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Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)

by J.J. Bonds (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 530 ratings · 73 reviews

When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger a...more

Kindle Edition, 312 pages

Published November 9th 2011

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May 07, 2013 Kezia Goodman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-teenage, teenage-paranaormal

The mystery has been revealed, and really it was written so creatively, that although hints were dropped throughout the entire novel, certainty was only complete at the end.

I love that the author was focused on unfolding the plot than creating a love interest, yes it was there but Katia isn't our typical heroine, she doesn't fall head over heels, in love for Nick and behaves like an agent ridden teenage vampire, that thinks love is the ultimate goal. No Bonds has orchestrated the best suspense v...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Komal Kant rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a great book with an unexpected twist at the end. It had the whole Vampire Academy vibe to it, but the author made it her own.

I purchased this book on a whim based on the positive reviews of it. I didn’t have high expectations of it because we see these kinds of novels popping up a lot. Well, let me tell you that I was pleasantly surprised by Crossroads. Actually, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was absolutely blown away! The premise of this book doesn't sound fresh: Girl has a...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review was originally posted on Big Al's Books and Pals review blog on December 11, 2012

Katia is the sole heir to the single most powerful vampire on the Council, her Great Uncle Aldo Lescinka, who has just enrolled her in the preeminent Crossroads Academy nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont. With her mysterious past, she has no desire to fit in or make friends. She and Aldo were both hoping her nightmares would fade once she arrived at Crossroads from Romania, but they are changing,...more This review was originally posted on Big Al's Books and Pals review blog on December 11, 2012

Katia is the sole heir to the single most powerful vampire on the Council, her Great Uncle Aldo Lescinka, who has just enrolled her in the preeminent Crossroads Academy nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont. With her mysterious past, she has no desire to fit in or make friends. She and Aldo were both hoping her nightmares would fade once she arrived at Crossroads from Romania, but they are changing, growing more frightening, and more frequent. When bodies start showing up around the town of Rutland the whole Academy becomes concerned about exposure and Katia becomes entangled in a web of danger and deceit. Nothing could have prepared her for what she finds here.

Crossroads is an academy boarding school for vampires only. J. J. Bonds has taken great care to reinvent her vampires and their hierarchy in a unique way that I found refreshing. Her vampires actually procreate and it seems the young do not turn until adolescence, where their vampire selves awaken with a ravaging hunger. There is also a blood disease, known as otrava de sange, which threatens to wipe out the born vampires.

The story is told in first person through the eyes of Katia, but she holds her secret past very close so we are not privy to the whole story. She makes a good heroine; she is self confident, assertive, and witty. As the Prologue opens we are thrust into one of Katia’s nightmares, it is engrossing and leaves us with questions that are not answered until the very end. Even Katia does not fully understand what has transpired in the past as Aldo is keeping the whole truth from her. Despite J. J. Bonds wonderful and engrossing prose the secrets that Katia keeps from us readers is frustrating. It keeps us from fully engaging and becoming Katia. I felt cheated by this stylistic choice.

Otherwise the story is pretty typical high school foibles and the conversations and tensions are realistic. Katia is a dedicated student and wants to do well in all areas. One of her areas of study is Martial Arts. I enjoyed her interactions with Nikolai Petrov , an upper classman and teacher’s assistant in her Martial Arts class, who offers Katia one on one training with her fighting and weapons skills. It is clear that a romantic relationship is developing with him, despite Katia’s resistance. I enjoyed this story and felt like Katia’s secrets from us held the story back because Aldo’s reveal at the end was very satisfying. It will be interesting to see how the rest of this series develops now that we know and understand her on a deeper level.

