Monster Academy by Catherine Banks
Publication date: June 2nd, 2020
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
They thought they'd have it easy being monster elites, but these three best friends still have to deal with pop quizzes, and even worse... humans.
Frances Stein, Loralie Reaper, and Tsukiko Okami just want to play games and relax after their classes. Any hopes of chilling out, however, are destroyed when humans attack Monster Academy and try to use the students for ransom.
In order to defeat the humans and protect their fellow monsters, they must work side by side with their crushes without giving away their secrets. Of course, that would be a lot easier if they were able to stick together, but in a move that betrays insider knowledge, the BFFs are separated.
By tapping into their monstrous powers and working with their crushes, they will open their hearts and unlock abilities long thought dead. But will it be enough to save all of monster-kind? It's going to be one hell of a year at Monster Academy.
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Snippets
1.
"Hey, Bogden!" Sampson, a tengu with bright red hair and a giant nose called. "Isn't that your house?"
Bogden's confused expression was amusing as he turned and asked, "Why would you think my house--"
Everyone stopped talking as a house with extremely long chicken legs walked towards the academy and stepped over the fence.
A woman with a bulbous nose stuck her head out of a window and yelled, "Bogden! You need to take out the trash!"
Bogden dropped his head and groaned. "What are they doing here?"
************************************************************
2.
"So, we've now confirmed that all three of us are hopeless?" Tsukiko asked with a knowing smirk.
I turned back around and lifted my nose. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just looking around. I'm allowed to look."
"Yeah, but that blush on your cheeks says you were doing more than looking," Frances said and poked my cheek.
I smacked her hand away. "Reapers do not blush."
Both of my friends rolled their eyes at me.
************************************************************
3.
Takumi bowed again. "Yes, sir." He straightened and looked at me. "Are we providing a guard for Tsukiko?"
"No," Grandfather and I said at the same time.
Grandfather gave me a glare, and I snapped my mouth closed. My tail swished behind me, but I quickly wrapped it around my leg.
"Not at this time," Grandfather amended. "If the situation worsens before i am able to return and you believe she needs a guard, then assign one to her."
My mouth dropped open.
"Even if she tries to argue," Grandfather finished with fire in his eyes.
I closed my mouth and looked down at my shoes. Fine. I got it. I would just make sure that that did not happen.
Behind me, Loralie danced from foot to foot. "Grandfather?" she whispered.
I looked up and saw his lip twitch again. "You may go," he whispered.
Faster than I had ever seen her move, Loralie cleared the distance between us and the hellhounds. The hounds surrounded her, rubbing their bodies on her and licking her face and hands. She cooed at them while scratching their ears and rubbing the bellies of the ones who had lain down.
The ferocious, black dogs had red eyes that reminded me of the fires of the Underworld, fur that resembled shadows and mist, and razor sharp teeth that could tear through flesh and bone with ease.
And Lorelie loved them. As Death's daughter, she was capable of controlling the hell hounds if needed, but she had such an affinity for them that they just did whatever she asked.
"How long will she do that?" Takumi asked.
"Give her at least thirty minutes," Grandfather said. "She hasn't seen hellhounds in several months. I'll leave it to you, Takumi. Take care of my girls... and the rest of the students."
He added that ending like he'd almost forgotten there were other kids here.
************************************************************
4.
"Why do you three look so glum? Not get any presents?" Norma asked as she slid into her seat across the room.
"Don't even acknowledge her," I whispered.
"Doesn't surprise me that no one wanted to give you a gift after the way you treated the Evil Three," she added.
I didn't even need to ask who the Evil Three were. It was obvious the guys. The girls liked to give them ridiculous names as they claimed to be their fan club or something else idiotic.
"I'm glad you showed your true colors. Now someone actually deserving of them can get them. Your spell is gone and we can finally make our move," Norma purred.
"Have fun," I said. "Just leave us alone."
Dante came into the classroom, and I immediately dropped my eyes to look at the desk.
"Hey, Dante," Norma crooned. "You look hot today."
"Norma," he greeted.
"I made you this," she said.
I lifted my eyes, but kept my head still, so I could use my hair as a shield to watch them.
She held out a red wrapped box to Dante.
He glanced at me, our eyes meeting even through my veil of hair, and he took the box from her. "Thanks."
I dropped my eyes again, tears burning them.
No. I would not cry.
I had no reason to cry.
"You sure I can't just tear one of her arms off?" Loralie whispered. "She doesn't need both of them."
I sighed. "It would make me feel better."
"Not today," Tsukiko said. "Maybe some day, but you can't tear an arm off today."
"Spoilsport," Loralie muttered.
I let out a short, soft laugh, but it was cut short when Norma laughed at something Dante said.
"Just a few hours left," Tsukiko whispered.
