Marked

Morningstar Academy #3

by L.R.W. Lee

From USA Today bestselling author L. R. W. Lee, Marked is the third book in the addictive Morningstar Academy series, about a fallen angel who fights to save a world spiraling out of control, all while trying to protect humans and her own heart. This intriguing and unseen world of angels and demons is perfect for fans of Good Omens and Penryn & the End of Days.

Despite their best efforts, fallen angel Gladriel, her new fallen friends, and her former squadron mates have had limited success shifting the world ending prophecy and they feel increasingly helpless as war, famine, plague, and hyperinflation rage, killing millions of the humans they are committed to protecting.

With conditions worsening on Earth, celestial warriors are kept increasingly busy aiding humans, making Kessien less and less available. At the same time, Morningstar Academy forces Glad to do increasingly heinous things to humans, and the distance stretches their relationship to the breaking point.

Glad and her fallen friends’ only hope for rescue is to throw themselves on the Almighty’s mercy and beg him to reverse their sentences. Trouble is, Glad will never be sorry for avenging her BFF’s honor, against his explicit orders. So when her friends promise to never abandon her for their own safety, she finds it unbearable to be the cause of their impending doom along with her own.

This gripping story of longing, found family, and fallen angels is perfect for readers who:
Love unputdownable reads
Not your cookie cutter Academy series
Slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance
End-of-the-world prophecy
Good Omens and Penryn and the End of Days

Don’t wait! Click “Buy Now” to continue the darkly addicting Morningstar Academy series today!

Genres: Fantasy

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2024

About the author

📚 USA Today Bestselling Author 📚 Genre bending, swoony, NO SPICE fantasy romance 📚 Appeals to YA and adults

Website: http://www.lrwlee.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lrwlee/
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/lrwlee/

Reviews

[nat _lovestoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do I love this series! 💕

Angels, Fallen Angels, demons, a dragon, the end of the world and an angsty romance between an angel and fallen angel... oh wait, let's not forget the other fallen angel... what can go wrong? 🤔🙈
I'm so enthralled by this series, this is the third book and I can't get enough, that good it is! 😍
I'm a little disappointed at how the romance part is evolving, as I love the original couple but, it is what it is, circumstances change people, love change people and we all deserve a second chance... can't wait to read the next and final book! ❤️

[Buffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that has love, angels, demons, a dragon!, and drama, look no further!
L. R. W. Lee has a knack for retelling the book of Revelation in a way that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
While Dree and my personal favorite, Dante, navigate together all the heinous things Morningstar Academy teachers think up, they begin to get closer. Kessien is busy with the squad and assignments from heaven, so tensions grow between Dree and Kessien to a boiling point. Dree is sorry for that, but will not repent about getting revenge for her BFF, Astread, so how will she be forgiven?
Beware the false prophets and entire swarm of beasties that come during "Marked" because you don't want to end up in the next book, "Destroyed!"

[Heidi Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well it looks like Dree and the gang are having to learn how to trust themselves and each other in order to foil Lucifer himself in the third installment of the series franchise.

Dree has to make some tough personal decisions as well, I am looking forward to the last book.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book three of Morningstar Academy series and sees fallen angel Glad (Gladriel) and her other fallen friends at the academy, especially Dante, continue their efforts to help human rebels stave off hunger and death around the world, as Lucifer’s plans to bring death and destruction to the world get worse and worse. Some of what has happened, they were forced to make happen by their teachers, forcing demons to latch onto humans and make them change their objections to what is happening. Glad misses her BFF, who she killed demons to avenge and thus became a fallen angel as punishment, as well as her former team leader Kessian, who she had feelings for. But his team are being kept ever busier with all the war, famine, plague, hyperinflation and so much more that is happening to the human world, and the influx of demons trying to thwart their help. The two groups had been working together whenever they can, to help with their humanitarian efforts, with a woman called Kassie, but the times Glad can see Kessian, is getting further and further apart. After some horrible days at the academy and the things they are forced to do, she really needed his arms around her to comfort her, but instead is getting closer and closer to Dante, who clearly has feelings for her, which she has been trying to put off.