I found no significant errors or issues with editing or formatting.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
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Aug 17, 2012 Dangerous Romance Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book description: When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

But Katia will do her time at Crossroads. After all, she’s only enrolled at the prestigious school for pure blood vampires to fulfill a promise to her Great Uncle Aldo. Tucked away in the Green Mount...more Book description: When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

But Katia will do her time at Crossroads. After all, she’s only enrolled at the prestigious school for pure blood vampires to fulfill a promise to her Great Uncle Aldo. Tucked away in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Katia hopes to shed the demons of her past and focus on her education. Raised blissfully unaware of the entire vamp world, she’s got a lot of catching up to do.

As Katia learns more about this dark society and her own legacy, protecting her past becomes increasingly difficult. Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried. What choice does she have? Exposure will shake the Elder’s Council to its core and likely result in a death sentence at the hands of the Linkuri.

Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.

When I read the description for crossroads I just HAD to know the story!

Crossroads is the first book in the Crossroad’s series (a trilogy), and the first book published by J.J. Bonds. I was impressed by how smooth the writing was, and how easy the story was to follow, given that J.J. Bonds a debut author and this is the first novel in a new series. However being a series, I was glad that Katia’s secret is revealed just before the ending, I would have hated to wait for later in the series to find out. Luckily, Bond gives you plenty of little clues along the way.

Katia has been through hell, but the worst is still to come. At school, she tries very hard to not let anybody get close to her, keeps her guard up almost all the time. Even during her weekly meetings with her counselor, Anya, she gives very little away. Trust doesn’t come easy for her. However a few students do break through her reserve and become important to her.

Nicolai, her martial arts help-instructor (and a classmate) gives her private lessons to make her a better fighter, (and just gets under her skin). Shaye, a girl, who loves to stand out, is fiercely protective of who she loves and don’t give a shit about what the popular kids thinks, and slowly even Anya makes her way into Katia’s heart with her candor, frankness, stubbornness and her protectiveness toward both Katia and Anya's own brother, Nicolai.

When her nightmares begins again, she starts to realize that something isn’t what it’s supposed to be,her nightmares are more than just dreams. As bodies starts to turn up in the nearby village, Katia realizes that her worst fears are coming true. She will have to make a decision; will she run, or will she stay and fight? And now that her secret’s out, will she do it alone?

I REALLY enjoyed reading Crossroads! The characters were very vivid, the school just like any other boarding school – well except for the fact that this was a boarding school solely for vampires.You still had all the elements from those awkward teen years at school, the kids you love/hate, the jealousy, pettiness from the other kids who don’t like you and the warmth from the kids that you know are going to be your friends one day. And just like real life – everybody has their own secrets to protect.

I’m looking forward to the next book in the series (no title yet), to see the characters grow a little bit more, what kind of trouble Katia will get herself into, if her secret can be kept hidden and if the slowly building romance between Nicolai and Katia will develop.
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Nov 21, 2012 Marina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-class-vampires, all-things-paranormal, kick-ass-heroes-heroines, in-one-word-good

Well THAT took me by surprise.
You think you have something figured out and BAM you are rewarded for the hours you spent on the book.
Crossroads includes everything it needs to keep you at the edge of your seat. It is very well-written, quick-paced, with just the right balance between suspense, action and romance.
I seriously did not figure out Katia's secret until it hit me.

But the truth is that I'm a sucker when it comes to gorgeous-boy-plus-elite-fighter trains strong-willed-plus-kick-ass-heroin...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Tishia (Paranormal Opinion) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Crossroads is the first book in the Crossroads Academy series by J.J. Bonds. It centers around a teenage girl named Katia, who enrolls at the private vampire academy. Katia is mysterious, which keeps the rumor mill flowing at the school. Deaths start happening in the nearby town, and Katia finds out that she's not the only one keeping secrets.

I feel like there isn't a whole lot to say about this book without giving anything away. The whole book is a mystery to the reader, which is both frustrat...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young Adults

(3.5 Stars) The current YA market is flooded with stories of vampires. Many of these books are mediocre at best; however, J.J. Bonds provides a unique and interesting perspective in "Crossroads."

