Sunday, May 12, 2013

The Last Academy (Review)

*Hi all and welcome to my stop of the Last Academy Blog Tour! Below you can find my review of this twistedly appealing novel!*

*Presented by: Itching for Books*


Release Date: April 30th, 2013
Genre(s): YA Paranormal/Mystery

My Review: (3.5/5 stars*)

The Last Academy attracted me with its lovely cover and interesting plot. While I was for the most part entertained I couldn't help but notice the lack of action. Halfway through the book and it's all just about Camden going through the motions of every day boarding-school life with the intrigue of something more going on. A lot of the characters felt distant and lacked the ability to be relatable. It wasn't until the last 100 pages that things started making any sort of sense and got good. The ending is a huge twist and will leave you in a state of shock. Anyone who likes stories with mysterious-buildups and unpredictable conclusions will find this a good fit. I didn't particularly feel connected one way or the other to the main protagonist but the story led me to keep reading and on that front I wasn't disappointed.

Camden Fisher is fourteen and just about to start her first year in high school only it won't be anywhere familiar. Her parents have decided to send her off to a boarding school called Lethe. At first it seems normal enough but as each day passes she starts to feel like something strange is going on. It starts when a girl she befriends goes missing but all the teachers insist she's gone home but none of it adds up. Then there's this creepy nondescript man she met on the plane over to the school who made her a threat or was it a warning? As if that wasn't already weird it appears he's part of the school faculty. Camden soon realizes that she and the other students may be in great danger and that she needs to find out what's going on before it's too late.

Although there really isn't much action The Last Academy is a bundle of suspense with a mind-altering outcome. I'd say I was completely surprised but I actually guessed part of the mystery mid-way as there are many clues the reader can pick up on. It's complex enough that you won't be able to put everything together until all is finally revealed - and I loved the element of surprise at the end. It was written great, had a fascinating plot though really slow-moving, and managed a unforeseeable resolution. All in all it was a creepily amusing novel and a good book for passing the time.


Synopsis:

What is this prep school preparing them for?
 
Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam—and readers—stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel.

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