Cursed

Morningstar Academy, Book 1

By: L. R. W. Lee

Narrated by: Sarah Kisko

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

From the moment I killed that demon, I knew my world would never be the same.

On a call to rescue humans buried in a landslide, celestial warrior Gladriel kills a demon, a once-an-eon occurrence. And now demons are after her, to exact revenge. Despite the Almighty’s explicit order to let him handle it, Glad breaks rank to fight back and is expelled from Heaven.

Squadron leader Kessien and Gladriel have shared a secret attraction for ages, but when she is expelled from Heaven, sparks fly and Kessien vows to find a way to reverse her sentence.

Glad finds herself enrolled at Morningstar Academy where newly fallen angels are educated. Where they are taught to make human lives a living hell. The problem: Compliance is mandatory, but Glad refuses to harm those she has sworn to protect.

But when massive numbers of humans suddenly disappear from Earth, Glad and her new classmates must discover who is behind it and whether it’s an ancient prophecy concerning the annihilation of humanity as well as her new home starting to play out. If so, can Glad convince her new friends to help her stop it and can Kessien rescue Glad before it’s too late?

If you love Angelfall in the Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee, L. A. Weatherly's Angel series, and Fallen Academy by Leia Stone, Cursed, book one in USA Today best-selling author LRW Lee's Morningstar Academy will become your next obsession. It’s a new world packed with action, intrigue, romance, and characters you'll fall in love with.

Buy now to experience this fallen angel supernatural fantasy that will have you denying your need for sleep.

©2022 L. R. W. Lee (P)2023 L. R. W. Lee

Critic reviews

"A stubborn female lead, a handsome love interest, quirky side characters, and a prophesied apocalyptic-style end of the world. I had such a fun time reading this book, it kept me on my toes." (Miche Arendse, Readers’ Favorite)

Great start!!

Let me just say, this book has captured my heart with its enchanting themes of angels, fallen ones, and demons. The cover itself is so captivating, it could be framed as art. 😍 The world-building in this story? It's unparalleled, standing out even among the top-tier books I've devoured. Glad and Kessien? Their characterization is sheer brilliance, drawing readers in with every interaction. The new additions from the Academy? They bring promise and potential, and I'm eager to see their growth. After the suspenseful cliffhanger, my anticipation for the next installment is sky-high. I loved the narrator, she made me feel like I was a character in the story!! Truly, this is a magnificent beginning to what I'm certain will be a series that resonates deeply with its readers. ❤️📚

Attractive book cover!

The book cover is beautiful, definitely a reader’s magnet. The Book is interesting, I got a little upset in the middle about the punishment she was given. I understand that she undermined his authority and that he can’t let it happen since it will create descend amongst the troops but I thought the punishment didn’t fit the crime. They are immortals, so I’m sure there are many other punishments that could’ve worked. Then again they say he is all knowing and works in mysterious ways so I’m sure knowing her character he will play her as a piece on a chessboard to achieve the ending he desires. The book is alright though give it a try.

Good book

I really enjoyed this book. I really appreciate an author who has done research about key elements in their book and she really did with the prophecy and how different kinds of characters looked. I wasn't a huge fan of the male POV voice, but really enjoyed the story itself.

Gladriel

After a mission gone wrong which affected her best friend Gladriel, after warned about taking revenge, took matters in her own hands. Curious where this series will go.

Good bood

very good book. waiting for more. enjoyable and interesting. would recommend for people to listen

I am blessed to have listened to Cursed!

In this thought-provoking escape into a world of angels, demons, and the fallen that hadn’t intended on dropping out of the third heaven, readers are faced with an interesting twist on a celestial trope.

Gladriel, a heavenly warrior, exacts revenge when demons mutilate her best friend. In the process of taking things into her own hands, Glad loses the privilege of remaining a citizen of the celestial city and is banished to second heaven. There, she is placed at Morningstar Academy to train for service to the enemy of all enemies, Lucifer. Apocalyptic events of global proportions begin to unfold, and Gladriel’s frustration at not being able to assist humans, like she once did with her beloved squadron, climbs to new heights. As a matter of fact, she’s now punished for resisting orders to harm the mortals she cares about.

Are the consequences of Glad’s actions equal to her crimes, or does The Almighty have some tricks up His sleeves, and she’s exactly where she needs to be to help save the lost, whether they are human or others who’ve fallen short of The Glory. Angels desire to look into these things, and so do I.

L. R. W. Lee wraps this story up with a bow and hot chocolate, but also a teaser making me anxious to read the next installment. Damned if I don’t! Linda Lee's narrator, Sarah Kisko, is one of my top recommended raconteurs. She is brilliant for this series which is overflowing with character variety. Who knew that such a sweet voice could shift for so many personalities! Hearing her bring things alive is truly a special occasion.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a shining review.

Ready to read book 2!

I really liked where the author went with this story! I love the comradery between friends and it is probably one of my favorite aspects about the book. I love my found family trope! I also enjoyed the world building with the different heavens. I was intrigued about the second heaven and for some reason I thought that fallen angels would go to hell or Earth rather than another heaven. I still appreciate the creative difference and like that they have an academy but we don't really stay there too long, not as long as I'd like.

I have a few things I wished could have been expanded or improved upon. I appreciate that Glad wants to protect humans but I don't really know why. Was it because angels were all ingrained to protect humans? Or did she have a more personal reason? I didn't mind Glad but I didn't love her as a character, she was just ok for me. I liked all the other characters too but we don't really get too much insight about them except for Kessien who I liked.

I would have enjoyed higher stakes and clearer navigation through the story. I kind of felt like we were afloat and going places but not really knowing where we're going so it's not as streamlined as I'd like. The plot beats were ok and had me interested enough to keep going but I wasn't as invested as I normally am in the story. At least not until the end of the book with that cliffhanger.

Speaking of the cliffhanger, I about died because the end was probably my favorite part because I wanted to know what happened next and that library! I want one!

I liked the narrator as I listened to the audiobook. While I liked her female voices, I didn't love her male voices as much because they all seemed to have a southern accent which is fine but threw me off a lot. Do angels have accents? Lol

Overall, I think a good start to an angel or fallen angel series and love the creativity the author put into the book. I'm definitely curious to read the next book!

3.3 out of 5 rating for me!

(I leave this review voluntarily and I was not compensated in any other way.)

Exciting Read with a Twist

The plot of this book is a tale as old as time -the battle between good and evil. The new adventures and plot twists made this an exciting read. I love the concept of the celestisl warriors. Gladriel has such a big heart for her friends and for humans. Often the celestial beings are seen as being cold and withdrawn from emotions, especially to humans. The loss of life means little to those who live for eons.

Morningstar Academy was unexpected and a fun suprise. They can be quite brutal and danagerous there. I like the views on the Fallen. There is so much depth to the characters there and it is interesting to see how they will grow. I wish there was kore detail in what is going on but feel cursed is just the intro into a huge world and situation.

I struggled at first with the narrator. She sounds like a teenager and it was a challenge at times to tell the difference between characters. I did adjust and it became easier once I knew her style.

I highly recommend this book if you want to try something new. This is just the start of her series. Damned is next on my list, book 2.

a different take

it is a very different take on heaven and hell. if you have a problem reading things that sound very religious I would not recommend. however if you don't mind it is a very different take on the Almighty. definitely left off on a massive cliffhanger. I was given this book to review for free. I will most definitely be buying the second book when it releases.

Very juvenile

The narrator makes it more juvenile than it would be if read in print. I would not finish the series because of this. I loved the premise of storyline though.