Katia has been enrolled in the Crossroads Academy in America at her Uncle Aldo's (Head of the Vampire Council) insistance. Crossroads is a premiere school dedicated to the education of the elite 'purebread' vampires. However, little do the students know but Katia has a secret and is unwilling to share it...more (3.5 Stars) The current YA market is flooded with stories of vampires. Many of these books are mediocre at best; however, J.J. Bonds provides a unique and interesting perspective in "Crossroads."

Katia has been enrolled in the Crossroads Academy in America at her Uncle Aldo's (Head of the Vampire Council) insistance. Crossroads is a premiere school dedicated to the education of the elite 'purebread' vampires. However, little do the students know but Katia has a secret and is unwilling to share it with anyone.

Katia is virtually a loner and immediately makes a few enemies because she refuses to abide by their elitist attitudes. She spends her time studying and relishing in her self defense class. She is on the radar of Nikolai, a fellow student and teacher aide in her defense class. He recognizes her potential but Katia only sees bigotry in Nik. Nik's friends are not the nicest; so, in Katia's mind Nik is guilty by association. Additionally, one other student manages to break down some of Katia's barriers, Shaye. Shaye is down to earth, kind and has a brave spirit. Unfortunately she also has a deadly vampire blood disorder that will lead to death if a cure is not found.

What makes this book so interesting is the way the writer holds back key information leading the reader in a dance of intrigue and suspense. I kept asking myself what is Katis' secret and why is she so unwilling to trust anyone? However, this also leads to my main concern with the book. J.J. Bonds expertly writes descriptions of people, things, events, and action scenes; but, at times I felt that Katia's character was totally void of any emotional depth thus my reasoning for the 3.5 star rating. I would have liked to see more range of emotions for this character, feel her passions and angst. Instead, what I garnered was nothing more than tepid emotions. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book and will go on to read the second book in the series. I just hope that Ms. Bond, J. Bond (ha!) will allow the reader to become more emotional invested by providing greater depth for Katia.(less)

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Aug 23, 2012 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review

Be prepared, this book will consume you! It is a YA read about vampires, I know there are so many out there! But JJ Bonds has created a world that's different from most but still hold some similarities. For example,similarities, half bloods are outcast and pure bloods are the elite. But in what supernatural world would that not be the case. Differences, a disease is taking down pure blood vampires.
Katia is just arriving at a boarding school called Crossroads but not your ordinary boarding school...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance, vampires, young-adult, 2012-paranormal-reading-challenge

Originally posted at Otherwhere.co - Books. Movies. Reviewage. Awesomness.

Katia begins her new life at the elite Crossroads school in Vermont. Determined to do right by her über-powerful uncle Aldo, Katia tries to stay out of trouble and do only what she must. Of course nothing is that easy and Katia finds herself having to dig up answers and face her dark past. All while dealing with the socialite students of Crossroads and the ever confusing Nikolai.

As the story begins you know very little abo...more Originally posted at Otherwhere.co - Books. Movies. Reviewage. Awesomness.

Katia begins her new life at the elite Crossroads school in Vermont. Determined to do right by her über-powerful uncle Aldo, Katia tries to stay out of trouble and do only what she must. Of course nothing is that easy and Katia finds herself having to dig up answers and face her dark past. All while dealing with the socialite students of Crossroads and the ever confusing Nikolai.

As the story begins you know very little about Katia, other than she is dropped at Crossroads and clearly is new to this whole vamp thing. Plagued with dreams you know she has some underlying issue, but until about the last 80 pages, that’s about it. Katia is very slowly revealed and while by the end, you see where the clues were previously, it made it hard to connect with her in the beginning. In a lot of ways the world is revealed to the reader as it’s revealed to Katia.

Katia’s character was refreshing for the most part, she tried hard to be distant and tough but you could always see that she struggled with her “new” self. She didn’t like causing grief and her rebellious nature simply covered deep vulnerability. She didn’t act out to spite her parents or some other authoritative figure. Really she avoided it as much as she could, but trouble comes anyway.

