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Nocturne Academy #1
Lock and Key
What do a mysterious necklace, forbidden Blood Magic rituals, and a sarcastic Nocturne boy with the face of a fallen angel all have in common?
Me, apparently.
Since I started school at Nocturne Academy, strange happenings have befallen me. The weird key-shaped necklace I found at a flea market chokes me every time I try to take it off. Also, a tall, beautiful, and bitingly sarcastic Nocturne has the lock that matches it.
His name is Griffin Darkheart, and—like this freaking necklace—I can't seem to stay away from him, though he's being Censured for mysterious crimes. Among a student body composed of vampires, witches, were-dragons, and fairies, I no longer know what my future holds.
To heck with graduating with honors. I'm just hoping to graduate alive. Nocturne Academy is full of deadly dangers.
And I've already got a target on my back...
Me, apparently.
Since I started school at Nocturne Academy, strange happenings have befallen me. The weird key-shaped necklace I found at a flea market chokes me every time I try to take it off. Also, a tall, beautiful, and bitingly sarcastic Nocturne has the lock that matches it.
His name is Griffin Darkheart, and—like this freaking necklace—I can't seem to stay away from him, though he's being Censured for mysterious crimes. Among a student body composed of vampires, witches, were-dragons, and fairies, I no longer know what my future holds.
To heck with graduating with honors. I'm just hoping to graduate alive. Nocturne Academy is full of deadly dangers.
And I've already got a target on my back...
458 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 2020
278 people are currently reading
614 people want to read
About the author
Evangeline Anderson
289 books5,033 followersEvangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 3, 2020
Originally posted at:
*Trigger warning: *
This book was a journey that started out frustrating and ended with a bang! I'm so glad I pushed through because I would have missed out on a fantastic story.
Megan had a not so great life after the death of a family member and eventually getting passed onto her aunt didn't help where she was at mentally. I found her naiveté and her denseness very frustrating in the beginning of the novel but it was understandable to a degree. It didn't help things when her classes didn't answer any questions outright and no adult would inform her of what her situation with magic was. It took over 10 chapters for information to start floating in and even then it was a very slow trickle.
Griffin was great overall, though the way Megan dismissed why he was in the circumstances that he was in was troublesome, to say the least. He was overall a sarcastic and lovable guy with a dark and protective streak that would pop up here and there. I liked how communicative he was with Megan after things got serious between them. Though his age was never confirmed it made me feel kind of icky when Megan confirmed she was only 16 and I didn't know how much older he was than her.
Now onto what bothered me throughout this story: The overall pacing. This novel started off slower than I usually like. It took over 20 chapters to finish her first day at this new school. There were things that were mentioned with detail that didn't necessarily have to be there. There were moments when things got-going and they were fantastic until everything slowed down again. I understand this issue is a personal preference of mine but I can't help how it detracted from the story for me. Also having a glossary of terms would have been very helpful throughout the book.
The ending tied everything together and it was incredible! It was action-packed, fast-paced and magical *wink wink*. It made everything the author had set up in chapters past worth it. It also set up the next novel for this series which I'm still on the fence about.
My Favorite Quotes:
"People are so impressionable, they can die of imagination."
"Nobody can make you feel inferior unless you let them."
"And I wish, most of all, to protect you, no matter the consequences."
*Trigger warning: *
This book was a journey that started out frustrating and ended with a bang! I'm so glad I pushed through because I would have missed out on a fantastic story.
Megan had a not so great life after the death of a family member and eventually getting passed onto her aunt didn't help where she was at mentally. I found her naiveté and her denseness very frustrating in the beginning of the novel but it was understandable to a degree. It didn't help things when her classes didn't answer any questions outright and no adult would inform her of what her situation with magic was. It took over 10 chapters for information to start floating in and even then it was a very slow trickle.
Griffin was great overall, though the way Megan dismissed why he was in the circumstances that he was in was troublesome, to say the least. He was overall a sarcastic and lovable guy with a dark and protective streak that would pop up here and there. I liked how communicative he was with Megan after things got serious between them. Though his age was never confirmed it made me feel kind of icky when Megan confirmed she was only 16 and I didn't know how much older he was than her.
Now onto what bothered me throughout this story: The overall pacing. This novel started off slower than I usually like. It took over 20 chapters to finish her first day at this new school. There were things that were mentioned with detail that didn't necessarily have to be there. There were moments when things got-going and they were fantastic until everything slowed down again. I understand this issue is a personal preference of mine but I can't help how it detracted from the story for me. Also having a glossary of terms would have been very helpful throughout the book.
The ending tied everything together and it was incredible! It was action-packed, fast-paced and magical *wink wink*. It made everything the author had set up in chapters past worth it. It also set up the next novel for this series which I'm still on the fence about.
My Favorite Quotes:
"People are so impressionable, they can die of imagination."
"Nobody can make you feel inferior unless you let them."
"And I wish, most of all, to protect you, no matter the consequences."
January 18, 2020
Don't be fooled into thinking this is yet another Magic Academy romance. This author makes every genre her own in a brilliant way. I was totally glued to this story, spending a lazy Saturday on the couch devouring it.
The characters were interesting, despite being at their version of high school there was no cringing immature banter. This school is full of creatures out of fairy tales and nightmares. Can a witch and a vampire come together? It's taboo, but who can fight emotions.
What an entertaining read, I can't wait for #2.
The characters were interesting, despite being at their version of high school there was no cringing immature banter. This school is full of creatures out of fairy tales and nightmares. Can a witch and a vampire come together? It's taboo, but who can fight emotions.
What an entertaining read, I can't wait for #2.
April 3, 2020
Official rating: 2.5 stars
I've been neglecting to post this review for a bit because, and I'm not going to lie, I'm a little surprised at how high the ratings for this book are. Which isn't to say it's not a worthwhile read (which is debatable in my opinion), but I've been finding myself getting really and truly picky about what ratings I give to books nowadays, and while I managed to finish this book (and am continuing on with the series), it wasn't my favourite.
The main reason being I had too many moments where I genuinely questioned the choices that the author made.
Now, I don't want to dump all over this over book. That is not the purpose of this review. However, I did have issues with it. Some are valid concerns, others are what I am going to categorize as "Petty Quibbles" because I am a hundo-percent a soap-box preacher, so welcome to my TED-talk. In the interest of saving time, I'm just gonna bang out the petty poop real quick, list style, a couple of sentences each and then get into the meat of the matter in terms of the more real issues and redeeming parts.
Some actual problems I had with the novel that others may genuinely care to know about? Well, let's start with the pacing. I was immediately thrown into the story a little too abruptly for my liking. I prefer a gentle push off the dock into the unknown waters of a new series. Don't get me wrong, I can be airdropped in Battle Royale style without any context at all, but important plot points and info-drops require a timely reveal and strategy after the initial push of adrenaline. I can rarely handle the fast-food method of obtaining any kind of information because it ends up looking sloppy, is never meaty enough (always with the shitty cheese) and altogether feels cheap. I'm the kind of reader who longs for a hand-held menu where quick decisions can have very real consequences and I can appreciate the results in a way that requires some semblance of effort on both my part and the author's.
Everything about this story is very quick-paced. But the constant progression doesn't allow for any moments of introspection for the main character, she just kind of rolls with the punches, but in a way that makes you wonder why. Just general why's and why not's littered my thoughts throughout reading but then the author did not provide any answers or garbage receptacles and sanitation engineers so they just started piling up to the point where my surroundings were detracting from my literary experience and that disappointed me. I found myself skimming the text, skipping past paragraphs to quicken the journey to the end, not because I was excited to know what would happen next but because I wanted to be done with the novel sooner. And that's not ideal.
Additionally, I wish there was more meat: I wanted more lore, more of the fantasy and explanations of wonder, not vivid descriptions of events that happen in Home Ec, which I understand were important to the plot in terms of progression but like, this series is supposed to be about the supernatural and magic and whimsy and I never took Home Ec so I can't relate and yeah, I had needs and they were not fulfilled.
