Saturday, January 07, 2012

REVIEW: Night School by CJ Daugherty

I really loved Night School by CJ Daugherty! It kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through and will brilliantly addictive. I was lucky enough to attend an event in which CJ Daugherty spoke about some of her real-life inspiration for this creepy boarding school, and I had that in the back of my head as I was reading it.

Because this book is contemporary and not at all paranormal, I found Night School to be that touch more frightening and dangerous. There's just something about the realistic that gives me the shivers, much more than a supernatural element could ever do.

I adored the main character, Allie Sheridan. She's got some issues in her life, with her brother's disappearance, and that's turned her kind of angry. And so she acts out and when she gets caught by the police, her parents are forced into sending Allie away to a boarding school which might be able to straighten her out.

And Cimmeria Academy is like no other school. Nobody's ever heard of it, there's no mobile phones or computers allowed. The students there are either very well-off, from prominent families or incredibly smart. And to top it all off, there's this secret Night School in which we can only speculate about what could be going on. (cue spooky music!)

But then Allie is attacked and other dangerous things begin happening around the school, including the horrific death of another student. Allie has to decide who she can trust as she goes on a hunt for answers.

There's so much to love about this book. There are great characters, the atmosphere of Cimmeria Academy was almost palpable. There was danger and mystery and a bit of romance. I really loved the friendships that Allie has with some of the students she meets and how much Allie struggles with trust. And then there's the love interests. I keep seeing the term 'love triangle' thrown about in regards to this book. I really hope that this series does not go down that route! There's an incident that happens between Allie and one of the boys that makes me very unsympathetic to his character, so for me there is only one option!

Still, I think it's wonderful that CJ Daugherty has written a book that has made me react so strongly to the characters. This book is a real gem, one in which I was desperate to read more and more - to unravel all of this story's mysteries and intrigues and it's definitely left me wanting MORE. Wonderful book, one I highly recommend!

2 comments:

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