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A Tale of Two Proms (Bard Academy #4)

by Cara Lockwood (Goodreads Author)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 46 ratings · 19 reviews

A TALE OF TWO PROMS –

It was the best of prom, it was the worst of prom.

Miranda Tate returns for her senior year at Bard Academy and she is counting on two things: Prom with her boyfriend, Heathcliff, and then graduation from the haunted boarding school where fictional characters come to life. Fate, however, has other plans.

When Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff's long-lost...more

ebook, 231 pages

Published December 13th 2011 by Cara Lockwood (first published December 11th 2011)

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Jun 12, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

Miranda's finishing up her senior year at Bard Academy, a school for delinquents on a haunted island, where the teachers are all ghosts of famous authors (stuck there as a sort of purgatory), and there is a thin line between reality and fiction. Her boyfriend, Heathcliff, is actually the Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights and wants to be with her after graduation, only that doesn't seem possible, since he's supposed to return to his fictional world to keep the balance between the two worlds. Out...more Miranda's finishing up her senior year at Bard Academy, a school for delinquents on a haunted island, where the teachers are all ghosts of famous authors (stuck there as a sort of purgatory), and there is a thin line between reality and fiction. Her boyfriend, Heathcliff, is actually the Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights and wants to be with her after graduation, only that doesn't seem possible, since he's supposed to return to his fictional world to keep the balance between the two worlds. Out of nowhere, Catherine (also from Wuthering Heights) appears and starts getting between Miranda and Heathcliff. Even more strangeness starts happening around the island, and soon Miranda and her friends are in charge of saving their own world, which seems to be imploding by the day.

This is the final installment of the Bard Academy series, and it definitely wrapped up everything in a satisfactory manner. I think it may have even been my favorite of the entire series, although it's been a while since I read the other books. I loved all the characters in here and the way that they helped the plot move forward. Everyone had a unique personality that shone through in various situations. I especially enjoyed the interactions between Samir and Blade, two of Miranda's friends; he's very traditional and scared of everything, while she's fearless and a rebel.

My favorite part about this book was, for sure, the way that the author blended the real world with the fictional one. In previous books (from what I remember), it had continually been a mystery about how the portal between the two worlds worked. In this book, the mystery of how this happens was explored - and in such a fun way! I think blending the worlds to such a large degree gave a fun and different setting for the book. There was such a fun selection of classic novels from which plot points and settings were taken, and it made me want to reread many of the referenced books.

Although some of the plot twists along the way were a little predictable - not because they were obvious, but because the groundwork was laid thick enough to guess what would happen next - it didn't make me enjoy the story any less. The fun of this book was how the end was reached, not the end itself. The writing was light and funny, and the journey to the ending kept me entertained. Definitely a good end to the series!(less)

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Feb 20, 2012 YAL Book Briefs rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. I thought it was a great way to the end the series. All my questions were answered and there was a definite ending. As usual, Cara Lockwood pulled me into the story pretty effortlessly. Be that as it may, there were a few things that bothered me about the book. Nothing really major. I just thought a couple of the plot lines were just wrapped up a little too conveniently. Since I'm a sucker for perfect endings though, this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. The one...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Julie Graves rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, kindle-reads

Miranda is in her Senior year at the Bard Academy. Her boyfriend Heathcliff(yes Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights) has just asked her to marry him. Miranda is torn, does she marry Heathcliff the love of her life and have to stay on the Island forever or does she leave all of Bard Academy behind and go to Penn State University where she has been accepted?

Before Miranda can make a decision though strange things begin to happen. After all, it is Bard Academy, where strange is normal. Catherine show...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Alissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

Upon starting this series ages ago, I was hooked. The idea of the worlds of classic literature mixing with the present reeled me in. And at first, it was entertaining. Now, in A Tale of Two Proms, it’s simply redundant.

