Sunday 23 October 2011

Book Review - The Academy

Title: The Academy
Author: T.P. Boje
Series: Afterlife (book 1)
Release Date: 10 Oct 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1466341074

Synopsis
Have you ever wondered where you go when you die?
Meghan is 16 when it happens to her.
She wakes up on a flying steamboat on her way to a school run by Angels in a white marble castle.
It is a school everybody has to go to before they are let into Heaven.
On the boat she meets Mick who has been dead for more than a hundred years but still looks like a teenager. He helps her past the difficult beginning at the new school in a new world.
One day some of Meghan's roommates find a mirror in the cellar of the school and they persuade her to go through it with them - well knowing it is strictly against the rules of the school. Meghan ends up back on earth where she meets Jason. But Jason is in danger and Meghan know something important. Something that is a matter of life and death. Soon she is forced to choose between the two worlds. The one she belongs to now and the one she left.


My Review
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Meghan wakes up on a boat with no idea how she got there. She meets a guy called Mick who informs her that she has died and is on her way to the Afterlife Academy where she will learn all about being a spirit and what her 'future' involves. When Meghan and some of her classmates sneak out into the mortal realm she meets Jason, a young teenager. But Meghan has seen him somewhere before, she must work out what to do before it's too late.
I sat down this morning to start this book and had finished it within a couple of hours. The storyline is well set out and the pace is good. I liked the love stories and the different 'death stories'. The Academy sounded incredible, so beautiful. 
Meghan is a great main character, instantly likeable and friendly. She cares about other people and wants to do well, but at the same time wants to do what she believes is right even if it means breaking the rules. I wanted to know more about her though, she is one of the few characters that you don't know how she died, it's a big mystery and I kept hoping it would come up so I hope we get to find out in book 2.
Mick sounds like a great love interest and I hope we see more of him, he looks out for Meghan and knows a lot about the world.
As soon as I met Jason, I figured out who he was, it seemed obvious to me, but it didn't take away from the story as I still enjoyed experiencing everything with Meghan.
Certain parts of the story were predictable and some made me think of Harry Potter - ladders that take you to different locations (moving staircases) meals that appear on plates as if my magic (the great hall meals appear). But it doesn't detract from the story and is different enough to be unique.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and it ends on an exciting development and I really want book 2. 

My Rating
I would give this book 8/10. Death & Life meet with a twist. Definitely worth a read.  

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