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Isle of Night (The Watchers #1)

by Veronica Wolff (Goodreads Author)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 1,403 ratings · 229 reviews

Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead.

When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive an...more

Paperback, 302 pages

Published September 6th 2011 by NAL Trade

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Nov 06, 2011 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars

A Vampiric tale, surprisingly lacking on vampires. I see that face your making. Let me explain. The Isle of Night may be ran by vampires, but this is Annelise's story. Annelise is a very human girl. She's "training" to be a Watcher (what exactly that entails isn't so clear at this point) and if she becomes a Watcher she will eventually partner with a vampire. Becoming a watcher isn't exactly easy. Think along the lines of "to the death" tournaments with a wicked academic schedule.

Initially I had...more A Vampiric tale, surprisingly lacking on vampires. I see that face your making. Let me explain. The Isle of Night may be ran by vampires, but this is Annelise's story. Annelise is a very human girl. She's "training" to be a Watcher (what exactly that entails isn't so clear at this point) and if she becomes a Watcher she will eventually partner with a vampire. Becoming a watcher isn't exactly easy. Think along the lines of "to the death" tournaments with a wicked academic schedule.

Initially I had a few problems with the book. For all her mentions of being smart throughout the novel (many, many times) Annelise makes some stupid decisions. One of those decisions has Annelise climbing aboard a plane with a complete stranger. A HOT stranger, but a stranger no less. I just had to make up my own excuse for her doing that. Like maybe she was so desperate to leave that crappy life she had back home she felt like she didn’t have any choice. Annelise proves that she is resilient, but after you’ve been kicked to the curb so many times it’s hard to keep telling yourself that’s not where you belong. So, in a way I might have thought that Annelise was stupid for some of her actions, but in a crazy twisted way I think I understood.

Why would you want to read this story? Foremost, it’s different. I was thinking big on the vampires, not so. This one is more about keeping your wits and kicking butt. The vampires are just an afterthought. Even if you hate vampires you might be okay with this one. Second, there is Drew. You might be like me and not have a real deep connection with her character, but at the same time you’re rooting for her. Third, it’s a promising start to a series. I could definitely tell this was a “first in a series” book, I was expecting a lot more to happen but it seems like we’ll have to wait for book two to get that.

If you’re a paranormal fan I’d say this one is a “acquire” on the shelfability rating, otherwise it’s a “borrow.”(less)

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Sep 02, 2012 Alethea rated it 2 of 5 stars

this looks ridiculous and I TOTALLY want to read it RIGHT THE HELL NOW. September... so far away!

Added 8/3/2012 - well, it's not the worst book I ever read, and I still want to know what happens, but there were a bunch of issues... :/ solid 2-star.

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Oct 11, 2011 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, vampires-werewolves-shifters, yummy-male-characters

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Loved it!

I found this book quite by accident while browsing on Saturday and then I started reading it on Sunday night and was finished on Monday. Now, I'm waiting. ugh. I hate that part!

I thought the storyline sounded okay and thought I'd try it and once I got started reading it I couldn't put it down. It was really intriguing and different. Each chapter ended on such a high note that I just had to turn the page and start the next chapter.

Ronan sounds like an amazing character although we did...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Wendy Lohr rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires

Okay, I was a Twilight fan and loved that series. But, as a whole, I tend to be leery of vampire novels because so many twists have been rung out of the myths and legends that I can't help but think that subject has been squeezed dry. And then I picked up this book, and, OMG! It was awesome!!

Annelise Drew is a character that almost any reader could relate to and cheer for. She's had her hard knocks, so to speak, and she's determined to make something of her life instead of being pulled down into...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Patricia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, _young-adult, paranormal-vampires, setting-present, review-on-old-blog

2 Stars: Not too bad. Probably wouldn't buy again, but no waste of time/tree either. Some flaws, but often much potential. Often make my petpeeveometer blink like crazy. Definitely advice you to borrow or swap instead of paying the full price.
________________
The first few pages were quite good actually. They were easy to read and it wasn't until the heroine, Drew, met the Tracer Ronan, that things went downhill. They later got better, though. So.. 2 stars.

But first things first. Drew is a s...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Levian rated it 5 of 5 stars

expecting to start a new life by attending college in a new town, leaving her abusive father and step-mother behind, Annelise was devastated to realize that she cannot be accepted because of an incomplete academic score. that was when Ronan appeared, promising her a new life if she had the courage to explore the unknown. she was brought to a mysterious island, coming across more recruited girls, who like her, will be trained to be a Watcher. Watchers will be partnered with Vampires and assisting...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Abby rated it 5 of 5 stars

So I finished this in one night.

