Damned

Morningstar Academy #2

by L.R.W. Lee

Morningstar Academy’s three primary objectives:
1) exercise power and control over humans,
2) seduce humans to betray what they care about, and
3) make human lives a living hell

Consequences be damned! The newest student, fallen angel Gladriel and her former squadron leader Kessian are in a race against time, struggling to find an ancient prophecy foretelling the purge of a quarter of humanity. But the four horsemen of the Apocalypse—war, famine, plague, and death—aren't waiting for them to locate and decipher the cryptic tome before they begin.

Lucifer seethes with fury, nursing his wounds after the pummeling his troops took in the vicious assault he orchestrated on Israel. Far from retreating, he plots his revenge upon all who dare oppose him, raising up a human leader under the guise of peace to accomplish his nefarious schemes.

The clock is ticking. Yet, every step forward is met with obstacles they are powerless to control. Will Glad and her friends find the prophecy and discover the means to thwart it before it engulfs the world and her new home in its destructive clutches?

If you love Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee, Angel series by L. A. Weatherly, and Fallen Academy by Leia Stone this book will become your next obsession.

Buy Damned to continue the darkly addicting Morningstar Academy series today!

Praise for

"OMG! I already want the next one!" - Keeley Catarineau, Hot Tree Editor

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Angels

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2023

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

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like with Cursed, I was initially unsure if I would love this novel. While I like this author's writing, there are some tropes and elements of the plot that I'm not always a huge fan of. Luckily though, I found myself really enjoying this. The writing style was really fun and carried the book. I also really enjoy the main characters and romance. Overall, I'm really glad that I stumbled upon this indie author, cause so far I've had a great time with all her books.
Thank you to the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Bookish Venturess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot more action-packed. I really enjoyed this book. I'm so happy with how this story is going and where the characters are being taken. I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens next.

[Carol. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Lee has done it again with her second book in the Morningstar Academy Series: Damned, by keeping the same cast of characters, namely Angels and Demons, with cameos from the Almighty and Lucifer, as well as a cast of assorted interesting others.
She begins with a recap of the series first book Cursed (but by all mean READ IT FIRST- it is worth it!) and picks right up from there.
Glad and her classmates are constantly being tasked to punish and destroy humans which goes against everything she believes in, and seriously jeopardizes both her and her mentor Dante. However, this does not stop her. Thankfully she has a telepathic connection to her boyfriend in third heaven who helps sooth her, and has found a way to visit her along with her old squad.
Together Glads new friends, and her old squad piece together an ancient prophecy about coming disasters to the earth, and soon realize that not only are they happening, but that they know why.
This is a book I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys adventure, romance, religion and just a darn good story. Though it’s meant for a YA audience I believe it can easily be shared across most ages.

[Cabiria Aquarius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dree fights hard to remain of the keep humans safe mindset while Morningstar Academy fights to change her to ruin human lives to the best of their ability. Along with her friends and ex-squad members they try and figure out this prophesy and hope to thwart it before it’s too late. Wrought with love friendship building trust and rebellious acts this story is full of action and consequences and the fight of the world at large. And don’t forget dangling sentences. Don’t miss the first instalment ‘Cursed’ and continue on to see what Dree and her friends are capable of doing to make sure humans are alright. What a wild ride.

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

Oh man... the story is reaaaaaallly ramping up... I really really liked that we got some of the story from Kessien's perspective.

As someone who grew up in an incredibly religious setting and knows the Bible pretty dang well, I was intrigued to see how things were going to play out. And I was not disappointed!!

[Margarita Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both books are exciting and heart pounding reads. Glad is in trouble and disobeyed God. Now she must deal with the ramifications of her actions. Her previous squad decide to try and help her to return to heaven and her new classmates are caught up right in the drama.

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

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damned is the second book in the Morningstar Academy series. It pretty much picks up where the first book left off. It will keep you entertained from the beginning until the end.

Gladriel (Glad) or as her new classmates like to call her Dree and her friends are back for another installment of this fun series with a religion twist. Glad and some of her classmates have become friends, even her mentor Dante. They have also become friends with Glad's boyfriend Kessian and her former squad. Glad and her classmates are forced to participate and cause harm to humans for her classes. This goes against everything that Glad believes and she starts to find out that some of her fallen friends are with her on this. They are also trying to figure out an ancient prophecy and are starting to get it figured out. But the more they discover the more they realize that humans and earth are going to be destroyed.