The main issue I had was the convenience to the plot: all the choices made seemed to be the easy ones, with the marking and claiming thing as a part of the main romance and solution to all of Meg' problems, the convenient accidents to progress the story (see: the blood - grimoire reveal), the somewhat lazy writing as evidenced by the cliche bad boy, the special snowflake who's not like other girls, the lack of description of Emma, who is arguably the most relatable character in the entire book and could be super interesting but we wouldn't know because she has been done dirty with the following description: "She wasn’t exactly pretty—but she wasn’t ugly either." Uhm, cool.
There were also some sensitive topics that the author brought up that I have opinions on. The one I'm not gonna talk about is the cutting. It's a pretty big aspect of the MC, Meg's, character, and one that I have no expertise in and cannot relate to, so I'm going to take the approach that it is the vehicle in which Meg exerts her powers and leave it at that. A topic I am going to discuss is the child abuse and general parenting described in the novel.
This bothered me. The fact that this issue is brought up and not addressed in any way other than this brief mention and then subsequent dismissal, is a problem. Young adults are the target audience. This stance does not foster any sort of empathy that should be acknowledged when child abuse is occuring. Nancy's character and choices can be seen as a direct result of how her mother treats her and that doesn't excuse her behaviour and treatment of others throughout the story, but this layer to her character exists and is brought up by the author as a specific and intentional choice and then is promptly abandoned and not fleshed out.
Meg herself has an absentee father and I feel like more could have been done with this fact but again, it was just this tidbit of knowledge that is brought up and then thrown to the side because it is irrelevant. And this all ties back to the convenience of the plot: it's easy backstories to both the protagonist and antagonist and it makes the story feel cheap because the nuances of their issues are never truly addressed. Young adults could read this and if they don't have any experience with child abuse, they can dismiss the severity of it and the implications it can have as easily as the author does. Or if they do have with experience of it, are exposed to an instance where the abuse is brushed aside because it's portrayed as a common occurrence that doesn't matter to others. The whole nature vs nurture debate is brought up in the story but never actually explored. Sure, Nancy is the villain, but that shouldn't detract from the struggles she has had to endure, and yeah, Meg is this strong and confident individual but then why bring up her family struggles and not relate them to how she came to be this person? I really wish everything about this had been done differently or not at all because it really left a bad taste in my mouth.
But on the other hand, there were some aspects that I thought were executed well. The positive messages against public shaming, the steadfast friendship dynamic between the Norms, the issue of consent, especially the pressure from a female standpoint between Meg and Griffin were all handled quite well, and I genuinely enjoyed reading those parts. The setup for the next novel was done in a way where there wasn't this huge cliffhanger, which I can appreciate. It very much felt like things were just beginning and not being forced to continue which is extremely important to me when reading a series, because I hate being dragged along when everything that needs to be said has already been said.
Overall, a lot of this novel was meh for me, hence my rating. The issues of segregation and classism that were deeply rooted in the story existed but weren't exactly tangible in a way that I cared about them. They just were. The characterization was also just satisfactory. Griffin was not for me, which is fine but also made him a whatever point with respect to romance and so I found myself not really engaged where he was concerned. The character strength and loyalty in Meg was nice, although I'm kinda meh on her as a whole because I'm not exactly sure how she grew throughout the novel, she more so just learned about herself and her background but didn't necessarily mature from it. I'm not sure she had to either but I also have to come to the conclusion that I didn't care enough about her as a character so it doesn't really bother me? I'm not sure I'm capable of explaining why I'm so apathetic to the story as a whole, just that I am.
But I'm going to continue with the series, because oddly enough, I want to like it. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate and I want to see it through. I want to read more about the Healer who was weirdly the most consistent character and I am strangely here for it. I want to know more about Avery as I enjoyed him as a character but am intrigued to see what the LGBTQ community think of his depiction as a queer character. I want more lore, I just feel like there's so much potential and I want to be there if it reaches it.
So yeah, 2.5 stars. Let's see how the next one hits.
I've been neglecting to post this review for a bit because, and I'm not going to lie, I'm a little surprised at how high the ratings for this book are. Which isn't to say it's not a worthwhile read (which is debatable in my opinion), but I've been finding myself getting really and truly picky about what ratings I give to books nowadays, and while I managed to finish this book (and am continuing on with the series), it wasn't my favourite.
The main reason being I had too many moments where I genuinely questioned the choices that the author made.
Now, I don't want to dump all over this over book. That is not the purpose of this review. However, I did have issues with it. Some are valid concerns, others are what I am going to categorize as "Petty Quibbles" because I am a hundo-percent a soap-box preacher, so welcome to my TED-talk. In the interest of saving time, I'm just gonna bang out the petty poop real quick, list style, a couple of sentences each and then get into the meat of the matter in terms of the more real issues and redeeming parts.
1. The Nocturne Academy map: I don't get it, it's not necessary, also why is it only an external view of the school and when did I become a person who has an unhinged cartographical opinion on every map she sees? I don't know, but these are just some questions that plague me at night.
2. Swearing: your girl is a potty mouth but is not impressed by the lack of diverse profanity in this novel. Where is the creative vulgarity? Why is bitch the only word utilized as an insult? I understand this is a YA series but there is a world of teenage appropriate slander that is aching to be used (see: douche-canoe, shit-stain, floppy asparagus, etc.)
3. The Hallowed Glade: I didn't think I was this person but WHY IS THIS NOT ON THE MAP? What is the purpose of having a map with an external viewpoint and then not having any external locations be labelled let alone visible? My gears have been ground (grinded?) and I am not OK about it.
4. The Guardian: Apparently I am going OFF with this map nonsense because the Guardian is supposed to be this great physical being that is not stationary in any way and thus cannot be used as a geographically consistent marker so WHY IN THE SEVEN CIRCLES OF HELL IS IT LABELLED ON THE MAP? I feel like the map was a cool creative idea that was pitched but was just thrown in at the very end and was not fleshed out properly at all and it irritates my soul in every fashion. For a five-star literary map, please see The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Princess Bride, Narnia - evidently I could go on about maps for entirely too long so maybe I should stop while I'm ahead.
Some actual problems I had with the novel that others may genuinely care to know about? Well, let's start with the pacing. I was immediately thrown into the story a little too abruptly for my liking. I prefer a gentle push off the dock into the unknown waters of a new series. Don't get me wrong, I can be airdropped in Battle Royale style without any context at all, but important plot points and info-drops require a timely reveal and strategy after the initial push of adrenaline. I can rarely handle the fast-food method of obtaining any kind of information because it ends up looking sloppy, is never meaty enough (always with the shitty cheese) and altogether feels cheap. I'm the kind of reader who longs for a hand-held menu where quick decisions can have very real consequences and I can appreciate the results in a way that requires some semblance of effort on both my part and the author's.
Everything about this story is very quick-paced. But the constant progression doesn't allow for any moments of introspection for the main character, she just kind of rolls with the punches, but in a way that makes you wonder why. Just general why's and why not's littered my thoughts throughout reading but then the author did not provide any answers or garbage receptacles and sanitation engineers so they just started piling up to the point where my surroundings were detracting from my literary experience and that disappointed me. I found myself skimming the text, skipping past paragraphs to quicken the journey to the end, not because I was excited to know what would happen next but because I wanted to be done with the novel sooner. And that's not ideal.
Additionally, I wish there was more meat: I wanted more lore, more of the fantasy and explanations of wonder, not vivid descriptions of events that happen in Home Ec, which I understand were important to the plot in terms of progression but like, this series is supposed to be about the supernatural and magic and whimsy and I never took Home Ec so I can't relate and yeah, I had needs and they were not fulfilled.
The main issue I had was the convenience to the plot: all the choices made seemed to be the easy ones, with the marking and claiming thing as a part of the main romance and solution to all of Meg' problems, the convenient accidents to progress the story (see: the blood - grimoire reveal), the somewhat lazy writing as evidenced by the cliche bad boy, the special snowflake who's not like other girls, the lack of description of Emma, who is arguably the most relatable character in the entire book and could be super interesting but we wouldn't know because she has been done dirty with the following description: "She wasn’t exactly pretty—but she wasn’t ugly either." Uhm, cool.
