#195 Book Review: Legacy

Legacy (Night School #2)
Release Date: 3 January 2013
Author: C.J. Daugherty
Publisher: Atom
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy:  Fishpond | Booktopia
More Info: Goodreads

Summary:

In the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought dark-eyed Carter West into her life hasn't hurt either. But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could have imagined. The students and faculty are under threat, and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandmother to her runaway brother - are at the centre of the storm. Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart...

Cover:
Love the snowy theme of the cover and also the building that represents the academy! The red colour of Allie's hair and the font are also a good contrast to the white background.

Story:

Something dark is threatening Cimmeria Academy...

A year ago, I read Night School and absolutely loved it! The dark story about murders in an academy full of secrets was such an intriguing and exciting read I couldn't put the book down at all. When I heard that there was a sequel, I was ecstatic and after finishing Legacy, I believe that the sequel is even better than the first book!

In Legacy, Allie returns back to the academy and continues her life as a student. She is also in a relationship with the 'dreamy' Carter West. Everything sounds perfect, right? But the secrets surrounding Allie and the academy are still a threat and also endanger the students of the academy. The most interesting thing about this book is unravelling all these secrets and mysteries. I love how C.J. Daugherty brought us into some sort of treasure hunt to find all the clues to unlock the secrets and mysteries of the academy and by the end of the book, everything will finally make sense. The murders, the deaths, the betrayals, the romance, they are all pieces of puzzles that when finally assembled, create the 'bigger' picture. The romance in this book, shifts from Allie and Carter to Allie and Sylvain too. This shift is also a part of the secrets and mysteries. The ending left me breathless and I can't wait for the third book in the series!

Characters:
I still adored Allie in this book even though some of her actions and behaviours annoyed me. She is trying to adapt in the academy after all the murders and events in the first book, also trying to have a normal relationship with Carter but alas, the secrets and mysteries cannot stay hidden and become a threat to Allie. This in return, also strains her relationship with Carter who has his own secrets and makes Allie switch to Sylvain for protection, care and someone she can trust with no secrets. I loved Carter and disliked Sylvain in the first book but somehow, C.J. Daugherty manages to switch the situation around and I ended up hating Carter and starting to like Sylvain throughout Legacy. Carter becomes too over-protective of Allie which I hated because he was over-protective but never explained to Allie what was happening in the academy. Sylvain, on the other hand, started off as a friend to Allie (after their relationship was damaged in the first book) but their relationship became more. Sylvain became someone who Allie can rely on, someone she can trust, someone who would listen to her and support her decisions. I enjoyed reading about the other characters from the first book in Legacy but Allie, Carter and Sylvain are definitely the characters that stood out the most for me!

Overall:
Legacy is the amazing sequel to Night School, bringing you a story full of secrets, mysteries with a perfect amount of romance! C.J. Daugherty's writing will take you on a journey to unlock all these secrets, mysteries and the end will leave you breathless. Absolutely can't wait for the third book!

5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Legacy!

Thank you Hachette Australia for the review copy!

#76 Book Review: Night School

Night School
Release Date: January 5th 2012
Author: C.J. Daugherty
Publisher: Atom (Hachette Australia)
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Amazon & The Book Depository
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

Sometimes school is murder.

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy.

My review:

Cover:
The cover is gorgeous but before I read the book, I had no idea how it's related to the story. What I expected from the title was a book with a school building somewhere in the cover but when I learned that Allie's hair is Henna coloured, now I see that the girl in the cover represents Allie!

4 Forget-me-not flowers for the cover!

Story:

It's more than just your average school...

Allie is arrested, again. Her life is miserable and her parents are finally giving up. Their solution? Send Allie to Cimmeria Academy. Allie thinks that this will be the same experience like any other schools but Cimmeria Academy is different. Not only is the academy different, she also feels happier living in this academy. But when strange and crazy things started to happen, Allie must investigate the truth about this Academy and the secret 'Night School'....

Wow, Night School is absolutely addictive. I was immensely interested in reading this book after reading the summary and wonderful reviews for this book. I am also very curious of the paranormal aspect in this book. Is it vampires? werewolves? or something I haven't read about before? Written from third person view, Night School is a story of Allie and the students in Cimmeria Academy. This book was very unpredictable. I kept on failing trying to guess what kind of paranormal theme would I be reading about in this book, which makes me unable to stop reading. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. The setting of the school surrounded by thick woods, old chapel and church gives this eerie, creepy feeling and touch to the book. The murders, the crazy things happening in this book also makes it a chilly read. Even though this book was quite thick, about 451 pages, it's still not enough! I want the sequel now!  

Characters:
Allie was a character I really enjoyed reading about. I can connect with her, understand how she feels the need to find out what is going on with Cimmeria Academy, the students and the Night School although she actually finds herself happier than she was back at home. I also enjoyed reading about the love triangle in this book. Allie finds herself drawn to Carter but she also is intrigued by Sylvain. I love both boys too. They are both different but gorgeous and awesome. I was interested at Sylvain first because he had a French accent and he sounds really sweet but Carter is very brooding, dark, mysterious and makes me more intrigued with him as the story goes! Other students in the academy such as Jo, Lucas, Rachel, Gabe and the headmistress, Isabelle was very enjoyable to read about! Unraveling each characters' mysteries were really fun and exciting!

Overall:
Night School is a creepy, chilling and eerily gorgeous book filled with mysteries and an unpredictable plot! This is an exciting story filled with secrets for readers to unravel and soon you will find that you're unable to stop reading this book! I need book 2 now!

5 Forget-me-not flowers for Night School!

 Thank you Atom (Hachette Australia) for the review copy!

Check out the book trailer below! It's....creepy!