Aside from the worlds playing switcheroo and allowing the characters to travel into the classics, not much differs in the plot. Miranda, her friends and the school are still in danger, and she’s still trying to be together with Heathcliff. But as a reader, I just wasn’t convinced...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Alice Law rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-review, fantasy, young-adult

Book review Link: http://readinggrace.blogspot.com/2012...

This is the fourth book of Bard Academy series. I was not a fan for classic, but after finished this book, I am so tempted to pick up some of the titles, especially A Tale of Two Cities and Wuthering Height! Thus, kudos to author for bringing the classic characters to life in this series!

The story is generally filled with suspense(though its plots were quite predictable) and adventures(after the 1st 100pgs). I personally enjoy banters bet...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Rapunzel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: top-fifteen-2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the fourth and last book of the Bard Academy series. The other three are in order: Wuthering High, The Scarlett Letterman, and Moby Clique.

The stories each have something to do with the classic book that they are named from but the main character is Miranda Earnshaw Tate, a teenage girl who found out in the first book that she is related to Catherine Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights fame. She and her friends as well as her love interest Heathcliff, also from Wuthering Heights, save the scho...more This is the fourth and last book of the Bard Academy series. The other three are in order: Wuthering High, The Scarlett Letterman, and Moby Clique.

The stories each have something to do with the classic book that they are named from but the main character is Miranda Earnshaw Tate, a teenage girl who found out in the first book that she is related to Catherine Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights fame. She and her friends as well as her love interest Heathcliff, also from Wuthering Heights, save the school from disaster.

In the first few books we see how Heathcliff fights for Miranda's attention and heart against Ryan but in the fourth book it is Miranda's turn to be worried. And worried she is as Catherine comes onto the scene and hatches a plan with Miranda's mortal enemy, Parker Rodham, a girl that has tried to make Miranda's life miserable when she briefly dated Ryan.

While in the novels before this one I was not fond of Samir and his cowardly ways in this book I could not stand him. It seemed like every other page forced me to listen to his whining and stupidity and any page that did not feature him was a welcome relief. Hana reminded me too much of Hermione Granger and her inability to believe in something that could not be found in a book. And I was just over Ryan. But all of those things are a personal preference. I still liked Miranda and Heathcliff and the addition of Sydney Carton was amazing.

My favorite scene was near the end and I wish that there could have been more scenes with Miranda and Heathcliff and maybe they could of had the conversation that Miranda had realized that they really needed at the end also.

So normally I don't care about the writing but I only have one thing to mention. I don't know if the copy offered from NetGallay was an Advanced Reader Edition or if it was the final copy but the editing was rather bad. I was forced to read sentences multiply times not only to try to figure out what was being said but how it should have been said I order to make sense. That is never good.

Despite how harsh I seem with this book it is actually one of my all time favorites. Sure, it is mostly because I just love this series but I don't care. This book was also an excellent end for such an amazing series and the fact that it was able to have such a happy ending despite what happens to a few main characters is a very nice surprise.

I would recommend that everyone read this series and if you like it tell your friends and comment/friend me here or Twitter. If you don't like it I insist that you keep it to yourself but still follow/friend me.

Happy Reading!(less)

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Dec 26, 2011 Anna (Gatsby's Girl) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review is also posted at:
http://diamondinroughcoal.blogspot.com

Miranda Tate has survived a lot during her years at Bard Academy. Now she is finally closing in on graduation after a completely uneventful Senior year. But she does have a decision to make: go away to college at Ivy League school Penn State, or stay on the island and marry Heathcliff who has just proposed to her. Because he's a fictional character and tied to his story, Heathcliff is unable to leave the island. Does Miranda hav...more This review is also posted at:
http://diamondinroughcoal.blogspot.com

