Initiation (Bonfire Academy, #1)

Mar 04, 2012 Giselle rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, ebook, did-not-finish

Note: As this is a DNF, I'm not writing a detailed review, just stating why I didn't like it. For the same reason, this review will not appear on my blog.
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This was not what I was expecting. I was sure I would like it as I love books with boarding school settings and it sounded very intriguing. But I just wasn't interested in the characters, nor the plot.

I found the dialogue very hard to believe. The way The protagonist speaks is sometimes too formal, as well as always stating the obvious as if...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Tana rated it 4 of 5 stars

First I have to say I absolutely loved this book, Imogen Rose is a fantastic author, the storyline and character descriptions were well written and she gave you enough information to get to know each of them, and fall in love with a few. Initiation was one of those novels you don’t put down and I definitely will be following this series.

Welcome to Bonfire Academy a school for supernatural’s...we first meet Cordelia who has decided to stay for a third year at Bonfire Academy so she could build u...more First I have to say I absolutely loved this book, Imogen Rose is a fantastic author, the storyline and character descriptions were well written and she gave you enough information to get to know each of them, and fall in love with a few. Initiation was one of those novels you don’t put down and I definitely will be following this series.

Welcome to Bonfire Academy a school for supernatural’s...we first meet Cordelia who has decided to stay for a third year at Bonfire Academy so she could build up her skills and play tennis. Her first day back she is asked to go to the student president’s office for a meeting which is very unusual as the student president is normally kept a secret throughout the year, curiosity gets the better of her and she heads to the meeting. Here we meet Jagger; he asks Cordelia if she would be interested in becoming a mentor for a new initiate, Faustine who is half human and half demon. Cordelia wants to refuse but because of the unique situation she agrees. Cordelia and Faustine are both demon princesses and Cordelia realizes that because Faustine is half human this may put her in some difficult situations with so many other supernatural’s around the school.

This story is full of mystery, suspense and a fantastic love triangle. Quinn who is Cordelia long time boyfriend is kind, caring and you fall in love with his character. Jaggar also has great qualities and knows that Cordelia and he somehow ended up synced together. The feelings that occur when they are together are intense and it appears like they have mated. So besides Cordelai dealing or should I say not dealing with all that going on in her life she still has to mentor Faustine.

When Faustine and Cordelia are attacked and strange things happen, one Cordelia dies and Faustine disappears into thin air, thank god Jaggar saves Cordelia and they find Faustine fast asleep in bed. Unsure of what happened and who attacked them Cordelia knows she needs to protect Faustine and figure out what is going on.

This story is fantastic and all I can say is it’s a must read, great beginning to what I think is going to be a superb series. The story does not focus on a lot of romance it is more action, suspense and mystery mixed with some romance. The author did an amazing job giving us a wonderful story, great characters and I cannot wait to read book two. I would recommend Initiation to all my friends and anyone who loves paranormal novels.
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Sep 25, 2012 Christy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cordelia is a demon princess who is starting her third and final year at a private school for paranormals; The Bonfire Academy. Cordelia is expecting her last year to be easy with nothing to do except concentrating on Tennis and her boyfriend, Quinn, but the Student Council President has other ideas for her.

Cordelia is asked to mentor a half-human/half-demon twelve year old girl named Faustine, who is also a demon princess. After being attacked, Cordelia quickly realizes that her last year at t...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Becca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Originally posted at OMFG!Books

The cover was the first thing that got me. I know, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover but sometimes it's really hard not to! The striking eye and the half face close up really suckered me in. I jumped at the chance to be able to review Initiation.

I was completely unaware that this was actually a prequel series to Imogen's first series - The Bonfire Chronicles - which apparently centers around Faustine, the demon-human hybrid that the main character in Initiat...more Originally posted at OMFG!Books

The cover was the first thing that got me. I know, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover but sometimes it's really hard not to! The striking eye and the half face close up really suckered me in. I jumped at the chance to be able to review Initiation.

I was completely unaware that this was actually a prequel series to Imogen's first series - The Bonfire Chronicles - which apparently centers around Faustine, the demon-human hybrid that the main character in Initiation, Cordelia, is entrusted to mentor and protect. But I'm not going to get ahead of myself.

Initiation reels you in and hooks you from the very first line. Trust no one. Immediately I was captivated and I wanted to read and read and read until I was finished, but alas I had to work. I was immediately intrigued by the storyline. I am a sucker for any boarding school kind of story but especially the supernatural kind. I thought it was very interesting and original that there was more than two supernatural species that call the Academy home. There are demons, vampires, witches, shifters, and even hybrids. I wondered how Imogen was going to do it and she did a fantastic job.

I will say that Initiation is not for the squeamish. They are teenagers and they are supernatural. Regular human teenagers can be vulgar at the best of times but throw into that them being supernatural and there being animosity between some species and, well, hormones flying around, and that is a recipe for sex and violence, which there are plenty of in Initiation. While the sex isn't exactly described, it is still very much there.