I really enjoyed reading this and continue to love the writing and the characters. The author writes so that the story flows along at a good pace while keeping us quite entertained with so much action, suspense and romance. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. This e-book was provided to me for review. This did not affect my review in any way.

[Alexa Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morningstar will keep you thinking about what would you do in this world. It’s action packed and while you may not love every character or trope it is sure to give you a ride you may not anticipate. I think YA readers and adults alike will enjoy this and gives a new perspective on angels and demons.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Friends. Killer. Die.” The chorus of shrieks turns into a chant.



Could not stop flipping the pages. Wow. The characters all came together really well throughout the story. Stunning read!

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the end of the world as humans know it – if only Gladriel weren’t so determined to save it!
Damned, the second installment of the Morningstar Academy series by L.R.W. Lee, ventures into Gladriel’s attempts to stop Lucifer’s plans to destroy the earth and end the lives of millions of humans.
It starts with Dree (Gladriel), her fallen friends, and her celestial friends racing to locate a prophecy foretelling the very events that are unfolding – and how to get back into The Almighty’s good graces. New skills, like transporting through time and learning to pick your battles, become crucial to solving the puzzle, and the intermingling of Dree’s two worlds of friends brings excitement and joy to Team Save the World.
Of course, this story doesn’t just focus on meddling in Lucifer’s plans – that would just be too straightforward. This book explores the drama of a slow-burning love triangle, where Dree is the center of affection. I’ll admit, I longed for this development, and was frustrated when Dree didn’t choose the guy that we readers can see is perfect for her. But that just means we’ll get more drama and action in the next book… fingers crossed.
Like book one, Cursed, this sequel also ends with a cliffhanger. Except this time, the stakes were even higher. Deadly, even. So striking that I immediately sought out book three in order to devour it as well.
Damned is intriguing, hard to put down, and just an overall damned good book (pun intended). Spice is low, but steam is rising, hopefully culminating into something even hotter in the next book.

[debturk1970_bookvibes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meeting the Vilest of Beings!👿💔💥
A 4.5 Star Explosive Read.💥
Damned: Morningstar Academy, Book 2
By L.R.W Lee
📖 Ebook Read Using Kindle Unlimited

Dree and Co are under threat at every step. Lucifer has huge plans in this book. He tasks the Morningstar Academy students, amongst others, with starting cataclysmic wars!😱 They're almost powerless to stop most of it.

With help from her old team mate's, they're able to foil some of the plots, but not enough.😢

Lucifer has also released the four horsemen on to the earth to lay famines, death, wars, and plagues upon it.😳 It's soul crushing. When his plans for one country in particular are thwarted, he then raises a human through the ranks on a global scale!😱🤯

This whole book hurt my heart. There was so much destruction and joy in it. However, our teammates of 2nd and 3rd heaven give me hope.🙏🏼

This book was powerful, impactful, and intense. I can see Dree and Dante becoming closer. I don't know what that means for her relationship.😳

Roll on book 3.💥

Debbie, 1970, UK

[Amanda- LateNightReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe how much I really loved this. As someone who absolutely LOVES fantasy of all kinds, I thought this book was fantastic! Its one of those books that you crank up the speed of narration because you are dying to know what happens but at the same time you don't want to rush the experience! And this narrator was perfect for that. Even when I cranked it up to double time she was still totally understandable! She also did a fantastic job with all the different characters. Some books just work really well on audio and this was definitely one of them! I loved the characters, as well. I can totally see why Glad loves Kessian. It makes sense. But its so hard to not want Glad end up with Dante too! Especially now that we know....what we know about him and the rest of Glad's friends at school. I always end up with a thing for the bad boys. I can't wait to see what happens in book 3!

[acozysunflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the second installment of the Morningstar Academy series, Damned follows Galadriel’s journey as a newly fallen angel wrestling with her overwhelming desire to save and protect humans and the need to stay safe so she can continue to covertly help humans evade destruction by demonic hands. We get to know her schoolmates at Morningstar Academy better, and they become characters you can’t help but root for either. Damned ends in a cliffhanger that had me ordering the third book immediately after finishing the last chapter. L.R.W. Lee has done it again, adding another addition to this series that has Biblical overnotes woven into a compelling story about a fierce fallen angel that just wants to help humanity. Highly recommend this series!