Miranda Tate has survived a lot during her years at Bard Academy. Now she is finally closing in on graduation after a completely uneventful Senior year. But she does have a decision to make: go away to college at Ivy League school Penn State, or stay on the island and marry Heathcliff who has just proposed to her. Because he's a fictional character and tied to his story, Heathcliff is unable to leave the island. Does Miranda have to choose between a life well lived and true love? She may not get the chance to find out, because strange things are happening at Bard again. This time Catherine Earnshaw is behind them, determined to punish Miranda for taking Heathcliff from her (even though she thinks that he's basically no better than garbage). Catherine's plan to "improve the classics" has negative consequences for everyone. But there are even more surprises in store, including Heathcliff's almost double, Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities who is brought forth by a surprising personage. Also, it turns out Catherine is there by someone else's design to keep Miranda and Heathcliff apart. Miranda and her sister Lindsay have to leave school for a family emergency, but when they return the school itself has disappeared and so have all the students. With the vault of magic books also missing, the few that Miranda still has access to will mean the difference between rescuing her friends and saving the school, and having the world end because of Cathy's plot destabilizing the portals between fiction and reality. Will everyone come out of it alive? Also, will Cathy manage to get Heathcliff once more for herself and what role will Sydney play in all this. The teachers (dead authors with unfinished business) also have a few tricks left up their sleeves before the last page is turned. I honestly thought it was a really strong conclusion to the series. I liked the plot twists and the imagination behind all of it. It kept me just as intrigued as ever. But the romance between Heath and Miranda lagged quite a bit for me. It ended up too angsty and Sydney Carton was my bright spot. I practically howled in rage at what he ends up doing at the close of the novel. I would recommend this for people who have read the first three books only. If this sounds like your kind of book, read the other ones first!!!
VERDICT: 3.5/5 Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money was exchanged for this review. This book was published December 11th, 2011.*(less)

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Jan 04, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, favorites, great-series, rainy-day-reads, paranormal, teen-ya, for-review, net-galley

Warning: this review might contain spoilers about the first three books of the Bard Academy Series

At First Sight: It's Miranda Tate's senior year and with prom looming at the horizon, she has to face the fact that her time at Bard Academy is coming to an end...which means her time with Heathcliff is also coming to an end as he's supposed to return to the pages of Wuthering Heights were he belongs.

Only that he's not quite ready to go quietly, and soon Miranda is torn between the boy she loves an...more Warning: this review might contain spoilers about the first three books of the Bard Academy Series

At First Sight: It's Miranda Tate's senior year and with prom looming at the horizon, she has to face the fact that her time at Bard Academy is coming to an end...which means her time with Heathcliff is also coming to an end as he's supposed to return to the pages of Wuthering Heights were he belongs.

Only that he's not quite ready to go quietly, and soon Miranda is torn between the boy she loves and her future away from Shipwreck Island. And things get even more complicated when Heathcliff's first love - Cathy from Wuthering Heights - shows up, determined to take the choices away from them.

Second Glance: I realize that my summary of A Tale of Two Proms is shockingly short, but I really don't want to spoil things for anyone. But let me just say that I ADORED this book. Granted, I come from a place of love for this series and this author, but still, this is the book I have been waiting for, for years and years, and it answered all the lingering questions I had about this series.

Do I still wish there was more? Sure, but at least now I've gotten some closure.

The story itself is full of adventures and as I was reading it I kept developing theories about what was going on and it turned out I was always a little right but not entirely, which I loved because things still took me by surprise - though I gotta said I did see one of the final twists coming but I didn't care.

Everything I've always loved about Bard Academy was still there: the literary references, the funny dialog and slightly over-the-top situations. I loved reading about Samir and Blade and Hanna and Ryan and even Miranda's sister Lyndsay (I even liked her a little).

Bottom Line: A Tale of Two Proms is possibly the last book of the Bard Academy Series and I think that it did it justice, over all. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to part with this series but as things stand, I love it. And I'm so happy I got to read this book.

Favorite Quote: "This was Bard, where the impossible wasn't just possible, it was probable."(less)

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Jan 04, 2012 Rachel Harris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: made-me-laugh

I LOVE the Bard Academy series! Cara Lockwood has found an ingenious way to retell the classics, and make it fun and fresh again. With names like Wuthering High, The Scarlet Letterman, and Moby Clique, you can't go wrong. It's been three years since the last Bard book, and I admit things were looking bleak for Miranda to get the ending she deserved, but then the Christmas season came and we got ourselves A Tale of Two Proms.

