The Fae & the Fallen: Gifted Fae Academy, Book 1

I’ve been wanting to read this series for a while now, and I’m so glad that I have the opportunity to do so! I’m really excited to write my review for you here, and work through the rest of the trilogy afterwards. Brittni Chenelle is definitely one of my favorite authors since I first read her Kingdom Cold series, and I’ve been happy with everything that I read from her so far!Now, I love seeing Asian characters in novels like, all the time. So when I first saw Kaito as a main character, I was super excited to read it. Which, this is definitely a note to remember that Brittni Chenelle always has diverse characters in her novels, and with both the Kingdom Cold series and this one, there is a main character that has some Asian influence. Based on Kaito’s full name, I’m pretty sure that he’s Japanese, which is one of the main representations that I can relate to in novels, so that was a huge plus for me. BUT, as far as the type of person Kai is, he is definitely a jerk to Reina and the other “serfs” in his original high school. What are “serfs” you ask? Well basically they are people that don’t have any special powers like the Fae. Basically, they are defenseless against teenagers that are hell-bent on making their lives a living damn hell. And once Kai realized what his power was, he because one of those jerk Fae teenagers. His favorite target: Reina. The girl who was his first kiss and best friend… until they both experienced his power.Now Reina: my queen, my goddess, my inspiration…I still can’t believe that Reina took so much crap from so many people at her school! And the worst was from Kai for sure. The more you go through the book, the more you see that Kai just had this bully mentality where he didn’t want Reina to be happy unless it was because of him. He even says something like that in the book too. And he even says something along the lines of him taking much satisfaction in teaching her and the other serfs what their place is. Ugh that bothered me so much about Kai, and honestly that ending as well was pretty damn terrible! I still don’t know what to think about that, but I know that I need to read the second book to find out if everything that happened with *ahem* is actually true!Don’t you just love when a book can keep you on the edge of your seat and still make you surprised at the very ending? I love it when a book does that. I also think that Brittni Chenelle ended it with such a perfect cliffhanger that it is really making me nervous just thinking about what is going to happen next.Now, besides the dynamic between Reina and Kai that has gone on since middle school, the other dynamic that I really love is between Reina and Odin!! I love Odin so much, and honestly I hope that I get to see more of him in the second novel, and even the third! I have a feeling that Odin’s great guy demeanor that we got to see throughout this novel, and just how kind he was to just about everyone! Even if Kai didn’t… really take that into consideration and felt like Odin’s act was just that. An act!Oops… wrong jerk. This one does seem like more fun though. I think I’ll keep it.Now… I truly, truly hope that we get to see Reina’s and Odin’s relationship develop, especially since after the events of the ending of the novel really shook things up with everyone in the Academy.Another dynamic that I really enjoyed seeing in this story was between Reina and her mentor and role model Yemoja Rue. (Also, did you know that Yemoja is the mother of all Orisha in the Yoruba spiritual pantheon. She is also called the Mother of Water, and the Patroness and Protector of Children and Fishermen Yoruba is also one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.) The more that they worked on developing Reina’s understanding of her power and how to use it offensively and defensively, they were also able to develop a great relationship between mentor and mentee. It also felt like Reina finally had that kind of mother-daughter relationship since Reina is technically an orphan after her parents’ accident. Or even a older sister-younger sister relationship since it’s been hard for Reina to accept the fact that her parents are gone forever. I hope that this relationship is developed more in the sequel.All in all – which I feel like I’ve said this in almost every review – I really enjoyed this book! I’m loving the opportunity to seeing how this trilogy ends, and I’m so glad that I have another trilogy to read from Brittni Chenelle and I can’t wait to read all of her novels!

Overall I think this book was okay. The biggest problem I had with this book was I really didn't like the main romance and since the romance between the two protagonists is such a big part of the book it kind tainted the rest of the storyline for me. Individually I found Reina and Kai to be characters with a lot of potential but together they were awful. Reina was sooooo hung up on Kai even though he bullied and harassed her A LOT at school like I get they were friends in middle school who had crushes on each other but that doesn’t seem like a strong enough reason for her to be so stuck on him. I mean Kai does some really awful things like using his power to suspend her upside down while she was wearing a skirt in the school hallway so everybody would see her underwear and post it on social media and then leaves her there for over an hour. She could've been seriously hurt when she fell. Kai also got so mad at her he used his power to throw her across the room and the only reason she didn't slam against the opposite wall was another student caught her. I'm sorry what does part of that screams romance. Not only that but Kai’s reasoning for all of this torment is because he's mad Reina doesn't let all of the bullying (abuse) that the other students dish out get to her and she seems to be unbothered. He admitted to himself and us the audience that he wanted to break her. When I read that that pretty killed any want for them to get together. Kai has so many of his own issues and I legit feel bad for him because his parents are mentally and emotionally abusive but that is not an excuse for how he acts. More then romance between the two I wanted them (separately) to get therapy so they could both heal and move on with their lives. Also Reina honestly seemed to have more chemistry with Oden, and I found myself kind of rooting for them even though I knew it wouldn't lead anywhere. Other then that I thought the plot had potential although at times it seemed like this book was more about world building then the characters themselves. I just don't think this series is for me so I probably won't be continuing.