Crossroads introduces us to the elitist group of blood vampires (those born into it), some of which have very bigoted perspectives of “made” vampires and even humans. While the vamp society here is clearly going for a more civilized approach, there is a ways to go. The council and the Linkuri, little more than introduced here is intriguing and as the series continues could definitely add a layer of interest to things. Especially with Katia being so connected through Uncle Aldo as well as her interest in joining the Linkuri enforcement.

Regardless of what paranormal activity abounds, high school seems to be the same. You have the same cliques, the same hierarchy, the same boring teachers, and of course the same Russian-vampire-MMA instructor-cute, boy. Katia’s need to re-invent herself lands her in training with Nikolai, one of the elite vamps with an annoying entourage. While Katia’s intentions at first are innocent, we all know where sweaty hand-to-hand combat training leads.

I spent a good chunk of this book, wondering where it was all going. I can appreciate a book that doesn’t do chapters and chapters of detail, however, I felt at times I really didn’t have enough here. Short on exposition you have to pick up clues as to what this world is as you go along. There is no up front world building, per se and while there is a more complete picture by the end, it hampered my ability to get into the story. Once I hit the last third of the book, I was finally in. There were some unexpected twists and turns and enough of Katia’s and Nikolai’s characters were revealed for me to connect and root for them. The set-up for the series is definitely decent and I am curious to see what parts Aldo, Anya and even Viktor will play.

Crossroads was a fun read and a solid start to this debut series from J.J. Bonds.(less)

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Mar 15, 2013 Morv rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, supernatural

Katia is the only relative of her Great Uncle Aldo - a very powerful man is the vampire world. When she arrives at Crossroad she keeps everyone at arms length, determined to keep her word to her Uncle and repay her 'debt' to him. She gains attention regardless of how hard she tried not to stand out, having enemies and people who want to be her friend flit around her.
In the end she is as mysterious to the reader as well as the people at the Academy. Katia has nightmares, which eased off when she...more Katia is the only relative of her Great Uncle Aldo - a very powerful man is the vampire world. When she arrives at Crossroad she keeps everyone at arms length, determined to keep her word to her Uncle and repay her 'debt' to him. She gains attention regardless of how hard she tried not to stand out, having enemies and people who want to be her friend flit around her.
In the end she is as mysterious to the reader as well as the people at the Academy. Katia has nightmares, which eased off when she stayed with her Uncle, yet only got more intense when she arrived at Crossroads.

Katia is a strong character, yet there was nothing really likeable about her, Shayne was actually a more interesting character that I wanted to know more about. Katia just seemed rather flat and very isolated - no one is ever truly isolated, no matter how hard they try. She also didn't seem to have anything that made her pop, at least nothing that would always be commented on through-out the book.
Shayne is actually an interesting side character, she is a normal vampire who happens to have a deadly illness although it's by chance of whoever gets it. She is hopeful and looks on the bright side of things, although she is bubbly and eccentric in her clothes, she does have her moments of 'normality' as well, making her more of a well rounded character.
Nik seems a bit too much like a poster boy in my opinion, although Anya gives us a story later on in the book about him, there is something that doesn't ring true about him.
Aldo and Anya, although they appear in the book, aren't really give much scope to grow and expand in this book, however that could change in this series.

The novel is a bit bland, it doesn't really get to the good stuff until near the end, there is a bit of mystery yet it seemed rushed - it could have been slowly dragged out with hints placed about, making you guess who it could have been to cause such trouble. The new enemy appear at the end was rather jolting, because you had to get used to them and what they looked like, interest of having them appear through the book, no major scenes but something that would remember them and give the story a nice twist to it.

It's a good read however, but it's not thrilling and not overly exciting either.
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Feb 23, 2013 April rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: forbidden-romance, parnormal, romance, series, vampires, ya

First I would like to thank the author, JJ Bonds, for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book.

