Fallen Academy: Year One was quite the read. Although the writing was incredibly cringey, I was intrigued by the story. While my rating is very low due to the writing, I did still enjoy reading.

The characters and the way they interacted often had me laughing. Stone's characters in this story remind me of those in her other series, Gilded City, which is not a bad thing. However, Shea and Luke did seem to be a bit stereotypical. The banter between Lincoln and Brielle was entertaining. Had the writing not been cringey, I would have rated this higher. I enjoyed the magic system. It was easy to understand and follow. The plot was interesting enough to overlook most of the faults in this book.

Overall, I finished this in one sitting. I was thoroughly entertained. I will probably read the rest of the series because I am curious to see how this one ends. Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this one was okay. Nothing fantastic, but it was entertaining enough. I won’t be rushing to read the rest of the series though.

This book was so fun!
Bri was literally every 19 year old who got thrown into a situation against their will. And she made the best of it! A total bad ass! I love her strength for family and friends and her sass.
Lincoln was literally another version of Rowan from ToG in my opinion. Like he’s gonna beat the crap out of her but for her own good.

The plot was great! This story line is defiantly self driven. It’s a fun twist on an age old tale of angels vs demons.
Seeing arch-angels in a new light was fun too. To hear them be not the top guys was pretty interesting. I cant wait for book 2!

Thank you Sourcebooks Bloom Books, NetGalley and Leia Stone for providing an ARC of Fallen Academy: Year One in the leadup to its rerelease later this month.

Fallen Academy is a fast paced paranormal fantasy which would be ideally suited to a teen/YA or someone just starting to enter the world of fantasy reading. There was very easy world building and left open for the next book.

The romance is a bit cute, it’s a quick easy read (I read it in one sitting) however a lot of the dialogue felt a bit cringe. YOLO was used at the end. 😬

🌘 Paranormal Fantasy
😈 Angels & Demons
💖 Low Spice Romance

Thank you to SOURCEBOOK Bloom Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of re-release in exchange for an honest review.

3.75⭐️. Was this a little cliche, predictable, and a little cringy at times (dare I say)? Yes. But did I also read this in less than 24-hours and enjoy it? Also yes!

Fallen Academy: Year One was my first read by Leia Stone, and I throughly enjoyed this! This was a very fast-paced, single pov, young-adult rated, paranormal-romantasy, easy read. The world-building was easy to follow and very straight forward. The characters had relatable qualities to them as well which also made the read more enjoyable. The concept of angels vs demons in the human world and recruitment academies was intriguing and kept me interested. For a fantasy-type book, this didn’t require of a lot thinking and tracking, making for an effortless, easy read. It wasn’t too dark and had lots of light-hearted moments as well.

As the tension between the fmc (Brielle) and mmc (Lincoln) was good at the beginning, but as it progressed it did get a little cringy (also, lots of winking lol), in my opinion, but it is also a YA book, so I can’t get too picky with it. Although, there were some moments that made me question if this was a YA book or not (maybe leaning more towards NA sometimes)…. But the writing style definitely leads more YA for sure. I do love a quick read, and this was one of them, but there definitely were some moments in the plot that were a little brushed over and felt a little jumpy. I didn’t loveee the age difference between the fmc and mmc. Even though the fmc was technically very close to turning 19, it still didn’t sit great with me, but I understand the YA target audience and age selection for the characters none the less. There were some possibly questionable, possibly stereotypical moments regarding some characters that I’m not quite sure how to feel about as well, but I’m sure it wasn’t ill-intentioned. But in my opinion it is still something to note.

Overall I would say the first 50% of the book was great and really drew me in, but the last half although was more action-packed, didn’t have the same pull. Despite that, I would still be interested in seeing where the series leads.