Cordelia is a strong lead. She is a full blooded demon. She has good characterization but the one thing that bothered me about the book overall was the love triangle. While her and Jagger have off the charts chemistry I didn't like that she was a) hot and cold with him and b) cheating on her boyfriend Quinn. I understood that she was torn but the cheating thing just really rubbed me the wrong way. That said, I still really like her with Jagger.

There are plenty of great characters in this book besides Cordelia. There's Jagger, Quinn, Faustine, and many more. A way Imogen kept people on their toes was that if you're a student at the Academy, you cannot ask another paranormal what they are. That creates a lot of mystery and intrigue around characters.

Initiation is chock full of action, suspense, romance and all around bad-assery. If you're looking for a page turner that will keep you hooked, Initiation is the way to go!
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Aug 16, 2012 Laura Hartley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Firstly, I absolutely love the cover. The piercing red eye is just so gorgeous and I can't seem to draw my eyes away from it!

I was completely hooked from the moment I read the very first page of Initiation. This is such a compelling and interesting read that it was simply impossible to put down once I'd started.

I loved how this was a really easy book to read. The words simply flowed off the page and it required very little effort to read this book. It's the sort of book that you fly through in a...more Firstly, I absolutely love the cover. The piercing red eye is just so gorgeous and I can't seem to draw my eyes away from it!

I was completely hooked from the moment I read the very first page of Initiation. This is such a compelling and interesting read that it was simply impossible to put down once I'd started.

I loved how this was a really easy book to read. The words simply flowed off the page and it required very little effort to read this book. It's the sort of book that you fly through in a few hours without even realising that any time has passed at all. Some parts of the story weren't properly developed and I thought they were a little rushed but for the most part, this was a well structured and well written book with a really interesting plot line.

I was quite surprised by the story line for some reason. For starters, there are many more paranormal creatures than I imagined with faeries, shifters, demons, vampires, wanderers and witches. Some things that the characters do are completely unpredictable and surprising which I both like and dislike. I suppose this was because we don't really know the characters all that well yet and the academy's second golden rule: 'Trust no one', doesn't help when you're trying to figure out what everyone's up to. The action started pretty much from the beginning and continued all the way through. Some pretty gruesome things happened along the way which I was not expecting at all, but I like it when a book surprises me.

The chemistry between the characters is great and that really helped to cement this story. The majority of the characters are new to each other so they all had a certain air of mystery about them as we don't have any prior knowledge of any of them. My favourite character was Jagger because he just sounds so sexy. He has a really commanding presence and I love the way he is written in the novel. I find the character of Faustine a little annoying because I found Cordelia's love life far more interesting than Faustine's initiation, but that's probably just me.

One problem for me was that I liked too many of the characters. There was a sort of love square going on between Cordelia, Jagger, Quinn and Jewel and because I liked all of these characters I couldn't decide which team I was on. Another thing that bothered me was that because I liked all of these characters, it didn't really seem wrong to me that two of the characters were cheating on their girlfriend/boyfriend, when of course it was.

All in all, Initiation is a great paranormal book with lots of excitement and drama and I'd highly recommend it for fans of young adult paranormal romances! :)(less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Buffy Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There’s a warning on the book that states the following: “This YA story is set in a school for paranormals who are very different from normal human teens. Thus, the language and some scenes might not be appropriate for younger YA readers. Recommended for those sixteen and above.” There’s a reason for it! The paranormal world, even for teens, is depicted a lot more violent and carnal than I’m used to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not really a bad thing, but there is a graphic death scene, and some gn...more There’s a warning on the book that states the following: “This YA story is set in a school for paranormals who are very different from normal human teens. Thus, the language and some scenes might not be appropriate for younger YA readers. Recommended for those sixteen and above.” There’s a reason for it! The paranormal world, even for teens, is depicted a lot more violent and carnal than I’m used to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not really a bad thing, but there is a graphic death scene, and some gnarly fights, and sex, while never “shown”, is viewed at pretty much expected, let alone natural.

It’s a neat take on young paranormals and a school they might attend, as there are classes about the individual species histories, personalized learning, and the “politics” are pretty different than I’ve seen before. There’s also just about every kind of paranormal you can get thrown in. Fey, trolls, demons, shape shifters, vampires, witches, and don’t even get me started on the Wanderers.

What was cool was that at one point I wanted to scream because there was a theory I had about a pair of characters and everyone seemed to be completely missing it! Within a couple pages of hanging on the edge of losing it over this, the solution is figured out and I discover I was only half right anyway. I love when a story is not totally predictable!

Other than that though, I had several problems with it too. For one, punishments didn’t seem very severe…at all. While I understand why, I still felt that sex was viewed far too casually, but that’s just me I suppose. Some of the mystery in the plot and the characters’ brain storming over it just ended up confusing me. Perhaps the thing that bothered me the most, was that there was almost zero resolution to the love triangle that evolves right at the beginning of the book, and as a romance fan I focus on that so that really bugged me. I get that it’s supposed to be the start of a series, but I still would’ve appreciated a little more progress in that department.

One thing to keep in mind about this book is that while it’s book 1 in The Bonfire Academy series, it’s actually a prequel/tie-in series to other works by the author. There were times I felt like I was missing something because of a casual reference made here and there I think it’s because of that prequel/tie-in aspect. Personally I was all turned around trying to figure out where this fell in the time line of all the books, but hopefully y’all will have better luck.

