Friday, September 9, 2016

Night School

Night School (Night School, #1)

Where to start with this one? By now many of us book bloggers have read a fair amount of boarding school books, with exclusive academies and mean girls and love triangles. So where does this one fit? Well I've read a few of these, some were better than others, but I have to say- this one is pretty good. Perhaps even more than that. It starts out the way a lot of them do, with a troubled teen who gets sent to a mysterious school called Cimmeria. She's a bit of a rebel and there is the obligatory imposing school, where everyone is rich and from powerful families, there's a mean girl who hates her, and two guys who like her. Of course the two are hot and are a big deal at the school. And of course all kinds of mysterious things are going on. 

Sound like YA boarding school 101? I thought so too- but it was good. I didn't care about all the cliches because it was fun, and the story zipped right along. I liked Allie right away and I liked most of the supporting cast too- and wonder of wonders I actually didn't mind the love triangle! That's rare- -I usually hate those. But here it worked for me. Sylvain is a French kid who takes a fancy to Allie, and he's a big deal in Night School- which is sort of a school within the school for the elite students- and Carter is the outsider, the mysterious guy who is hard to read, etc. You can see where this is going, but I actually enjoyed trying to figure out where their loyalties really lay, and who (if either) she'd end up with. Yes I rolled my eyes a few times at the drama, but by and large it wasn't bad. 

The other thing about this book is the paranormal aspect- or lack thereof. I knew going in there was no paranormal element even though throughout the first half or so of the book I could totally see it going there. I knew though from reviews that this wasn't the case, and that was a little disappointing. I really liked this book and a paranormal vibe or some urban fantasy elements would have made it even better. And I just like my boarding school books with an uncanny touch- who needs the real world?- but even with the absence of that I had fun. There's enough going on that the suspense and tension is there even without the paranormal stuff. 

So I was surprised how much I liked this. The writing is good, the school is well realized and I liked Allie's interactions with her fellow students- her relationships with Sylvain and Carter were well done, and there are enough twists that you never know who you can trust. There's not a lot of action but there is a lot of skulking around and secret doors and such- often the feel of the academy itself is a big part of these stories, and here I can say, for me, it definitely added to the vibe of the story. Another thing I enjoyed were the references to science fiction writers or settings- Cimmeria is the homeland of Conan and I thought maybe that was just a coincidence, until a faculty member named Zelazny showed up. And there a few others- a wink and a nod to fans from the author? 

If you like boarding schools and mysterious going on and love triangles, this is your jam. If you don't you still might like this- and the good news is there are five books and they're all out. I just may binge them.

10 comments:

  1. This is going on my TBR - although it sounds like a dash of Urban Fantasy would kick this up a notch! I'm glad you enjoyed it overall. :)

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  2. Ah, yes, the book that looks like it should be paranormal but isn't lol. Your first paragraph does sound like boarding school books 101, but I'm glad it turned out well for you! Sometimes authors are just able to make the tropes work or make the story so good that you just don't really care about the cliches. Have fun bingeing :-)

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  3. I remember getting a paranormal or horror vibe off this book - maybe from the trailer? So I'm glad to know that's not it at all... I like Paranormal elements be the horror vibe would have scared me off. I'm definitely interested! Happy binge reading, that can be the best :)

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  4. I love it when you pick up a book not expecting much and get much more than you bargained for. When I look at the cover for this book, I assume paranormal - I don't know exactly why. Maybe the bright red hair? Anyway, I'm glad you knew going in not to expect that!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  5. Wonderful review! If it was a standalone or dulology I would have given it a whirl, but I have commitment issues. Ha ha. :)

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  6. I do love boarding school books, and it has been awhile. The fact that you had so much fun with this tempts me. I am adding to my wishlist!

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  7. I've always enjoyed the boarding school trope, they can be a lot of fun when done well. This sounds like a good one, even though it starts off like many of them do. I hope the later books in this series are good too!

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  8. Great review! I LOVE boarding schools as a setting so immediately I am drawn to this. This one sounds really great, glad you liked it!!

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  9. I LOVE boarding school books and this one sounds great. Too bad about the lack of paranormal though, I really love that in my boarding school books. Still this one sounds worth a read and at least I know ahead of time about the lack of paranormal. Fantastic review! :)

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  10. Thanks for sharing - I'll deff be checking out these books :)

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