3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC.

Awaken Archangel by CJ Piperata is one of those books where the concept immediately pulls you in—celestial beings and futuristic tech blended in a way that somehow just works. The world-building was definitely a highlight for me; it felt fresh and imaginative, and I really enjoyed how the divine and the digital intertwined.

That said, the execution didn’t always match the potential. At times, I found myself a bit lost and wishing for more clarity or explanation. Certain elements disrupted the pacing, which made it harder to stay fully immersed. This happened in the beginning the most for me which is also why it took me longer than expected to read. Hopefully, those bumps get smoothed out in future installments.

Still, I think it’s a strong debut and worth checking out if you’re looking for something outside the norm with a truly unique setting. I’m curious to see where Piperata takes this world next and excited to read more from her in the future.

I want to scream about this book from every rooftop! Awaken Archangel is one of those rare reads that fills you with hope, happiness, and pure joy every time you pick it up. It should be savored, not consumed, yet I found myself devouring it, desperate to understand what exactly was happening, and why I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

From the very first chapters, I was hooked. I talked about it with anyone who would listen, often starting with, “You’ll never believe what I’m reading…” And I truly couldn’t believe it. This story is that original. Inspiration was clearly blessed on C.J. Piperata.

The world-building is nothing short of astounding: heaven, "hell", and the corporate complexities of Universal Technologies come together in a tapestry that’s compelling, immersive, and so sharp it cuts through genre boundaries. The conversations, especially between the angels, are clever, thought-provoking, and at times downright hilarious. The inner monologues? Even better. I found myself chuckling out loud more than once.

What truly elevates this book is the intertwining of religion, belief systems, technology, character growth, and philosophical conflict. The small drops of information scattered throughout kept me turning pages, hungry for more. The wit deserves a standing ovation. The characters are the kind that stay with you - flawed, evolving, and deeply human, even when they’re celestial.

And those final pages? Impeccable. A revelation that lands with the force of thunder, yet somehow feels as quiet and sacred as a prayer.

I have so many words for this book, and yet I’m at a loss. All I can say is - I’m extremely thankful this will be a series. Bring on the next installment!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc of this one!

If you are tired of the same story being told over and over in the fantasy genre, this one is for you - I know, I know, the tale of Lucifer, Michael, heaven and Eden is pretty much ancient history, but this phenomenal approach to the source material blends the story of Lucifer's fall with an utopia-turns-dystopian setting, technology and programming as well as philosophy and ideology.

Plot
Michael, a young angel without a clear past, wants nothing more than to get a calling to be a gladiator, participating in the sports games entertaining angels since forever. Instead, he gets sent to the new technological university to work as an artist, a talent he has but despises, not wanting anyone to see his work. Fortunately for him, the university is trying to build a gladiator team to send to the games, with its trainer being Joseph, legendary fighter and thinker, Michael's idol and the only one ever who dared to challenge the master of games to a fight for his title. Michael manages to join the team, but little does he know that it is no simple sport he participates in, but a greater plan to change heaven once and for all.
Trudy is a scientist formerly working for lord Lucifer. In the beginning of the book, she is tasked with leading her own team of scientists to work on the code for a new project called Eden. However, she soon finds evidence of the lords sabotaging the coding for this new world and is afraid of this being part of a bigger plan to endanger heaven and all its angels. Proof of a danger for the current way of life can be seen in the darkness overcoming heaven, impairing the healing abilities of angels and endangering the trees growing the vital mana, threatening the angels with famine and starvation. Trudy and her team observe angels turning on their pure nature, killing animals for food, stealing resources and killing for their own gain. Trudy is convinced this has something to do with the lords, their uprising black manifesto promoting selfishness and concepts like pride and even her theory of the Almighty not being what everyone thinks they are.