Initial Reaction: Um, should I continue reading this or.....

So basically the main protagonist Annelise Drew gets on a plane with a stranger. Wow. I cannot even.
Then we're reminded 500 times throughout the book that said plane-boarding was not HER fault but the aforementioned stranger, Ronan's fault. Whelp.

Honestly the author could have found a MUCH better way to bring Annelise to the Isle than trying to convince me she hates her life so much she's going to board a...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-set-in-school-or-academy, fantasy

Okay. So. This is a hard review to write, because I didn't LOVE this book but there were lots of things to love about it. It's a solid 3.8 IMO. I sure as hell liked it but... it was kind of forgettable at the same time. Maybe that's because I just finished reading Indebted (Premonition, #3) tho. That book would make me forget my kid at the supermarket (if I had a kid).

I bought this book for a solid $10 cos it came across as Twilight meets Divergent. Or maybe Vampire Academy meets Hunger Games. I...more Okay. So. This is a hard review to write, because I didn't LOVE this book but there were lots of things to love about it. It's a solid 3.8 IMO. I sure as hell liked it but... it was kind of forgettable at the same time. Maybe that's because I just finished reading Indebted (Premonition, #3) tho. That book would make me forget my kid at the supermarket (if I had a kid).

I bought this book for a solid $10 cos it came across as Twilight meets Divergent. Or maybe Vampire Academy meets Hunger Games. Ie it was a paranormal romance combined with sweet-ass assassin training and a battle to the death. I like it ;) And Isle of Night both impressed AND disappointed me.

The good stuff
The plot is SUPER cool for all the reasons mentioned above. Annelise Drew (Drew) is a child genius who escapes her abusive stepfather and equally horrible high school life for college. When her enrolment gets knocked back, she finds herself with nowhere to go and noone to turn to. Until sexier-than-thou Ronan comes along and offers her chance at a new life. He comes with expensive sports car, sultry green eyes, a private jet and extra batteries. Who can say no to THAT?

The thing that impressed me just as much was the fact that this was NOT a Twilight. The writing was fantastic, even if the character development left a bit to be desired. I still have no feel for who Drew is and I think maybe she doesn't either. Quite frankly, she's a bit insipid. And the second thing that makes this way better than Twilight is the fact that the romance (if you can call it that) is not the centre of the book. In fact, there was so little of it that I didn't shelve it as a pnr. There is definitely sexual tension though :).

The bad stuff
The pacing was a bit off for me. It moved really quickly at the start and right up until the "battle to the death", or the climax of the story. But the actual battle was over really fast. And there were just not enough fight scenes for me. I was expecting some serious Fight Club from the start when Wolff began describing the purpose of the Isle of Night and all the gang girls and violent teens there to compete. But nope, it's kind of disappointing for Divergent fans.

Also, the book didn't reveal that much. I have so many questions about what the Trainees (vamps to be) do for their training; whether Drew actually wants to escape; what the Vampires do and where they go for like 80% of the book; and what Ronan's deal is. I mean, I just thought that more would happen in the first book of a series.

So yeah I had mixed feelings about this book but as a package, it was great and I'll admit I couldn't get my hands on the second book fast enough. Btw is anyone else utterly frustrated with the lack of any Kindle editions of these books? GRRRRR AMAZON.(less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Kj rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was pleasantly surprised by the first installment of The Watchers series. I didn't know what to expect but the reason I read it was because a review I glanced at and only read the first line of said this book was a cross between Vampire Academy and The Hunger Games. Those two series are two of my favorites so I knew I had to read this book. I can't sum it up any better than that statement a lone because that's exactly what this book reminded me of. Annelise was "recruited" by Roana to go to th...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I stumbled across it while looking through my library's online database, someone pulling it up when searching for another author named Veronica. I did not have high hopes but I checked the book out anyhow, and I was not able to put it down until I was finished.

Drew is a spirited genius, plucked from her life of obscurity by a handsome stranger, whisked off on a private jet to some unknown destination. This sounds like the beginning of hundreds of romanc...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Cecilia Gray rated it 5 of 5 stars

People have been saying this book is Vampire Academy Meets Hunger Games - lemme chime in this is NOT a gross exaggeration.

