Title: Fallen Academy: Year Three
Author: Leia Stone
Pub. Date: December 4, 2018
Pages: 272
Pub: Independently Published
Genre: Fantasy Paranormal Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5
It will take every ounce of strength and training Brielle has to survive year three. Meanwhile, Lincoln will also be fighting his own battle for survival. Each of them worlds apart.
This will be a mini spoiler free review. I listened to the audiobook via Audible.
I can’t even express how disappointed I am in this book. Emotional weights where? The first two were fairly good, enjoyable, this one was a mess. It was incredibly short, and so much is just glossed over. Criminally so.
Drama and shock factors don’t replace emotion.
Like, I didn’t even care that Brielle was trapped in the underworld. She’s so whiny and wishy-washy in this book. One minute it’s total despair, and then the next she’s got a renewed sense of purpose. Idk, since this isn’t a Lucifer romance, I expected some actual villainy – but at no point, did I actually fear for Brielle. She’s a blinding “Chosen One” stereotype.
Brielle is just unbelievable – and not in a good way. I just didn’t buy into anything she is selling. Not to mention, the time jumps. Again, with the time jumps. Everything happens so quickly, but timeline wise – months have passed. But it never feels like months have passed – Brielle never feels beaten down, hope is lost, I’m going to give in, because what’s the point.
I don’t know, I just expect more.
I’m just seriously let down by this book. Of all the emotional turmoil she could have gone through, it was really mild and unbelievable. I mean, it’s a battle between good and evil, light, and dark, Heaven and Hell, and Brielle legit always comes out unscathed. I don’t buy it.
Title: Fallen Academy: Year Three and a Half
Author: Leia Stone
Pub. Date: February 1, 2019
Pages: 104
Pub: Independently Published
Genre: Fantasy Paranormal Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
When Brielle was taken by the prince of darkness, a large part of me died inside. How can I move on? How can I accept that she’s gone?
I can’t.
After searching every possible way to bring her back, I finally accept that she may be gone… forever.
If that’s the case, then I can’t stay in Angel City any longer.
*Author note: This is a follow up 30,000 word novella to Fallen Academy: Year Three that is told from Lincoln’s point of view and covers his one year without Brielle.
“Trigger Warning: Some mild themes of attempted suicide are in this book.”
This will be a mini spoiler free review. I listened to the audiobook via Audible.
How often do I complain that I never get the male MC’s POV during the traumatic stuff.
The answer is all the time.
I want to see them suffering. Okay, that sounded diabolical, but I’m a sucker for emotionally vulnerable male MC’s and I feel like we really only experience the trauma through the female’s POV. The male MC is usually left to react after the girl gets rescued/freed.
So, I was really hoping that this would be better than book 3.
Nope. Not really.
Once again, the damn time jumps. The lack of emotional weights. Panic and drama spur Lincoln along, but I don’t really feel for him. I get that we’re supposed to, that we’re supposed to care that he’s self-destructing and spiraling and needs help, but it just felt ingenuine.
I don’t want to discount pain – even a fictional character’s pain – but it felt more like the appropriate response, versus a genuine one. Like, he should be distraught, so he’s acting that way.
It just didn’t work for me or allow me to buy into the story.
I really couldn’t have cared less.
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