**Presented with an ARC by the author via BookFunnel in exchange for an honest review.**There are so many things I could comment on, innumerable focuses I could craft this review around. I could tell you about the richness of the world building, with the structure and equal struggles of society at large. I could tell you about the littlest details that make this book special, that bring you into the minds of Reina and Kaito. I could even lament the poetic flow of Britini’s writing, how it’s almost as though the words are being whispered and sung into your very psyche, to hold you and haunt you long after you’ve completed the book.I could even tell you how I only put this book down because I needed to sleep, only to pick it up again at my next opportunity. But in truth, what held me so captivated was the warmth and depth of her characters. Reina and Kaito comes through in such a way that you forget you’re reading. You forget that these people are fictional characters living in a world of one woman’s amazing creation.One thing I truly love is how the ending of this book leads you into the beginning of the next. It sets up the conflict and premise for the next installment in the series. I am not a fan of books that wrap themselves up in neat little bows at the end to be read independently of the series at large. I want a series that leads me from one story to the next, that builds upon the past and gives you a tease into the future, and this book does that perfectly.This book was, hands down, a perfect 5-star experience. I know that I will read this book again and again.If you love Mary Fan, Megan Blackwood, A.D. Winter, or Jessica Feyden, you will love this book!!

I really enjoyed this first book. It was well written and the story and characters were well developed. I loved the individual character personalities and seeing the relationship dynamics change and evolve through the book. The story was action packed and full of twists and turns. There was suspense, intrigue, emotion and chemistry. I’d highly recommend this book and look forward to future books!!I received an arc for a voluntary review.

This follows the FMC and MMC Rayna and Kyto and their escapades trying to get into the gifted Fae academy.Although Rayna shows no signs of magic she still has her heart set on attending GFA and when she does get in things change dramatically and the relationship between her and Kyto goes from bad to worse.

Despite being a serf (the term used for ungifted people in this world), Reina is convinced she will go to the Gifted Fae Academy and as a result, she’s put a target on her back for the elites to be ridiculed and bullied every single day (the elites are the most gifted people, measured either in the amount of power or in the practical/defensive/offensive usability of their gift).Despite those hardships, Reina remains strong in her optimism to one day be enrolled at the Gifted Fae Academy and she endures everything her bullies throw at her and still remains so full of life, frustrating the elite even more (her optimism and joy of life and such are completely realistic and on point for this character once you get to the whole story).But one day, things get too far and both Reina and her former-friend-turned-bully Kai are both expelled from school.From that moment on it’s very clear that these former friends have a history together that can make it feel like the other person is the only one they can truly feel safe with. Not that they just move on like the bullying never happened, they just cross paths, first to blame eachother, then to try and get into the Gifted Fae Academy.Once there, the all time lustrous looking academy is a vicious world where, as long as the duels and challenges by any student and their peers are done in the designated areas, they can go “all out” with their gifts, no matter the damage they can do. Let’s just say it’s a good thing they have an infirmary on the premises!So in that regard, I do feel like it’s only natural to sometimes have that urge to go to the one thing you already know, even if it’s someone you don’t trust or like anymore or whatever. After all, they were friends before. I believe they were friends way longer than they were bully and target.But of course having that history doesn’t automatically make them friends again so it’s realistic on that fron as well. They both start their own lives at the academy and while they’re trying to find their place in the academy, the Fae are turning up dead.The Fae, as in, the utter most gifted people ever that have successfully graduated from the Gifted Fae Academy and are the thoughest people arround to beat.And yup, you’ve read that right, in this world Fae are some kind of very talented People with a certain gift, not a totally different species, just extraordinary people, extra schooled and trained, the ones that don’t die at the academy during those tough academy years filled with training, that is. They are created from the thoughest and most talented people to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves, they’re also kind of the rich celebrities in this world but foremost they are the officers -and the assassins- when needed.So who, or what could be responsible for for killing one of them?Brittni Chenelle has stirred up her own kind of Fae and I like it. The struggles and mysterious events make for a captivating story filled with training, suspenseful moments, also some heartfelt moments and witty comebacks and more. And lastly, it gets you to the point where you’re checking in regularly to see whether book 2 is available yet or not lol (sigh, the struggle of having to have to wait).

A new author for me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect really but this book was really enjoyable.The Fae and the Fallen, book one in the Gifted Fae Academy series follows Reina Bennet and Kaito Nakamaru who live in a world where the citizens are divided between the “gifted”, who usually become Fae, and the non-gifted also known as Serf’s. Reina and Kaito were friends as kids, but when Kaito develops his powers, everything changes and Kaito turns into a bully. But when Reina and Kaito meet Oden, a Fae in training, he tells Reina that she is gifted and welcomes her, and Kaito, to come to the Gifted Fae Academy. It doesn’t take long for Reina and Kaito’s worlds to change, and when the book ends on a cliffhanger, I couldn’t wait to read book two.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series! I just finished the third and it was sooo good. There was a lot of action, as well as a sweet love story. There was magic, and fae. It was all good!