Keep your enemies close…Maeve Rhodes is not your typical Good Samaritan. However, when she stumbles upon a fallen, elderly woman, she stops and tries to do the right thing. Little does she know that this chance encounter will forever change the direction of her life.Marked with a new tattoo emblazoned across her chest and struggling to control a whole host of new powers, Maeve finds her life … powers, Maeve finds her life spiraling out of control. That is, until one more chance encounter offers an explanation… and a privileged opportunity to attend Spellcrest Academy.
Paired with a shy elf and a moody Nephilim, Maeve quickly takes to her new home at the premier magical institution, not to mention the dreamy senior advisor whom, for some idiotic reason, she can’t stop thinking about. Love at first sight is sappy sh—crap for fairy tales, not real life. However, she can’t deny the instant connection.
As the school year progresses, Maeve discovers her invitation to the Academy might not have been so innocent after all. Sinister forces want her unique abilities and are willing to kill for them.
Maeve doesn’t just need to survive her classes, she must survive the plots against her, a decades-old magical war, and following her own capricious heart. She’s never been averse to diving into danger, but this time, she might be in over her head.
If you’re a fan of Bella Forrest or Leia Stone, then this will be one hell of a ride you won’t want to miss.
Buy now!
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This is a fantastic start to this series and I just could not put it down! Well written this has an exciting storyline and exciting characters and is full of drama and twists and turns and a very surprising ending!
This book is an excellent beginning to what will hopefully be a series, not just two books. The main characters are Maeve Rhodes, a 17 yr old girl and her brother, 14 yr old Finley. They are orphans and currently live in a group foster home.
One evening, when Maeve has snuck out of the foster home, she finds an elderly lady dying. The woman is Helena, a magical being known as a seamstress. She is dying after being injured by another magical being. When Maeve stops to help Helena, she gets more than she bargained for. Helena gives Maeve a crystal necklace as well as a needle with red thread that will help her in the future. And a large tattoo on her chest identifying her as a seamstress.
Over the next few days, Maeve starts to realize that she has developed some special powers. Then she meets a man named Otis, who turns out to be a recruiter for Spellcrest Academy, a four year training academy for beings, not just humans, with magical powers. Otis wants to take Maeve there but Maeve will not go without her brother. Maeve ends up giving Finley some of her power so that he can go with her. But they cannot let anyone know that they are related.
At the Academy, Maeve meets all sorts of interesting characters. My favorite is one of her roommates, Riselle, who is part angel , wings and all. There are a lot of twists and turns in the storyline. It is a very enjoyable read. Don’t want to give anything away but if you enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series, you will enjoy this.
I originally got a free ARC of this book to read and give an honest review but I had trouble with the book and ended up buying the ebook to finish reading the book. And I am very glad I did. This is a very enjoyable book and I love most of the characters, except the spoiled whiney brat Finley. He did not grow on me. He just irritated me. Like a real brother.I
I cannot wait to read the next book.
This is the first book in Spellcrest Academy series by Michael Pierce and I loved it! Michael gives the readers a new take on the supernatural community bringing together a dynamic group of characters with real personalities that the reader can relate too. Maeve and her younger brother Finley have been living in foster homes since there parent’s death, now they have left everything behind to start a new life at the Academy. There really is magic in the world full of witches, elves, angels, shifters & vampires and she has to learn fast to survive. This book is well written, fast paced, action packed and grabs your attention right from the beginning and keeps you in suspense until the very last page. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series Crestfallen!
Couldn’t put it down. Love the characters and the interactions with each other. With the expectation of magic, I could relate to the storyline. Looking forward to the 2nd book. If you are a House of Night fan, you will love this.
Maeve is given an unexpected magical gift from a stranger. Not knowing how to use her gift, she is taken to a school where she can learn how to use her gift. She meets Nym, Razielle, Ivanic and other students who are different but the same. Maeve is finally fitting in when an unexpected twist throws her world upside down.
Received this as a ARC
This is the first book in a new series dealing with paranormal and magic. It begins with Maeve and her brother, Finley, in a group home. They have been bounced around in the systems since their parents died in an accident. They just have each other and their bond is close. One night she sneaks out to help a friend and comes across a body of an elderly woman in the street. The woman is dying and Maeve calls for help. But before tha ambulance gets there, the elderly woman grabs her arm and a needle comes out of the woman’s finger and slides into Maeve’s finger and keeps going until it disappears. Then she hands Maeve a Chrystal pendant and tells her to never take it off. Maeve blacks out and by the time the EMT get there, there is no sign of the woman. Maeve sneaks back to the group home but the next day strange things happen. She has some kind of power and a brand new tattoo on her chest. The siblings are approached by a recruiter for Spellcrest Academy. Even though Finley has no magic of his own, she transfers just enough that he can go too. Then the true adventure unfolds.