Time is running out for the fallen angels to have any chance to redeem themselves and ask for the forgiveness of the Almighty, to possible get their punishment reversed and back to being full angels once again. They have heard rumours of what it might entail, but Glad knows she doesn’t feel any remorse for her actions to avenge her BFF, meaning she is holding them back from possible salvation, as they won’t leave her behind. She has further messages from the Almighty about what is happening and the fact they must allow it to happen, no matter how hard it is to see it happening. She has learnt her lesson from before, when she thought he was taking too long to take action and must now allow things to happen as per the prophecy her friends discovered, however painful that is. Things are happening rapidly and safe havens must be prepared for those humans who manage to survive everything that is happening to them and have placed faith in the Almighty, no matter how bad it gets. Humans have always had choice, some use it to do bad to others and their surroundings, whilst others decide to help their fellow man no matter what. War has come for all angels, fallen or not, with Lucifer and his demons and fallen, against the Almighty and his angels and human faithful. So much happens, as Earth is destroyed by world ending events, all happening in quick succession, as prophecy long foretold. Shocking events and horrible things for the fallen to be made to do, all with the hope they can escape that life and find themselves back in heaven once it all ends. So much more still to come, as the world comes close to its end and the people suffer so badly, as the prophecy comes to life. I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

4 ½ stars

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucifer’s plans, while slightly foiled, ultimately caused some severe pain for Gladriel and her friends. Quite literally, for the celestial warriors who were attacked by demons! Fortunately, Dree and her fallen friends were able to rescue the squad in time, and, under The Almighty’s orders, get them to healers in third heaven before severe damage could occur.
In Marked, the third book in the Morningstar Academy series by L.R.W. Lee, Dree and her friends continue to do everything they can to stop Lucifer and prevent the prophecy from playing out – because if they don’t, then the world will burn. Literally.
But sometimes burning isn’t bad… at least, not for Dante. Dree’s celestial beau, Kessien, is someone she has loved from afar until recently, when he confessed his love while Dree was having her wings cut off. Now, with the humans in danger, Kessien is ever so busy working to save the world and has no time for her. Unfortunately, Dree needs support, and she needs it now. Never fear – Dante is here! He provides the gentle comfort she needs, befuddling Dree while also leaving her craving more. Their will-they-won’t-they left me on the edge of my seat, and I must say, I was quite overjoyed by their development.
This scintillating story of Dree and Co has certainly left its mark on me, right on my forehead like the rebels. I cannot wait for the next book, so I can continue to join the team in their efforts to save the world and experience the hot developments Dree has with Dante (my favorite character).

[debturk1970_bookvibes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edge of Your Seat Read!👀💥
A 4.25 Star Epic.🌍☄️⛈️🌊🕧
Marked: Morningstar Academy, Book 3
By L.R.W Lee
📖 Ebook Read Using Kindle Unlimited

You can feel the time ticking down on earth, humanity, and our fallen characters throughout this entire book. It's like it has its own character within the pages. Tick, tick, tick ... so creepy and spine tingling, but such a clever plot device!👀

Our fallen are tasked with heinous jobs by Morningstar Academy and by Lucifer himself.😠 Thankfully, they're given hope by their work for heaven.🙏🏼

Dree has such tough decisions during this book. I didn't like one of them, I understood it, but my heart didn't like it.🥺 Now she has to decide if she can ask for forgiveness for something she doesn't think was wrong!😱 I have no idea how this book will be resolved.

