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chrisleesounds's review against another edition
4.0
So, this is a YA fiction, and in the beginning, that is pretty clear by the ages you’re dealing with, as well as trivial encounters and conversations. However, the plot gets creative and it ends pretty emotionally. It is a fun read, but it is not brilliant writing in major part because of the age for which she is writing. Anne Applegate is purposeful in writing for a younger audience by using teenage language and angst, but she also using some beautifully elaborate imagery at times as she slowly gets you to the crux of the story. It leaves you pondering about life, death, and the relation to those we love. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
postitsandpens's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit that I was sort of afraid to read The Last Academy, due to some not-so-positive reviews that were populating the blogosphere. Luckily, I went ahead and took the plunge, because I am definitely one of those in the minority who really enjoyed this book. Don't get me wrong - I can see why it would strike some as weird or "bad" - but for me, the atmosphere and use of mythology were enough to keep me fully engaged in the characters and plot and eagerly turning the pages until the end.
Camden was an interesting main character. She's having to deal with a fallout with her best friend, Lia, as well as adjusting to a new school clear across the country from where she grew up. While she did strike me as a bit younger than she was supposed to be, I still ultimately liked how she took the steps necessary to come to terms with her life and the strange occurrences that happen at the school. I don't want to spoil anything, because part of this book's draw for me personally was the way the suspense was written. While I figured out what was going on fairly early on, I still enjoyed watching Camden's journey into the truth and how it impacts her future.
One thing that was done incredibly well in this story was the way the setting was written. You get a definite spooky vibe from the school and its faculty, and the way the author involved the paranormal aspects into the plot were first-rate. Camden is well aware that there's something not right with her new school, and I liked the way she continued to delve into the students' stories and try to figure out what was going on with her classmates and herself. Again, it becomes pretty apparent early on what the ultimate truth is going to be, but I still found plenty within the pages to keep me invested in her story.
The Last Academy was a good mix of suspense, mythology, and paranormal. It's a quick read that ultimately left me quite satisfied, not only with the plot but also with Camden's personal journey. If you like spooky reads full of atmosphere, and don't mind figuring out the "twist" before the main character does, then I think you'll like this one quite a bit. I know I did!
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
***
To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!
Camden was an interesting main character. She's having to deal with a fallout with her best friend, Lia, as well as adjusting to a new school clear across the country from where she grew up. While she did strike me as a bit younger than she was supposed to be, I still ultimately liked how she took the steps necessary to come to terms with her life and the strange occurrences that happen at the school. I don't want to spoil anything, because part of this book's draw for me personally was the way the suspense was written. While I figured out what was going on fairly early on, I still enjoyed watching Camden's journey into the truth and how it impacts her future.
One thing that was done incredibly well in this story was the way the setting was written. You get a definite spooky vibe from the school and its faculty, and the way the author involved the paranormal aspects into the plot were first-rate. Camden is well aware that there's something not right with her new school, and I liked the way she continued to delve into the students' stories and try to figure out what was going on with her classmates and herself. Again, it becomes pretty apparent early on what the ultimate truth is going to be, but I still found plenty within the pages to keep me invested in her story.
The Last Academy was a good mix of suspense, mythology, and paranormal. It's a quick read that ultimately left me quite satisfied, not only with the plot but also with Camden's personal journey. If you like spooky reads full of atmosphere, and don't mind figuring out the "twist" before the main character does, then I think you'll like this one quite a bit. I know I did!
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
***
To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!
melissadelongcox's review against another edition
Picked this up on a whim because it was available at my library and I didn't have anything else to read. Overall: not bad, but if you recognize a few names, you'll spoil yourself at the very beginning of the story.
Spoiler
Lethe set off nothing for me, Charon rang some bells, and then I was so bored around the 45% mark that I came here to see if anyone had fully spoiled the plot. They had, so at that point was when I learned that all the students were dead. It definitely made things feel more interesting, but I ultimately just finished this book to finish it.bookaholic_kim's review against another edition
3.0
Okay. So how would i write a review without giving any spoilers?
in short. stop reading the reviews and read it. It is so worth it.
in short. stop reading the reviews and read it. It is so worth it.
hyms's review against another edition
2.0
The ending was actually great, but the rest of the book sucked. Too bad!