This book introduces some interesting characters and the setting is described inexpertly, allowing the reader to envision the people and places as the story unfolds. The storyline, while complex, is easy to follow. There is plenty going on, a whole new world really for us as readers to get wrapped up in. Because it is the first in a series, the story is naturally not complete so you will look forward to the next books. It is an exciting, action-packed tale that is well written and definitely worth a read. Just don’t blame me if you get hooked on the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was full of twists and drama with a cast of well developed characters and the storyline flowed smoothly from the beginning to the last page.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I absolutely loved this book! The characters were so full of life and exciting and the story was unique and fun. The drama was interesting and I can’t wait to read the next installment!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What do you get when you mix an unwilling human with a world of magic and lore? Something that could either spell disaster or success. In the case of Spellcrest Academy, we get to see exactly what would happen when a woman with no magical background suddenly gets mixed up in the world of magic.
Spellcrest Academy isn’t your typical urban fantasy story. It’s an origins story of Maeve Rhodes, a reluctant yet brave heroine fighting through diversity and change to finally accept herself for who she is and has become. In the story of Spellcrest Academy, you might not like the heroine right away, but she is someone who we can all relate to on some level and definitely a person who we want to succeed in the end!
I really enjoyed reading Spellcrest Academy and the story of Maeve and her brother, Finley, really captured the essence of the older/younger siblings syndrome. Reminded me very much of my own siblings who would always boss me around and act like they knew so much more than me. Well, maybe in some instances they did and with Maeve and Finley, the parallel of conflicts between most siblings were written very realistically. As with Spellcrest Academy, the core or the true heart of the story belongs to the siblings and how Maeve’s love for her brother helps her through the toughest times.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I didn’t like Maeve in the beginning. I thought her too brash and rude and was wondering if her bravado was all an act. She was given this incredible magical gift and she acted too cocky about it. But, as the story went along, I grew to like Maeve and felt for her plight and situation. After all, she was just an insecure young woman thrust into yet another new world with her brother after years of abuse and neglect from foster homes. She never had a true family after her parents died and the mystery surrounding their deaths had always haunted her. Maeve grew on me as a reader as she herself grew as a person. She literally transforms from this rude and abrupt young woman to someone who embraces her powers and gift and doesn’t give up without a fight. I often wonder about these types of heroines, but in the end, you can’t help but support and love them for fighting through their own issues to help others. Because a heroine is nevertheless, always the one who must sacrifice herself in some way.
There are some really great supporting characters and some scrupulous ones. There are elves, vampires, angels, witches, and a whole slew of magical beings. There are also some Harry Potterish feels to it with the whole mundane and magical beings, but as a story of itself, Spellcrest Academy is definitely all original. Throw in a bratty brother, nefarious nemesis, and a drool-worthy hero, you’ve got all the great makings of a new series filled with clever schemes, great storytelling, and some heroes you can’t help but cheer for. The pacing is on point and each character in the story has sort of their own arc to reveal. The story unfolds as you read along so you’re never left wondering if you missed a step although the ending surprised me unexpectedly!
I’m eagerly waiting for the next installment since the ending left me with a “what the —?” Michael has outdone himself again with this spellbinding new series!
Thank you for a wonderful new series, Michael!
This isn’t your ordinary magical creatures academy book. Far from it. Very original and well written. I enjoyed Mr Pierce’s world of wonders unlike any other. Maeve was propelled unwittingly into a magical world when she attempted to save the life of a woman lying injured in the dark, but instead was given a rare token to help save a world that was literally being ripped open by evil. Spellcrest Academy was a place where she was to learn how to use her newly acquired gift. However, some things just don’t go according to plan. After many twists and turns to this story and a surprise ending you are left to wonder how in the heck Maeve is going to handle the next one. I can’t wait to find out. This story is well worth the read. I highly recommend it.
I loved the world the author built and how the characters interacted. This was an amazing read I couldn’t put down. The way the author wrote was so engaging you felt like you were right there with the characters
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.