New teacher, new class, and a brand new challenge.
My four demons may have changed my life, but now it’s time to say goodbye.
They’re killing me, it turns out—or so my new Grim teacher Leo Meyer tells me.
If they don’t return to Purgatory soon, my powers will be drained forever. Too bad I can’t figure out how to send them home... even worse? I don’t want to.
There are other secrets in these halls. Who tried to kill me? Where did this new teacher come from? And why is it that, despite every instinct, I don’t want to say goodbye...
Welcome to the first year at Phoenix Academy, a place where the paranormal lives—and dies—and lives again.
Lucy Auburn is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance writer who lives in the Southwest. She loves writing interesting stories about strong women. Some of the writers who inspire her include Patricia Briggs and Sarah J. Maas.
Now that I’ve had a day to calm down from the unfinished ending aka “the cliffhanger” let’s debrief on this sequel
First let’s recap on how much I shipped Book 1. I shipped it a lot. I loved the demons and the school and the fact Dani did her own thing and didn’t fall in line just because they gave her a bed and free food.
Second take that same independent MC and change her to be completely trusting and the complete opposite to the strong girl we knew. She’s got blinkers on all of a sudden. Her street smarts have gone out the window with her hair colour and she’s ignoring her instincts. It’s very frustrating.
Third The formula that worked so well in book 1 is now old news. The best way I can describe how I felt for at least half this book is this
Yes a yo yo is appropriate.
They’re here
Now they’re there
Oh I’m anxious ... they’re in....
I should focus ... they’re out...
In out in out. Shake it all about
It worked in the first book but now I want to actually get to know these characters not have them constantly popping in and out. Could she not just leave them hang around a while? I spent most of the time waiting and then disappointed when she let them go so quickly. Apart from the weapons they use and the bookish guy I’m not actually sure who’s who?
Next it’s moved out of the slow burn, into a fast burn. Quickly and without much buildup. It was probably the absence of the sexual tension you know cos they kept getting “sent away” that made this transition feel more like a tractor on a country lane than a smooth ride. But I'll say these at least. It was insanely hot
And for the big finale let’s me explain what the difference is between a cliffhanger and a cliffhanger is.
A cliffhanger I can deal with, expect it even. A little incentive to carry on. No probs. The main plot arc and big fight at the end is cleared up and suddenly someone/something unexpected happens .... “oooohhhh I wonder what that is I’ll have to read on”....It looks like this
Now a cliffhanger looks like this
And sounds like this “what the bleedin hell woman you can’t cut the fight scene off halfway and mid sentence for crying out loud” boooooo!
I don’t think I can even call it a cliffhanger it’s just... unfinished.
That all sounds very negative but it’s still one of the better Academy series and it feels original. But I can’t overlook the ending and all of the above. So I’ve docked stars because I’m cross quite frankly.
4.6 stars. Ok. Ok. Everybody stay calm. It’s not the end of the series. It’s Not the end of the series. There’s still time to fix what’s Absolutely. Fucked.
First off. This author loves to throw in a bunch of really obvious foreshadowing for every twist she takes her story…not a bad thing, but it was just So obvious that certain things were wrong from basically the beginning that I was screaming silently at the characters to wake the fuck up, at some points.
Still. I don’t mind it. It was kind of fun.
The sex we finally got was hot as all hell. The emotional connection between the characters is so nice. The plot was pretty dang cool. What wasn’t cool, was that damn ending. So I’m gonna go start the third book now. I need things to start getting better. Pronto.
Also, PS, single POV didn’t change…maybe it will in the next? Hopefully? I completely understand why this one didn’t have it, but come on…the next one will have a couple chapters from the guys..right? 🤞🏻
An issue that I have with this book is something that I also had with the first- the lack of plot development. Yes there is a plot and it's pretty interesting. But I could describe what happens in the book within two sentences and considering it's a decent length book, I'm not massively impressed. I was okay with a slower plot in the first book because it's an introduction to series and there has to be a fair bit of world building so the reader knows what's happened. But the world's already built, and the reader knows what's happening so I'd expected this book to be a step above the rest. The cliffhanger of the first book is resolved way too easily, I'd have preferred that have more development that being resolved before the end of the first chapter. The plot itself wasn't at all surprising, it's like all characters lost the use of common sense until the end. I'd have been more surprised if the bad guy were actually just a patsy instead of this giant mastermind. Do I still like Dani? Kind of. It reminds me a bit of Harry Potter where the characters complain about their workload and you just want to scream at them "You're at a magic school! Your homework isn't algebra, it's on magical stuff, be grateful!". I felt this even more considering before this school she was homeless and alone, I'd expect her to be a more grateful instead of literally thinking she doesn't have to do well at school because the school won't kick out a rare Black Phoenix. *Sigh* Academic rant over. It was still a good read, but like a disappointed parent, I just expected more from it.
