Did you know ordinary people can be turned into demons? I sure didn’t. Until it happened to me.

One day, I was a regular college student, working a boring job and studying for finals—and the next, I was transformed into some strange creature of the night.

Now I’ve got powers I don’t understand, I can change my appearance with a thought, and I’m having all kinds of odd… cravings.

If I thought all this was gonna get me out of going to college though, I’ve got another think coming. Nope, I still need an education. Except the classes at Fallen University are on things like “Curses and Hexcraft” and “Magical Combat”.

It’s not all bad. There are these four sexy as sin guys I keep bumping into—Kingston, Jayce, Xero, and Kai. I’m not sure if I should trust them; they’ve each got secrets of their own, and they’re definitely dangerous.

But that craving I’ve been having?

It’s pulling me right toward them.

Yup, things are about to get real interesting at FU.

So, I’m dog-sitting for a friend this weekend, and I wanted a book to sink my teeth into. I know from past sleepovers with Lottie that taking physical books does not work, so I relied on my Kindle. And I did start reading a book, one of a six-book series with stellar reviews on Amazon. I got maybe 30% in and stopped. Not for me. Not enough character development or world-building. Just badly written smut. So, that put me in a grumpy mood. Most of the physical books I have to read are crime thrillers, but I don’t really have many of those on my Kindle; I mostly have spicy reverse harem books. So, I brushed myself off, played fetch with Lottie and settled down with another book.

This one I actually got as a box set on Kindle Unlimited. This is the first in the four-book series, ‘Fallen University: Year One’. I’ll admit I did think it was an odd way to title a book, and it made me feel more like I was about to read a fan fiction or a self-published book. A lot happens in this book. It is what I would class as a ‘supernatural academy’ book. Lots of different sub-sects of supernatural nature are crammed into one school to learn supernaturally.

The series follows Piper Lawless, a seemingly normal woman who, after completely bizarre and unusual events, finds herself attending Fallen University. Her species and ability, as one would expect from an FMC, is ‘rare’, but in this instance, I wasn’t irritated by that fact because it was a different experience of ‘rare’ that I haven’t encountered before. This book is a reverse harem, but in another twist of fate, the entire book is told from Piper’s point of view. I am used to multiple points of view, so it was interesting to me to have that removed. It certainly made for an interesting read, but it did leave me without a deeper knowledge of her chosen men that would have benefited the reading experience.

The men are Xero, Kingston, Kai, and Jayce.

Jayce has a happy-go-lucky, charming and exuberant attitude. He radiates sunshine wherever he goes. He jumps willingly into the deep end with Piper and seems to take everything in his stride. He is the first to connect to Piper both before and after everything is revealed. He’s a pick-me-up in a bottle. He also happens to be a Hellhound.

Kingston is an enigma of money and self-interest. An incredibly aloof character who views life through a specific way. He understands the world of money and prestige, but he has a warped sense of life outside of that scope. He also acts very suspiciously in this book, going hot and cold in an instant, and Piper is as confused about his behaviour as I was. He happens to shift into a dragon, but I found myself less focused on that and more focused on what was going on with him and why he was behaving in such a strange way.

Xero is a conundrum to the academy. He is untrustworthy and also free to study. It creates an imbalance that works its way through the story. Xero is a demon, but he’s not just any demon; he has spent time in the underworld. As such, he is a source of much gossip within the walls and the first blamed when something goes wrong. He is quiet and reserved. He understands what Piper needs, but he can’t quite bring himself to experience that; however, he remains close to her. He is an easy scapegoat for events that happen, but luckily, he has Piper in his corner.

Kai appears older; he almost felt like a professor at the beginning of the book, but he is in fact a student. Kai shoulders his past like a weight on his body. He contemplates silently. He cannot fathom offering Piper what she needs. He is closed off. He hides his emotions, he hides his past trauma, and he keeps himself at a distance for most of the time. He is also a vampire.

There is a fabulous supporting character in Hannah. She is a character who helps Piper get away from a creepy man at the beginning of the book, and she gets dragged into things alongside Piper. Her character helps build perspective, gives Piper a safe place to return to, but also has her own character, her own uniqueness, and her own expanding experience/storyline.

The antagonist currently is Sonja, who is just a classic bitch. All bark and no bite – currently. The academy setting brings with it the drama of bullying. I have a love/hate relationship with bullying in this type of book, and it is something I’ve mentioned many times before. For the most part, Sonja’s jabs are completely harmless; they motivate the plot, but they do not fuel its progression. Piper and her men do have a lot of theories when it comes to Sonja, and I enjoyed hearing them; however, I am not convinced she is part of the bigger picture of this plot.

The climactic arch of the final chapters was both interesting and underwhelming. Interesting because there were elements I wasn’t expecting or had overlooked, and underwhelming because I really couldn’t see any alternative path for the plot to take. Knowing a climactic arch before it is revealed isn’t always a dealbreaker when reading. It wasn’t an issue for me here because I believe that the opening of book two will be more chaotic and spark further plot avenues.

Obviously, there was a lot of talk about the underworld in this book, and the leader of the underworld, Gavriel (I think that’s how his name is spelt), and his plan of creating this large army. It’s impossible not to realise that this will be a massive plot point for the book, which is part of the reason I found the climactic arc lacklustre because it didn’t create enough chaos or momentum to feel fully charged.

I think, as it stands, I’m unsure what direction the plot will take, and that’s not from too many options or lack of options; I simply haven’t been given enough information to properly assess what will happen. I will continue to read the series, though.