I've come to slowly realise this is actually loosely following the 'end of days' Bible story. So I imagine it's not going to end well for everyone?🤔 I'm not a religious follower. However, I've found the dilemmas posed interesting and insightful. The whole 'is He asking for much?' Is a fascinating question when posed with 'but He gave us free will'.🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm loving this series.⭐️

Debbie, 1970, UK

[acozysunflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marked, as the 3rd installment in the Morningstar academy had a lot to live up to- Cursed and Damned were phenomenal books- and it certainly filled those shoes so to speak.
Picking up from the dramatic cliffhanger of Damned, Marked wasted no time and jumped right in to Galadriel’s changing world.
L.R.W Lee does a fantastic job using end of days events as described in the Bible and conveying the severity and weight of those events without becoming depressing. Pockets of hope shine through in Marked, and the moments Galadriel had interacting with the Almighty were tear jerking.
Just when I think this series can’t get any better, L.R.W. Lee releases a new book. I cannot wait to read the conclusion of Galadriel’s story in the next book, though I will be sad to say goodbye to these amazing characters.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Morningstar Academy crew are back for more action, drama, and danger as things seem to be escalating and getting crazier and worse. I enjoyed the story and watching it all play out and guessing what might come next. A great story and the returning characters just make it a blast to read as everything seems to be going downhill. And poor Dre is stuck in the middle with all her friends. Loved it.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

Dree aka Glad aka Glad fuel has had to do a lot of things that she doesn't want to do in order for her to keep her friends and her self safe. I have really enjoyed this series and can't wait to get to book 4 of this series to know what happens in the end

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this story and wow, it was amazing! The angels and demons were so well-written, and the supernatural elements were awesome. I loved the plot twists and turns, it kept me guessing until the very end. Definitely recommend this one if you're into this kind of stuff! Five stars from me.

[Krystal Valster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to do the audio version for this one but I was still able to enjoy it! The action was good and I was nodding along with the angels and growling at the bad guys trying to one up them. I’m still team Dante ;). I really hope Glad/dree figures things out in book 4!

[Ashley Cutshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

still a great series! cannot wait to see how the story ends in book four

[Alicia Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd installment in the Morningstar Academy series does not disappoint. We find Dre (Glad) and her fellow fallen put through some excruciating things to survive while attending the academy. Meanwhile her former squad is spread thin causing a natural riff between her and Kessian. The way this plays out in a realistic way makes it a very relatable plot. Once again ending on a killer cliffhanger I can’t help but wonder what will she choose?!

June 2025 can’t come soon enough. I’m hoping I don’t find myself “Destroyed” after reading it.

**Though there are many religious themes in this series (Book of Revelations), those who are not religious I feel will find the series an extremely fun and addictive read!**

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Ain’t no way there will ever be a “good” count. Not of what I saw.”


HELLO???? My heart hurts from the cliffhanger!! But the storyline was just amazing. L.R.W. Lee does so well in building up emotions. The amount of tests the characters go through was insane. Can’t wait for the next book!

[Bookish_Aly_Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great fantasy read! I absolutely loved the author’s writing style in this book. I was immediately sucked into the story and loved the characters.

This book is about a fallen angel who is fighting to save the world while trying to protect humans and her heart.

I haven’t read many books or series with this premise before, and I couldn’t get enough of it. It was so action packed that it was truly hard to put down.

I appreciated the recap at the beginning of the book, it was very helpful. This is book three in the Morningstar Academy series and I definitely recommend reading the books in order even with the recap as I can imagine it could potentially be hard to follow. That being said, I absolutely adored this book.

Read this if you like:
→ Angels
→ Academy setting
→ Action packed plot

Thank you to PR by the Book for sending me a copy.

[Vanessa Ortiz · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Thanks to @prbythebook for providing me a copy of these books to review**

Although the fallen angels and celestial warriors have been working together seamlessly, their efforts are not enough to prevent catastrophic events from occurring to humans on earth - such as famine, plague, and war. Glad is no longer able to refuse the Academy's demands and is forced to act against her beliefs and cause harm to humans - although she will do anything to reverse the harm she has been forced to do. While researching the prophecy, they uncover a potential loophole that may allow the fallen angels to be let back into heaven. Glad is torn between her love for a celestial warrior and a fallen angel while also deciding if she can be successful in reversing her banishment.