Even from the description I could tell this book has a Vampire Academy vibe to it, and while it does, Bonds put her own twist to it and makes it her own story.

Katia is the long lost great niece of Aldo, one of the council members and pretty much the most powerful vampire out there. We are never given how Aldo came to find Katia, just that he saved her life and she has been living with h...more First I would like to thank the author, JJ Bonds, for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book.

Even from the description I could tell this book has a Vampire Academy vibe to it, and while it does, Bonds put her own twist to it and makes it her own story.

Katia is the long lost great niece of Aldo, one of the council members and pretty much the most powerful vampire out there. We are never given how Aldo came to find Katia, just that he saved her life and she has been living with him for the last year. Honestly it was hard for me to connect to Katia. She was too guarded and secretive, not interested in making any friends. The only thing she is really interested in is training in martial arts. She's obsessed with being the best. It doesn't take long for Katia to make enemies of the "in group". The only exception is Nikolai, who has agreed to help train Katia. The guy who despises Katia, Blaine is interesting. It never comes right and says it, but there are very subtle hints that he's gay with a huge crush on Nik. Kind of annoys me, just come out and say it.

Then vampire mythology are interesting in this book. There are half breeds whom have pretty much no rights and are treated like second rate citizens. We learn that the half breeds are humans that have been turned into vampires. After Katia learns that half breeds have a strong bond to their sires, she wants to confront Aldo about that information and wonders why he never mentioned that to her.

Once Katia's big secret is revealed everything starts to make sense. Her nightmares, her thirst that she can't control, and even her obsession with training. The only thing that bug me is that as a reader I feel a little betrayed. The whole time Katia had been lying to herself, pretending she is someone else. In result I feel like I've been lied to. It makes a great twist, but I was bummed out that she isn't really Aldo's niece.

The only thing that bugged me about the book, was in the middle of the murders, one of her teachers made them watch the news. They had shown some gruesome details, which would never happen in real life. I know this is fiction, but it's one of my pet peeves.

Overall the book is pretty descent. Like I mentioned earlier the idea isn't a new one, but the plot is refreshing and new. I'm not sure how I feel about Katia and Nik yet, but I'm intrigued since it has that forbidden romance to it.

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Nov 24, 2012 Booknut rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vamps-and-fangs, can-t-get-enough-of, bodies-bones-and-psychopaths

Crossroads Academy is "the preeminent finishing school for society's leading youth." Except these youth drink blood, heal astonishingly quickly and can move with stunning speed. They're vampires.

Katia, the sole heir of Aldo - one of the most powerful vampires in the world - would like nothing better than to discard her past and live a long life of isolation and kicking ass. But when Aldo enrols her at Crossroads, she grudgingly attends...making a silent resolution not to be the weak, naive and h...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not going to deny that I'm a fan of vampire stories, especially when said stories take place in a boarding school. Lucky for me, there are plenty to choose from! When J.J. Bonds approached me to review Crossroads I couldn't wait to see what new perspective she would put on this idea.

Katia is enrolled at Crossroads Academy upon her Uncle Aldo's insistence. Crossroads is a premiere facility that caters to the vampire "pure bloods" mostly, and Katia's Uncle thinks it is the best place for her....more

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Apr 23, 2012 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Boarding schools, I'm so there. Once I started this book, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I did not. This book completely took me by surprised with elements I did not see coming.

What hooked my about this book is the plot line. A young girl getting sent to a boarding school And not just any boarding school, but a private one with nothing but vampires. On top of that, Katia is not all what she seems. I thought I knew her and knew where the plot is going when suddenly it took a twist reve...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Chapter by Chapter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Crossroads by J.J. Bonds was a read that took me by surprise. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find when I started reading this book. With the vampire genre beaten to death, and with the stories sounding all too familiar, Crossroads was an intriguing and refreshing read. Fans of Vampire Academy by Richelle Meade will really enjoy this series by J.J. Bonds.