Hopefully, I could make it that long.
************************************************************
5.
"Why do you look nervous?" Loralie asked with a scowl. "You'll ace this no problem."
"We, on the other hand, will likely face whatever punishment Sampson deems necessary," Tsukiko said with a soft whine. Her ears lowered as she looked at the paper. "So doomed."
The quiz was a single page with a very faint outline of a chimera on it. At the top it said, "Label each part of the depicted monster, both internal and external."
"So, doomed," Tsukiko said and dropped her head until her forehead lightly thumped against her desk.
************************************************************
6.
"Franny," Tsukiko whispered next to my ear.
I leapt to the side, falling out of my seat into the aisle between the desk beside me.
Tsukiko's ears perked, her eyes widened, and her tail raised. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you." She bent down and held out her hand.
I took the offered hand and let her pull me up. "Sorry, was spacing off for a moment."
"What were you thinking about?" Tsukiko asked.
Loralie smirked. "Or, who?" She wiggled her eyebrows and smirked.
I sighed, gathered my notes and book, and shoved everything into my bag. "I'll tell you later."
Tsukiko growled. "Who do I need to bite?"
I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Down, girl."
************************************************************
7.
Headmistress Gonzalez returned to the podium. "Thank you, Council Member. Now, for our next speaker, we have Council Member Kenta Okami!" She clapped her hands again and we clapped, too.
Stalking across the stage in his half-wolf, half-man form, Tsukiko's grandfather looked downright terrifying. Once at the podium, he turned and faced the crowd, his lips pulled back into a snarl.
Then he let his tongue loll out the side of his mouth and he yipped loudly.
Tsukiko groaned and put her face in her hands.
With a few bone popping snaps echoing across the room, Kenta shifted his head into his human one. "Good morning, students!" he yelled, his tail wagging behind him.
************************************************************
8.
"Baba Yaga," Tsukiko's grandfatehr called as he ran through the front gates. He paused before her and dipped his head in a curt bow.
"Wolf," she said and dipped her head in return. "You had a barbecue without me. Why was I not invited?"
Barbecue?
"We did not have a barbecue," he said.
"Nonsense. I can smell the burned human flesh still," she said and sniffed a few times. "It's still rather fresh."
"No, we caught humans trespassing a few days ago and we burned their bodies. We did not consume them," he said with a sigh.
Her mouth dropped open. "You destroyed perfectly good human? You knew I could be here within hours, my oven ready! You've gotten rather rude in your old age." She harrumphed and folded her arms over her chest.
"Hey, Bogden!" Sampson, a tengu with bright red hair and a giant nose called. "Isn't that your house?"
Bogden's confused expression was amusing as he turned and asked, "Why would you think my house--"
Everyone stopped talking as a house with extremely long chicken legs walked towards the academy and stepped over the fence.
A woman with a bulbous nose stuck her head out of a window and yelled, "Bogden! You need to take out the trash!"
Bogden dropped his head and groaned. "What are they doing here?"
************************************************************
2.
"So, we've now confirmed that all three of us are hopeless?" Tsukiko asked with a knowing smirk.
I turned back around and lifted my nose. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just looking around. I'm allowed to look."
"Yeah, but that blush on your cheeks says you were doing more than looking," Frances said and poked my cheek.
I smacked her hand away. "Reapers do not blush."
Both of my friends rolled their eyes at me.
************************************************************
3.
Takumi bowed again. "Yes, sir." He straightened and looked at me. "Are we providing a guard for Tsukiko?"
"No," Grandfather and I said at the same time.
Grandfather gave me a glare, and I snapped my mouth closed. My tail swished behind me, but I quickly wrapped it around my leg.
"Not at this time," Grandfather amended. "If the situation worsens before i am able to return and you believe she needs a guard, then assign one to her."
My mouth dropped open.
"Even if she tries to argue," Grandfather finished with fire in his eyes.
I closed my mouth and looked down at my shoes. Fine. I got it. I would just make sure that that did not happen.
Behind me, Loralie danced from foot to foot. "Grandfather?" she whispered.
I looked up and saw his lip twitch again. "You may go," he whispered.
Faster than I had ever seen her move, Loralie cleared the distance between us and the hellhounds. The hounds surrounded her, rubbing their bodies on her and licking her face and hands. She cooed at them while scratching their ears and rubbing the bellies of the ones who had lain down.
The ferocious, black dogs had red eyes that reminded me of the fires of the Underworld, fur that resembled shadows and mist, and razor sharp teeth that could tear through flesh and bone with ease.
And Lorelie loved them. As Death's daughter, she was capable of controlling the hell hounds if needed, but she had such an affinity for them that they just did whatever she asked.
"How long will she do that?" Takumi asked.
