Legacy - Review

Legacy by C.J. Daugherty

Night school book two

Available now

atombooks.net 

What's it about?

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 the dreamy Carter West into her life hasn't hurt...But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could've imagined. The students, and faculty, are under threat and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandma 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...

Other books in the series
Night school - Book one
My review

After not loving book one I still proceeded onto this because I found the story interesting enough to continue and well, I had a copy for review. To be completely honest, I liked Legacy even less, I didn't really feel like the main storyline progressed at all, Allie barely learns anything new due the bs excuse of 'you're not ready to know yet,' I hate when authors use that one because they can't think of a better reason to keep their secrets secret, so they can try to shock us later with the big reveal, honestly it just feels like a cop out. There were a few little reveals but they weren't shocking because I was too frustrated about what we weren't being told and Allie was more bothered about her little love triangle anyway. Yes, the second book love triangle strikes again, Legacy was way more about Allie flitting between Carter and Sylvain and trying to decide on her feelings for them so much that she barely noticed when she was in danger. Oh and of course, the two most unattainable guys in school just happen to have fallen for her.
And the other thing that annoyed me is that we still haven't met the elusive bad guy Nathanial, he showed up in one scene towards the end of Night school and hasn't been back since, so I have no handle on him or his motives, I only know him from the the point of view of the handful of people that know him through what they have told to Allie, which isn't a fat lot, so I have no connection there.
Basically, Legacy was for me, too much relationship development and not enough story development, its all moving way too slowly and there wasn't enough action, except for the obligatory scene at the end to help close up the book.
I honestly don't know if I'll carry on with this series but all signs point to not likely.

My thoughts on the cover
I really like the front view of the school on this cover, in fact I kinda of wish Allie wasn't on it so the whole scene would be focused on the building lol I like the snow too and the tagline.

Favourite quotes

''I just... care about you, Allie Sheridan,' he whispered, looking at her lips. 'A lot.''

'Heat radiated from his body as if he had a fever; Allie wasn't cold anymore. She wasn't alone anymore.'

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Night school - Quickie Review

Night school by C.J. Daugherty

Night school book one

Available now

atombooks.net 

What's it about?

Allie's world is falling apart...

She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she's just been arrested. 

Again. 

Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn't know a soul.

But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she's happy there. She's making friends. And then there's Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.

Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets.

My review

(3.5)

Although I ended up finding Night school to be an okay read, I felt it lacked originality, it was slow to get to the point and when the secret was revealed, it was pretty anti climatic and had me asking 'is that it?'

There was some good action at the end, but it was a long wait to get to and I still can't decide if it was worth it, I like a good mystery but this one just took too long to reveal itself.

Allie isn't a bad character though, I actually liked her, we see she's obviously struggling to find her place but starts to grow as she finds one at her new school, she makes new friends that won't lead her astray like her old ones and goes through a journey.

The book is written well, with lovely descriptions, its just the story I found myself bored with.

My thoughts on the cover

This cover is nice, I like the colours and the font but there's not much else going on and I'm not sure what she's doing with her hand.

Favourite quotes

'He kissed the wounded spot, his lips as light as a wish. 'There. I think that's all the medical treatment you need.''

'Their faces were so close now it was inevitable - when he brushed his lips very lightly against hers she gave a little gasp then reached her hands behind his neck and pulled his head down.'

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UK vs THE WORLD (55)

UK vs. The world is a weekly meme I made up lol.

It's simlair to UK vs. US except the UK covers are battling it out with their foreign counterparts from all over the world, because who doesn't love judging books by their covers!

UK                           vs                        Italy

Night school by C.J. Daugherty

Night school book one.

('Il Segreto del Bosco. Night School' translates to 'The secret of the forest. Night school.' - According to Google translate.)

Mist: As much as I like the UK cover, there's just something about the contrasts in colour between the leaf and the background on the Italian cover that really catches my eye, the cover is both warm and cold at the same time. The UK cover is nice but its just as girl, the Italian cover has a bit more going to it and piques my interest.

Ninfa: I like both covers but I think this is an Italian win for me I love the little hint to the location of the story, with the leaf in the model's hand. The Italian title, "The Secret of the Woods" and the tagline, "Sometimes school can kill you" are just really cool, and I like the colours chosen and how the leaf just stands out from everything else.
The UK cover is pretty, and the tagline is also cool, but the Italian cover just has more going on for me Italy wins!

Which do you prefer?

Blog tour; Legacy - Guest post

How I became a Bookaholic

by C.J. Daugherty

I was obsessed with reading as a child. I was shy and found my own life unsatisfactory so I sought a new one in the pages of books.

I can remember going to the library with my mother who (foolishly) told me to “…pick as many books as you like.” When I walked up to her 30 minutes later holding a stack that reached to my nose, she and the librarian burst out laughing. 

After that I was given a book limit.

Still, when I was 12 I won an award for “Most library books read in a school year”. I’d read 150. These included everything from Don Quixote to a Man for All Seasons to books on SELF DEFENCE and a battered 1950s edition of Connie Francis’ Beauty Secrets. 

What that last one was doing there, I have no idea, but I’ve splashed my face five times with cold water in the morning ever since.

 I preferred old books even then – I liked the beautiful colours, the yellowing paper. How they felt in my hands. The way they smelled.

Neither of my parents read much, and at times they worried about me; my nose was always buried in a book and I didn’t have a lot of friends. They went so far as to take books away from me and order me to go outside and play. “Make friends,” they’d implore. “Be a normal child.” 

My grandmother was a reader, though. My co-conspirator. She gave me all her old books and books my aunts and uncles had read. 

So I immersed myself in the Cherry Ames series, by Helen Wells. Written in the 1940s it tells the story of about a young American girl who joins the Army during World War II and becomes a flight nurse. 

Then there was Polyanna, a book written in 1913 about a little girl who stays positive even when she loses everything. I’ve wondered ever since what calf’s foot jelly is. I still don’t know and I’m not sure I want to.

I adored The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew – a turn of the century series about a family living in “little brown house” who struggle to survive but always love each other. Their whole world changes when they are taken in by a wealthy benefactor.

I have no idea what other children my age were reading at the time. Because I was reading my grandmother’s books. 

And I still have that award from the library on my wall.

Legacy

Night school book two.

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 the dreamy Carter West into her life hasn't hurt...But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could've imagined. The students, and faculty, are under threat and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandma 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...

Author bio
C.J. Daugherty was 22 when she saw her first dead body. Although she’s now left the world of crime reporting she has never lost her fascination with what it is that drives some people to do awful things as well as the kind of people who will try to stop them. The Night School series is the product of that fascination. Born in the USA, C.J. Daugherty has lived in the UK so long she considers herself British, even getting married to her English film producer husband at Anne Boleyn’s favourite castle in Kent, Hever Castle.

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