UGHHH!!!! This book was too good! Is that even possible? I don't know but it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. That cliffhanger at the end was harsh and I'm counting down the days till July 15th
The writing is still enjoyable and I love the world building and how Dani is developing. What soured the book for me was that it ended on a cliffhanger. I don't mind one book in a series having a cliffhanger but so far both books have, so I'm guessing the rest of the series will follow suit. With that in mind I'm tapping out. I might revisit once the series is complete.
Pages: My rating (stars): 4 Read other books from this author in the future:
In the second instalment of this series, the headmaster feels responsible for keeping what Dani is to herself. I liked the second part and I am looking forward to read the third part. Again this book ends on a cliffhanger and yes, second book in a row! Lucy Auburn, your books don’t need a bad cliffhanger so the next one in the series will be read too!
#%$# that cliffhanger ending! That is NOT ok. Yes, intrigue us to want to read the next book, but don't end mid-fight scene! Sheesh. That tempts me to change it to 3 stars. :/
I like the characters. I wish the quad could have been more present so we could actually get to know them. I wish she had ended the fight scene, and then thrown in the "who he really is" plot line as the cliffhanger.
Now I have to wait until next month for the next book, which is REALLY just an extension of this book. It's an angry four star review which would have been five if it hadn't ended that way. lol
Unbound dilutes some of the highs from the first book making me aware about the slow paced plot that was underwhelming only to end on cliffhanger that was hella annoying.
The plot was very lacking, I could see the bad guy from miles and it's just so easy to see where things were going when there is no effort to make it more complex, it even comes to the point of Dani looking stupid. There is just a low level of new content in this book to built up on what's already learned. It ends up looking like for all the pages involved there isn't enough of that content besides the romance.
The characters don't show growth, maybe Dani in her way of thinking but the harem is still one dimensional. I think they needed a lot more details than just that one scene where Ezra is talking about some chick from his past. Their backstory and the unexplored demonside things have left it quite shallow. The primary focus of this book seemed to push the slow burn from the first book to a fast one enough to get the humping scene in. Other side characters are for the most part on the sidelines until the end fight scene to make up for the absence.
If it wasn't for the cliffhanger I wouldn't be rushing towards the third book but that was quite abrupt cut off point. Hopefully the third one gives more content and info that adds to the plot than just vagueness that provokes more questions than answers.
What the f - Why? There was no need for that. I hate these pointless cliffhangers. Guess the third one is gonna be the same, there is no need. So abrupt, where am I supposed to go from there? Gaaaaah!
Continuing on directly from the cliffhanger in the first book, the matter is resolved within the first few pages (pointless). I enjoyed this one more than the first. Dani is coming into her own, the demons are growing and you learn more about them and I did like how their pop up has evolved. Not to mention no more of the run away stuff in the first book. This one actually feels like an academy RH now.
It was a 4 star up until half way when things pretty much unravelled and the story took the sex direction. Fair warning its not spaced out and it feels forced. I have to have sex because… Then it went down to 3.5 continuing to do so through the drama and finally that cliffhanger. My main worry going into this was that I was gonna get genfinned. This is a lot more cliché. Don’t have a favourite character because the guys feel like one block. Favourite scene was the three’s company.
Stars reduced for glaringly obvious plot. I am not usually against spoilers, I even tend to seek them out,BUT.... I don't want to see main heroine painted as an idiot, if authors throws clue after clue,after f...cking brick like clue at her. Either antagonist is evil and extra smart ,and in that case the reader should not suspect him from beginning, or evil character is sloppy and MCs inability to see these things or get even a bit suspicious, makes the reader question her IQ...I don't want DUMB main heroes!
Around the middle of the book,I finally got a hang who of demons is who from the cliff,so YAY for me-i was too lazy to flip back to introduction of them,so couldn't really place personalities with names.Their choices and actions are not the brightest in this book though. Hard to believe that,considering experience and knowledge they should have as upper demons.