This was a very unique reading experience. While I would totally categorize this as an urban YA fantasy, there are many mature themes discussed. The series relies heavily on religious ideology and veers into controversial religious and political topics. Aside from the Christianity discussions, the other topics are addressed very superficially which is appropriate for a YA story. I did find it interesting that the celestial warriors and fallen angels did not seem to be well versed in the Bible - maybe this is something that will be addressed in the final book. I did enjoy this fantasy world and it's unique "heaven" system but I do wish there was more focus on world building. The Morningstar Academy was a cool idea but felt like an afterthought. I was excited to see a budding romance with the main characters but it felt forced and then a love triangle felt randomly thrown in. A lot of conflicts seemed to be easily resolved which I can forgive in a YA story. The main character annoyed me quite a bit but her behaviors made sense for her character. This series is so far three books long and I felt like the content could have been condensed into one book - a lot of the dialogue felt repetitive. It appears that there is one final book left and I will read it because I am interested to see the resolution. I did like that the author included a comprehensive recap at the beginning of each book - even though I read these back to back.

[Beth Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gladriel and her friends are struggling to stop the wars, famine, and plague spreading over the earth. With time running out to prevent the full prophecy, Gladriel’s and the other fallen angels’ only hope is to seek the Almighty’s forgiveness—but Gladriel doesn’t regret avenging her best friend…

The third book of this YA apocalypse series was a story of friendship, love, trials, and living with the consequences of your actions.

Gladriel’s romance with Kessien was strained by their separation, pushing Gladriel to seek comfort from Dante. While the love triangle trope didn’t overtake the story, some romantic moments felt a little out of place given the dire circumstances of the apocalypse.

I wished for a more in-depth discussion of the concept of violence and hardship being allowed/orchestrated by a higher power to push humans to seek redemption. The angels brushed it off as seeming harsh and then moved on with a quick decision to trust what they didn’t understand. It would have been more relatable to see at least one character struggle with this. The angels also seemed to read the prophecy slowly when it would have been more believable to have read it all quickly, not understood most of it, and referred back to it to draw conclusions as action unfolded.

The Fallen angels hated being forced to hurt humans but often did so for partially selfish reasons of not wanting to be hurt themselves or see their angelic friends hurt. They also strangely justified (or even celebrated) when some humans/groups were killed in the world conflicts, despite the world-building and plot establishing that humans were being forced to do terrible things by demons. At other times the Fallen angels were horrified by the violence against humans to the point of being physically ill or crying. This inconsistency was confusing and made it hard to root for them at times.

Overall, this angel/demon series wasn’t a good fit for me because while it interestingly focused on the angels’ experiences, it had serious problems in its representation of humans. There were several insensitive, problematic comments and offensive stereotypes in this book.

The details of the apocalypse needed more sensitivity, respect, and depth for humanity.

This series was marketed as YA fantasy romance but seems like Christian fiction, which is not for me.

ARC provided by PR by the Book. Opinions are my own.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marked is the third book in the Morningstar Academy series and it was just as fun to read as the previous books. I have been enjoying this series and am looking forward to reading the last book.

Gladriel aka Dree is still focused on the prophecy and hoping that her and her friends can somehow change it. Her teachers at Morningstar Academy don't make her life any easier and are certainly keeping them busy with causing chaos everywhere. While she and her friends despise what they are made to do to humans they must do what they are told or face the consequences. Will they find a way to help humans in the process or will earth be taken over by Lucifer?

With everything that has been happening on earth, Kessien and the squad have been really busy. This has caused Kessien to not be there for Dree when she needs him the most. But there is Dante, the fallen angel who has been by her side since she first arrived at Morningstar Academy. Will the distance cause a breaking point for Kessien and Dree's relationship? I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the friendships that have been built.

With the way that the prophecy is playing out Dree and her friends only have one option to survive, that the Almighty will reverse their sentences. But Dree is not sorry for avenging her best friend. Will she be able to find it in herself to be sorry or will she and her friends be doomed forever?

This installment had just as much fun, excitement, action, suspense and romance as the previous books. The author has written such a great series and I am excited to read the final book and see how it all ends. This e-book was provided to me for review. This did not affect my review in any way.