There were also some sensitive topics that the author brought up that I have opinions on. The one I'm not gonna talk about is the cutting. It's a pretty big aspect of the MC, Meg's, character, and one that I have no expertise in and cannot relate to, so I'm going to take the approach that it is the vehicle in which Meg exerts her powers and leave it at that. A topic I am going to discuss is the child abuse and general parenting described in the novel.
"Clearly there was no love lost between Nancy and her mom and for a moment I felt sorry for them. My mom and I had butted heads on occasion but my mother had never slapped me or called me stupid and I had known that she loved me unconditionally, right up until the end.
Then I remembered how nasty Nancy and her mom both had been to me and my pity faded. They deserved their toxic relationship and really it wasn’t surprising they were so nasty to each other when they were clearly just as terrible to everyone else around them.
“Some people just have bad blood,” my mother used to say and I had to think she would have said the same about Winifred and Nancy Rattcliff right at that moment.
This bothered me. The fact that this issue is brought up and not addressed in any way other than this brief mention and then subsequent dismissal, is a problem. Young adults are the target audience. This stance does not foster any sort of empathy that should be acknowledged when child abuse is occuring. Nancy's character and choices can be seen as a direct result of how her mother treats her and that doesn't excuse her behaviour and treatment of others throughout the story, but this layer to her character exists and is brought up by the author as a specific and intentional choice and then is promptly abandoned and not fleshed out.
Meg herself has an absentee father and I feel like more could have been done with this fact but again, it was just this tidbit of knowledge that is brought up and then thrown to the side because it is irrelevant. And this all ties back to the convenience of the plot: it's easy backstories to both the protagonist and antagonist and it makes the story feel cheap because the nuances of their issues are never truly addressed. Young adults could read this and if they don't have any experience with child abuse, they can dismiss the severity of it and the implications it can have as easily as the author does. Or if they do have with experience of it, are exposed to an instance where the abuse is brushed aside because it's portrayed as a common occurrence that doesn't matter to others. The whole nature vs nurture debate is brought up in the story but never actually explored. Sure, Nancy is the villain, but that shouldn't detract from the struggles she has had to endure, and yeah, Meg is this strong and confident individual but then why bring up her family struggles and not relate them to how she came to be this person? I really wish everything about this had been done differently or not at all because it really left a bad taste in my mouth.
But on the other hand, there were some aspects that I thought were executed well. The positive messages against public shaming, the steadfast friendship dynamic between the Norms, the issue of consent, especially the pressure from a female standpoint between Meg and Griffin were all handled quite well, and I genuinely enjoyed reading those parts. The setup for the next novel was done in a way where there wasn't this huge cliffhanger, which I can appreciate. It very much felt like things were just beginning and not being forced to continue which is extremely important to me when reading a series, because I hate being dragged along when everything that needs to be said has already been said.
Overall, a lot of this novel was meh for me, hence my rating. The issues of segregation and classism that were deeply rooted in the story existed but weren't exactly tangible in a way that I cared about them. They just were. The characterization was also just satisfactory. Griffin was not for me, which is fine but also made him a whatever point with respect to romance and so I found myself not really engaged where he was concerned. The character strength and loyalty in Meg was nice, although I'm kinda meh on her as a whole because I'm not exactly sure how she grew throughout the novel, she more so just learned about herself and her background but didn't necessarily mature from it. I'm not sure she had to either but I also have to come to the conclusion that I didn't care enough about her as a character so it doesn't really bother me? I'm not sure I'm capable of explaining why I'm so apathetic to the story as a whole, just that I am.
But I'm going to continue with the series, because oddly enough, I want to like it. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate and I want to see it through. I want to read more about the Healer who was weirdly the most consistent character and I am strangely here for it. I want to know more about Avery as I enjoyed him as a character but am intrigued to see what the LGBTQ community think of his depiction as a queer character. I want more lore, I just feel like there's so much potential and I want to be there if it reaches it.
So yeah, 2.5 stars. Let's see how the next one hits.
August 29, 2025
➺𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀
As you already know, I am a fan of the author’s previous works and this is like the idk 5th book that I have read from her. The books I had read from here were mostly of the sci-fi genre with aliens and some with magical beings as well. All of them were mature rated books, so I decided that it was time I checked her new YA series!
*Trigger warning: This novel mentions and goes into detail about cutting.*
Megan, is set to move in with her aunt at Frostproof, after the sudden demise of her mom. Just within a few hours of setting foot in the small town, she somehow stumbles across a key-shaped necklace that she is unable to take off her. And Nocturne Academy, the new highschool she is set to attend turns out to be a special school for the “Others” which are supernatural beings like vampires, witches, were-dragons, and fairies. As she Megan tries her best to navigate through the new world she has discovered in, she finds herself weirdly drawn to the mysterious vampire badboy Griffin Darkheart.
Boy did I love this series! I think the best part of this book is the group of friends Megan makes, the have the best bond and I love every character from their little coven. I have finished this book and am already halfway through the second book which features another one of Megan’s friend named Kaitlyn as the mc. It was a good read overall and the pairing gave of twilight vibes, can’t wait to read more from the series💞
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 @𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚𝒚𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔
As you already know, I am a fan of the author’s previous works and this is like the idk 5th book that I have read from her. The books I had read from here were mostly of the sci-fi genre with aliens and some with magical beings as well. All of them were mature rated books, so I decided that it was time I checked her new YA series!
*Trigger warning: This novel mentions and goes into detail about cutting.*
Megan, is set to move in with her aunt at Frostproof, after the sudden demise of her mom. Just within a few hours of setting foot in the small town, she somehow stumbles across a key-shaped necklace that she is unable to take off her. And Nocturne Academy, the new highschool she is set to attend turns out to be a special school for the “Others” which are supernatural beings like vampires, witches, were-dragons, and fairies. As she Megan tries her best to navigate through the new world she has discovered in, she finds herself weirdly drawn to the mysterious vampire badboy Griffin Darkheart.
Boy did I love this series! I think the best part of this book is the group of friends Megan makes, the have the best bond and I love every character from their little coven. I have finished this book and am already halfway through the second book which features another one of Megan’s friend named Kaitlyn as the mc. It was a good read overall and the pairing gave of twilight vibes, can’t wait to read more from the series💞
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 @𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚𝒚𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔
January 26, 2020
I tried this out via Kindle Unlimited. By chapter 5 I was sure it was a keeper and went back and bought it. I was not disappointed. Now eagerly waiting book 2 Fang and Claw...
August 2, 2021
bueno,,
la idea tenía mucho potencial, pero el resultado... digamos que no fue proporcional.
es una mezcla entre crepúsculo y un harry potter muy pateado.
primero: no hubo profundización de ninguna magia que no sea la de la protagonista (la cual tampoco fue la gran cosa) ni del mundo mágico y se enfocó terriblemente en el romance que por cierto fue muy absurdo y tampoco me gustó ja,,
una de las cosas que más me interesan de los mundos de fantasía es justamente su construcción, características, descripciones, innovaciones, forma de funcionamiento y demás, pero acá se nota que todo está hecho así nomás y es muy decepcionante, porque no me podes mencionar que hay brujas, dragones, hadas y hombres lobo habitando la misma escuela y no contarme nada sobre sus poderes!!!!1! me frustra.
una cosa que me dejó pensando es que no sabría si catalogar este libro como feminista o machista, porque estaba lleno de contradicciones respecto a esto.
en un momento la protagonista alegaba que no necesitaba que nadie la proteja porque aunque sea una mujer puede cuidarse sola, y al minuto siguiente estaba a los pies de su ""protector"" rogándole que esté con ella y queriendo q la haga suya para sentirse completa (?). además, ella y su amigo insultaban a la 'enemiga' con palabras re denigrantes ¿??? no entiendo q mensaje quiso dar la autora.
diría que el romance fue lo peor del libro. pasaron de intercambiar una mirada a jurarse amor eterno en un pestañeo. con la evidente longitud que tuvo esta historia (500 pags aprox), la relación amorosa podría haber estado muchísimo mejor. no hubo una buena construcción de sentimientos, no me lo creí y no me gustó nada.
otra GRAN queja es la portada del libro!!1!
es una de las cosas más feas que ví en mi vida. necesito que alguien me explique; qué hace esa chica ahí parada con un dedo levantado?? y por qué parece que no se baña hace 5 meses?
como ya mencioné, la idea era buena y prometedora pero la autora no pudo desarrollarla bien ni en 500 páginas y a veces resultaba aburrido.
puede que esto se deba a que lo escuché por audiolibro en inglés, y aunque no tenía vocabulario complicado en algunos momentos se volvía denso.
quiero destacar que la chica que hizo el audiolibro por el que lo escuché lo hizo precioso, la forma en que narraba era muy linda y su voz me encantó.
procedo a dejar el link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3wzPof...