So,very obvious plot,not so predictable revelation during very predictable ending.Ends on cliffhanger and frustrates me because of it.Hate when authors do that,I love at least some wrapped up ending. Worth reading it after the first installment.It continues the story quite well.My frustrations is after all my personal quirks.
Dani is a rare Black Phoenix and is attending the Phoenix Academy to learn how to unleash and control her powers. Not only is she a Phoenix, she is also a Grim. Two paranormals that hate each other. This is the second book in the Phoenix Academy series. If you have not read the first one then this one it may take a bit of time to get into so I do recommend you start Dani’s story at the beginning.
This is an action packed paranormal adventure with some steamy sexual scenes. It is wonderfully written with amazing characters that bring the story to life. It also is an emotional rollercoaster as Dani goes through events like the traumatic events, the barriers placed in front of her and the soul mates comes to love. It takes the reader on one wild ride as the events of the book unfold. There is everything one would want from a paranormal adventures carefully woven to create a great storyline with detailed descriptions of the scenery and wonderfully crafted dialogue. If you like paranormal series, academy series or just want to read a good book, then give this one a read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book had another cliffhanger, which was even bigger than the first book, so I’m going to have to wait until the third (and final?) book comes out in July. If it was already released, it wouldn’t be so bad, but it ended on such a big moment! In this book, we got to see Ezra, Sebastian, Mateo and Lynx have some one-on-one interactions with Dani which was nice to see. I enjoyed their characters, interactions and chemistry between each other. We got to know a little more about each of the men. There was also a mega sex scene between them all, so if you’re not into harem sex, this book may not be for you, but I guess if you are reading this second book you know what to expect by now. Obviously as this book is based at an academy, you get to see more about Dan’s school life although it moves along a lot faster than the first book, and focuses a lot more on the Grim training. I like the cover art for this book and in general this series. I wonder who the model is on the cover...
In most of Unbound they felt more like depressed gooey eyed puppies. And it was mostly because of the demons I went on to book two. The story itself is not, to me, interesting enough to hold my attention. It’s okay, but I don’t feel invested.
I wish the story with the heroine and the demons would have played out differently and let the tension build between them. Instead we get a fast burn, love declaring romance. So for me personally this is a 2-star read. However, I would say it deserves 3-3,5 stars based on the product and not based on where I want the story to go due to my preference for the slow burn romance aspect of the story. This series tries to be more, and even though I don’t care for it, it is an okay read.
I may read the third book, hoping that what happens in this book gets resolved and the demons once again become the psychotic, intense bastards we got to know in the first book. I’m not counting on it though.
I am so enraged with that cliffhanger! How is it possible to let us suffer like that, having to wait until the next book comes out to know what failed in our rescue!
I laughed so much reading this, but I was also close to tossing my kindle across the room! Such a fun but frustrating read! So much happens in this book. I was wanting to strangle Dani for getting off course at the end. She kept letting all these minimal distractions get in the way of doing what needed to be done. I am glad she did something at the end, but not sure how that truly turned out since we have to wait for the next book to find out. Cliffhangers stress me out, but it was worth the read for sure!
This story is so good! I am so glad I decided to start this series. It really is worth all the pain, confusion, love and torture!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I adored the first book, but the second book definitely was even better. Wow, just wow. The roll-coaster of emotions we experienced in this book was out of this world and I can't believe I didn't see that twist coming! Like, come on! It was literally right in my face and I didn't see it! I guess that's why I loved it so much, I was just as shocked as the heroine.
I won't say anything because, spoilers, but if you like reverse harems with a kick-ass heroine, that includes hot as sin demons, phoenixes, and shifters, than this book is for you! I need to know what happens next and can't believe I'm going to have to wait two months. But the wait will be worth it, I know it, just scared to find out what happens next after the slight cliffhanger at the end of this book.
This is a great follow up to Awaken. It is easy to follow but make no mistake you must read book one to understand what is going on. A lot happens him this book. Their is brief happiness, sadness and action. Let's just say Dani finally gets what she wants. Boy was it steamy and hot! So as you know she is bound to four demons who are very strong. Well they bring in a Grim who is suppose to be on their side and teach her about her Grim side but can you trust that?! I mean really, she needs time to figure things out but does not get the chance. So she does what she is good only to find out that it was the wrong path. This book does end in a cliffhanger so be prepared. So needless to say I need more!