The heroine, Annelise is smart, quick-on-her-feet, and sarcastic, - the best friend you've always wanted...to kill and bury in your backyard so you can assume her identity.

Sucktastic things happen to Annelise as she gets drawn to the Isle of Night but events feel real and grounded (even when they involve vampires) and not gratuitous or contrived. Once you join her on the jour...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Bailey (IB Book Blogging) rated it 5 of 5 stars

ISLE OF NIGHT is a fantastically thrilling YA debut that blew me away! Wolff gets points for taking off with vampires and creating such a unique world. I could not put this book down for one second, and I even risked peeking between the pages in class! The action is non-stop so there is absolutely zero chance of getting bored. You are sure in for a treat when you decide to delve into ISLE OF NIGHT.

Annelise is my kind of girl. She has had a really rough life, but she doesn't sit on her butt and...more ISLE OF NIGHT is a fantastically thrilling YA debut that blew me away! Wolff gets points for taking off with vampires and creating such a unique world. I could not put this book down for one second, and I even risked peeking between the pages in class! The action is non-stop so there is absolutely zero chance of getting bored. You are sure in for a treat when you decide to delve into ISLE OF NIGHT.

Annelise is my kind of girl. She has had a really rough life, but she doesn't sit on her butt and mope about it for the entire story! She has created a hard shell around herself to protect herself from getting hurt, but it does start to crack a bit from the moment Ronan walks into her life and changes it forever. Training to become a Watcher is tough business and Annelise sure struggles a bit at first. It was great to see her slowly come into who she was and embrace her new life. I felt so awful for all of the horrible things she had to go through and I know I wouldn't have been able to do what she had to do to survive. Annalise is a heroine that girls are sure to look up to!

And then there is Ronan. Ronan captivated me from the moment Annalise first locked her eyes on him. He is the typical tall, dark, and mysterious romantic interest but he does have a few traits that make him unique. The chemistry between him in Annalise....WOW. They hardly ever touch during the scenes that they are together but the moment they encounter one another, the sparks fly! There were so many times I wanted to shake him for doing what he did though! Why must the mysterious boys always play hard to get???

The concept behind the novel was very intriguing. In Wolff's novel, only males can be vampires and special women are their Watchers. Becoming a vampire or a Watcher is not easy at all in ISLE OF NIGHT. There are so many of them that die from their training. There are also those pesky girls who want to sabotage others and prevent them from moving up in rank. One of these girls happens to be Lilac, someone who I came to love to hate. She was positively nasty throughout the whole book!

On a brighter note, ISLE OF NIGHT is the start to a YA series that is sure to be a hit. I need more of this creative world that Wolff has crafted. Do not miss out on this one or you will certainly be missing out on a remarkable novel.(less)

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Jun 14, 2012 Jacquy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inhalt: Annelise ist erst 16, als sie von zu Hause flieht. Ihr Vater ist gewalttätig und dauernd betrunken, ihre Mutter starb, als Annelise vier Jahre alt war und mit ihrer Stiefmutter versteht sie sich auch nicht. Annelise hat einen ungewöhnlich hohen IQ, weshalb es ihr schwer fällt Freunde zu finden. Weil sie gerade ihren Highschool-Abschluss gemacht hat, entschließt sie sich, sich ein College zu suchen. Dort angekommen, gibt es allerdings Probleme bei der Anmeldung und dann geht auch noch ihr...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Sadie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire, young-adult, romance, paranormal, didn-t-like

If you have read my early status updates then you will already know just how much I hated the beginning of this book. I knew instantly that I wouldn't like Drew. And I didn't. I didn't like Annelise/Drew at all, she had that holier-than-thou attitude and she brought up her so called intelligence up whenever she had the chance. Drew judged everybody around her and had a generalised stereotypical view of every person and groups of people she came across.

Why is it that so many protagonists seem to...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