Katia finds herself being shipped off to an elite school for vampires called Crossroads Academy. After enjoying a life with her Uncle Aldo in...more Crossroads by J.J. Bonds was a read that took me by surprise. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find when I started reading this book. With the vampire genre beaten to death, and with the stories sounding all too familiar, Crossroads was an intriguing and refreshing read. Fans of Vampire Academy by Richelle Meade will really enjoy this series by J.J. Bonds.

Katia finds herself being shipped off to an elite school for vampires called Crossroads Academy. After enjoying a life with her Uncle Aldo in Romania, Katia finds it a totally different scene when she arrives at the school. Even with her powerful name and connections, Katia still finds herself as a stranger looking in.

Luckily for her, she finds a few friends that have made her life at Crossroads Academy more enjoyable and not so torturous. But with dreams that haunt her day and night, and a dark secret that she and her uncle have hidden from everyone, will Katia ever find some sort of normalcy in her crazy world?

With a disturbing violent trend that has hit the neighbouring human town, it now seems that Katia’s past has come back to haunt her…or rather hunt her! Will her secrets be revealed? Will she loose the only people that she has come to trust at Crossroads Academy? Kill or be killed takes on a whole new role as Katia comes face to face with her nightmare.

If you’re looking for a kick ass chick who can pretty much take care of herself, Katia is your girl. Aside from the fact that she seems to be constantly angry and veers far, far away from forming any friendships, Katia is a pretty awesome character. Bu when she starts to let her guard down a little, and we see the softer side of her, what’s there not to love about this character? Throw in a shady past that we don’t find out about until near the end, she is pretty fascinating.

And let’s not forget about Nik. Nik who is obviously crushing on Katia. Nik who is so skilled at fighting that Katia has one on one lessons to hone in on her skills. Which, by the way, reminded me a little bit of the gym scene in Vampire Academy where Rose and Dmitri are training in the gym, which I loved! Nik, who is described to be so gorgeous and full of heart.

What did I really enjoy about this book? The fact that author, J.J. Bonds, does a pretty amazing job describing scenes involving fighting and/or violence. The training that both Katia and Nik do are described to the tees. I can easily picture the images in my head. The stances, the kicks, the punches, the rolls, the target training…everything! And not only were the training montages vivid, but the actual fight scenes were amazingly described. I could almost smell the sweat and blood as I was reading. I could easily imagine hearing the crushing of the leaves and picture Katia holding her crossbow awaiting for her prey to emerge out of the trees.

The twists and turns found in the book were well done, and done in a way in which J.J. Bonds incorporates Katia’s past into her present is done seamlessly. I mean, come on! Who doesn’t enjoy delving in to a characters past to see where and what she came from? How things came to be? Gotta love the story within the story.

I recommend Crossroads by J.J. Bonds to fans of Richelle Meade’s Vampire Academy, and for fans of vampire reads in general. You will not be sorry that you picked this one up. It has some of the typical vampire clichés but also has different elements that readers will come to enjoy.(less)

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May 25, 2012 Radiant rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book was definitely different from the most of the same category books and mostly intriguing..

I love Katia as a character..she is strong-headed,no fun business,absolutely NOT the regular damsel in distress category.She challenges herself all the time.

The book weaves an an interesting plot starting with katia starting academy and all her past is in question?And her secrecy,nightmares,trust issues make it more suspenseful - what the hell is she hiding?Though we do get a clue - not until the mo...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Nassima rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: beautiful-covers, boarding-school-setting, favourites, great-cover-models, killed-me, reviewed, 4-star

I am searching for the right word to express my reaction after finishing this book.

~~Fuck~~

~~HOLY!~~
~~What just happened?~~

DAMN.

That's pretty much sums it up.

Damn.