1,5/5 ⭐
si alguien leyó hasta acá gracias (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
la idea tenía mucho potencial, pero el resultado... digamos que no fue proporcional.
es una mezcla entre crepúsculo y un harry potter muy pateado.
primero: no hubo profundización de ninguna magia que no sea la de la protagonista (la cual tampoco fue la gran cosa) ni del mundo mágico y se enfocó terriblemente en el romance que por cierto fue muy absurdo y tampoco me gustó ja,,
una de las cosas que más me interesan de los mundos de fantasía es justamente su construcción, características, descripciones, innovaciones, forma de funcionamiento y demás, pero acá se nota que todo está hecho así nomás y es muy decepcionante, porque no me podes mencionar que hay brujas, dragones, hadas y hombres lobo habitando la misma escuela y no contarme nada sobre sus poderes!!!!1! me frustra.
una cosa que me dejó pensando es que no sabría si catalogar este libro como feminista o machista, porque estaba lleno de contradicciones respecto a esto.
en un momento la protagonista alegaba que no necesitaba que nadie la proteja porque aunque sea una mujer puede cuidarse sola, y al minuto siguiente estaba a los pies de su ""protector"" rogándole que esté con ella y queriendo q la haga suya para sentirse completa (?). además, ella y su amigo insultaban a la 'enemiga' con palabras re denigrantes ¿??? no entiendo q mensaje quiso dar la autora.
diría que el romance fue lo peor del libro. pasaron de intercambiar una mirada a jurarse amor eterno en un pestañeo. con la evidente longitud que tuvo esta historia (500 pags aprox), la relación amorosa podría haber estado muchísimo mejor. no hubo una buena construcción de sentimientos, no me lo creí y no me gustó nada.
otra GRAN queja es la portada del libro!!1!
es una de las cosas más feas que ví en mi vida. necesito que alguien me explique; qué hace esa chica ahí parada con un dedo levantado?? y por qué parece que no se baña hace 5 meses?
como ya mencioné, la idea era buena y prometedora pero la autora no pudo desarrollarla bien ni en 500 páginas y a veces resultaba aburrido.
puede que esto se deba a que lo escuché por audiolibro en inglés, y aunque no tenía vocabulario complicado en algunos momentos se volvía denso.
quiero destacar que la chica que hizo el audiolibro por el que lo escuché lo hizo precioso, la forma en que narraba era muy linda y su voz me encantó.
procedo a dejar el link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3wzPof...
1,5/5 ⭐
si alguien leyó hasta acá gracias (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
June 16, 2022
I love the premise of this book, school setting, witches, magic, school romance, perfect. It was immediately drawing, and I really enjoyed it.
This book should definitely come with a trigger warning though right from the start. Casual talk of cutting and self harm (which is intwined and necessary to the story) but still, to those who may be triggered by such things, I’d proceed with caution.
It was entertaining and I loved the main character, Megan. And her coven mates quickly made it into my heart too. It was compelling and I certainly didn’t want to put it down but lord if I read ‘locket throbbed between her breasts’ one more time I was gonna explode! It was a little repetitive in that respect but I still enjoyed the book as a whole.
Its super cheese and gave off big twilight vibes. With possessive vampire and clueless slightly vulnerable main character. I was torn whether to give it 4 or 5 stars but in the end I settled for 4 on grounds of the all consuming devoted love proclaimed within about 0.5 seconds. I’m more of a slow burn type but i enjoyed it all in all and will definitely continue on with the rest of the series!
This book should definitely come with a trigger warning though right from the start. Casual talk of cutting and self harm (which is intwined and necessary to the story) but still, to those who may be triggered by such things, I’d proceed with caution.
It was entertaining and I loved the main character, Megan. And her coven mates quickly made it into my heart too. It was compelling and I certainly didn’t want to put it down but lord if I read ‘locket throbbed between her breasts’ one more time I was gonna explode! It was a little repetitive in that respect but I still enjoyed the book as a whole.
Its super cheese and gave off big twilight vibes. With possessive vampire and clueless slightly vulnerable main character. I was torn whether to give it 4 or 5 stars but in the end I settled for 4 on grounds of the all consuming devoted love proclaimed within about 0.5 seconds. I’m more of a slow burn type but i enjoyed it all in all and will definitely continue on with the rest of the series!
January 19, 2020
A true fit
This book is very unlike the academy books that seem to be main stream these days. The author brought all of her game when she switched genres and geared this to a younger audience. She still has Created all of the characters that will become important To us through future books and a fantastic story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. No matter your age, you won’t want to miss this brand new series. Move over Twilight, this might just become the new book series families bond over.
This book is very unlike the academy books that seem to be main stream these days. The author brought all of her game when she switched genres and geared this to a younger audience. She still has Created all of the characters that will become important To us through future books and a fantastic story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. No matter your age, you won’t want to miss this brand new series. Move over Twilight, this might just become the new book series families bond over.
January 26, 2020
Extremely entertaining
This is a very original and thoroughly entertaining story. There are some surprises that I didn’t see coming throughout the book. I believe this is book one of a new series and yet it is still a self-contained story. I am looking forward to reading what happens next in this world.
I highly recommend this book to read.
This is a very original and thoroughly entertaining story. There are some surprises that I didn’t see coming throughout the book. I believe this is book one of a new series and yet it is still a self-contained story. I am looking forward to reading what happens next in this world.
I highly recommend this book to read.
March 5, 2020
This is fun and interesting prophecy style young adult book. Witches, Vampires, Shifters, Fae and Normals make up the members of the Nocturne Academy. A wonderful mixture of past tragedy and new challenges provide opportunities for the young characters to learn, grow and achieve success. I enjoyed it very much.
July 12, 2023
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars.
I liked the friendship group. I liked the world. There are many weak aspects though:
The whole academy situation is pretty unrealistic.
Overall, there is barely any adult supervision, and nothing at all at the dorms. The food situations for humans, more than neglectful, it seems abusive and classists, which makes no sense based on what we now of the headmaster.
Also, the amount of time spent on the cooking class is extremely long and boring and almost made me quit. By the way, it's that an actual real class in the USA, or it is just part of the fantasy? If it is real I couldn't be more shocked. It is offensive, incredibly wasteful, useless and just plane unbelievable. Learning to make cookies... on school time, my mind can't compute, and she has that class more than once a week... I jus't can't.
Meg choices made me not like her very much, as well as all her similarities to Twilight Bella. Also, she is a complainer and a pushover. An example would be what happens with the selection of some of her classes. She is all worked up for getting into a low level English class, yet when she has the chance to something about it she passes it up because the boy she likes, and that she just met, is on it (also, why is he on that class to begin with, he is being in the academy for years!). Then, she complains about being at the home economics class and yet she lets it be, instead of getting the hell out of there.
Griffindor, ups, sorry, I mean Edward, ups, no, I meant Griffin... . Well, saying that he is underdeveloped doesn't begin to cover it. We know almost nothing about him. Who is he? Why should I care?