I definitely liked this book enough to read the sequel, but I'm having trouble figuring out why. The writing and pacing are a little rough. The boy-worship for the first 50 pages is especially hard to get through, especially since Drew's supposed to be so smart. Some things come out of nowhere and then don't go anywhere else, like her brief friendship with Josh and her sudden obsession with her combat teacher, while other more interesting things go unexplained. Also, I have the same problem with...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Anna-Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Inhalt: Annelise Drew hat einen sehr hohen IQ, ein beschissenes Elternhaus und kommt aus einem Kaff in Florida. Die Uni erscheint ihr als einziger Ausweg. Doch dazu kommt es nicht: ein gutaussehender Typ bietet ihr eine Alternative, eine Art Eliteausbildung auf einer Insel im fernen Norden, die nur besonderen Mädchen zugänglich ist. Annelise lässt sich darauf ein, ist aber nicht auf das gefasst, was sie dort erwartet: Vampire. Sie soll zu einer Wächterin ausgebildet werden, die die Vampire in de...more Inhalt: Annelise Drew hat einen sehr hohen IQ, ein beschissenes Elternhaus und kommt aus einem Kaff in Florida. Die Uni erscheint ihr als einziger Ausweg. Doch dazu kommt es nicht: ein gutaussehender Typ bietet ihr eine Alternative, eine Art Eliteausbildung auf einer Insel im fernen Norden, die nur besonderen Mädchen zugänglich ist. Annelise lässt sich darauf ein, ist aber nicht auf das gefasst, was sie dort erwartet: Vampire. Sie soll zu einer Wächterin ausgebildet werden, die die Vampire in der Welt vertritt. Nur wenige Mädchen schaffen die Ausbildung, denn sie ist hart, anspruchsvoll und auch grausam. Dazu kommt, dass Annelise gleich von Anfang an eine Feindin hat. Doch sie will kämpfen, um die Beste zu sein...

Meine Meinung: Veronica Wolffs Auftakt zu ihrer Reihe ist definitiv gelungen.

Annelise ist ein erfrischender Charakter, der die Geschichte erzählt. Ich musste mehr als einmal laut auflachen, weil mich der Humor absolut mitgezogen hat. ;) Auch einige Anspielungen fand ich witzig und gelungen.

Auch die Geschichte ist interessant und anders. Es war ein wenig wie Vampirstory trifft Hunger Games, denn es geht durchaus etwas brutaler zu als in den üblichen Vampirstories!

Annelise schließt zum ersten Mal Freundschaften mit Leuten, die eher auf ihrem Niveau sind. Dennoch gibt es Dinge, die ihr nicht gefallen auf der Insel, zum Beispiel die Vampire und die Tatsache, dass es scheinbar kein Zurück mehr gibt. Sie fühlt sich von Ronan, dem heißen Typen, verarscht, weil er sie auf die Insel gebracht hat.
Doch zwischen ihr und Ronan und Annelise entwickelt sich etwas, doch dies steht nicht im Vordergrund der Geschichte, denn Beziehungen zwischen Jungen und Mädchen sind auf der Insel nicht erlaubt. Vielmehr steht Annelises Kampf ums Überleben im Vordergrund, im Kampf gegen ihre Mitschülerin Lilou.

Außerdem ist da noch der über sechshundert Jahre alte Vampir Hugo Alcantaras, der ein besonderes Interesse an Annelise hegt. Welches Interesse es genau ist, wird hier allerdings noch nicht aufgedeckt.

Das Ende des Buches hat bei mir Lust auf mehr gemacht. Ich möchte wissen, wie es mit Annelise, ihren neuen Freunden und den Vampiren weitergeht. Ebenso möchte ich wissen, ob Annelise die Ausbildung zur Wächterin weiterdurchzieht, ob sie es schafft.

Es gibt eine Sache, die ich noch anmerken möchte: Ronan, der heiße Typ der Story, ist für mich irgendwie am wenigsten interessant gewesen im Vergleich zu den anderen Charakteren. Er scheint mir momentan ein bisschen der typische Klischeecharakter der Geschichte zu sein. Ich bin gespannt, ob er sich in den Folgebänden noch entwickeln wird.

4 Sterne für einen guten und interessanten Serienauftakt!!(less)

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Oct 08, 2011 Pam Vlieg rated it 2 of 5 stars

To be quite honest I have no idea where to start on this book. From the description I had high hopes for liking it, but it fell flat in so many ways it was hard for me to look past the ways it didn’t live up to the synopsis.

Firstly Annelise who likes to be called Drew is supposed to be a genius. Like a real genius. That paired with the fact she come from an abusive family is why the vampires and their trackers picked her as a recruit, however in any class you see Drew in her knowledge is smart b...more To be quite honest I have no idea where to start on this book. From the description I had high hopes for liking it, but it fell flat in so many ways it was hard for me to look past the ways it didn’t live up to the synopsis.