Initiation is an exciting trip into the world of paranormal teenagers. There’s an interesting side to people, there’s fun, there’s romance, and there’s personal growth and triumphs. Delve into your baser instincts to relate to some of the things these teens deal with every day. It’s definitely worth a look!(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Nerdstheword rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not quite sure what to say about this book. In all honesty, it probably deserves more of a 3.5, but what can I say? I'm feeling generous in my (forced) rounding. It's... different. And I had never quite read anything like it.
I guess if you've read the actual series that centers around Faustine, you may be familiar with the very different paranormal world introduced by Imogen Rose; as for me, I have not, so the environment in Initiation was a bit of a shock.
For starters, you have a badass...more I'm not quite sure what to say about this book. In all honesty, it probably deserves more of a 3.5, but what can I say? I'm feeling generous in my (forced) rounding. It's... different. And I had never quite read anything like it.
I guess if you've read the actual series that centers around Faustine, you may be familiar with the very different paranormal world introduced by Imogen Rose; as for me, I have not, so the environment in Initiation was a bit of a shock.
For starters, you have a badass demon protagonist named Cordelia who morphs from a pretty blonde chick to a terrifying,red, hideous creature at will. She goes to an academy for paranormals, which includes vampires, shifters, faeries, and... trolls. These supernatural beings don't have the same morals as us humans, and that becomes VERY apparent rather quickly. Attacks between the students are common, sometimes going as far as to kill one another. Also, these teen paranormals aren't exactly shy about that taboo "s-word" that is annoyingly skirted around by most teen and YA authors. In case you can't guess, I mean sex. Not that its explicit in any way, which is good considering the number of times it occurs.
Speaking of, the romance side to this incredibly action-packed story was done very well, except I wanted to kill Cordelia, Jagger, and, for absolutely no rational reason, Quinn pretty much the entire time. But mostly Jagger. ANYWAY, you'll just have to read it to know what the heck I'm talking about.
What loved about Initiation can be summed up in one word: Cordelia. Even though she's a tough, independent demon, you can tell within the first few chapters what a sweetie she is underneath all of her quirky toughness. For one, she acts as the best big sister EVER to Faustine, even though the two aren't related and Faustine is taking up most of Cordelia's time. For another, Cordelia acts more "human" than the half-human Faustine in the first place, and I mean that is the best way possible.
All in all, Initiation is just too much of an original, entertaining read for me not to recommend it. It's got tons of suspense, a superb environment, and action combined with plenty of(kinda hot) romance as well. If you're a mature enough reader looking for a fun book to read, this one's for you!(less)

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Apr 05, 2012 Novels On The Run rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

MICHELLE'S REVIEW:

RATING : 3.75 JAGGER STARS!

‘Initiation’ was a nice easy read and I enjoyed it. The story starts off almost like we should already know Cordelia and Jagger. That is the feel I got. Which isn’t a bad thing, it just felt different.

Initiation follows Cordelia a Demon Princess who is mentoring Faustine, a nearly 13 year old half human, half demon at Bonfire Academy. Location, St. Moritz , Switzerland. Talk about WOW! location.

I love Academy books. I actively search them out to read....more

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Mar 15, 2012 Romancing the Book rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, ya

Reviewed By~Lisa
Review Copy Provided By~Bewitching Book Tour

When Cordelia Hammer returns to The Bonfire Academy to begin her voluntary third year she could never have imagined how her life would change. The Bonfire Academy is a prep school hidden in St. Moritz, Switzerland that is exclusive to the elite paranormal society. Students come from all over the world to learn how to control and develop their paranormal skills. Since Cordelia’s third year was an enrichment year, she planned to work on h...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Misty Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have this little black book I carry everywhere in my purse, it’s small, tattered and to most people looks like it is filled with junk, but to me it’s important. See…a few years ago (ok…like 15) when I wrote my first book I strived to be just like everyone else. I thought conformity is what the world wanted, (an a-typical 3 part story with exactly 2 upsets and 1 very dramatic ending.) Then one day when I was curled up in a chair in the library I spotted (laying on the floor in a corner) this be...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Al rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011, kindle

Think about the average high school, full of hormonal teens pushing all the limits set by those in authority (I had to dig deep into my repressed memory to remember. If I can do it, so can you.). Now give those teens paranormal powers that they are still learning to control (not unlike those hormones in humans). In fact, learning about their just emerging powers — how to control them, and how to put them to the proper use — is the reason the Bonfire Academy exists. With werewolves, vampires, sha...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Jenna Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I finished reading Initiation, the first realization I had of the novel is that it resembles Harry Potter in a lot of ways. It’s not the same as the epic HP series, but Initiation is a good novel in a very different way.

I can confidently say that the story’s original. There wasn’t a clear plot in the first place, it was until later on that I realized that the first plot was the real thing already. I hated this part of the novel. I will tell you why, I didn’t actually know what to expect in...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Mandy (I read Indie) Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Initiation is book one to the Bonfire Academy series...which in turn is a prequel series to the Bonfire Chronicles. Please keep in mind; although the book is considered YA… there is mention of sex and some pretty graphic fighting scenes.

