First Addition

Hemlock Academy, Book 1

By: Kelsey Soliz

Narrated by: Katie McAble

I was so close to getting everything I wanted - an internship with my uncle, an officer with the special-ops team.

If it weren't for a stupid boy that had to go and make me angry, causing me to turn a certain part of his anatomy purple and sparkly, I wouldn't have accidentally revealed to my family what I really was. What I had been hiding.

Now, my father is making me attend the school he headmasters, a stuck-up elite academy that will never take a bodysmith like me seriously.

Fate may have cursed me with six mate spots to fill, but that doesn't mean I need to tell everyone my true purpose for being at the academy.

If I can survive the other petty circulators at the school that think they're queen bee, and hide my own status from everyone, I just might be able to find the six men that I don't really want.

They might think I'm inconsequential, but I'm determined to carve out my own happiness, no matter what it takes.

©2021 Kelsey Soliz (P)2021 Kelsey Soliz

Wow!

This was waaaaaayyy better than I thought it would be. This is the first book I have read from this author and it is always hut it miss with me when reading someone new But I was blown away. The story line is unique and the main female character is awesome.

RH listener here

So initial I thought it was all moving to fast and they were making the main character too important. I wasn’t sure. Then the more I listened the more I liked it. It’s a little far fetched but the dialogue is good and the story plot is fun. I will be listening to the next book :)

Great story line

Just let all the guys talk and it would clear up so much instead of trying to make her appear innocent all the time- this took up value space in this book. Besides that, I would like more detail about the men. Fade her to the background, she seems like everything she fears- but she's got herself a pretty interesting group of men. I don't dislike the female lead, but she is supposed to be intelligent- I'm sure she would have done all this research on HERSELF, instead of fainting and freaking out when she finds out something new. I'm glad the author didn't go over the top and try to make the character seem "cool" by making her cuss a lot or be wit whiney. Her relationship with her dad and brother made the character likable. Making her a cheerleader was cheesy. I liked the flow of the book and will definitely read book 2.

Great start to an awesome series!

4 Stars

Overall Rating ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Humor ★★★★
Characters & Character Development ★★★★
Narration ★★★★

Characters: Gabriella, Balfour, Foster, Grey, Palmer, Pearson, Cyrus, Dar

Story: I enjoyed the first book. It took me a bit to get into the main character, but as the story went on, she grew on me. I liked the guys so far and I can't wait to see who is added to the group. I can guess a couple. The plot was good too. It seems like a really interesting take on magic. I can't wait for the rest of the students to see what Gabriella really is.

Narration: Katie McAble - So far I'm enjoying this new narrator. I hadn't heard her before but I can see myself listening to more.

So worth any price!

I loved this book. It was so well done and the characters were phenomenal. The narration was superb with the exception that there wasn't much distinction between her doing the male voices. Cannot wait to listen to the other books.

great great book

one of the best Supernatural romance books I have listen to this year and I have listen to about 400 so can't wait for the second one.

First Addition is a 4 Star Original

I love this book! It’s a fun, interesting story that will have you laughing out loud! I love Gabriella’s confidence, and she’s handling her situation pretty well, all things considered. There are a LOT of characters, and while the narrator was awesome, she probably could have used a partner. Overall, a really good listen!

SO GOOD!

I’ve been listening to loads of supernatural RH’s lately but this one stands out of the pack. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but Kelsey has quite a gift of storytelling! This is my first book of hers I’ve read (ok… listened to), but it’ll certainly not be the last.

The narrator did such a superb job of distinguishing between the characters, which with one narrator, is quite the feat! The plot is finessed with expertise… it’s fast paced (without the bore of chapters of inner monologue… yay!!), yet doesn’t leave gaping holes & discrepancies (again… yay!!), and it still makes you want more!

The FMC is quite the character too! I love her wit and charm while also being a badass and takes no BS from anyone. Her men are pretty awesome too—being equally protective of her, yet knowing she can handle herself while also giving her the space she needs to be herself and do her own thing.

I was gifted an audiobook version of this from the author in exchange for an honest review. … so it’s quite telling that I’ve decided to forego my audiobook preference and am almost done with second book in the series on my own.

Awesome Book!!! Amazing new series!!!

I haven't even listened to the whole book yet and I love it!!! Amazing new series and narrator is awesome!!

Great Narration, Story has potential

There are a few problematic aspects to this story that don’t sit well with me, like using intimacy with women as an acceptable risk to fill her bodysmith powers because “men are jerks” when she isn’t actually attracted to them, and the whole “I won’t force my powers on people I like because it’s emotional r@pe but doing it to strangers is okay”. If you can get past those two hard to swallow faux pas (why I removed a star), the story is unique and enjoyable.
I didn’t like how “pick me, I’m not like other girls” the FMC was at first but when you get further into the story it makes sense for the world the author has built; the other women like her are truly awful. She becomes much more likeable and relatable the more stuff is dropped on her and the more she starts to worry about real problems rather than perceived ones. The guys introduced are genuinely good guys and I wish men IRL were more like the men women write, lol.
As more things unfurl and become more complicated, the more interesting the story gets. I’m invested in seeing the rest of the series though. I enjoyed the narration too, I wish the rest were out!

I will add that this was suggested to me as a warm fuzzies and happy feels story, and I’m sorry but it’s way too drama heavy and angst filled to be categorized as that. (SPOILER ALERT BEYOND THIS POINT) It literally ends with her heartbroken because one of her mates loves someone else and was avoiding her. That’s not warm fuzzies. That’s emotional torment. 😅