Firstly Annelise who likes to be called Drew is supposed to be a genius. Like a real genius. That paired with the fact she come from an abusive family is why the vampires and their trackers picked her as a recruit, however in any class you see Drew in her knowledge is smart but not genius levels. The mathematics discussed in small detail were Sophmore AP at best. I know that being super-smart can translate into having no street smarts so to say but Drew is one of those heroines that seems to have no care for her safety, and knowing that she ran off to go to college without telling a soul its hard for me to believe that she is some kick ass fighter later on.

Its hard for me to believe that a girl who is super-king-kong-mega smart has no one. Sure, I understand she doesn’t have friends inside of her classrooms but shouldn’t there be a concerned teacher? Especially since she comes to school beaten by an abusive dad? It is extremely hard to believe that she spent all of her life never making not one single connection in her life. Hard to believe and very convenient for the author.

When Annelise gets to the college registers office she learns she didn’t actually graduate due to a swimming accreditation that the school enacted. Instead of asking to speak to her admissions counselor she just walks back out to her car that conveniently doesn’t start. So when a hot guy with a Proust tattoo offers to give her a ride she accepts. Oh, and I forgot, super hot guy can tell just by looking under her hood that its the carburetor.

In the car she asks him to take her to the coast, instead he takes her to an airfield where he uses his voodoo stare to get her on a plane bound for a tiny island in the middle of nowhere. On the plane sits two girls, one will become her nemesis.

In order to avoid spoilers I won’t go into greater detail, but suffice to say that once Drew gets on the island things in the book do not improve. She is continually telling me how smart she is while doing the most mind numbingly things. She tries hard and learns to fight and I give her that, but in reality I just don’t think that Drew is the kind of girl who can trade her book smarts that she keeps telling me she has into ninja star throwing kick assery.

If The Hunger Games, Lost, and Vampire Academy had a baby full of trope it would be this book. I wanted to try hard to look past all of the obvious plays on other series because I wanted to love the premise. For me it just didn’t work.

Have you read it and have the same or a different opinion?(less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-booklist

Summary: When Annelise left for college, it meant good riddance to her abusive father and stepmother—until a bureaucratic screw-up left her without a diploma, flat broke, and facing an uncertain future Then she met Ronan—tall, dark, and way too seductive for her own good. He promised Annelise a new life, if she had the courage to chance the unknown. One look at him and she certainly had the desire. Sure enough, accepting rides from strangers does yield surprises.

Whisked away to a mysterious isla...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, ya

I'm not really sure how I came across this book, although I think it was probably in somebody's In My Mailbox or something of the sort. The general description really popped, and even though I hadn't read one of the series it was compared to (Vampire Academy), I still felt that I would like to give it a go.

It's a good start to an intriguing new series. Annelise Drew, or Drew, as she likes to be called, has had a hard life. There's no denying that. After graduating early, and after trying to enro...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Isle of Night exceeded by expectations by a long shot! I totally thought that it was going to be another usual vampire novel, but man was I wrong! It was thrilling and filled with excitement. It definitely gave a new twist to the whole vampire scene in YA novels nowadays.

I have to admit that in the beginning it didn't seem to catch my interest but around the third and fourth chapters the book really began to change into a more of an edge of your seat type of read. The characters were also reall...more Isle of Night exceeded by expectations by a long shot! I totally thought that it was going to be another usual vampire novel, but man was I wrong! It was thrilling and filled with excitement. It definitely gave a new twist to the whole vampire scene in YA novels nowadays.

I have to admit that in the beginning it didn't seem to catch my interest but around the third and fourth chapters the book really began to change into a more of an edge of your seat type of read. The characters were also really well depicted and had great personalities as well!

I loved Annelise she was sarcastic and witty. She was a person who I could see being friends with if she were real. The book starts out with Annelise trying to escape her home life. When she receives early admission to college she cannot pack her bags enough, but when she gets to the college they tell her that there has been a mistake and cannot register. Here is where hunky Ronan enters the scene.

Ronan basically just whisks Annelise away to a new world promising her a new future for herself and telling her that she will be around people who are just like her. Let's just say that Ronan never broke his promise but he did leave a few important things out such as the island being filled with vampires and the fact that if Annelise wants to live she will have to fight to become one of the top five girls to become Watchers.

I loved Ronan. He was definitely your average swoon worthy male lead in any story but Ronan seemed to have more depth than the others. I think that there is still some more back story there to be discovered in the next books. One thing that did aggravate me was that he was so hot and cold to Annelise. It seemed like he wants to be with her, but that something is holding him back.