I really do like this series so much and I'm only on the second book. I love this world and I really hope we get to see more of it outside the academy walls in the rest of the books, while also learning more about the supernatural "creatures" that inhabit it. I also still really like Dani and I love seeing how she grows in her powers and just herself in general as we go along. The guys I also love, I did like how we saw a different side to them during this book even if it wasn't their best side, it just showed us how unique Dani is with her relationship with the guys compared to other Grims. I also wasn't to shocked about what exactly happened during this book, I think it would have been more shocking if it didn't happen. Overall this series is really good and I love every second of it.
Oh my word what a brilliant 2nd book in the Phoenix Academy. Unbound really steps up the pace from Awaken book 1.
These books are full of humour and made me laugh on several occasions. And my word do we have one sexy ass scene that one can only dream of.
Here is a small part that just made me chuckle
A room has never been so full of tension as this one. It's heavy in the air - the anticipation, the nerves, and of course the overwhelming horniness coming from mateo.
So of course I have to crack a joke. " Whoever has the smallest dick, raise your hand. I wanna start this game in easy mode."
Absalutely awesome read. Really enjoyed this one and pre order book 3. Cant wait to read it.
Book two opens with a line almost as memorable as book one’s; the continuity is amusing. The second book picks up right where book one left off; no redundant recap and lots of action. Dani grows, both as a person and in power. The chemistry heats up even more with this book, and the Four are hotter than ever. It ends in another cliff-hanger, but the first two books were put out pretty close together, so hopefully book 3 follows soon. Either way, it’s worth the wait. I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.
This book continues seamlessly from the first book. It was well written and the story and characters were well developed. I loved the character dynamics and seeing their relationships develop and grow. The story was action packed and full of twists and turns. There was suspense, intrigue, emotion, hot chemistry and romance. I’d highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next book!!
NB: This book ends on a cliffhanger.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great sequel. Awesome characters. The most action and suspense driven ending I have ever read I think. I have no idea why people complain of it ending in a cliffhanger. Yes it does, but it was a great cliffhanger, enough to make you go and get book 3 straight away (which I did).
I didn't give it five stars because I didn't like it as much as book 1, and I think it went a little too heavy on the steamy parts. But that's just my taste I guess. I am still new to the whole reverse harem thing, and I think I just don't really get the appeal
Dani is still trying to learn about, and control her powers as a black phoenix. When the Headmaster brings in a Grim to teach her, Dania discovers that all is never as it seems, and danger is surrounding her again. Will she lose her demon companions? Loving this story - cliff hanger ending, cant wait for the next one!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Still struggling with her feelings and emotions Dani had to face situations that could cost her dearly. But not only her was threatened! Unexpected the new twist in the story. Doubts, passion, intense and exciting scenes, deceit, betrayal and lot of suspense in this second book. And with the surprising cliffhanger anything could happen now. Liked this interesting and entertaining book that left me eagerly waiting for the next.
This was a nice installment to this new series. Just about everything going on with the guys and Dani. This didn't get a 5 star rating cause I didnt like Dani as much here. In the first book, she was much smarter and less trusting. Somehow I feel she loss herself in this second book. She forgot how to survive and therefore have more issues than was necessary. But I understand that with Dani being less Dani, it built the plot for book 3.
Wow, this book just ends in a way that you want the next book like right now. A lot happens in this book. Your emotions will go all over the place as does your Kindle. Sometimes I screamed and nearly tossed it. Good thing is I didn't. I liked how the story progresses. Dani however is getting distracted by minor things so she postpones the important things that need to be done.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I was unable to put this series down. It was full of action, love and devastation. The story line is great and it was told incredibly well. This story will have you hanging onto the edge of your seat for what happens next. 10/10 would recommend, as I already have in my book club and many have downloaded due to my review on there. Make sure you're one of the lucky ones who gets to read! You will NOT be disappointed.
I really liked this book, but there were a few things I took a star off for. 1. grammar and misspelling and 2. Cliffhangers. I freaking hate that much of a cliffhanger. I don’t know if it came with a warning but if you’re going to throw that much of a cliffhanger please for the love of everything holy have the next one out and ready! Can’t stand it!!!