Seriously, how cute are these names??

On one hand, it's sad to see this...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Lady Entropy rated it 2 of 5 stars

ARGH! If I had to choose a word for this book is FRUSTRATION. I give it a 2.5 stars, reduced to a two because of serious stakes and good conflict, but otherwise it's just too damn annoying. Let me try to sum up my grievances without going into a rant -- note that some grievances are related to previous books and culminate in this one:

- Why does Heathcliff suddenly fall in love with the protagonist? Yes, they spend a year in school together, but he already had fallen for her during the first. No,...more ARGH! If I had to choose a word for this book is FRUSTRATION. I give it a 2.5 stars, reduced to a two because of serious stakes and good conflict, but otherwise it's just too damn annoying. Let me try to sum up my grievances without going into a rant -- note that some grievances are related to previous books and culminate in this one:

- Why does Heathcliff suddenly fall in love with the protagonist? Yes, they spend a year in school together, but he already had fallen for her during the first. No, don't give me "She's like Catherine, in face, so that's why he became interested."
- Why has the vault NO GUARDS?! I mean, seriously WHY? They have the campus guardians, why not set a few there watching it? Or put, don't know, a PADLOCK in it!
- How did the Headmaster suddenly discovers how to simply free everyone from the isle?
- OMFG! Why did the author had to be so ham handed in making the protagonist of a Tale of Two Cities the body duplicate of Heathcliff... and then NOT expect us to guess what would be his ultimate fate when Heathcliff was meant to return to the book?
- If Heathcliff and Miranda being together risked the fabric of reality... WHY DIDN'T THEY SIMPLY OVERPOWERED HEATHCLIFF AND SEND HIM BACK? They had special ghost powers, they were more than him and could surprise him. The whole "Heathcliff was missing for three years". Screw that. They could have done it after two, when realized that Miranda and Heathcliff were falling for each other. Hell, they could have done it while she was on holidays. Or even just not accept her back into the school! The stinking reality was AT STAKE! No, because the Headmaster's plan on how to bring him back was SO MUCH BETTER.
- Why is Catherine such a two-dimensional villain? All she needs is a moustache to twirl! Good god!
- How can Heathcliff wrestle Dracula to a standstill?
- How can Heathcliff wrestle Dracula to a standstill BUT BE BROUGHT DOWN BY A MANGY POET!?
(okay, that's from another volume, but still).
- How can the author gives us such high stakes and tender moments like the hospital scene -- and then end in the most contrived, most obvious, most unthought of endings? I mean, seriously? Suddenly the entire staff vanishes -- and the parents aren't finding it odd when they get there and realize EVERY DAMN TEACHER IS GONE?

It's not a bad book, not at all. But it had a lot of potential and wasted it in the author's writing this as her own personal Heathcliff fanfiction. After spending the entire book in Miranda's head with her whining about how Heathcliff is awesome, and then how he loves catherine, and cheated on her, and left her and ZOMG he's kissing her... I was praying that Heathcliff got sent back into Wuthering Heights ASAP.

If I didn't like Wuthering Heights before, this book made me loathe the mention of the name "Heathcliff" for good.(less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Pamela Todd rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, read-in-2012, romance, ya-mg

A Tale of Two Proms is the fourth book in the Bard Academy series. Miranda has returned to the elusive school for her senior year…and to boyfriend, Heathcliffe. As in, the Heathcliffe.

With an acceptance letter to her top choice of college’s burning a hole in her pocket, Miranda already knows this year will be full of difficult decisions without Heathcliffe adding to the mix with a bombshell of his own.