I don't want to give to much away with my review so this will be a short and sweet review :). I will say that Isle of Night was an amazing story. It was refreshing to find a story about vampires that was so different than the others. It did have a Hunger Games feeling to me but I think that made it better. It gave it suspense and made it thrilling for the reader. If you have not read this yet then you need to! You wont regret it!
(less)

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Sep 08, 2011 TheBookSmugglers rated it 2 of 5 stars

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/09/b...

Anneliese Drew is a certified genius, and a girl desperate to escape her dead end hometown of Christmas, Florida, her abusive father, evil stepmother, and decidedly mediocre classmates. So, Drew is thrilled when she is able to graduate from high school early with a full scholarship to the University of Florida, and she gleefully leaves Christmas miles behind her. When she gets to UF and tries to check in to her sh...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Stormy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: absolute-favorite, ya-paranormal

ARC Goodreads Giveaway. :)

Drew packs up for college and hopes for a new life...that's exactly what she gets. Its what the stranger Ronan promises. She's whisked away to a mysterious island with hopes of finally fitting in somewhere. What she does get is a big surprise. Drew is one of many girls that were brought to the island to become Watchers - girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them on their missions. Its either become a Watcher or death, so Drew is determined to beat all the ot...more ARC Goodreads Giveaway. :)

Drew packs up for college and hopes for a new life...that's exactly what she gets. Its what the stranger Ronan promises. She's whisked away to a mysterious island with hopes of finally fitting in somewhere. What she does get is a big surprise. Drew is one of many girls that were brought to the island to become Watchers - girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them on their missions. Its either become a Watcher or death, so Drew is determined to beat all the other girls. Losing is not optional.

Okay, so this is hard not to compare to Vampire Academy. The vampires are like the Moroi and the Watchers are like the Dhampir from what I gather.

The start is slow, but once she gets on the jet heading to the island, it starts to pick up. I like Drew, she is a likeable enough protagonist. I like how feisty she is. How she does but doesn't know when to shut up. I like that she isn't afraid to stand up for herself and it killed me when she asked, "Are you shittin' me?" and change "Damned" to "Doggone". :) She gives you are few laughs.

Ronan can definitely be compared to Dimitri. The hot older trainer with an accent that believes in her and wants her to succeed...sound familiar? He's deep and brooding and so sweet he'll make your heart swoon. So, though I don't like Dimitri anymore, I find I like Ronan, though they are so similar I just hope he doesn't make the same mistakes Dimka did to make me dislike him. Dimitri fans, you will love this Ronan! ♥

Josh, the trainee, soon to be vampire, reminds me of Adrian. :) Everyone knows how much I love Adrian. Josh isn't Adrian but I guess he's close enough. He's a ladies man and what seems like a party boy, always looking for a good time. He's hot, sweet, cocky, and funny...but get this he's also Australian. ;D I feel that he might have ulterior motives with everything he does but there were few interactions with him.

Though the school isn't an ideal choice for me, I do like the studies. :) Lock-picking? How awesome is that? I can only do that on my Vampire- The Masquerade Bloodlines game. :(

The Spanish headmaster...CREEPY! When is someone going to end his pervy existence? SOON PLEASE!

If you like books on killings and lots of death, this is for you. If your looking for romance, not much in this book, but I have a feeling that there will be plenty to come in the sequels. :)(less)

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Feb 09, 2012 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

I never read any books with students going to a vampire’s academy, except for the manga “Vampire Knight.” This book is pack with action, survival, and death. I’m use to reading romance book, but this is exceptional and the best thing is that even though it not there, you can still feel the tension and the love that the characters are feeling.
Annelise met a guy name Ronan who promise her that she will have a new life. Somewhere far away to an island called the Isle of Night. Annelise and the res...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Eunice S rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya-series, young-adult, romance, vampires, female-author, favorite-female-character, favorite-male-characters, forbidden-love, female-pov

Yes! I know another vampire novel blah blah blah. I just couldn't help read this one especially when I've read so many times people say that it's like The Hunger Games meets Vampire Academy, and I'm a huge fan of both series that I just couldn't resist to try this one out; even though, I promised myself that the only vampire novels I would read was Richelle Mead's series Vampire Academy and it's spin off series Bloodlines (you should also check those books out).

Okay back to Isle Of Night. I foun...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Carrie (Care) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, read-in-2011

Considering I hadn't heard of this until recently (thank you Andrea!), I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was definitely strange and kind of crazy. The things these kids were expected to do to one another is where the Hunger Games comparisons come from I guess, but yet is is unlike The Hunger Games. Even though I finished the book, I am not sure where things in the series are heading. I will definitely be looking forward to the next book!