[Savannah Heine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and I cannot wait to see the rest of it play out. Unfortunately, I had a rough time getting back into this world, just due to the fact that I waited too long in between reading the first book and this book. However, once I got back into it and started remembering things that happened in the first book I was absolutely hooked! I love seeing how all of the characters are growing and being able to learn new things about each and every one of them. I definitely recommend reading this series all together and not waiting like I did!

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gladriel and friends are back and this time story is more an adventure treasure hunt feel to it that was a blast to read. Just sucked me in as I rooted for the good guys. But of course things are never easy and being in a race against time to figure things out was part of the fun. Enjoyed it all - drama, intrigue, adventure crazy times and wild people.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angels and demons clash in an epic supernatural showdown. This fantasy story will keep you on the edge of your seat. The world-building is intricate and the characters are captivating. Get ready for an amazing adventure that will leave you breathless. It's a must-read for fans of fantasy and supernatural fiction.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

I really enjoyed this book I am excited to get to book 3 Marked to hear more about Dree aka Glad aka Gladriel story

[Ashley Cutshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and love getting to see the story and characters grow

[Heidi Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second installment of this series, Dree has to learn how to tolerate second Heaven. This is so difficult for a fallen angel like her to do. She only wants to help the humans not hurt them.

She also learns that she is not alone, the person whom she thought was the worst, her keeper so to speak Dante…well he seems to have a heart after all.

I really enjoy Ms Lee’s writing style. I was able to digest this book very quickly and I also was able to enter this book with knowledge of the prophecy, thanks to a fun little cipher.

If you are enjoying this series I highly recommend becoming a part of the Facebook community :).

[Kathleen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so good it kept me reading and didn't want to put it down I loved that at the end the actions only dre weren't not unseen and she helped the right team and never turned her back I can't wait to keep going in the series

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set contains the first two books of the Morningstar Academy series and the main character is celestial warrior Glad (Gladriel), part of squad 132, along with her best friend Astread, and other teammates, squadron leader Kessian, Aliyah, Jael and Issra, who are all part of the cherubim army sworn to guard and protect all that is the Almighty’s from the Enemy, including all humans. They regularly battle Fallen and demons, with demons feeding off humans regularly. Recently, Glad has found her body betraying her whenever Kessian is close and her BFF Astread constantly makes fun of her, even though Glad is sure Kessian has no feelings for her! When the squad gets called to a routine job to rescue humans trapped in their cars from a landslide created by the Fallen, with demons feeding off the trapped humans, she somehow manages to kill a demon with her celestial sword Phantom, something highly unusual, as usually when they are cut, they wink away to regenerate. That didn’t happen this time and now she has been made a target, with the news passed on by the surviving demon that had been feeding off the passenger in the car. It is eons since an angel killed a demon, so not something she knows much about. Their next call goes badly, with her being recognised as the ‘Killer’ by the demons there and they are led into a trap, with the squad quickly getting separated from each other and Glad loses sight of her partner Astread. A group of large wolf like demons call for their attention and suddenly drop something form the skies. It is her friend Astread, whose four wings have been hacked off her back, leaving her in a bad way! The demons warn that this is just the first part of their revenge against her and her team.

Glad is really upset and wants these demons hunted down and revenge to be gotten for her friend, who almost died. The squad are called in front of the Almighty and she specifically is called forward and spoken to directly, to be told not to take revenge into her own hands, that he will take action in his own time. After she sees the Almighty seemingly having done nothing after a month has passed, makes her secretively take action herself, without telling any of her squad about what she is doing. She knows what the main demon responsible looks like and she aims to kill him herself, so he can’t do what he did to any of her other friends! When she does, she soon finds herself in trouble for having gone against the direct words of the Almighty and has her two lower wings removed and she becomes one of the Fallen, escorted down to the gates leading to Morningstar Academy in second heaven, where newly fallen angels are re-educated to make human lives a living hell. Not something she finds to adhere to, but there are punishments for failing and especially for talking about the past and the ‘before’ she arrived at the academy. She seemingly upsets her guide to the academy and gets all her hair cut off to show she needs intensive adjustment in her attitude, making her a target for one and all. She is given a mentor, a fellow student called Dante, who is supposed to get her following their rules quickly, or both will be punished and one of those, the Hall of Corrections is spoken of in dread! Instead of even having people know her name, she is only addressed as Trainee Scum, until she earns a name! Her lessons soon instruct her to the three primary objectives and they go against everything she has always believed in and how she has treated humans.