"Give her at least thirty minutes," Grandfather said. "She hasn't seen hellhounds in several months. I'll leave it to you, Takumi. Take care of my girls... and the rest of the students."
He added that ending like he'd almost forgotten there were other kids here.
************************************************************
4.
"Why do you three look so glum? Not get any presents?" Norma asked as she slid into her seat across the room.
"Don't even acknowledge her," I whispered.
"Doesn't surprise me that no one wanted to give you a gift after the way you treated the Evil Three," she added.
I didn't even need to ask who the Evil Three were. It was obvious the guys. The girls liked to give them ridiculous names as they claimed to be their fan club or something else idiotic.
"I'm glad you showed your true colors. Now someone actually deserving of them can get them. Your spell is gone and we can finally make our move," Norma purred.
"Have fun," I said. "Just leave us alone."
Dante came into the classroom, and I immediately dropped my eyes to look at the desk.
"Hey, Dante," Norma crooned. "You look hot today."
"Norma," he greeted.
"I made you this," she said.
I lifted my eyes, but kept my head still, so I could use my hair as a shield to watch them.
She held out a red wrapped box to Dante.
He glanced at me, our eyes meeting even through my veil of hair, and he took the box from her. "Thanks."
I dropped my eyes again, tears burning them.
No. I would not cry.
I had no reason to cry.
"You sure I can't just tear one of her arms off?" Loralie whispered. "She doesn't need both of them."
I sighed. "It would make me feel better."
"Not today," Tsukiko said. "Maybe some day, but you can't tear an arm off today."
"Spoilsport," Loralie muttered.
I let out a short, soft laugh, but it was cut short when Norma laughed at something Dante said.
"Just a few hours left," Tsukiko whispered.
Hopefully, I could make it that long.
************************************************************
5.
"Why do you look nervous?" Loralie asked with a scowl. "You'll ace this no problem."
"We, on the other hand, will likely face whatever punishment Sampson deems necessary," Tsukiko said with a soft whine. Her ears lowered as she looked at the paper. "So doomed."
The quiz was a single page with a very faint outline of a chimera on it. At the top it said, "Label each part of the depicted monster, both internal and external."
"So, doomed," Tsukiko said and dropped her head until her forehead lightly thumped against her desk.
************************************************************
6.
"Franny," Tsukiko whispered next to my ear.
I leapt to the side, falling out of my seat into the aisle between the desk beside me.
Tsukiko's ears perked, her eyes widened, and her tail raised. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you." She bent down and held out her hand.
I took the offered hand and let her pull me up. "Sorry, was spacing off for a moment."
"What were you thinking about?" Tsukiko asked.
Loralie smirked. "Or, who?" She wiggled her eyebrows and smirked.
I sighed, gathered my notes and book, and shoved everything into my bag. "I'll tell you later."
Tsukiko growled. "Who do I need to bite?"
I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Down, girl."
************************************************************
7.
Headmistress Gonzalez returned to the podium. "Thank you, Council Member. Now, for our next speaker, we have Council Member Kenta Okami!" She clapped her hands again and we clapped, too.
Stalking across the stage in his half-wolf, half-man form, Tsukiko's grandfather looked downright terrifying. Once at the podium, he turned and faced the crowd, his lips pulled back into a snarl.
Then he let his tongue loll out the side of his mouth and he yipped loudly.
Tsukiko groaned and put her face in her hands.
With a few bone popping snaps echoing across the room, Kenta shifted his head into his human one. "Good morning, students!" he yelled, his tail wagging behind him.
************************************************************
8.
"Baba Yaga," Tsukiko's grandfatehr called as he ran through the front gates. He paused before her and dipped his head in a curt bow.
"Wolf," she said and dipped her head in return. "You had a barbecue without me. Why was I not invited?"
Barbecue?
"We did not have a barbecue," he said.
"Nonsense. I can smell the burned human flesh still," she said and sniffed a few times. "It's still rather fresh."
"No, we caught humans trespassing a few days ago and we burned their bodies. We did not consume them," he said with a sigh.
Her mouth dropped open. "You destroyed perfectly good human? You knew I could be here within hours, my oven ready! You've gotten rather rude in your old age." She harrumphed and folded her arms over her chest.
About the Author:
Catherine Banks is a USA Today Bestselling fantasy author who writes in several fantasy subgenres under two pseudonyms. She began writing fiction at only four years old and finished her first full-length novel at the age of fifteen. She is married to her soulmate and best friend, Avery, who she has two amazing children with. After her full-time job, she reads books, plays video games, and watches anime shows and movies with her family to relax. Although she has lived in Northern California her entire life, she dreams of traveling around the world. Catherine is also C.E.O. of Turbo Kitten Industries, a company with many hats including being a book publisher and Etsy store full of nerdy fun.
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