The romance is very weak and underdeveloped. Griffin and Meg have very little moments of connection. They are basically strangers that after less than a week of meeting each other and have only a couple of conversations, are suddenly forever in love.
All the Harry Potter and Twilight similarities were really annoying and unnecessary, it just made the whole thing less interesting and unoriginal.
Despite all the faults, which there are many more, I was entertained and I am curios about the next installments.
I liked the friendship group. I liked the world. There are many weak aspects though:
The whole academy situation is pretty unrealistic.
Overall, there is barely any adult supervision, and nothing at all at the dorms. The food situations for humans, more than neglectful, it seems abusive and classists, which makes no sense based on what we now of the headmaster.
Also, the amount of time spent on the cooking class is extremely long and boring and almost made me quit. By the way, it's that an actual real class in the USA, or it is just part of the fantasy? If it is real I couldn't be more shocked. It is offensive, incredibly wasteful, useless and just plane unbelievable. Learning to make cookies... on school time, my mind can't compute, and she has that class more than once a week... I jus't can't.
Meg choices made me not like her very much, as well as all her similarities to Twilight Bella. Also, she is a complainer and a pushover. An example would be what happens with the selection of some of her classes. She is all worked up for getting into a low level English class, yet when she has the chance to something about it she passes it up because the boy she likes, and that she just met, is on it (also, why is he on that class to begin with, he is being in the academy for years!). Then, she complains about being at the home economics class and yet she lets it be, instead of getting the hell out of there.
Griffindor, ups, sorry, I mean Edward, ups, no, I meant Griffin... . Well, saying that he is underdeveloped doesn't begin to cover it. We know almost nothing about him. Who is he? Why should I care?
The romance is very weak and underdeveloped. Griffin and Meg have very little moments of connection. They are basically strangers that after less than a week of meeting each other and have only a couple of conversations, are suddenly forever in love.
All the Harry Potter and Twilight similarities were really annoying and unnecessary, it just made the whole thing less interesting and unoriginal.
Despite all the faults, which there are many more, I was entertained and I am curios about the next installments.
January 16, 2020
Lock and Key
Evangeline Anderson proves she is a master of Young Adult fiction with Lock and Key, Book 1 in the Nocturne Academy series. In our modern society, YA usually means books suitable for ages 14-18, although those edges are often blurred. But, even as a not young adult reader, I really enjoyed this novel.
The dark hero of Nocturne Academy is introduced in the author’s notes. Griffin Darkheart is the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, but his dark and mysterious past and his true relation to the heroin, Megan, is not completely understood until the end of the book. Just when you think you have it figured out, you’re thrown back into a whirlwind of action. In the same way, Megan’s past is only revealed in small scenes throughout the length of the novel.
Although Ms. Anderson is better known through her Brides of the Kindred, Kindred Tales, The Alien Index and other adult novels, Lock and Key demonstrates her prowess to a different audience. As I said, I really enjoyed this novel, and I’m looking forward to the next one in this series, Fang and Claw. Plus, I wouldn’t hesitate giving a copy of Lock and Key to my teenage granddaughter.
Evangeline Anderson proves she is a master of Young Adult fiction with Lock and Key, Book 1 in the Nocturne Academy series. In our modern society, YA usually means books suitable for ages 14-18, although those edges are often blurred. But, even as a not young adult reader, I really enjoyed this novel.
The dark hero of Nocturne Academy is introduced in the author’s notes. Griffin Darkheart is the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, but his dark and mysterious past and his true relation to the heroin, Megan, is not completely understood until the end of the book. Just when you think you have it figured out, you’re thrown back into a whirlwind of action. In the same way, Megan’s past is only revealed in small scenes throughout the length of the novel.
Although Ms. Anderson is better known through her Brides of the Kindred, Kindred Tales, The Alien Index and other adult novels, Lock and Key demonstrates her prowess to a different audience. As I said, I really enjoyed this novel, and I’m looking forward to the next one in this series, Fang and Claw. Plus, I wouldn’t hesitate giving a copy of Lock and Key to my teenage granddaughter.
February 19, 2021
Courage, loyalty, truth
Megan shows all three as she is dropped into this new world, with entirely new species, and makes new friends. I loved Griffin, her love interest, and all her new friends, and I can't wait to read about her friend next.
Megan shows all three as she is dropped into this new world, with entirely new species, and makes new friends. I loved Griffin, her love interest, and all her new friends, and I can't wait to read about her friend next.
January 28, 2020
3.5 stars
September 10, 2020
This was actually a pretty decent premise, but way too teenager-y for me, will definitely not be continuing the series.
December 31, 2020
I've read Evangeline Anderson's other adult oriented books, mainly The Brides of Kindred, and it was ok, so was intrigued to see what her fantasy YA would be like in hopes it would be a good one.
Lock and Key
It seemed like either the writing was slightly off at times because the wording seemed off or the editing was bad at times. Can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something. And the reason it slightly bothered me is because I have read Anderson's Kindred series and know she has her writing down pat...so maybe it's because this is her first YA? (I think). But that shouldn't impact her writing style...so I guess it really is just bad editing...
But that something didn't really interfere with the story itself and I truly liked this fantasy YA with supernatural creatures and magic.
In a way it was the usual magic school romance plot of as-it-turns-out-extra-spechul-snowflake-girl meets the über cool bad boy...but I didn't really mind her special-ness since her character is indeed likable...and the bad boy wasn't an annoying jerk either. And though it was tad cheesy at times...but it really just went with the whole magical fated thing...sooooo
In fact, I liked Lock and Key so much I read it in one go. It wasn't anything extra amazing, but I enjoyed it and left me with a warm feeling inside.
In fact, at first it seemed the book would be way too long what with it's page count, but since Lock and Key only has Megan and Griffin's story (next book has a different couple), as I read the book I kept wishing the book would be longer and we could more thoroughly have their story told!
And even now after I've finished the book, thou it was told quite nicely, I do find myself wishing the next book would be of Megan and Griffin again, because in a way this book didn't really focus on their romance, but more on the overall situation and Megan realising who she is. So yes, I 'd love to have another book for these two which would focus more on their relationship, especially considering certain events I won't mention for they would spoiler spoiler the book, but definitely be nice to see how it all unfolds. Maybe tidbits will be mentioned in next book since it'll feature Megan's friend...
Anyways, I can only hope they'll get another book of their own later on.
Nonetheless, I am eager to read the next book which will have Megan's friend Kaitlyn as the lead and a certain dragon, because:
All in all, I'd say Anderson's Nocturne Academy is a success. I'm liking this YA and want more. Nuff said ;D
Wait, there was one thing that bothered me because one character was cutting themselves - not quite sure what to say about that, but…cutting yourself up is not the way to deal with anything, no matter the reason.
Also, in a way it felt kind of childish at times, but they are only 16...sooo....nah, still no excuse. Do NOT cut yourself people! Find more healthy ways to cope.
Lock and Key was from Megan's POV. Kinda wished we could've also gotten Griffin's POV, but it certainly worked for the first book. Maybe, if, hopefully, they get another book, that one can have both of theirs pov's.
However, Fang and Claw will have Kaitlyn's POV....and also the ML's Ari's POV. Hehehehe, works for me!
All in all, a good YA.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Book #1 review: The Witch & The Vampire, heh
Book #2 review: The SomethingHumanSomething & The Dragon Shifter ;p
Lock and Key
It seemed like either the writing was slightly off at times because the wording seemed off or the editing was bad at times. Can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something. And the reason it slightly bothered me is because I have read Anderson's Kindred series and know she has her writing down pat...so maybe it's because this is her first YA? (I think). But that shouldn't impact her writing style...so I guess it really is just bad editing...
But that something didn't really interfere with the story itself and I truly liked this fantasy YA with supernatural creatures and magic.