Some thing that kind of bugged me was (view spoi ...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Paula HG rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: boys-i-love, i-am-in-love

This book surprised me by being awesome and weird and creating a creepy world. I have to admit I was creeped out by how accepting Drew was of all, she would accept the reality she was in with a scary quickness that I would not be able to achieve.

The characters were well made (except some cliches taken to extremes and having an Asian friend? PUH-LEAZE, lets just skip the overdone things, can we?) and the plot was awesome, I was deeply disturbed by this book and at the same time I couldn't stop re...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Jena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Unique, thrilling, and intense, Isle Of Night, takes the term "bad-ass beauties" to a whole new level.

Annelise just wants to get away. From her crappy town, her abusive family, and her high school. And then tall, dark, and handsome with memorizing green eyes shows up and offers it to her. Ronan promises her a whole new life if she's strong enough. She's reluctant, but accepts. What she finds is nothing like what she expected. Annelise finds herself amongst hard core beauties and want-to-be vampi...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Cyp rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hunger Games fans

Shelves: ya, vampire, 4-star, 2011-reads, potential-five, urban-fantasy

Originally posted at A Bookalicious Story.

I feel like going up to my rooftop and shout "FUCK" at the bloody top of my voice. Sorry for the language, but my actions are absolutely justifiable. Know why? Cause the story ended perfectly, but then I went on to read the small excerpt of ISLE OF NIGHT's sequel, VAMPIRE'S KISS, and it effing ended in an effing major cliffhanger. And the book will not be out till the effing middle of next year. EFF.

Wow, that... nah it still didn't cool my hackles. But a...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Kristin rated it 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars.

If I had to read one more time about how smart Drew was or what a freak she was, I was going to scream. Because to me, she just seemed like a wannabe tough chick (flashes of any Angelina Jolie character or her in real life kept flashing through my head, which only served to annoy me even more). Add to that all of the times she mentioned how awesome it would be to wear something with fur and she also seemed like a bitch. And the fact that some piece of clothing reminded her of something...more 2.5 stars.

If I had to read one more time about how smart Drew was or what a freak she was, I was going to scream. Because to me, she just seemed like a wannabe tough chick (flashes of any Angelina Jolie character or her in real life kept flashing through my head, which only served to annoy me even more). Add to that all of the times she mentioned how awesome it would be to wear something with fur and she also seemed like a bitch. And the fact that some piece of clothing reminded her of something Kristen Stewart might wear and she seemed like a stupid bitch. And her penchant for all things French and pretentious and you can add annoying to the front of stupid bitch.

Basically, Annelise Drew comes from a broken family, her mom’s long dead and her father verbally and occasionally physically abuses her and is married to a bitch of a stepmother. She longs to get away from her home and has been accepted for early enrollment at the University of Florida in Gainesville, yet once she goes to check in, she’s told she needs to complete one more class, swimming, before she can attend college so she’ll have to wait until the fall semester to attend classes. While on the verge of freaking out after her car fails to start while trying to figure out what to do next, the hot guy from the registration office she was eyeing swoops in and offers to take her to a prestigious school far away if only she’ll hop on a private plane and follow him. Yeah, it’s that fast. Granted, it turns out he’s using some serious “you’ll do what I want you to do” mojo on her, but still, that fast? Especially when he tells her she can’t take any of her belongings with her?! Bullshit.

And what was with everyone screaming and crying a bit when they see someone eviscerated in front of them and are told that vampires exist and most of the girls would be dead in two years one minute, then being calm and seemingly totally accepting the next? Unbelievable, even if you were doing it to survive, I think the “Oh, shit,” feeling might last a bit longer.

The idea of Watchers and Tracers is interesting, but the main character was just too much of an annoying pain to like a lot. As I said, if I have to hear about her being soooo smart, a freaky genius, a nerd or how into Germanic languages (of which she speaks a few, she mentions again and again) she is One. More. Time. I’m pretty sure I’m going to freaking lose it. She skipped one semester in high school and has a high IQ, she didn’t find the cure for cancer or figure out cold fusion for god’s sake. Things got better as the story progressed, she never lost her fear of the vampires, though I don’t think she knows whether or not to be repulsed by or attracted to Master Alcántara and always expressed a desire to escape all the way through the book (and to grope Ronan, which also got a bit tedious as she doesn’t really know anything about him, other than he’s hot), but the premise of how they get to the island and become Watchers continued to piss me off. And don’t get me started on drinking the blood. Yuck.