Initiation follows Cordelia, a demon, as she starts back to school after classes had been closed down due to a fire. Now that school is back in session Cordelia plans on focusing her attention on tennis this year and her boyfriend Quinn. But not long after being...more Initiation is book one to the Bonfire Academy series...which in turn is a prequel series to the Bonfire Chronicles. Please keep in mind; although the book is considered YA… there is mention of sex and some pretty graphic fighting scenes.

Initiation follows Cordelia, a demon, as she starts back to school after classes had been closed down due to a fire. Now that school is back in session Cordelia plans on focusing her attention on tennis this year and her boyfriend Quinn. But not long after being there her plans get changed as she is asked to be a mentor to Faustine, a half human, half demon. When a horrific run in with some shifters happens on the first day, a series of strange events are set into motion. One being Faustine starts disappearing, literally. Now Cordelia must help find out what is going on with Faustine and figure out why she is having some extreme feelings for Jagger who by the way is not her boyfriend.

Ok I really liked this book. I wasn’t blown away by it but it was it was a good read none the less. I found the storyline interesting and had to keep reading to find out why Faustine kept disappearing. I also had to know who this Ryker character was. Mr. Mysterious had me wondering. But what the flip was up with no repercussions for people’s actions? If you try to kill someone they ship you off to another school. And apparently with that epilogue no actions are final. (Like that I added that in there? Yep that will keep you guessing.)

There were a few things I wasn’t wild about though. Like Cordelia’s lack of interest in Quinn’s feelings while she was getting busy with Jagger. Sure she didn’t mind getting it on with him, but when Jagger tells her to dump Quinn…she acted all appalled. Really? I guess if you are a demon your ideas of morals and values are different than that of a regular human. And I really couldn’t figure out why she was keeping Quinn around. They hardly ever saw each other and when they did it was like a brother and sister relationship. Their whole relationship was just kind of odd to me. *shrugs*

I enjoyed the characters pretty much, but felt some weren’t developed enough to get a good connection with them. Like Quinn, I actually forgot what paranormal he was half way in. There just wasn’t enough detail about him to care what happened to him or not. To me, he felt like an errand boy most of the time. I did like being in Cordelia’s head throughout the book though. She really is a strong lead character, despite her lack of judgment when it came to Jagger. But can you blame a girl? Jagger is one hot faery!

I hope to be able to read Integration so I can see what comes next for these quirky kids. I also need to know who Cordelia likes as the ending was very vauge as to who she wants to be with. I am hoping Jagger. She really needs to make an honest man out of him *snickers*

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Mar 09, 2012 Liz at Fictional Candy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: super-power, paranormal, school

As a book blogger I have a very hectic “book life”. My “To Be Read” pile is enormous. I wanted in this tour as soon as I saw it on the Bewitching Blog Tours site. Then I got the book, and paid it no mind until it was time to read. Then I opened it up on my kindle. Over 400 pages! My first thought was “oh no, what have I got myself into???” Seriously, I was worried.

And that was the most useless thought I’ve had in a very long time because – no joke – this book had me hooked from the very first pa...more As a book blogger I have a very hectic “book life”. My “To Be Read” pile is enormous. I wanted in this tour as soon as I saw it on the Bewitching Blog Tours site. Then I got the book, and paid it no mind until it was time to read. Then I opened it up on my kindle. Over 400 pages! My first thought was “oh no, what have I got myself into???” Seriously, I was worried.

And that was the most useless thought I’ve had in a very long time because – no joke – this book had me hooked from the very first page, and I barely put it down until I was finished. Less than 24 hours later (which includes work, some sleep, and a bit of time with my daughter) and I was done.

So lets start, eh? This is a super power / paranormal private school type book. But that’s about where the similarities to any other private school book end. Perhaps this book is YA, but it’s definitely on the higher end. There is violence and swearing, and there is some steam, but not outright steam. Got it?

Cordelia is a third year student at Bonfire Academy, which is an ultra posh paranormal prep school in Switzerland (interesting note – that’s where the author is from!). She isn’t required to attend this year, but she does so that she can focus on tennis a bit more. Because demons have interests outside of being well, demonic. That’s when Jagger, uber hot Student Council President fae, assigns her to a new student as a mentor. It should be easy, since both girls are demonic princesses. Yep, I told you it was an ultra posh school! The new student is Faustine, and she’s only 12. But she is rare in the fact that she is half human. The paranormal beings often procreate outside their own race, but hardly ever with us humans.

“My words were supposed to come out in a firm demonic growl, but instead, they slithered out in an unfortunate raspy whisper”

Then something happens between Jagger and Cordelia that is 1) totally unexpected, and 2) totally life changing. And I loved every minute of it!! If there is one thing I could wish for this book, or this series, is more Jagger and Cordelia!! Of course, Cordelia has a boyfriend, Quinn, but who cares?? He is clearly not the one for her. She needs to drop him like a hot demon potato and get with some hunky fae Student Council President action!

This book has a lot going on. You’ve got vampires, weres, shifters, demons, fae and even more. And here’s something great – they don’t all get along! And this creates a ton of drama and mystery at school. You expect that you can go to school and feel safe walking down the hallway, but at Bonfire, things are more than a little different!