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
3.0
There wasn't much I liked about The Last Academy. I was looking for something different to read so I thought I'd give this one a shot. I'm kind of regretting the few hours I wasted reading this one.
The Last Academy is categorized as YA but I would almost put it more in the MG category. The characters are immature, the writing is bland, and the story is predictable. Younger readers might not analyze this one as closely as I did and therefore might be able to enjoy it more.
I'll start with my issues with the characters. Camden, for instance. She's whiny, insecure, and completely oblivious to everything going on around her. Her roommate, Tamara, is the quintessential bitch. Then there's the pretty girl (whose name I can't remember) who uses her looks to get everything she wants. Nora and Jessie are the nerdy girls who befriend Cam. And Mark Elliott, the hot guy with absolutely no substance. I'm sorry but there just was nothing about these characters that appealed to me.
The story didn't seem all that predictable at first but once I was about halfway through the book I had the whole thing completely figured out. And I mean, completely. After that I don't even know why I bothered to keep reading. If you know anything about mythology you will be able to put the mystery together just like I did. I lost interest after that.
The reason I gave The Last Academy 3 stars and not less though is that it was a fun read. It's quick, there are some hilarious quotes, and I didn't completely hate it. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times while reading and that was enough to make me enjoy it. I was hoping for something light and fun, and while it wasn't exactly a light read, it was funny.
Overall, some people have loved The Last Academy, I just wasn't one of them. If the story sounds appealing to you, give it a shot. However, I would recommend getting this one from the library.
The Last Academy is categorized as YA but I would almost put it more in the MG category. The characters are immature, the writing is bland, and the story is predictable. Younger readers might not analyze this one as closely as I did and therefore might be able to enjoy it more.
I'll start with my issues with the characters. Camden, for instance. She's whiny, insecure, and completely oblivious to everything going on around her. Her roommate, Tamara, is the quintessential bitch. Then there's the pretty girl (whose name I can't remember) who uses her looks to get everything she wants. Nora and Jessie are the nerdy girls who befriend Cam. And Mark Elliott, the hot guy with absolutely no substance. I'm sorry but there just was nothing about these characters that appealed to me.
The story didn't seem all that predictable at first but once I was about halfway through the book I had the whole thing completely figured out. And I mean, completely. After that I don't even know why I bothered to keep reading. If you know anything about mythology you will be able to put the mystery together just like I did. I lost interest after that.
The reason I gave The Last Academy 3 stars and not less though is that it was a fun read. It's quick, there are some hilarious quotes, and I didn't completely hate it. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times while reading and that was enough to make me enjoy it. I was hoping for something light and fun, and while it wasn't exactly a light read, it was funny.
Overall, some people have loved The Last Academy, I just wasn't one of them. If the story sounds appealing to you, give it a shot. However, I would recommend getting this one from the library.
ellacmack's review against another edition
4.0
4.5!
In reading other Goodreads reviews I thought do I really want to read this? I decided to take a chance on this book and I'm so glad I did, I absolutely loved it! This book started out really weird and I wasn't sure where Applegate was going to go with it but while reading things became more clear and the concept is GREAT. She kept me guessing how it was going to end the entire time. Every character she introduces throughout the book is resolved and we find out many things about each of the characters throughout even though there are so many. This book also had many insights which I found surprising. I truly love what Applegate has done with this book.
In reading other Goodreads reviews I thought do I really want to read this? I decided to take a chance on this book and I'm so glad I did, I absolutely loved it! This book started out really weird and I wasn't sure where Applegate was going to go with it but while reading things became more clear and the concept is GREAT. She kept me guessing how it was going to end the entire time. Every character she introduces throughout the book is resolved and we find out many things about each of the characters throughout even though there are so many. This book also had many insights which I found surprising. I truly love what Applegate has done with this book.
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
DNF
I blame the beautiful cover for drawing me in, much like a poor and unsuspecting fly to a venus flytrap.