[Geneva Roa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and author L. R. W. Lee for the e-copy of this book in exchange for a review.

"Despite their best efforts, fallen angel Gladriel, her new fallen friends, and her former squadron mates have had limited success shifting the world ending prophecy and they feel increasingly helpless as war, famine, plague, and hyperinflation rage, killing millions of the humans they are committed to protecting.

With conditions worsening on Earth, celestial warriors are kept increasingly busy aiding humans, making Kessien less and less available. At the same time, Morningstar Academy forces Glad to do increasingly heinous things to humans, and the distance stretches their relationship to the breaking point.

Glad and her fallen friends’ only hope for rescue is to throw themselves on the Almighty’s mercy and beg him to reverse their sentences. Trouble is, Glad will never be sorry for avenging her BFF’s honor, against his explicit orders. So when her friends promise to never abandon her for their own safety, she finds it unbearable to be the cause of their impending doom along with her own. "

Third book in the series. Full of action and drama. I love it.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are amping up… worldwide and inside.

With the release of monstrously ugly demon-pets, let loose to torment those who turn their noses up at the Almighty, and the appearance of a giant that doesn’t seem to “think” his rules should be bent, Squadron 132 and the Morningstar Academy crew are stretched in ways that leave them overextended like a deflated balloon.

Glad/Dre finds herself tested to the brink of despair, and overworked Kessien is unable to soften the blow of her lessons in temptation. Fortunately, there’s a triangle of support she can find comfort in.

Which is good. But also… heart wrenching.

Marked is remarkably good. Following the creative license of Revelation-ary times and spinning a new yarn around a fallen angel perspective, L. R. W. Lee masterfully weaves a new future of biblical proportions with intricate detail and design.

According to prophecy, you need to read this!

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

[Cabiria Aquarius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cliffhanger at the end of Damned had me needing to know what happens next and now Marked is here!

Dree and friends try their best to rebel as they also listen to their teachers. It can be difficult with how bad some of the things they must do for appearances sake slowly claw away at them. And not only that but Dree has to make a choice and with that choice comes the knowledge that her friends will stick with her no matter what.

This had me on the edge of my seat. Needing to see how Dree worked it out and what decision she would make and yet. She’s getting there, she’s seeing how there’s always more than one way to look at things.

Would you be able to move past it? Would you repent and mean it wholeheartedly? Had you done what she did. What would your choice be?

[Margarita Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free is a fallen angel and is still trying to get back into heaven. She is being made to hurt humans and it is grieving her deeply. She has developed feelings for someone else and it is causing a bigger rift. She is a stubborn angel and she is missing the whole point of her actions. This is a phenomenal series that you don't want to put down.

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

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I love the other two books in this series, book three was a bit of a letdown. The love triangle took away from the story, but I understand since this is YA that it makes sense to throw that common trope in. I liked that this book had elements similar to Good Omens. The world building still amazes me with how great it is even in book three. This is a series to look in to for young adult fans.

[Ralitsa Vasileva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐

What do you need more from a book - angels, demos and of course dragons. The third book is as amazing as the previous two books.

Here the band is going to learn how to trust each other (and themselves) and some important decisions are going to be made.

I just loved it. I really want to have the next one.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Ariana Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, the team has made some progress... Between a lot of hardships, pain, and struggles of every kind. The world is changing, everyone is in danger, and love is steadfast yet also changing in a way that shows that time and circumstances change people, and those changes change feelings too! Excited for the next book!

[Hanna Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Morningstar Academy series and it gets better each book! Great characters and continuation of the story.

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

[Dawn Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH yaz this is amazing i have been devouring this series its soo well written and im in love with the characters the flow is amazing and has some unexpected twists fabulos job!

[Kathleen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good I didn't want to put it down the action the love story the determination of all the characters and the decisions that have to be made I loved

[Lauren (Kevra La Luna) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are building!! Plus, a love triangle?? Everything is coming together, and I can't wait to see what happens in the final book!

[Trista Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it it was amazing and I’m so ready for the next one to come out!!