Something else that I absolutely loved – when demons or shifters shift into their paranormal form, it doesn’t mean that they turn into some 7 foot beautiful demigod of a being. Nope. Some of them are downright ugly and repulsive. Perfect!! It was surprise after surprise in this book, and I love how Imogen Rose has not only bent the rules, she’s downright broken and rewrote them.

Cordelia, that poor girl haha. She really takes a beating in this book. I hope the rest of her life doesn’t go on like her third year at Bonfire, because she’s spent so much time in the infirmary she should get a personal room there! Anyhow, she is a wonderful character. She has heart and a conscience, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t a demon.

And there is a myriad of colorful characters to choose from. Mysterious Jagger, helpful Quinn, naïve Faustine, mile a minute Martha, and Ryker – another mystery. You will definitely not get bored reading this book, and I couldn’t recommend it any more than this! Read it! Love it! Come back here and tell me what you thought, cause I love to dish about my favorite books. And that’s where this book is going, my favorites list!
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Mar 01, 2012 Shieka( Doctor's Notes) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first glance at the new cover for this book I was drawn in. The cover is just delightful.Initiation is a book about Bonfire Academy a school for aparanormals to learn about their abilities and hope to cope with them. The descritptions used to describe the school are so vivid they paint such a lovely visual for readers. The school sounds so enchanting and like such a beautiful place. We start off by meeting Cordelia who is a demon princess.Cordelia sucked me in right away because she is fearle...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kickass-heroine, okay-romance, vamps, fae-books, academy

I thought I would be throughly impressed by this book because it mentioned a private academy for unique groups of people, and I love academies or books like that. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for this book. I liked the idea of having mixed species and different abilities, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on with Faustine.
But, I felt that the love triangle between the Cordelia, Jagger, and Quinn just pissed me off. She would go hot one moment and cold the next, always wan...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Tishia (Paranormal Opinion) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Initiation is the first book in the Bonfire Academy series by Imogen Rose. It's actually a prequel series to the Bonfire Chronicles. This book centers mostly around Cordelia, a beautiful girl who turns into a demon. She is a strong lead character whose life is in danger. She ends up being a victim to what many think is just a random act of violence. Cordelia knows that she's been targeted though, and will do anything to find out the truth.

This is supposed to be a young adult series, but I would...more Initiation is the first book in the Bonfire Academy series by Imogen Rose. It's actually a prequel series to the Bonfire Chronicles. This book centers mostly around Cordelia, a beautiful girl who turns into a demon. She is a strong lead character whose life is in danger. She ends up being a victim to what many think is just a random act of violence. Cordelia knows that she's been targeted though, and will do anything to find out the truth.

This is supposed to be a young adult series, but I wouldn't recommend it to younger teens. There is sex involved, though those parts aren't described. Cordelia ends up in a love triangle, and apparently the paranormals in this book have different values than I do. Cordelia has been with Quinn for a while, but feels instant attraction when meeting Jagger. They actually sync when they first meet. I'm not sure we are told exactly what that means in this case – probably that they are meant to be together. Instead of breaking things off with Quinn, Cordelia sneaks around behind his back. There isn't a resolution to the love triangle, and that is the main issue I had with this book. I don't really like to read about cheating (for personal reasons), and I have trouble getting past that. But moving on...

There was great characterization and world building. There are many different characters and types of paranormal creatures in this book. Nobody is allowed to ask each other what they are – school policy. This leaves a lot of mystery behind some of the characters. There are some gruesome scenes and a lot of action/suspense. For romance lovers, I will admit that Cordelia and Jagger have some great chemistry.

There are a lot of scenes involving Faustine, who is 12-13 year old girl that Cordelia mentors. She is an interesting character that has some very mysterious traits. Imogen Rose has also written a book titled Faustine that is the first book of the Bonfire Chronicles. In that book, Faustine is older so it was interesting for me to read about her in this book and see how it all started. The book Faustine was written before this one so it seems a little confusing. Overall though, this is a good book that will keep paranormal lovers on their toes and flipping the pages. (less)

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Sep 15, 2012 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: demons, fantasy, paranormal, romance, shapeshifters, vamps, ya

GENRE: YA Paranormal
THEME: Demon/Romance/Fae/Shifters
RECEIVED: Review for Author
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/

3.5 stars

REVIEW:
I’ve read my fair share of books based in academies and I have to say I’ve loved every single one of them, each has their own fantastic personality that I enjoyed. Initiation was brought to me and I couldn’t be more excited to read it, it has mystery, romance, violence and humor all mixed in one.

Initiation follows Cordelia, a demon who is starting up school again...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cordelia Hammer thought she was returning to Bonfire Academy for a year of improving her tennis game and spending time with her boyfriend Quinn. She chose to go back because she thought it would be easy, fun and relaxing.

She already learned everything the school had to teach her. She had the three rules of Bonfire Academy down cold. She knew how to control her abilities. And she knew just who to avoid.

