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Call me a kid at heart! I read quite a bit in the YA field and love, love, love the changes that have taken place in that genre over the last several years. No more angst ridden novels of coming of age – bring on the magic, the mayhem, the super duper supernatural. This is an expanding genre right now and a fun and exciting one to read in for fantasy lovers who don’t mind their heroes and heroines on the young side. Unfortunately, not all books reach the level of a Twilight or Harry Potter.
Caitlyn Monahan is not extraordinary in any way. She is an average student. Average (or slightly below) in popularity. No particular athletic ability. No magic powers. In fact, the only thing extraordinary about her is that a)her mom (now deceased) was once a fortune teller and b)she has some pretty intense nightmares. Needless to say, she is more than a little surprised when she receives a full ride scholarship to a boarding school in France called the Fortune School, where she will be rubbing elbows with the elite. In fact, she will be roommates with a princess!
Leaving her small town home in Oregon, Caitlyn heads overseas for what promises to be a grand adventure. But almost immediately things start to go awry. She is flunking her courses. She feels out of place with many of the rich and gifted students she is surrounded by. And her dreams have intensified, becoming so vivid she feels as though they are real. And in these dreams she meets a young man tied to the ancient castle that is now her school. Raphael: A name tied to the ghost who haunts the castle, and the name of the boy whom she is falling in love with via her dreams. What is happening? And why is it all taking place to the rhythm of a frantically beating heart?
The most captivating points about this novel are the history and the characters. The history is that of France in the period of the mid-1500’s and the unofficial reign of Catherine de Medici, Queen Regent. Her character intrigued me enough that I looked her up online and she seems to have been an interesting (read ruthless) woman. In the book, her nemesis is an equally strong, ruthless lady and I was fascinated at how the two played out their political machinations.
Caitlyn and Raphael were nice enough people, but of more interest to me were the girls that inhabited the Fortune School. We don’t get to know them in depth, but what I did see I found alluring. For princesses, they were down to earth, kind, practical people, and helpful as well. Naomi especially made an excellent friend.
The magic, ancient religion, and plot were all rather blah. For fans of YA there is nothing really new here. A seemingly average girl turns out to be the key to everything. A mysterious, magical object is found. Love is encountered along the way. Cach is an experienced and strong writer, making the book a slightly above average reading experience, but the story line is not gripping enough to convert you if you don’t already like these type of tales. I would recommend this to those who enjoy the genre and are looking for an easy, entertaining read.
Grade: C+
Book Type: Young Adult
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 29/04/11
Publication Date: 2011/04
I've been an avid reader since 2nd grade and discovered romance when my cousin lent me Lord of La Pampa by Kay Thorpe in 7th grade. I currently read approximately 150 books a year, comprised of a mix of Young Adult, romance, mystery, women's fiction, and science fiction/fantasy.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.