomes less sure of his mission.

I found this story to be a an entertaining start to the Liberty House series. It did feel a bit YA for my preference, and the romance aspect was a bit odd for me (for characters as old as they were, a first kiss was an interesting choice). I do think it was witty and fun, with just enough social commentary to make it feel more than fluffy but not preachy.

Adding the audiobook, narrated by David Axtell, was a nice combo. It kept the energy going, though the choice of voice for Vran felt softer than I would have done in my head. I did like having both formats, and this naked cover is pretty sharp!

Overall, it was a fun read and I am curious where Isaac will go as this series moves forward! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Rogue Community College
A Liberty House Novel
by David Slayton
Narrated by Meredith Lustig & Michael David Axtell

I received an ARC of this audiobook from Netgalley.

I LOVED this audiobook & highly, highly recommend it!

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into listening to this book. There are a few things similar to other books (Like kings and queens of a playing deck or tarot deck - swords, cups, etc)

The rest of the book feels so original and perfect. I am having a book hangover and wishing there were 39567978 more books in this series to listen to - yes, I am that hooked.

Keywords:
Fae, school, guardians, goblins, magic, romance, graveyard, undertaker, assassins for hire


5/5 stars!

A YA fantasy novel about post-high school “kids” who have special skills and live at a school where they go on missions together and learn to hone their unique talents. Isaac Frost is there undercover with his own mission: to bring the school down. But as he gets to know more about the school, the students, and himself, he starts to question everything.
There’s a dance with the Elves school, spells applied as charms, portals that lead off-world, kissing and flirting, and other YA fantasy-genre happenings. 3.5 rounded up. Not my thing, but I could see it being very entertaining for the right audience.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook for review purposes. #RogueCommunityCollege was published Oct 15, 2024.

Rogue Community College by David R Slayton The Liberty House series #1. Urban fantasy magic college. Minor romance. Spin off and in the same world as the Adam Binder series. Isaac Frost is an assassin and although he’s been trained, he has no kills yet. The profession was not his choice. The Undertaker owns him and he must accept his assignments or suffer the consequences. His current assignment is to infiltrate the school, enroll undercover, and kill a specific target. Isaac is a Phage. With a taste of a person’s blood, he can find out all their secrets and memories. Rogue Community College is a magic school for unique and wayward students. The school changes its paths and doors, protecting the heart until the student is trusted. As Isaac learns the secrets of the school and the students, he finds unexpected friendships and acceptance. Things he’s never had before. He knows his mission and that he truly has no options, but he also starts to wonder if there is a chance for himself. There’s not. But…. A wonderful cast of unique and personable students. And, of course, Argent, who made herself known if he Adam Binder series. The other students acceptance of Isaac is sweet and endearing. They become friends. Spoiler follows*********** The ending is heartbreaking. Not what I expected. It’s clearly going to be a series so maybe there is a reason. In the meantime, I’m so sad

4.25/5

I went into this book with zero expectations. I saw the title, I loved it and decided to read the book without even looking at the synopsis. This was so good! It had everything I wanted in a fantasy set in the modern world. A magical school (a sentient one at that! And it made me unexpectedly cry at the end), a found family of friends, an unexpectedly sweet romance, and the chosen one/last of your kind troupe. I can't wait for the next one!

Michael David Axtell did a great job and his voice acting paired really well with David Slayton's prose.