Glad thinks of Dante as a brownnoser and hates him and the others in her small classes, but soon comes to realise they are not all as bad as she thought and instead they are trying to graduate, so they can get as far away from the academy as they can! The instructors often take them to events happening on Earth, including the top secret mission the Fallen high ups have been plotting and planning for decades, which they have named Operation Pet Poof. One event sees humans disappearing on a large scale, never seen before and another where even graves are empty of bodies all over, leading Glad to remember a prophecy she had read in the restricted section of the library back in third heaven, where she used to exist. Lucifer is the head of the Fallen and his pet hate is the land of Israel, favoured people of his enemy, the Almighty. All of the students are sent to figure out the situation with the missing bodies and it is Glad who helps her team to actually have some success, as she finally figures out that Bethor, Nisroc, Ambrielle, and even Dante, are playing their instructors and doing only what they have to, to stay out of danger. They need to find a copy of the original prophecy to show to their headmaster, to win a commendation and protect them from any punishments, especially when Glad is reluctant to do as she is told by their instructors. On top of that, Kessian and his team must find a book a former inmate read, which allowed him into third heaven even with all the wrong he had done in his life. It had only been the words of the book that allowed him to reach from the pits of despair to ask for forgiveness that seem to have brought him there. Kessian hopes that might be something that would get Glad back to being where she belongs, with him and the rest of the squad.

Parts of the prophecy are coming to fruition and both teams have to try and figure out the next parts and see what they might be able to do to put a stop to all humans on the planet being killed! The four horsemen of the Apocalypse have been released and Lucifer’s plan against Israel has failed, but that hasn’t put a stop to further suffering of humans everywhere. A handpicked human leader has been given special powers from Lucifer himself and as humans everywhere are starving and getting angry, due to the huge numbers that disappeared and the lack of food production. This leader manages to perform what seems like the feeding of the thousands from the bible, but he is on the side of Lucifer, which is never a good thing! The prophecy calls for even second heaven where Glad is now, to be destroyed. Kessian is still able to communicate with Glad telepathically, through their strong personal connection, but it isn’t two way like she is used to. With the prophecy started counting down to its final resolution, Glad and her new classmates start doing all they can to help humans, without their instructors knowing, or any other demons spotting them. Being forced by one instructor to force feed instructions to world leaders everywhere, to do drastic things against their enemies, has them all shocked. Every step Glad and the two teams take, seems to take them only partly forward in their efforts, always behind the eight ball. When her former team are overrun by demons and badly injured, it is only a desperate call out by Kessian that reaches Glad that might save them. So much is going on as the dragon and beast from the prophecy are identified, just as two prophets come to attention and become a target. Glad and co need to figure out a way of protecting the rebels who are on the side of the Almighty, as Lucifer’s pawn of a leader, has a tricky method of identifying all the rebels so they can be eliminated. Glad and her new friends, who only know her as Dree, all would love to get back to third heaven and regain their wings, but Glad will have to take note of the Almighty’s plans this time and not try to take action against his wishes again. Loads to come as we get to see the world being destroyed with fire, earthquakes, plague and more, and all the efforts the two teams use to try and stop all these bad things happening. I received an ARC copy of these two books from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the books above.