Love it love it love it love it love it love it love it! This book was full of surprises. I just can't. My mind is literally blown right now. This book is definitely a favorite. I love every character, especially Katia. She may be one of my favorite female leads. She was definitely strong and brave. She had her won secrets which surprised the hell...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Revati Ragini rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's fairly rare that I have to actually FORCE myself to finish reading a book, but that's what happened here.

There was some new perspectives to the vampire world here, but I really detested the non-English words, especially when the author mixed them up. They weren't used often enough to give the reader an instant recall of the meaning either.

The love story was lacking, I just didn't feel it. The typical mean girl was also a bit lacking. Overall I was disappointed but I can see where others w...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Mandy (I read Indie) Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Katia is starting a new chapter of her life at Crossroads Academy with a heavy secret weighing on her. She will not get close enough to anyone for them to figure it out. But as we all know kids can be downright ruthless. And the spoiled kids at Crossroads are no different. Sure they are interested in who Katia is and the mystery surrounding her but not enough where they will be sweet and welcoming. So when one girl is nice to Katia, it takes some time to form a friendship and open up to her. It...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Jennifer (a.k.a The Book Nympho) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook

High school is hard for everyone, vampires included. Throw in the fact that this a stuck up private school and things are even more bloodier. Katia is the new student, with family ties to a very powerful vampire but all she wants is to go unnoticed. But there is always that one girl or group of girls in high school that just loves to make someone's life a living hell. And let's not forget there is always a hot guy, Nikolai.

Yes it all sounds very high schoolish but it's not that bad of a read. If...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Tas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural-paranormal, vampire-fiction

I had almost given up on this genre until I found Crossroads. I liked it. I loved it! The writing style, the plot, the setting, the characters and especially Katia- I never thought I would find a paranormal fiction where the female protagonist is not constantly crying, needing to be saved, making lovey-dovey eyes at the first hot guy she meets at her new school, is a complete social outcast and oh-so-sorry-for-herself; Katia defies them all and I just love her for who she is- in her words, not j...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Tara Parsell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Thoughts: I heard about Crossroads from a few different bloggers and decided to give it a try...The summary made it seem a little close to Vampire Academy (which I loved) but I enjoyed that this actual story was nothing like that series.

I'm going to start by saying that it's a big pet peeve of mine when the narrator of the story is lying, or hiding truths from the readers. It's hard for me to like the main character when I can't trust her. I know that is probably a completely ridiculous pet p...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Melanie Mccrackin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am not typically a fan of vampire storylines but the synopsis for Crossroads intrigued me enough to try it out. I had a very hard time putting the book down as the characters really jumped out. JJ Bonds is a wonderful storyteller with what I consider to be a very original POV of the vampire society in her story world. ( at least, it was to me). I loved Katia's backstory & her evolving character. She is tough as nails "I don't need any friends here" gal ( & a kick-butt heroine!) who slo...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Novareylin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone that loves vamps or young adult vampire with a bit of horror and romance!

Recommended to Novareylin by: Parajunkee.com

Shelves: 2012

This book starts ok enough, introducing the characters and whatnot. You meet Katia right away and she’s your average teenager, except that she’s also a vampire. Then chapter two starts and the first thing Katia says is “FML” when she wakes up late for her first official day of school. I knew then that I was going to love this book. Katia is a lot like the teenagers out there today and even though she has a LOT of stuff going on that maybe the teenagers of humans don’t have to deal with, she is s...more This book starts ok enough, introducing the characters and whatnot. You meet Katia right away and she’s your average teenager, except that she’s also a vampire. Then chapter two starts and the first thing Katia says is “FML” when she wakes up late for her first official day of school. I knew then that I was going to love this book. Katia is a lot like the teenagers out there today and even though she has a LOT of stuff going on that maybe the teenagers of humans don’t have to deal with, she is still a teenager and she acts like one. In good and bad ways. Her choices are stubborn, she makes up her mind and whether right or wrong she sticks to her guns but she doesn’t try to get along with anyone. She has only one agenda and it’s that agenda that holds her away from everyone and from living her life.