But when she was ordered into Frau Schmelder’s office on her very first day and was told she wa...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Candy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me lay it out for you. This is a five star book. Period. Heck, I think nearly all of Imogen Rose's books are five stars in my eyes so far. It's kind of crazy. Did the author make a deal with the devil or something to get this level of pure talent or what? Or maybe one of these demons from this book? Hmmm...

So. I'm conflicted, confounded, confused... I'm something... about this book. I really liked Faustine, the first "book" in the series. I'll admit when I got this request for review (and th...more Let me lay it out for you. This is a five star book. Period. Heck, I think nearly all of Imogen Rose's books are five stars in my eyes so far. It's kind of crazy. Did the author make a deal with the devil or something to get this level of pure talent or what? Or maybe one of these demons from this book? Hmmm...

So. I'm conflicted, confounded, confused... I'm something... about this book. I really liked Faustine, the first "book" in the series. I'll admit when I got this request for review (and then bought it because I loved it so much and wanted to share with others), I was really a little disappointed that she was putting out a prequel already. It seemed odd. I'm so used to those coming 2-3 books after a series is going.

My confliction (is that a word? No? I just made it up! YES!) comes from the fact that I think I liked Cordelia a whole heck of a lot more than Faustine (the character). I mean A LOT more. In fact, I'll say that there were a few times when I thought Faustine was just downright annoying in this particular book. I think that was because Cordelia comes off as such an amazing strong and deep character that she completely overshadowed everyone else she came into contact with - the good news is that this covers up those few times that I was on the Faustine-hate-train.

So, book 2 (errr... 3... err.. whatever) will be out eventually. Who do I want to read more of? Faustine or Cordelia? It's very confusing - you see my problem right? I SHOULD want to read more about Faustine, but right at this moment, two days after reading it, I could care less about that brat. Bring more Cordelia, baby!

Having said that, you absolutely do not have to have read Faustine to read this book. It will help because you'll have some clues, but it's not necessary. The writing is amazing, it flows off of the page easily. I read this on my Kindle and the formatting was absolutely gorgeous and the editing was amazing, impeccable even - so unheard of in the independent realm of publishing.

There's a bit of a warning written into the description and it's true, this is for the older set of YA, but ya know... I'd let my kids read it probably at the age of thirteen (I'm a very lenient parent, so maybe even earlier) - BUT it is a bit edgier. There's some sex (barely worth mentioning, if I'm being honest) and some cursing. But ya know... these kids had to grow up eventually, right?

I'll be honest, folks. I keep waiting for Imogen to write a bad book. I mean, it happens, right? I have yet to read an author that has written more than five or six books that I didn't dislike one of them. She is one of the YA authors to watch and I'm glad to have gotten to know her work before she gets all famous and writes that really bad book ;)

I wish I could say more... but really, just go buy it.

I recommend this for her fans, of course, but also for those of us that enjoy some good Young Adult fiction. This is well done YA. I'm considering making my book club read one of her books, actually.(less)

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May 06, 2013 Sweet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tout d'abord, je tiens à remercier Sylvianne Breton pour m'avoir proposé de chroniquer ce livre et pour m'avoir permis de découvrir cette saga.

J'avoue que dans un premier temps, la lecture du résumé m'a fortement rappelé le sujet de Night School et bien que j'aime beaucoup ce style d'histoire, j'avais peur de retrouver un schéma trop similaire. En réalité, l'histoire est suffisamment originale pour que j'oublie cette comparaison.

L’Académie Bonfire accueille toute sorte de créatures surnaturelles...more Tout d'abord, je tiens à remercier Sylvianne Breton pour m'avoir proposé de chroniquer ce livre et pour m'avoir permis de découvrir cette saga.

J'avoue que dans un premier temps, la lecture du résumé m'a fortement rappelé le sujet de Night School et bien que j'aime beaucoup ce style d'histoire, j'avais peur de retrouver un schéma trop similaire. En réalité, l'histoire est suffisamment originale pour que j'oublie cette comparaison.

L’Académie Bonfire accueille toute sorte de créatures surnaturelles, comme par exemple des vampires ou des démons, afin de les aider à maitriser voire découvrir leurs pouvoirs et par la suite leur permettre de les exploiter au mieux.
Cordélia, notre héroïne, fait partie des démons et elle commence sa dernière année de formation, afin de consolider son apprentissage. Lors de sa rentrée, elle va se voir confier une mission très particulière, celle de s'occuper d'une nouvelle venue un peu spéciale, la très jeune Faustine. Cordélia ne sait pas trop à quoi s'attendre au début mais rapidement elle s'attache à sa protégée et se montre à la hauteur de sa tâche.
Pour ne rien simplifier, Cordélia doit faire face à des attaques de métamorphes dont les motivations resteront à élucider.

J'ai beaucoup aimé cette partie de l'intrigue car Faustine est une jeune fille attachante et qui réserve beaucoup de surprises. Elle ignore quels sont ses pouvoirs et ce qu'elle peut en faire et tout comme elle, on découvre ses capacités au fur et à mesure de l'histoire. Ce premier tome se déroule sur une année scolaire entière et tout comme pour la lecture, on ne voit pas le temps passer. L'auteur se concentre sur les évènements importants et l'action. Ainsi, il n'y a pas de temps mort dans la lecture et je ne me suis pas ennuyée une seconde.

