Catacombs cover art

Catacombs

Academy of Ancients, Book 1

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Catacombs

By: Avery Cross
Narrated by: Jacq Ainsworth
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About this listen

Mysterious necromancers. Wicked summoners. Fierce witches. Occasional familiars. Military experiments. Secret councils. Forbidden alliances. The Academy of Ancients will suck you in.

Briar Shroud has gone from foster child to full scholarship at the Academy of Ancients. Cool, right?

Not quite. Her upperclassman mentor Zachary sucks. He's hot, but he sucks at being a mentor. And a friend. And a person.

Her roommate's a paranormal, and the whole school is underground and a secret.

Know what else is bad? Briar learns she's a witch. And a rare type of witch, to boot.

It went from bad to worse - a picture of a sister she's never heard of appears at the school. A sister she knows nothing about.

And the rules seem hell-bent on keeping Briar from learning the truth. And sometimes, it seems other forces would rather not see her alive.

Warning: This series will hook you! Violence can be found in this series of action-packed fantasy with necromancers, summoners, and badass witches.

©2017 Avery Cross (P)2020 Avery Cross
Fantasy Fiction Magic Science Fiction & Fantasy Magic Users Witchcraft Necromancy Military

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Most relevant  
So a teen-fiction take on Harry Potter seemed intriguing, which is why I tried this book. Nothing wrong with the narrator she did all she could with the material at hand.

However this entire premise hinges on the fact that no one believes Briar and Zach without proof. It established early on that cellphones exist and function in this world… so them lacking proof is a plot convenience rather than a logical approach to the problem.Zach needs to gather evidence from the files but is torn between sending to his brothers or Mr Hook. Simple scan them with your phone then you can send them to whomever you choose to whenever. Witness a clandestine meeting? Take a photo , video the meeting or use the audio record button. Oopsie zombies lurching around the catacombs, how will anyone believe you? Again use the technology at hand. This is never even considered which means that either the characters are stupid or their author is.

And my final peeve before closing is the author’s overuse of the word “smirked”

The verb "Smirked" implies a self-satisfied, smug, or unpleasant smile, often indicating pleasure at someone else's misfortune or a sense of superiority. Here are some other words that could have been used:
Words with a similar meaning (implying smugness, superiority, or malice):
* Sneered: This often implies contempt or disdain.
* Leered: Suggests a sly, unpleasant, or even lewd smile.
* Simpered: A more affected, silly, or self-conscious smile, often used to gain favor.
* Grinned (with an adverb): You could add an adverb to make "grinned" more specific, such as "grinned smugly," "grinned maliciously," "grinned condescendingly."
* Snickered/Sniggered: Often a suppressed, slightly mocking laugh or smile.
* Gave a smug look/smile: A more direct way to describe the expression.
* Curled one's lip: A physical description that often conveys disdain or contempt.
Words with slightly different, but related, connotations:
* Chortled: A hearty, gleeful laugh, which could be used if the smugness is more about inner amusement.
* Chuckled: A soft, suppressed laugh, which could imply a milder form of self-satisfaction.
* Tittered: A short, nervous, or suppressed laugh.
* Beamed: While generally positive, if used ironically or with a negative context, it could imply a overly satisfied or perhaps arrogant happiness.
* Scowled/Frowned/Grimaced: These are generally more negative expressions of displeasure, but "smirk" can sometimes be part of a negative overall facial expression. Quite often the word is used out of context. If I did a drinking game and took a shot everytime it’s used in this novel, I’d be getting stomach pumped as a result.

Needless to say I won’t be moving on to book 2



Harriet Potter and the mysterious lack of logic.

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