As the rest of her class gets excited for prom, Miranda’s mind is firmly on other things…like...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Cara Lockwood for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Miranda and her friends are back at Bard Academy for their Senior Year, things start out normal, well normal as far as Bard is concerned. The same enchanted forest, trouble-making teenagers and ghost instructors. Senior year brings more than just prom and Parker problems for Miranda; she also has to decide whether to go to Penn State University where she has been accepted, or stay on the island and marry her...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Shieka( Doctor's Notes) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying I have never read any of the books in this series but will defintely have to. I loved this book and am glad that I was able to read it without reading the others. This book has a really cool premise. Bard Academy is a school on a seculded island with ghosts for teachers. The twist is that the ghosts are some of the liteary greats. As if that doesn't make it different enough fictional characters from the books are brought to life. In this book we get to hae more of Mira...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Akilah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I care not one whit about the romance between Catherine and Heathcliff; I just like to nerd out at all of the literary stuff. You know, like the big lit nerd that I am.

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Jun 24, 2012 Leila Roy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Full review at my blog.

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Jan 02, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't know if I needed to read the first books of the series before I read this one. It was kind of confusing about half way through the book.

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Jan 08, 2012 V rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ingenious way to end (if this is truly the end) the Bard Academy series and spin classics together. Thanks Cara Lockwood from keeping my attention from beginning to end!

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Jun 26, 2012 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everyone loves a happy ending.

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Feb 22, 2012 Allison R rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, ebook, fantasy, mystery

This series is fun but this one felt like it was rushed unlike the other ones. Don't get me wrong, I liked this and I'm glad I read it but if it is like the end of the series, I'm kind of sad but glad it ended the way it did.

Time traveling into different classic titles=fun

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Shelves: got-from-amazon

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About Cara Lockwood

I grew up in Mesquite, Texas, which for those of you who like livestock shows, is the home of the Mesquite Rodeo. Ironically, Mesquite was named after Mesquite trees, only none of them now exist in the city, which is about fifteen minutes east of Dallas. No, I don't own a pair of cowboy boots, although I do own quite an impressive collection of black shoes. My Dad is a third-generation Japanese-Am...more I grew up in Mesquite, Texas, which for those of you who like livestock shows, is the home of the Mesquite Rodeo. Ironically, Mesquite was named after Mesquite trees, only none of them now exist in the city, which is about fifteen minutes east of Dallas. No, I don't own a pair of cowboy boots, although I do own quite an impressive collection of black shoes. My Dad is a third-generation Japanese-American, and my mom is a second-generation Texan who's mostly English, or at least claims to be because of her anglophile nature.

I went to school at the University of Pennsylvania, only I'm not sure how I got in. I think these days they only accept students who can solve String Theory. Anyway, I majored in English, and because my dad said "and just what are you going to do with an English degree?" I went to work for the school newspaper. After college, I spent four years as a newspaper reporter, working for an overly exciteable editor who sent me running anytime the police scanner went off. I was working insane hours for next to no pay. I was actually sent to cover a grass fire on my 25th Birthday. Let me tell you, it smelled bad. I think some mice may have lost their lives. But that was about it in terms of excitement. Happy Birthday to Me.

So, I decided after I had taken to hiding from my editor in the bathroom at the office anytime the police scanner went off, that journalism probably wasn't for me. I went to work for a marketing firm and discovered that most everyone else didn't stay until ten o'clock every night writing up their riveting story about grass fires. I also decided that I would take advantage of that free time to write some fiction. That's when I started writing "I Do (But I Don't)." A year later, I finished it, thanks to the help of my friend, Shannon, who wouldn't let me slack off and kept asking me for chapters.

And that's how I became a writer. Except that it still feels weird to say, "I'm a writer." I keep expecting to wake up tomorrow and have to go cover another grass fire. (less)

More about Cara Lockwood...

Books by Cara Lockwood

I Do (But I Don't) (Crandell Sisters, #1)

I Did (But I Wouldn't Now) (Crandell Sisters, #2)

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A Tale of Two Proms (Bard Academy #4)

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