Bien entendu, je n'aurais pas autant aimé ce young adult, s'il n'y avait pas eu, en plus de l'intrigue principale, une histoire de coeur. En effet, alors que Cordélia a déjà un petit-ami de longue date, elle va faire la connaissance de Jagger, Président du conseil des élèves, et cette rencontre va bouleverser sa vie amoureuse mais je vous laisse découvrir pourquoi.
J'ai été surprise dans un premier temps par les mœurs très libérées de nos héros mais une fois passé l'étonnement, ça ne m'a pas vraiment gênée.

J'ai trouvé l'écriture de l'auteur agréable et une fois plongée dans l'histoire, ma lecture a été assez rapide et je me suis laissée embarquer dans cet univers.
Mon seul bémol, car oui il y en a un, vient du fait qu'il y a trop de non-dits à mon goût. Au cours de ma lecture, il m'a manqué certaines explications sur certains phénomènes et j'aurais aussi aimé en savoir plus sur l'histoire de l'Académie Bonfire et sur la hiérarchie entre les diverses créatures paranormales. Néanmoins, comme j'ignore si cela sera plus approfondi dans le tome suivant, ce n'est pas pour l'instant, un point négatif. Je dirais que cela m'a frustrée de ne pas savoir certaines choses mais des indices laissent à penser que la suite devrait éclaircir certains points.

La fin m'a laissé sur ma faim, c'est le cas de le dire, et j'ai vraiment hâte de découvrir la suite car pleins de mystères restent à résoudre et l'auteur nous laisse apercevoir encore beaucoup de rebondissements.

Voilà une saga que je conseille aux amateurs de young adult. En tout cas pour ma part, j'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à découvrir ce premier tome.

http://sweetsblog-homesweethome.blogs...(less)

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

Initiation (Bonfire Academy #1)
by Imogen Rose (Goodreads Author)

Product Description
Welcome to Bonfire Academy!
Set in the foothills of the alpine mountains in St.Moritz, this exclusive private school caters to a special kind of student. Enter at your own risk... but if you are human, you may not want to enter at all.
WARNING: This YA story is set in a school for paranormals who are very different from normal human teens. Thus, the language and some scenes might not be appropriate for younger YA...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Steph at Starry Night Book Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nook-lend-me-books

4.5/5 Stars *This book was given to me for an honest review for the book tour*

Set sometime in the future, in a Dystopian setting Frozen Heart will take you on Caessenda’s journey to survive and who knows maybe she might even find love.

Cressenda is what they call an Outlier because she does not live within the rules of the Affinity. Outliers are treated as if they are dangerous threats, so if caught, any Outlier would be put into a work camp. When a routine trip to the Trade Path goes wrong Cre...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Chrystal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2012

When I first started reading this book I had no idea that it was the beginning of a prequel series to the Bonfire Chronicles that Imogen Rose had previously written. I just really loved the cover for this book and it called to me, but I do have to say that if Faustine is even remotely as exciting and intriguing as Initiation, then Imogen has found a new super fan in me.

To start we find out that the Academy is an amazingly posh school in Switzerland for a multitude of paranormals - demons, shifte...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Angeli rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Mar 05, 2012 Amber I. (AwesomeSauce Book Club) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

This is another book that I simply could not put down. Oh and there is even a sort of love triangle, but I totally did not care!lol. That is unusual for me. If you love the sort of boarding school paranormal books you are in for a treat.

When we first met Cordelia I just was not sure if I was going to like her. But after a few pages I decided I really did. Once she has to mentor the young half demon half human girl she showed me a totally different person. She took her mentor duty seriously and e...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: 19 years and older

I wear two hats when reading a book. The first is that of an adult reader and the second is the hat of a YA reader. After reading "Initiation" both of my hats were confused. Why? Well, this book is a hybrid of YA and adult. I will give Ms. Rose credit, on the back of the book she warns prospective buyers that this book is intended for older YA's (age 16 and up). However, I still feel that some of the material was not appropriate for YA at all.

Cordelia has opted to stay a third year at Bonfire Ac...more I wear two hats when reading a book. The first is that of an adult reader and the second is the hat of a YA reader. After reading "Initiation" both of my hats were confused. Why? Well, this book is a hybrid of YA and adult. I will give Ms. Rose credit, on the back of the book she warns prospective buyers that this book is intended for older YA's (age 16 and up). However, I still feel that some of the material was not appropriate for YA at all.

Cordelia has opted to stay a third year at Bonfire Academy. The additional year would allow her to pursue the study of her choice and in this case it is tennis. However, on her first day back, she is summoned into the office of the Student Body President. Usually the identity of person holding this office is kept under wraps until after school begins; so, Cordelia is slightly curious. She discovers that the President is Jagger, a faery. He informs her that she has been assigned the task of being a mentor to a new initiate, Faustine (half human and half demon). At first Cordelia refuses but eventually agrees when she learns the unique situation. Additionally, Cordelia and Jagger are synched ( a weird love binding) even though she has a great boyfriend named Quinn.