JJ Bonds purposefully doesn’t tell us what Katia is going through and I hated it! The entire time I was guessing and then second guessing myself. Trying to figure out who the culprits were who were upsetting Katia so much. JJ Bonds writes Katia so well that you just want to protect her, to pull her under your arm and tell her it’s going to be ok. Not that Katia will ever accept that and you’d probably want to keep her away from your throat! But the fact that JJ Bonds does a great job of showing us tiny itty bitty clues throughout the entire book and then whipping us upside the head just when you thought you have it all figured out. Not nice by the way but it makes for a really fun read!

As you can tell, I really enjoyed reading about Katia, more than just her also. The other characters, like her uncle and even the jerks that don’t like her at school, are well thought out and interesting. Only downside which isn’t really JJ Bonds fault is that this story seems to be played over and over. The whole school thing is interesting though and JJ Bonds has a way of telling it that makes it a unique perspective. I would definitely say if you’ve read Marked but didn’t like it, give Crossroads a try. It’s different and the twists are great and take you by surprise. Plus the way the vampire rules are set makes it maybe not better but again, unique and definitely a fun read.

After being a bit disappointed with Salem’s Lot and Dracula, I was glad that JJ Bonds brings us vampires that we can fall in love with! And I am reviewing book two, Red Dawn as well which makes me dance in my seat!(less)

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Nov 17, 2012 Adriane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, ya-paranormal-fiction

This is the first book in the crossroads academy stories. There are aspects of old school vampire lore, burning in direct sun contact, drinking blood, and super evil crazy ones. One aspect that's gone is that the teenage vampires aren't nocturnal which is a little weird to me.

The vampire politics in this one are interesting, there's a way for vampires to breed so pure blood vampires have special status, while those that aren't pure blood have no status due to the fact that they more easily succ...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Anjie Kendall rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-ya

I role played in a Vampire game for years, so I know that vampires can be some of the most back-stabbing, petty, vengeful creatures ever. They make teenage girls look like pussy cats. J. J. Bonds got it so right in this book. I do love some vampire political intrigue. Oh, this was so good. And the secret keeps you guessing until the end. I figured it out, but that didn't stop me from finishing to see how it played out. I loved how vampires are born in this series, and not just created. Katia was...more

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May 07, 2013 Atalia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a good beginning to a great series. Though it's part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone as it has an ending so you don't need to read to second one in order to finish what's going on in this one. The beginning of the novel was a bit too slow for me. I had to take a break and read other books before coming back to this one. I'm glad I didn't give up on this one though because the action and suspense makes up for the slow start. There were many twists and turns that kept you rea...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More reviews at Rondo of a Possible World: YA Book Reviews

After the Vampire tend started to die down in YA literature I began to peek my head out of the proverbial hidey-hole. Bouncing back into the subgenre, J.J. Bonds made my re-entrance a grand one. Crossroads gave me a confident feel once more for the lore of Vampires.

Going into this novel I had a tinge of Vampire Academy mixed with Vampire Knight going on along side me. The concept of bring vampires into a schooling facility to train them...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Eryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I was reading was dying to know this girl's story, one of those books you can stay up all night reading and not realize it.

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May 25, 2012 Gaby rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hated-it, vampire, dnf

I'm a big fan of vampire boarding schools books but I couldn't get into the novel at all. The characters seemed very flat and boring. The main character is very anti social but does open up after a while. Katia also has a big secret that she feels she can't share with anyone. I was curious to find out what that big secret was but not enough to continue the novel. I read in other reviews that it does gets better and that there is a big twist towards the end but my lack of interest in the characte...more

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About J.J. Bonds

J.J. Bonds is an independent author who writes Young Adult Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy. She is the author of the bestselling Crossroads Academy series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her obsession with all things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious dogs. Loves Buffy, Mexican food, and zombies. Sings off key.

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Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)

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