[Debbie Shropshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

So....once again I now have to wait to find out what happens. Which I am thoroughly invested in. This book caught me off guard. I thought I knew where it was going but I was left field on this. When they started talking about ' the prophecy" it peaked my curiosity, once i figured out what it was about i was hooked.. Lee's take on it is absolutely mesmerizing. I read a similar series and it was fantastic but I'm truly loving this perspective too. His was from a humans perspective but Lee's is from an Angel's perspective which is what threw me off but captured me so deeply I literally couldn't stop reading, Its not only fascinating, it truly was educational. Like I know how it all is written but this helped me understand it a little differently, which just made it more interesting to me. The fact that the Angels are searching for the prophecy really threw me because I imagined they were well aware of what Gods plan was. When Glad fell I was horribly angry but like everything in life its all "part of Gods plan.". I thought that waiting on book 2 was tough but I think waiting for book 3 will be agonizing because now that I'm on the same page I want to see how this all plays out. Its such an interesting twist on "the prophecy" that I am truly invested . Also I kept looking for the Creed of Johanes to see if it was a real thing. Sort of. Haha. Johanes is translated to John. So is it the Book of John? How do the angels not know about this? Why was it hidden in a hidden library?
I also love how Glad goes to the academy and changed her teams lives and perspectives and commitments. Due to her relentless stubbornness to refuse to harm humans she gains her teams respect and trust and now they are following the same path, which eventually leads to the Almighty stepping in when she's just leaves and goes to help "her" angel. Love it! The fact that the Almighty and the archangel Michael not only know about Kessien and Gladriel but are okay with it too is so very heartwarming.
I'm excited to see where she goes with this. Do they stop the prophecy? Do they get absolved and get to go back to Heaven...well the Heaven with the angels. If I remember correctly its third Heaven. Is there a budding romance waiting in the wings, pun intended , between Issra and Astread? Enquiring minds wanna know!!!! Hahahaha.
P.S. I loved that Lee used Elijah and Enoch and how she used them. They have always been my favorite's. The fact that they didn't technically die but that God just took them to Heaven. To be so greatly favored by the Almighy like that ... I just can't even describe it.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

D*A*M*N*E*D G*O*O*D!

In the first Morningstar Academy book, Gladriel is dropped from Third Heaven like a hot potato. She lands herself in a world of temptation, espionage, competitive struggles, and the worst lessons history can dish up. If not for the unique connection she still has with a former celestial squad member, she would be utterly Cursed.

Book two, Damned, continues to reveal the End Times as though they are current events. While prophesies unfold, Glad grasps every loophole she can find to fight against the principalities and powers that try to force her into conforming to Lucifer’s worldwide plans for domination. Recruiting like-minded classmates helps lessen the effects of catastrophe, but the repercussions of actions made under duress are overwhelming.

L.R.W. Lee has put a miraculous new spin on an age-old apocryphal account. This series features some interesting philosophies about heaven, angels, conviction, celestial romance, redemption, and eternity, all inside a beautiful setting of entertainment and escape. She’s woven levity into tragedy while highlighting hope in the heartbreak. Adults, young and old, are sure to enjoy. Plus, it’s rare to find so many likeable characters in the same story, all with such individual personalities, but they carry the chronicle well by Lee’s wordsmith wings.

I was given an ARC copy of this story, which fueled my greedy book loving heart for more of the Morningstar Academy series and prompted me to give an honest review. I’ve caught wind that the next book (Marked) won’t be joining the squadron until the early part of the second quarter next year (2024). Be that as it may, it has been earMARKED for my future enjoyment. In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying the other works of L.R.W. Lee. She is not an author I can pass on. Nor are her audiobooks! Her narrator, Sarah Kisko, is a top notch, third heaven ranking raconteur. Especially when reading such a wide variety of character voices. I recommend giving your ears (and soul) a thrill!

[Vanessa Ortiz · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

With help from her new classmates, Glad begins to begrudgingly adapt to her new life. While she is still refusing to engage in nefarious behavior requested of her, she discovers an ancient prophecy that is threatening humanity on Earth. She must work with her former friends and her new classmates to uncover the details of the prophecy before it is too late. Her journey is met with strife as she must navigate the rules of the Academy while secretly working with "the enemy."

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 has brought her old angelic friends and her new Fallen friends together to try to save the humans from the four horsemen of the apocalypse. But can they successfully thwart Lucifer’s plans before it’s too late? And for the Fallen, is there any hope that their banishment can be reversed?

This YA fantasy/apocalypse series is an exploration of Christian religious prophecy with supportive found family dynamics and a sweet romance.

I enjoyed the angels’ investigation into past biblical times to find the writings of the prophecies and their commitment to teamwork despite the consequences.

Unfortunately, similar to my experience with book one, I’m concerned about the representation and stereotyping of different races, countries, and religions when the world conflicts were kicked off by the demonic influences. The focus of this story is on the angels trying to prevent the apocalypse and save humanity, but they are by design not very informed about life on Earth and they made problematic comments. I wished for more sensitivity and development of the remaining humans and their conflicts.