In a way it was the usual magic school romance plot of as-it-turns-out-extra-spechul-snowflake-girl meets the über cool bad boy...but I didn't really mind her special-ness since her character is indeed likable...and the bad boy wasn't an annoying jerk either. And though it was tad cheesy at times...but it really just went with the whole magical fated thing...sooooo
In fact, I liked Lock and Key so much I read it in one go. It wasn't anything extra amazing, but I enjoyed it and left me with a warm feeling inside.
In fact, at first it seemed the book would be way too long what with it's page count, but since Lock and Key only has Megan and Griffin's story (next book has a different couple), as I read the book I kept wishing the book would be longer and we could more thoroughly have their story told!
And even now after I've finished the book, thou it was told quite nicely, I do find myself wishing the next book would be of Megan and Griffin again, because in a way this book didn't really focus on their romance, but more on the overall situation and Megan realising who she is. So yes, I 'd love to have another book for these two which would focus more on their relationship, especially considering certain events I won't mention for they would spoiler spoiler the book, but definitely be nice to see how it all unfolds. Maybe tidbits will be mentioned in next book since it'll feature Megan's friend...
Anyways, I can only hope they'll get another book of their own later on.
Nonetheless, I am eager to read the next book which will have Megan's friend Kaitlyn as the lead and a certain dragon, because:
All in all, I'd say Anderson's Nocturne Academy is a success. I'm liking this YA and want more. Nuff said ;D
Wait, there was one thing that bothered me because one character was cutting themselves - not quite sure what to say about that, but…cutting yourself up is not the way to deal with anything, no matter the reason.
Also, in a way it felt kind of childish at times, but they are only 16...sooo....nah, still no excuse. Do NOT cut yourself people! Find more healthy ways to cope.
Lock and Key was from Megan's POV. Kinda wished we could've also gotten Griffin's POV, but it certainly worked for the first book. Maybe, if, hopefully, they get another book, that one can have both of theirs pov's.
However, Fang and Claw will have Kaitlyn's POV....and also the ML's Ari's POV. Hehehehe, works for me!
All in all, a good YA.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Book #1 review: The Witch & The Vampire, heh
Book #2 review: The SomethingHumanSomething & The Dragon Shifter ;p
August 26, 2020
Yes!!
I was pleasantly surprised to find I loved this book. It has a great storyline, awesome characters and lots of twists and turns .
I was pleasantly surprised to find I loved this book. It has a great storyline, awesome characters and lots of twists and turns .
February 26, 2020
Magic academy books are my guilty pleasure reads even if completely unoriginal. This one was super trashy though - the insta-love and insta-friendship turned me off.
March 26, 2021
This was just what I needed. Nothing super original or blow your mind, but I needed a cute academy/supernatural romance with a brooding tortured male lead, a sassy gay best friend, and "nice girl" loyal to a fault best friends. Oh and let's not forget the "forbidden romance" , "I didn't know I was a supernatural ", "dead parents" , and "I'm the chosen one of prophecy " tropes. Good stuff, when you're in the mood for it. And I definitely was.
Megan, our FMC is 16 years old and finds undying love in someone she should not at Nocturne Academy- Her mother's alma mater. How can that be? Her Mother was human....right? With 3 best friends at her side and a broody Drake she can't seem to stay away from (and vice versa), despite his warnings that's he's dangerous for her - she navigates her new life and tries to find answers about both her own past and the supernatural community's future.
Minus one star for SO. MUCH. WHINE. Three is not enough cheese in the world to deal with her whine. And it was made so much worse by the narrator of the audiobook who really knew took megan's wine to that of a 5 year old complainig going
"BUT WHYYYY?"
"MOOOMMMMM, but that's not fair"
"Why does she get it? I want her toy! I waaaant iiiit!!" <\b>
In case anyone is wondering, it's not at all <\I> endearing. ( Though the narration was fine for the most part otherwise.)
Another major complaint, despite being almost 500 pages, a lot of the character of building was left out. Especially regarding Aunt Delli, Nancy, Griffin (the ML) and other malicious people. The headmistress seemed to take on a dumbledore role, wasn't fleshed out enough to achieve that.
Griffin himself we know so little about. His age, what he did before Nocturne Academy, his parents, his dual-race lineage.
Also, why was Megan only able to use one type of magic but nothing else. And how does it work? Do you think on your desire? Is it only for healing?
. I know the second book follows Caitlin, Megan's friend and Coven mate, but I doubt I'll find the answers I'm looking for.
Overall a very entertaining supernatural acadmy romance read that brings all our favorite tropes to play.
Megan, our FMC is 16 years old and finds undying love in someone she should not at Nocturne Academy- Her mother's alma mater. How can that be? Her Mother was human....right? With 3 best friends at her side and a broody Drake she can't seem to stay away from (and vice versa), despite his warnings that's he's dangerous for her - she navigates her new life and tries to find answers about both her own past and the supernatural community's future.
Minus one star for SO. MUCH. WHINE. Three is not enough cheese in the world to deal with her whine. And it was made so much worse by the narrator of the audiobook who really knew took megan's wine to that of a 5 year old complainig going
"BUT WHYYYY?"
"MOOOMMMMM, but that's not fair"
"Why does she get it? I want her toy! I waaaant iiiit!!" <\b>
In case anyone is wondering, it's not at all <\I> endearing. ( Though the narration was fine for the most part otherwise.)
Another major complaint, despite being almost 500 pages, a lot of the character of building was left out. Especially regarding Aunt Delli, Nancy, Griffin (the ML) and other malicious people. The headmistress seemed to take on a dumbledore role, wasn't fleshed out enough to achieve that.
Griffin himself we know so little about. His age, what he did before Nocturne Academy, his parents, his dual-race lineage.
Also, why was Megan only able to use one type of magic but nothing else. And how does it work? Do you think on your desire? Is it only for healing?
. I know the second book follows Caitlin, Megan's friend and Coven mate, but I doubt I'll find the answers I'm looking for.
Overall a very entertaining supernatural acadmy romance read that brings all our favorite tropes to play.
Read
May 9, 2021Oh, Lock and Key was so good except for the BUT!
But for the fact that I just read book three, and there are changes to names between book one and three and many typos! Emma Plunket --> Emma Plunkett. Aunt Delliee -->Aunt Delli --> Aunt Deli.
Schucks!
Other than that, we have a winner!
Megan Foster has a destiny. She doesn't know it yet, but it starts Monday morning.
She arrives at a new school by invitation to her by her mom's maiden name, Megan Latimer, to find out her family is almost legendary. Her kookie Aunt Delilah isn't so kookie, and that her mom whisked her from her birthright.
Don't you just hate Mondays?
It's not surprising that she should run into a tall, dark, mystery man that makes her heart patter, her blood sing, and her new Mount Doom-like necklace burn right away. In a weird place like Nocturne Academy, strange things happening are to be expected. But when she finds that he's been censured and is the school bad boy, she should put her interest to bed, but she can't stay away. But even if she could, it would make no difference because he suffers the same weakness, and he can't stay away from her either.
It's so romantic. Forbidden love. Romeo and Juliet for the paranormally inclined. I adore it. Throw in her coven-sisters, Emma, Kaitlyn, and Avery, and I'm sold! If I hadn't already read book three, I would be giving this a five-star review.
Highly recommend. Love it. Please give me a Griffin Darkheart any day over any other shiny vampire.
But for the fact that I just read book three, and there are changes to names between book one and three and many typos! Emma Plunket --> Emma Plunkett. Aunt Delliee -->Aunt Delli --> Aunt Deli.
Schucks!
Other than that, we have a winner!
Megan Foster has a destiny. She doesn't know it yet, but it starts Monday morning.
She arrives at a new school by invitation to her by her mom's maiden name, Megan Latimer, to find out her family is almost legendary. Her kookie Aunt Delilah isn't so kookie, and that her mom whisked her from her birthright.
Don't you just hate Mondays?
It's not surprising that she should run into a tall, dark, mystery man that makes her heart patter, her blood sing, and her new Mount Doom-like necklace burn right away. In a weird place like Nocturne Academy, strange things happening are to be expected. But when she finds that he's been censured and is the school bad boy, she should put her interest to bed, but she can't stay away. But even if she could, it would make no difference because he suffers the same weakness, and he can't stay away from her either.