The main issue I had with this one was that everything was absolutely ridiculous. The interactions didn't make any sense and the writing was just plain awkward.
The guy on the airplane reminded me of Mummy Girl. Like he'd been into arsenic suntan lotion. It was kind of beautiful, I guess. I mean, if you are into expensive-luggage skin or whatever.
Um....you mean like, leathery? Expensive luggage skin. Lolol. She was completely freaked out by the guy for seemingly no reason (unless she just wasn't sure if she should talk to him or stuff him under her seat as a carry on?).
"Hey," Brynn said to me. You could tell she was from the South right away, even hearing that one word. It came out sounding like what horses eat.
Grass? Barley? Ohh, you mean HAY. You couldn't have just said something like, She said 'Hey,' but it came out more like 'Hay,' due to her Southern drawl? Wouldn't that have sounded much less....cumbersome? Then Camden goes around the dorm, peeking into other people's rooms without asking and barging in.
The door was closed. I heard voices inside, so I knocked and opened the door right away. I wasn't into waiting to see if they wanted to talk to me.
Jeez, rude much? Who does that? Did you ever think that maybe it was closed for a reason? Like, I dunno, privacy? Imagine that.
Jessie started laughing. Or crying. Or something.
You know - little giggly sobs and nose sniffles that turned into brays and barks. Like someone rolling the radio knob back and forth between stations.
Nope, sorry, I don't know. I've never heard anyone sound like a mixture between dog and radio static before. And even the scenes that were supposed to be funny, I had absolutely no reaction. Not even a twitch of the lips. Calling someone 'Skinny Butt' and 'snot waffle' and hanging underwear out on the porch - are you 12?
"Skinny Butt?" I asked.
"Jessie doesn't even know his name!" Nora cackled. Someone farted. Jessie turned purple. All fingers zeroed in on her. Tears streamed down her face. Nora fell off the bed with a thump. I howled.
"Skin. Nee. Butt!" Nora wheezed.
Brynn squirted water in her mouth from a bottle, swished it around, and spit it out. I was a little grossed out. She usually seemed so...I dunno. Southern. It was like watching Scarlett O'Hara scratch her armpit.
Just because she's Southern, she has to be a perfect lady? She probably would have had an aneurysm if the Brynn had farted.
He kept walking toward me. It was hard to think with the guy getting so close. Less than three feet now. He slowed down. A foot and a half. Then he was right there. He smelled good. Salty. I know that probably sounds gross, but the way the guy smelled was heaven. And he was so close. I didn't feel like my right self. I had an insane urge to lean over and...I dunno. Lick the sweat off Mark Elliot's neck, right by his collarbone. It was shocking to think that. Shocking and super-uber fantastically unbelievably gross. It wasn't even a kiss, was the thing. It was madness to think of something like that. Insane licking madness. I bit down on my tongue.
From the same girl who freaked because a female spit out water? How the hell does a sweaty dude smell good? Clearly the writer has never actually smelled a sweaty dude. And see what I mean about the writing? It's so choppy and awkward!
What a waste of makeup. What a waste of a secret room where I could go kiss someone. I was going to be a dateless wonder the rest of my life.
Because one boy didn't notice that you wore makeup? Really? She overreacted too much. Then in another scene, she gets called a 'Squealer' (so insulting! Gasp!) and was completely humiliated, wondering how things had gotten messed up so fast. Then when her roommate leaves the room crying (I don't even remember what for, honestly):
Stupid jerk roommate. Stupid Brynn. Stupid school. I hated everything, the whole campus, all of Nueva Vista. Throw in the whole state of California for good measure.
I couldn't bring myself to give a crap about anything that happened to her, or anything she said, because she seriously overreacted about everything. I don't even know what she was upset about!
After 30%, I couldn't stand it anymore. I skipped to the last 20% of the book, which is one big info dump that tells basically the whole story. So I found out the entire point of the book without even reading it all. The sad part is, the idea was actually kind of cool. If the prose hadn't been a train wreck, and the character interactions not so absurd, it may have been a good story.
mathildereip's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75