I was also disappointed to again see some of the violence rationalized as allowable, almost celebrated, by the angels when other devastation was considered horrific. The world-building has established that humans are being forcefully manipulated by demons into doing terrible things and yet the angels think some of these humans are acceptable casualties. This inconsistent stance on the value of human life and the ability to be redeemed was a problem for me in this book.

I downgraded this one from my initial rating of 3⭐️ to 2⭐️ because of the depictions of humans.

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

[Melissa Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to start by saying how much I appreciate LRW Lee's writing style. I love a well written book and I really enjoy fantasy and the combination is not always easy to find. But I will always pick up a book by this author.

The world building is amazing as usual. After Cursed, I was excited to see where Glariel was going to head on her journey though her new life as a "Fallen". I love that she has stayed true to herself and even helped others to see a different perspective.

I was even a bit presumptuous in my thinking and I am happy to report I was wrong. Which is another trait I love about this author. Just when you think you have it figured out she takes a turn you did not expect and I can really appreciate not being able to have it all figured out from the get go, then its pretty boring! And nobody wants that.

I also really love all the "Easter eggs" in this second book in the Morningstar Academy series. It is a fun puzzle to try and put together. And while we still have to wait to see what happens, it is fun to go on this journey and try to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two in the Morningstar Academy Series. Gladriel and her former squadron leader Kessian are in a race against time, struggling to find an ancient prophecy foretelling the purge of a quarter of humanity. But the four horsemen of the Apocalypse aren’t waiting for them to locate and decipher the cryptic tome before they begin. Lucifer seethes with fury, nursing his wounds after the pummeling his troops took in the vicious assault he orchestrated. He plots his revenge upon all who dare oppose him, raising up a human leader under the guise of peace to accomplish his nefarious schemes. The clock is ticking. Yet, every step forward is met with obstacles they are powerless to control.
What I liked about this book is similar to what I liked about the first book. The world building feels like it expanded even more with book two. The tropes such as friends-to-lovers are continued into this obe.Many of the characters had character growth by the end of this book that felt right with their characters. Gladriel grows on me the more time we spend on her story.

[Buffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say that I was very excited to get back to the world L. R. W. Lee left us in from book one is an understatement! There was a smooth transition into "Damned" as there is a quick recap at the beginning of the book of what previously happened. I like that a lot since life gets too hectic to remember everything!
My favorite character is Dante, and I was encouraged to see his character development over the course of "Damned." He has substance, not just a bad attitude.
The angel squad continue to show their love and support for Glad as she makes friends with the fallen. It's good to read a book that enforces standing up for others, no matter what decisions put them in their current situation; or the side they're on.
I can't wait for book 3 to see how the angels fair as they continue to unravel the mysterious prophecy!

[nat _lovestoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series so much! 😍
This is my favorite storyline to read or watch (tv/movie): angels, demons and the end of the world (apocalypse)... hahaha, I know, I know... my hopeful self is always looking for human's HEA! 😁
So this series is about that, but also include romance, friendship, loyalty and rigthfulness... do what your values and beliefs dictate! 🤗🥰
Glad and Kessien romance is so swoony and sweet!, and I love her new friendship and loyalty with her fallen squad!, she really brings the best of people out! 💕
Besides all of that, the intriguing and mysterious plot will keep you glued to your seat, wondering what will happen next; hunting for the next clue in the race to stop the deadly prophecy from fullfilling is so enthralling! 😳🙈
And after this ending, I'm dying to know what will happen next; so looking forward to read the next book in this fantastic series! 😍❤️

[Misty Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damned by lRW Lee is an intriguing book that immerses readers in a dystopian future where societal corruption runs rampant. The narrative centers around powerful characters grappling with moral dilemmas and intense conflicts.
Lee's writing is engaging, blending suspense, vivid imagery, and thought-provoking themes. The author's skillful storytelling keeps readers hooked, making it difficult to put the book down. The plot twists and character development are well-crafted, providing depth and complexity to the story.
If you enjoy dystopian novels that challenge your perceptions and keep you on the edge of your seat, Damned is definitely worth a read. Lee's imaginative world-building and gripping narrative make this book a compelling addition to the genre.