It's so romantic. Forbidden love. Romeo and Juliet for the paranormally inclined. I adore it. Throw in her coven-sisters, Emma, Kaitlyn, and Avery, and I'm sold! If I hadn't already read book three, I would be giving this a five-star review.
Highly recommend. Love it. Please give me a Griffin Darkheart any day over any other shiny vampire.
January 29, 2020
>Book Review – Lock & Key
>I am an independent reviewer. This book is the 1st in the Nocturne Academy series and ends in an HEA. Megan moves in with her aunt after the death of her parents. Her new school is an eye opener for her. Megan never knew paranormal creatures existed. She not only learns she is going to school with witches, dragons, vampires and werewolves, but she also is a witch from one of the first and strongest witch families. She takes all of this info really well. She has no powers, so is sent to live in the dungeon with 3 other misfits. Kaitlyn, Avery and Emma become Megan’s support system. These “norms” are really treated poorly. The food they are allowed to eat is borderline garbage. They are bullied, especially by the werewolves.
>Megan is attracted to the bad boy, Griffin, a vampire. It is a bizarre attraction, kind of like ‘insta-love’, but both Megan and Griffin fight the attraction. There are rules in this universe forbidding cross species romance. The story has some great mysteries involving Griffin and a magic necklace. The romance, though quick, is really sweet, as Griffin becomes a super Alpha and protects Megan from all bullies.
>This book is appropriate for a young adult audience. This author usually doesn’t write for young adults, but fear not, this book is strictly G rated. The romance and mystery were compelling. The characters were well developed. The setting was rich with a gothic feel. I am giving this book 5 stars.
>I am an independent reviewer. This book is the 1st in the Nocturne Academy series and ends in an HEA. Megan moves in with her aunt after the death of her parents. Her new school is an eye opener for her. Megan never knew paranormal creatures existed. She not only learns she is going to school with witches, dragons, vampires and werewolves, but she also is a witch from one of the first and strongest witch families. She takes all of this info really well. She has no powers, so is sent to live in the dungeon with 3 other misfits. Kaitlyn, Avery and Emma become Megan’s support system. These “norms” are really treated poorly. The food they are allowed to eat is borderline garbage. They are bullied, especially by the werewolves.
>Megan is attracted to the bad boy, Griffin, a vampire. It is a bizarre attraction, kind of like ‘insta-love’, but both Megan and Griffin fight the attraction. There are rules in this universe forbidding cross species romance. The story has some great mysteries involving Griffin and a magic necklace. The romance, though quick, is really sweet, as Griffin becomes a super Alpha and protects Megan from all bullies.
>This book is appropriate for a young adult audience. This author usually doesn’t write for young adults, but fear not, this book is strictly G rated. The romance and mystery were compelling. The characters were well developed. The setting was rich with a gothic feel. I am giving this book 5 stars.
March 7, 2020
YA, PNR, Violence & murder, HEA, book 1 of series.
This is an exciting read with suitably great and properly horrible characters. In a nutshell, each individual and group is working through their love-based or fear-based choices and how these choices impact those arround them.
Immature teens with various paranormal gifts are sent to restricted Academies to learn how to control themselves and their powers in order to become acceptable members of their various societies.
Frictions of both personal and socio-political levels in this blended school are also the main conflict of this teen romance. Great worry and efforts are put into maintaining the balance of power between the various xeniophobic paranormal groups. Humans greatly outnumber all paranormals.
It is my impression that this blended school is an effort to teach these gifted populations how to tolerate each other as individuals and overcome the ignorances about the cultures of each group in an effort to improve survival rates for all of them. Also there is slipped in a caution against minorities becoming bullies against the majority. Finally, words (for good or ill) have only the power the listener gives them and "spells" or other tools (for example guns or cars) are as harmful as the intentions of the user. Another example is dinamite which has been used by farmers, fishermen, roadworkers, and robbers. Intention and education partnered with our actions makes all the difference..
This is an exciting read with suitably great and properly horrible characters. In a nutshell, each individual and group is working through their love-based or fear-based choices and how these choices impact those arround them.
Immature teens with various paranormal gifts are sent to restricted Academies to learn how to control themselves and their powers in order to become acceptable members of their various societies.
Frictions of both personal and socio-political levels in this blended school are also the main conflict of this teen romance. Great worry and efforts are put into maintaining the balance of power between the various xeniophobic paranormal groups. Humans greatly outnumber all paranormals.
It is my impression that this blended school is an effort to teach these gifted populations how to tolerate each other as individuals and overcome the ignorances about the cultures of each group in an effort to improve survival rates for all of them. Also there is slipped in a caution against minorities becoming bullies against the majority. Finally, words (for good or ill) have only the power the listener gives them and "spells" or other tools (for example guns or cars) are as harmful as the intentions of the user. Another example is dinamite which has been used by farmers, fishermen, roadworkers, and robbers. Intention and education partnered with our actions makes all the difference..
May 17, 2021
I like the author adult books, so I decided to give it a try. It's not bad and I get hooked to the characters, so I'm reading the whole series. The second book is better than this, I think the author needs to learn about the YA genre and she will be better, because practice makes perfect. I gave 4 stars, because I enjoyed most part of the book. I liked the Nocturne Academy, the headmistress and the teachers are interesting characters. I like that we know a lot about the heroine's outfit and dorm room. Her little coven is a couple of misfits. I felt that Avery is just an unnecessary addition of political corretctness, but I started to like him too.
There are some thing that annoying me however. Everybody says that the heroine should stay away from Griffin, but she doesn't listen to her friends or her instincts. It's really bad example for teenage girls. If your parents and friends, and your right mind say that someone is bad news, you should keep away from him. I know that it's just a novel, but I like heroines who aren't damsels in distress, but clever young woman who keep herself safe. My ideal heroine is Buffy, the vampire slayer.
At the end Griffin is a good guy, but she should spend more time to figure it out before going to a dark forest with him alone.
The end of the story is surprise, but I think that the part where they want Griffin to kill our heroine awkward and it looks like a BDSM sex scene. I don't like that in a book for teenagers, especially after they barely held hands before.
They always saying that norm food is awkward, but I don't understand why they don't do anything about it. It's kind of a racist thing, that the norm students deserve less, but I they should change it.
There are some thing that annoying me however. Everybody says that the heroine should stay away from Griffin, but she doesn't listen to her friends or her instincts. It's really bad example for teenage girls. If your parents and friends, and your right mind say that someone is bad news, you should keep away from him. I know that it's just a novel, but I like heroines who aren't damsels in distress, but clever young woman who keep herself safe. My ideal heroine is Buffy, the vampire slayer.
At the end Griffin is a good guy, but she should spend more time to figure it out before going to a dark forest with him alone.
The end of the story is surprise, but I think that the part where they want Griffin to kill our heroine awkward and it looks like a BDSM sex scene. I don't like that in a book for teenagers, especially after they barely held hands before.
They always saying that norm food is awkward, but I don't understand why they don't do anything about it. It's kind of a racist thing, that the norm students deserve less, but I they should change it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2021
At first glance on this book I dis not think I was going to like it but my inner teenager said give it a try besides you already like the author, genre, and the title. So I decided why not. It would prove to be very interesting making me want to read the whole thing in one sitting and since I had already started the book late in the day I would see what would happen. I did attempt to ready it all in one day because I wanted to get down to the nitty-gritty of some things.
I knew it had to be somewhere in her family line that things began I just didn't know the extent of thing. Of course that inner child that saw the opportunity for the word 'Mystery' started jumping up and down. The facts that were know about her family almost broke my heart. To be torn apart by what is supposed to be ypur family made me angry. Blood magic. Funny already knew what it was before the book went into further explanation. Let's talk about that mark of shame. The next question on my mind is will that mark make that asshat steaightwn up and fly right. Will it show him the errors of his ways . I hope that mark does something for him other than showing his is unworthy.