—

Overall Ratings:
Star: 3.75⭐️/5
Spice 0.5-1🌶️/5
Emotion: 0.5-1💧/5

Tropes:
🤍 Paranormal Romantasy
🤍 Angels vs Demons
🤍 Magical Academy
🤍 Coming of Age
🤍 Forbidden Romance
🤍 Grump x Sunshine (kind of)
🤍 Slow Burn (YA)
🤍 “The Chosen One”
🤍 Mentor & Student

DNF @ 15%
I mostly requested this book because I’ve heard such great things about this author and wanted to give her a try. Also, the premise does sound very cool. The first couple pages, the writing threw me off. It definitely wasn’t mind blowing but it also was just clunky. Even for a teenagers pov it read as very awkward. The explanations about how humanity is stuck in between a war of heaven and hell got my attention and I wanted to learn more about it, despite not liking the writing.
Unfortunately, the side character came along. Our possibly only black/hispanic character in the whole book and she is written in a very stereotypical way. Loud, bitchy, rude, mother abandoning her to demons. Now that isn’t stereotypical but to have no father and then have the mother abandon her, that’s stereotypical. A harmful one at that. Reading her character descriptions immediately turned me off from the book.
Personally for me, I couldn’t continue after that. The not so great writing, the stereotypes, and the fact that I know this is going to be a chosen one story where our main character is an idiot makes me not want to finish.

BOOK: FALLEN ACADEMY: YEAR ONE
AUTHOR: LEIA STONE
PUB DATE: MARCH 202
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
👿👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼😇
I literally read this book in a couple of hours, four hours top. My favorite thing about this book? The cliches! It was a typical YA novel about a special girl with mysterious powers and a handsome love interest, and I loved it. This means a lot to me because it has been a while since I read a YA book that I liked , and I didn't get bored. In addition to this, I loved the world building. It was interesting, and I can't wait to see more of this world!
😇👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼👿
I liked the FMC, Brielle. She was someone who wanted to be free, and I loved her love for her friends and family. She's also brave and willing to put in the work to be stronger. I saw her grow from someone who was scared about what her powers would be to someone who has gained a little bit of confidence about her powers and who she is.
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I also liked the side characters consisting of the male love interest, Lincoln and her best friend, Shea. They were an amazing support group to our FMC and they all put their lives on the line for each other. Of course, I liked Lincoln the best! I can't wait to see more of his relationship with Brielle.
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This first book was mainly about introduction, reading about Brielle getting her powers and settling in school. I only got a hint of what's actually happening with the angels and demons. But, I don't mind, I can't wait to see what's coming for the characters in the sequels. I have high expectations
👿👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼😇
This book was amazing, and I'm sure you would love this if you love YA and fantasy.
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Wonderful ya novel. Author did a great job. Who doesn't live angels and demons. I can't wait for the coming series.

Fallen Academy: Year One by Leia Stone is an action-packed fantasy novel set in a world where angels and demons battle for control, and humans bear the consequences. The story follows Brielle, a girl born with dark magic in a society where angel-blessed abilities are prized. Expecting to be enslaved to demons, she’s shocked when she’s granted entry into Fallen Academy, a school for the gifted. As she trains alongside powerful students—including the infuriatingly handsome Lincoln—she uncovers secrets about her abilities and the war raging around her.

The book delivers fast-paced action, humor, and a strong heroine who refuses to back down. The chemistry between Brielle and Lincoln adds tension, though their romance follows familiar tropes. With engaging world-building and plenty of twists, this is a fun read for fans of supernatural academy stories.

I loved the world we are put in. It reminded me of the TV show Angel mixed in with Fourth Wing. In this world humans inherit either angelic or demon powers when the turn 18. They are then enrolled in an academy to learn how to use these gifts. Our main fc is bonded to a demon as payback for her mother's deal. When she gains her gifts its determined she must go to angel academy. There she forms a squad of friends and they work together to pass first year. I really enjoyed this and moved 9n to book 2 already. Its part of a 5 book series!!
4.25

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I have enjoyed everything I’ve ever read by Leia Stone and this was no exception. This book felt like Zodiac Academy but with not so much bullying. So maybe a more tame version.

I actually read this book in one sitting and never got bored. It sucked me in from the beginning and I was hooked. Now I can’t wait to read the rest!
4/5 stars and I will buy a physical copy for my shelf.

I’m thrilled with how this turned out! I finished it in just a day and a half—which says a lot considering I have two kids under three. Urban fantasy is definitely my thing, and this story delivers. In this world, humans accidentally inherit angelic or demonic powers due to a war between the two sides. At 18, their fate is revealed, and they begin training at the corresponding academy.