Just as Cordelia begins showing Faustine the lay of the lay, they are attacked by a group of shapeshifters causing Faustine to mysteriously dissappear and Faustine to temporarily die. They will need to get use to this because this will not be the only attack for either of them. I will not go into the plot further becuase my reading enjoyment was eclipsed by the following issues I had with this book:

1)If you are writing for YA why are you boldly announcing that sex with multiple partners is the norm with these paranormals. Any sexual relationships in YA novels are powerful and should be handled with discretion and care. Indiscriminate sex with multiple partners and with no mention of any protection is just plain inappropriate and irresponsible.

2) I do not like loose ends in books and this book had plenty. For example, Cordelia mentions she does ot truly understand synching and plans to ask her parents about it twice; butalthough she see her parents several times she never discusses it. So, why bring it up? Next, several times the author mentions Faustine BFF, Neave and that the head mistress of the school plans to speak with her regarding Faustine's upbringing, but once again it never occurs.

At times I felt as though the plot was all over the place creating confustion. In the end, I had to ask myself what did I like agout this book and my truthful answer was not very much. I am a High School English teacher and read YA to recommend books to my students. This book will not be going on my shelf. It was just okay and I don't feel it is appropriate for my students. I really wanted to like this book and I even went so far as to buy the second series entitled, "Faustine" at the same time I purchased the Initiation. I will go on to read Faustine; but, at this point I do not see myself going on with this series. (less)

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Jan 07, 2013 Pam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-read-in-2013, ebooks-read-in-2013, read-in-2013, ya-read-in-2013, 5-stars-2013

Cordelia starts her 3rd year at Bonfire Academy. She thinks it will be an easy year as she is planning on playing a lot of tennis and spending time with her boyfriend Quinn. Bonfire Academy isn't your normal academy. It is an academy for paranormal creatures. Cordelia is a demon and she is asked to see the student council president. When she meets him she is instantly attracted to Jagger. He is a Fairy and has a job for her. He needs her to mentor and watch over a half human half demon girl name...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Lady Entropy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is, alas, a mess. The plot is nonsensical, the setting is even worse (I'm trying to figure out how parents send their children to an academy where the student council holds "hearings" on their colleagues to determine their culpability after said colleagues attacked and tried to kill the hero), the mythos is... different but not in a good sense, and the romance was contrived at best.

I didn't like the heroine enough to care, I didn't enjoy her romantic double standards, and her attempts...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, review-on-blog, blog-tour

I love that this book had some meat to it. I have been reading so many shorter books lately so it was nice to change it up and go for a 400 page plus book. You really have more of a chance to get to know all of the characters and the build up and secrets are so much cooler! I really enjoyed this book and I know Im going to love following the Bonfire Academy series as well as the Bonfire Chronicles series.

I feel like Faustine is going to start taking a more central role in the books. I hope she...more I love that this book had some meat to it. I have been reading so many shorter books lately so it was nice to change it up and go for a 400 page plus book. You really have more of a chance to get to know all of the characters and the build up and secrets are so much cooler! I really enjoyed this book and I know Im going to love following the Bonfire Academy series as well as the Bonfire Chronicles series.

I feel like Faustine is going to start taking a more central role in the books. I hope she has some character growth in the next one, because while I did like her, I just wasn't too please with some of her changes towards the end of the book. She started to get a little bit of a cocky edge to her. I hope she still remains somewhat nice. I am super curious to learn more about the secrets that surround her. There was a nice little buildup and even by the very end of the book it's still very mysterious.

While I like Faustine, I LOVE Cordelia. I really hope she remains a main character in the chronicles series. I have to know what is going to happen between her and Quinn and Jagger. It's not even really a love story because nothing really happened. Both guys are super nice and sweet. Quinn in so trusting. He never once suspected anything was going on between Cordelia and Jagger and he never once got jealous. It was a little anti-climactic in that regard. I mean, come on, in a school of this size everyone seems to know everyone else's business. But somehow it was totally secret that Jagger and Cordelia were all of a sudden together way more than normal. It was a little strange. Hopefully the relationships will pick up in the next book. It's hard for me to say who I like for Cordelia. I just love Jagger, but Quinn is awesome. He was ALWAYS there for Cordelia and never once complained or put up a fuss. It was a little unrealistic. He is a demon after all, he shouldn't be quite so giving and nurturing. Perhaps if he was more like a normal demon I could pick Jagger over him more easily?

Overall, the storyline is excellent. It pulls you right into the world of this cool boarding school brimming with paranormals. I liked how realistic the setting was. The fact of the matter is, if you get enough young paranormals together, who don't all get along by the way, there are bound to be some mishaps and fights. I also appreciated how hard control was for some of them. I have read a few books where you see shifters and vampires with a surprising control over their baser instincts and it is not always too realistic. There were a few instances of choppy writing at the beginning and the relationship development could use a little work on the realistic front. But this is a great story!! I can't wait for the second book to come out. I actually want to read it right now. I don't want to wait!

(less)

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title link	preview: Initiation
avg rating	preview: Initiation Goodreads rating: 3.97 (542 ratings)
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Initiation (Bonfire Academy #1)

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