Now these next books will be interesting to say the least.
I knew it had to be somewhere in her family line that things began I just didn't know the extent of thing. Of course that inner child that saw the opportunity for the word 'Mystery' started jumping up and down. The facts that were know about her family almost broke my heart. To be torn apart by what is supposed to be ypur family made me angry. Blood magic. Funny already knew what it was before the book went into further explanation. Let's talk about that mark of shame. The next question on my mind is will that mark make that asshat steaightwn up and fly right. Will it show him the errors of his ways . I hope that mark does something for him other than showing his is unworthy.
Now these next books will be interesting to say the least.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2020
I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to upcoming books in the series. I love the fact that this is a supernatural school that has supernatural beings with a little human mixed in. You have anything from vampires, witches, and even some dragon shifters. It was not lost on my that she referred to dragon shifters as Drakes. Nice touch.
I loved Megan and I can see how she would feel lost being thrown into a world that she had no clue about. What a shocker that had to be. I love how quickly she adjusted. I love how loyal she was toward her friends and the sexy guy she had her eyes set on. I love how she had no fear when it came to standing up for herself or others. It did not matter what kind of being it was she would met them head on.
I loved Griffin. He was this sexy dark mysterious guy. I loved how his protective side. He was defiantly someone any girl in their right mind would want to sink their teeth in.
This book has a lot of stuff in it. There is a lot that we keep your attention and make you want to keep coming back for more. Now waiting patiently for the next book.
I loved Megan and I can see how she would feel lost being thrown into a world that she had no clue about. What a shocker that had to be. I love how quickly she adjusted. I love how loyal she was toward her friends and the sexy guy she had her eyes set on. I love how she had no fear when it came to standing up for herself or others. It did not matter what kind of being it was she would met them head on.
I loved Griffin. He was this sexy dark mysterious guy. I loved how his protective side. He was defiantly someone any girl in their right mind would want to sink their teeth in.
This book has a lot of stuff in it. There is a lot that we keep your attention and make you want to keep coming back for more. Now waiting patiently for the next book.
June 26, 2021
Very good! Significant copy editing errors, mostly wrong word.
The story is very good, not fantastic. There are heavy foreshadowing, that can be forgiven in YA books. Though I prefer authors who do not write down to their audience. There are several instances where the book has clearly the wrong word in a sentence. Better proof reading would cure that ill. These are the type of mistakes that I usually expect from beginning writers who haven't developed the support staff needed to produce a polished product. When it is from as prolific an author as Ms. Anderson it smacks of indifference. .I got the first two books through Kindle Unlimited and was disappointed to find that the third book is not part of that program.
All grumbles aside this is a delightful series. Looking at Evangeline Anderson's catalog of titles,. I believe that this series is the only thing that I would wish to read. The light romance, mostly clean language (occasional F-bombs) is hugely entertaining. I would read many more books along this vein. The humor, and fun plot made my day.
The story is very good, not fantastic. There are heavy foreshadowing, that can be forgiven in YA books. Though I prefer authors who do not write down to their audience. There are several instances where the book has clearly the wrong word in a sentence. Better proof reading would cure that ill. These are the type of mistakes that I usually expect from beginning writers who haven't developed the support staff needed to produce a polished product. When it is from as prolific an author as Ms. Anderson it smacks of indifference. .I got the first two books through Kindle Unlimited and was disappointed to find that the third book is not part of that program.
All grumbles aside this is a delightful series. Looking at Evangeline Anderson's catalog of titles,. I believe that this series is the only thing that I would wish to read. The light romance, mostly clean language (occasional F-bombs) is hugely entertaining. I would read many more books along this vein. The humor, and fun plot made my day.
May 24, 2025
Okay this book is undeniably campy, cheesy at times, possibly the most YA YA book I've ever read, filled with all the tropes, but somehow I thoroughly enjoyed most of this?? I'm not going to say I think this is good writing or good literature (because it most definitely isn't), but I had fun with this one and in terms of entertainment it mostly delivered.
It's set in a magical school, and that's probably why it's catnip for me. I think I have a soft spot for these magical school setting type of books - it reminds me of other stories like Hex Hall or Nightmare Academy.
This was the book equivalent of junk food I think. There isn't much there in terms of nutritional value, but it somehow still tastes delicious. That's pretty much all I've got to say.
The chemistry between the main couple and the friendship group was great too.
Overall, it was fun. I'm a little disappointed that the series will not be focusing on Meghan and Griffin in the next books, but overall I'm curious to see where it goes.
It's set in a magical school, and that's probably why it's catnip for me. I think I have a soft spot for these magical school setting type of books - it reminds me of other stories like Hex Hall or Nightmare Academy.
This was the book equivalent of junk food I think. There isn't much there in terms of nutritional value, but it somehow still tastes delicious. That's pretty much all I've got to say.
The chemistry between the main couple and the friendship group was great too.
Overall, it was fun. I'm a little disappointed that the series will not be focusing on Meghan and Griffin in the next books, but overall I'm curious to see where it goes.
May 27, 2021
This is the 1st book of the series and very interesting.
Though it starts with the common thread of a legacy student getting registration in a magical school not knowing her history, that is perhaps one of the only similarities a reader will find. Nocturnes (vampires), fae (fairy), drakes (dragon shifters), sisters (witches) and norms (normal humans considered to have no magic) make this series very interesting.
Set mainly in the Norm Dorm, -the basement dungeon where the boarding facilities of misfits and normal humans is located - the main characters create a coven or family where the only thing that matters is that they stand together.
The story is very intriguing and holds one's attention fully. I read through all 3 books in this series in 1 single day and that says something for the potential of this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Though it starts with the common thread of a legacy student getting registration in a magical school not knowing her history, that is perhaps one of the only similarities a reader will find. Nocturnes (vampires), fae (fairy), drakes (dragon shifters), sisters (witches) and norms (normal humans considered to have no magic) make this series very interesting.
Set mainly in the Norm Dorm, -the basement dungeon where the boarding facilities of misfits and normal humans is located - the main characters create a coven or family where the only thing that matters is that they stand together.
The story is very intriguing and holds one's attention fully. I read through all 3 books in this series in 1 single day and that says something for the potential of this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 15, 2022
This one was a 2.5 star for me. I liked the world building and thought it had a lot of potential, but the writing style, insta-fated-love, and info-dumps in place of plot really threw me off.
I started this as an audiobook and couldn’t deal with the narration so decided to see if actually reading it improved the writing. Sometimes an audio narrator can read a book so poorly that I can tell I would have liked it if I’d given the characters my own intonations in my head as I read it. Reading this…did not improve it. The dialogue was so far removed from anything real teens would say or how they would speak. We know it’s in modern times because they have iPhones, but they don’t use contractions and talk like formal knights of the round table half the time. It was waaaaaay distracting. I doubt I’ll continue the series.
I started this as an audiobook and couldn’t deal with the narration so decided to see if actually reading it improved the writing. Sometimes an audio narrator can read a book so poorly that I can tell I would have liked it if I’d given the characters my own intonations in my head as I read it. Reading this…did not improve it. The dialogue was so far removed from anything real teens would say or how they would speak. We know it’s in modern times because they have iPhones, but they don’t use contractions and talk like formal knights of the round table half the time. It was waaaaaay distracting. I doubt I’ll continue the series.
February 2, 2020
I will be honest, I was not my usual this is going to be an amazing book because its the talented Evangeline Anderson. I was the more sighs heavily, grabs book first chance I could (hey im still a very loyal fan!) and quickly start reading believing it was going to be a very teen orientated book. All I can say is l am so glad I have the faith in Evangeline Anderson to work her magic no matter what she writes otherwise I would have missed out on a fabulous read! No its not a Brides of the Kindred type book, but it is uniquely Evangeline Anderson. It still has magic all her books do, just on a more PG rated style. I loved how this book came together and our new hero's of the book Griffin Darkheart and Megan were amazing. Second one in the series now please.
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