I read this book in basically one sitting yesterday (as well as doing a heap of Evil Day Job work, and my study stuff) and I thought that I would share it with you. It’s been a while since I read a book so riveting it had me reading right to the very end. 

Synopsis: 

The first in a new series about an exclusive school with a terrible secret —you’ll be dying to join the chosen Few…

The Darke Academy is a school like no other. An elite establishment that moves to a new exotic city every term, its students are impossibly beautiful, sophisticated. and rich, and the more the new scholarship girl Cassie Bell learns about the Academy, the more curious she becomes. What sinister secrets are guarded by the Few—the select group of students who keep outsiders away? Who is the dark stranger prowling the corridors at night? And what really happened a year earlier, when the last scholarship girl died in mysterious circumstances? Cassie quickly discovers that a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but knowing too much can be deadly.

My thoughts: 

I must admit, when I first picked up this book I thought it was going to be all YA/Romance/Vampy type stuff, and if I’m being honest – I couldn’t have been more wrong. I have actually been craving something different – and I got it. In spades. A slow start, but it quickly picked up. 

What I liked the most? 

• The opening scene is of a girl getting hunted through the forest in Phnom Phen, in Cambodia. That was creepy. Seriously. I could almost taste her fear. I love a book that shows me that primal fear. 
•  The whole YA ‘Love-interest/Obsession’ thing doesn’t feature in this as a driving force behind the storyline, it’s a lot darker and more sinister than that. Bravo! **claps** About time that someone wrote a good book without teenage love being the primary focus of the Main Character. 
• Cassie – the protagonist isn’t annoying. She isn’t all self-focussed and emotional. No. She has had some crap to deal with in her life, and it is through that she has developed strength. She is not an ‘ass-kicking’ heroine – she is a normal girl – thrown into an elite society. And she flounders. She is uncomfortable. It shows, and I liked it. 

I am giving this book a 5 star review because it hit some major points for me. The structure was great, the character voice was different, and it took a side step from being your usual vampy story. It’s something different – and to be honest – it’s about damn time someone released a great story – and someone who can write well. 

I am really looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.