NIGHT SCHOOL by C.J. Daugherty

Night School
C.J. Daugherty

Rating: B+
Release Date: 05/21/13
Synopsis:
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 thoughts on the book:
When I picked up Night School, I was expecting to read a paranormal YA novel, more than likely about vampires. Considering my preferences, one would think that I'd be disappointed that this novel has nothing at all to do with the paranormal, but I actually like it better because of that. Night School stands out because it lacks paranormal activity, instalove, overly dramatic love, and a cliched heroine. After reading mixed reviews on this one, I was pleasantly surprised.

All of the characters were extremely unique, and in my opinion, well developed. Allie, in my opinion, was a pretty cool heroine. She was way too gullible, but other than that, she was all right. She definitely confronted her problems head on and stood up for herself. I respected that about her. Also, she evolved over the course of the novel, and I enjoyed watching her change. I'm not Sylvain's biggest fan, but I can't bring myself to fully hate him either. It's complicated. I really think his dysfunction was that he was so used to everyone giving him everything he wanted, he didn't realize that someone may not want to cater to him. We'll see what happens in future novels. I just can't make a full decision about him right now. However, I absolutely adored Carter. He was my favorite, along with Rachel. She was pretty awesome, too. Jo was a bit complicated for me, but she was still complex. 

The plot was gripping and mysterious. I felt like the pacing was a bit off in the beginning, though. Things dragged a lot, and I think people held out on Allie a bit too long. I mean it all worked out, but surely something somewhere could have been cut. After about the first 20-30%, though, I was pretty much hooked, and by the 50% mark, I couldn't put the book down. Daugherty's writing didn't blow me away, but it wasn't terrible either. Sometimes the author told too much and didn't show enough, but for the most part, the writing was fairly solid. The ending left me wishing the next book was already out. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something fun and different. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the sequel. Give this book a try, you won't be sorry. 

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