I have to say, a few moments gave me serious Fourth Wing vibes in the best way possible!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks bloom books for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎

(Star rating rounded up from 3.5 stars)

It took me a little while to get into this book. It was not until after we passed the description that can be found on the back of the book that I really started to get into it. Then, I was pleasantly surprised along the way.

I would describe this book as a combination of Fourth Wing (but with demons and not dragons) and the Covenant Series by Jennifer Armentrout.

The conflict of this story was what was really fun to me. Our FMC is super special, so of course, the bad guys are after her while she is just trying to make it through her first year of Fallen Academy. And she has a big 'ol crush on one of her trainers (think Daughter of No Worlds in terms of grumpy x grumpy relationship).

I liked the magical world that we find ourselves in: Angels and Demons were fighting, and they brought their fight to earth, causing humans to gain either Angel or Demon abilities. Now, the world is nothing like it was before, and you need magic in order to survive - which is ruled entirely by luck.

Lincoln, the MMC, was fun. He is grumpy, he has super cool abilities, and he is incredibly good at fighting.

What caused my rating on this book to drop is the massive jumps in time. Six months pass in a single sentence. Then two months. Then another few weeks. I know that not everything needs to be in the book, and I do think that the length of this book is perfect, but the jumps in time were super jarring. The title of this book indicates that we are focusing on Year One, but we skip huge portions of said year one. I honestly would've rather thought that the school years in this book were super short rather than missing these huge chunks of time. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and their relationships because we don't really get to see them develop.

Will I continue to read this series? Probably, but not right away. I'm not super jumpy to get the next book, but if the opportunity arises to read it, I definitely will.

This book is single POV, with a female narrator. It is in first person and falls under 250 pages. This book falls into the category of YA.

Thank you very much to NetGalley, Leia Stone, and Sourcebooks: Bloom Books for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and in no way are influenced by the manner in which I received it.

I think I underestimated me liking this. I knew going into it that it would be ya but I think it was just a little to much of a young adult story. Our main character says things that little kids would say like what the what or frick and I kind of got turned of by the childish saysing every five seconds. All that to say I do think this story has a audience I just don’t think it’s me.

Leia Stone delivered a captivating and fast-paced story that held me spellbound. I flew through the pages, and the story has stayed with me since. While the plot and characters were engaging, the writing style, unfortunately, felt too simplistic at times. The use of contemporary slang in a historical or fantasy setting created a disconnect, which I found distracting. Nevertheless, the compelling plot and the promise of more Brielle's adventures have me eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC.

I enjoyed this read. It was quick and easy to read, and full of action. I liked the world of angels and demons, as well as the academy setting. Sometimes I felt the writing was a bit hurried but it did add to the pacing of the novel. Intrigued to see what happens next!

This book was a fun read. You have enemies to lever romance and a mfc that takes no prisoners. Plenty of quirkiness to make it fun and down to earth as well as magic and romance to help capture the reader

Fast paced and action packed, i sucked in from the very beginning. Stones writing was superb and so easy to read and follow along.

I have enjoyed Leia Stone's books and really liked this one as well. I liked the world of demons and angels created and told about in the book. Brielle is a strong character and very loyal. I like the Academy world in the book. I enjoyed all the supporting characters. All of the young men to help Brielle help her figure her powers, what's not to like. Especially Lincoln. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

When the archangels fell to Earth to war with the demons, humans were caught in the crossfire and infected with magic. Our FMC, Brielle, is stuck between worlds, appearing to be both angel blessed and demon cursed.
I absolutely fell in love with her sass and the way she carried herself. It was the perfect, realistic combination for someone who just turned 18, which I think some readers forget that she is so young.
Brielle is incredibly loyal, and I thought her dedication to her best friend Shae made for a great relationship. The way Shae and Brielle interact and become friends with others at the academy really brought out that found family aspect, which I always enjoy.
The book is definitely easy to read and fast paced so it’s never boring. I think the book also nicely set up for the continuation of the series and I’m excited to read more in this world!