Drew’s friends Emma and Yasuo helped with my not throwing the book across the room many times. They brought a bit of humor and normalcy to the book, which it really needed. And her Proctor Amanda, who’s an Initiate, a step up from an Acari, was also a nice part of the story, she was tough but sympathetic to the girls, particularly Drew, yet didn’t do anything to jeopardize her position or the Acari.

Ronan was the typical hot guy, the only difference is he has a tattoo of a Proust quote (next to the Chinese character for “deep,” maybe?) and is Scottish. And says “Aye” a lot. A lot. We really don’t find out too much about him and the longing looks and protestations of “I can’t fraternize with you,” will apparently continue into the sequel.

There is the prototypical mean girl, Lilac, but she’s a decent foil because she’s way bitchier than most antagonists in that she’ll do anything to finish off Drew permanently.

I just think the whole thing would’ve been much better if, well, obviously Drew weren’t so irritating, but especially if the girls weren’t basically kidnapped and practically tortured, murdered and forced to kill one another, because I don’t see how any of them would willingly protect these evil-ass, dickhead vampires for one second. And that's another sticking point, what the hell are they supposed to do? Protect them from what? They're vampires who can eviscerate people in one fell swoop and nobody knows they exist. Guess this is something that will be explained in the second book. Maybe.

Bitching aside, I will pick up the sequel, Vampire’s Kiss, (Christ, who’d want to kiss one of those assholes?) the next time I get a good coupon because I am interested to find out what happens to everyone.
(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-5-stars

Mini-Review: I really enjoyed the Florida setting in the beginning of this novel, because I know where these places are! I'm always looking for a good paranormal book in which the main character is in college, so even though it doesn't work out for Drew, that little touch of college grabbed my attention. I really enjoyed how creepy this novel was, overall. The vampires were scary, the students learned strange things, many came from questionable backgrounds. It all added up to a very dark and cre...more

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About Veronica Wolff

Once upon a time there was a girl. She liked horses and Shaun Cassidy and Gunne Sax dresses, like many of the other girls her age. She had a big, loving family and, since their dad was in the Navy, they moved around. A lot. She was shy, though, and generally preferred a day spent in the company of her Trixie Belden books to running around with the other kids, whom she really didn’t know very well...more Once upon a time there was a girl. She liked horses and Shaun Cassidy and Gunne Sax dresses, like many of the other girls her age. She had a big, loving family and, since their dad was in the Navy, they moved around. A lot. She was shy, though, and generally preferred a day spent in the company of her Trixie Belden books to running around with the other kids, whom she really didn’t know very well anyway.

She grew up and she still preferred the company of books, so she read, and she read some more, and she loved romantic stories, and stories about dragons and young men on quests, and stories by Jane and Daphne and Emily and Charlotte. But this girl realized that seeing all different kinds of places and all different kinds of people had become a part of who she was, and so she studied languages and art from faraway places. But she could be dramatic, and so she decided to study all of that while living in India. And then she studied in India again. For a long time. And she thought that, when she grew up some more, she would be a fancy professor and write linguistic papers and teach students about art and do other fancy-professor things.

But first she moved to California, where she had never been, because it seemed the place to move to start such a new and fabulous life. And she got a job to pay the rent. She discovered she still loved books that drew her in, and made her cry, and kept her awake till she had to scrunch her eyebrows to see the words clearly. And she realized too that she much preferred those books to the ones that mostly just taught her stuff and made her feel anxious that she wasn’t busy making grand statements in grand journals. And while she was figuring all this out, she needed money, and so she did what many of the other girls in California were doing and she got a job doing Internet stuff.

And she met her hero, and they married, and they got some pets and had some kids. But she still liked to go places in her mind as she stared out the window while doing things like washing bottles and burping babies, and so she started writing a story. And you can imagine the rest.

Now that she's grown up, she likes to see movies and read books, cut flowers from her garden, spend time with friends and drink wine, and go snowboarding. Not all at the same time of course. And she still loves stories about dragons, but mostly she loves stories about love.(less)

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“Teenage hormones plus a few hot guys equals Barbie blood bath.” — 22 people liked it

“His eyes were slitted and intense, like he might need to have sex at any moment.” — 12 people liked it

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Isle of Night (The Watchers #1)

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