Thoughts
This book is an excellent study of an utopia turning dystopian. The angels, pure of heart, willing to share everything and trusting in their fate, become creatures fighting for their existence, becoming selfish, implementing a currency based trading system and not caring for the well being of others anymore. It is an incredibly smart look on people turning on their morals in time of need, personal development being impacted by indoctrination, good and bad, free will, a perfect system facing impossible challenges and the people who will rise up in these times of chaos.
I was not the biggest fan of the execution, though. Trudy and Michael barely meet for 5 seconds, which makes them an odd choice for dual perspectives. The world building is incredibly complex and could have used a lot of editing to streamline everything. Overall, the ideas of this book are excellent but the execution lacked editing. Sometimes, you need to let go of topics dear to you to really bring the message across - e.g. I see where the time concept of music related descriptions becomes important later on, but whilst reading it just took me out of the story, being completely foreign and feeling like something hindering the flow of the story. Furthermore, whilst I see why Michael is the main character, he embodies a lot of the flaws of the "new system" (which I do not doubt is the whole point), which makes his character a hard read. He is really unlikable, selfish and, the worst crime of all, a terrible, ruthless friend. Due to the complexity of the story and my problems with its execution, I will probably not continue with this series. Still, I think CJ Piperatas ideas are absolutely unique and I will definitely keep my eyes open for new releases by her, I really think this could be the debut of one of the future big authors of the high fantasy genre!

When I read the description of this book, I knew this needed to be on my TBR instantly. It was such a unique read, and I devoured it in two sittings (unfortunately, I had to work lol). I wasn't sure what to expect, I had never read this author before and it seemed like it was going to be serious and action packed. It was amazing, and there was a lot of laughter to break up the more serious bits - which definitely added to what I loved about this book. The character development that happened was also well done and made it even more enjoyable to read. Overall, this was a great book and I can not recommend it enough!

whoaaaa this was fantastic!
I did not expect to like this as much as I did!
This was so interesting it kept you turning the page!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this arc!

3.5 stars

This book was really interesting in its theme and the context of its world. C.J Piperata created a unique and creative story around the War in Heaven and Lucifer's Fall. The characters and world weren't anything that I have read before, and I was thoroughly intrigued with the connections that author made throughout the story. I loved the creativeness around the development around ideas regarding the creation of the world and the context of biblical stories and characters.

I think where I struggled with this story was the pacing. I loved the two POVs; however, many of the characters show up in both POVs, participating in different tasks. This made it difficult for me to always keep track of time and place. I also wasn't always sure of how much time had passed; especially during the gladiator trials where they read like they were happening right after another vs the team taking a break.

I also feel like this story could have used a bigger glossary: for the characters, for the terminology around the ranking within the military and within the society, along with the fictional names of items. I appreciated the small glossary for the terminology regarding the passing of time; however, there was a lot of other context that a glossary would have been helpful for the reader to keep track of all the world's nuances.

Overall, incredibly creative fantasy read. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

I loved the premise and it had lots of things I like in a magical fantasy book. Somehow I didn’t warm to Michael, I liked the Trudy character. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for Awaken Archangel in exchange for an honest review.

“Tech is meant to enhance life, not replace it.”

As an ex-Catholic who loves fantasy this was the read for me!! Awaken Archangel is a creative retelling of the Archangel Micheal and the War in Heaven.

The world building is insanely good. You find out how many names in the Bible come to be (Eden, Hell, etc.)
The intersection of technology with an almost old world feel of heaven makes not only the plot, but the setting even more unique. Finding out bits and pieces of how the universe is being created gives the story a bit of a whimsical quality.

I enjoyed following the characters journey from being naive angels, to hardened soldiers who are questioning all they have ever known. Micheal is a great MC, you want to root for him even when he’s working against himself. You can really see the pull within him deciding what is “right” and “wrong”. Even if his thinking is flawed, you kind of understand where he’s coming front. I do hope to see more Trudy (and Hoot!) in the next book, I’m especially interested to learn more about her connection to Lucifer.

There are really funny bits, and really serious bits within the story, giving it the whimsical feel with a high fantasy-like plot. This is full of really great quotes, that I will be going through and highlighting to share whenever I do a reread.

I am very excited for the rest of this series and to return to the world of Heaven.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC!

This book was so delightful to read! At first it's a bit confusing, and I will admit, I had to go back and forth the index at the beginning. The first few chapters were a bit difficult to get into as a result, but afterwards, it was very fun! The world building is well planned out, the pacing for the most part is just right, and I love that the book could be so silly at time, and yet also be serious when it needed to be, and critique its own world, and ours. The twists are so delightful and left me wanting more!

Awaken Archangel has a clever, humorous tone that gave me Good Omens vibes—fun, irreverent, and full of creative spiritual twists. It’s an enjoyable read with some great moments, though the pacing and character depth felt a bit uneven at times. Still, it’s a solid debut with charm and potential, especially for fans of quirky supernatural stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC.