[Blog Tour: The Last Academy by Anne Applegate. Review and Giveaway]

When I found out that Anne Applegate was a local who had achieved getting her book published, I knew that I needed to get on this blog tour!  And I'm so glad that I did!  Anne Applegate, you've done SLO county proud and written one mind blowing standalone novel!  Let's get on to the book.

"The Last Academy"
Author: Anne Applegate
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Paranormal
Date Published: April 30th, 2013
Publisher: Point
Format Read: ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review

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Summary:

 What is this prep school preparing them for?

Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam—and readers—stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

MIND BLOWN!  Seriously, I was so confused and yet intrigued by what I was reading when I was in the pages of this book and I was hoping that Applegate could pull it all together in a way that was going to work for me and not leave questions rolling around in my brain.  She exceeded my expectations!  She Joss Whedoned me (yes, I just turned Joss Whedon's name into an action).  When I got to the big revelation at the end I wanted to shout "the answers, all the answers where in front of my face the whole time!"  And they were, I just didn't know what I was looking at until she pulled the rug out from under my feet.  It takes a lot to surprise me, shock me and make me want to give out virtual high fives, but this book did it!

Honestly, without the ending I don't think I would have thought that this was a well constructed novel.  It kept driving me nuts, because it seemed like nothing was really happening even though the writing was engaging and atmospheric.  I was just as clueless as Camden (the lead) and it was driving me loony.  But like I said when I got to the end it made me see just how genius Appplegate's novel is.  It also made me appreciate the atmosphere that she created, not only in her descriptions, but also in the way she made the reader feel as you read.  You felt like you were there, even if you didn't know it.  I swear that my subconscious must have had some clue...

I really liked Camden as the lead.  I think that the issues and things that she was dealing with while she was walking the halls of Lethe made her interesting.  She did what she could to figure out what was happening around her, even if at the time I didn't feel like it was enough.  Her relationships with the people around her brought her so much growth in what seemed like a little amount if time.  I liked how she seemed so young in the beginning and then grew into someone older and wiser as the novel went on.  

Applegate gave us a brilliant cast of secondary characters who all had a huge purpose within her story.  Mark (Cam's sweet BF), Nora, Tamera, Jessie and Brynn all had wonderful and distinct personalities.  When they started to disappear or started to act strange it really added a freaky feel to the book.  Everything started out so normal for Camden at boarding school but as things went on everything got odd and this cast of characters helped build that feeling.

And we can't forget about Barnaby Charon, who gave me chills every time he walked onto a page.  Seriously, the creep factor that followed him around made him a winner in my book.  I loved when he was a part of the story or would just magically show up.

Even though I have a feeling that this book won't be everyone's cup of tea I can't say enough about it!  I have a feeling that this one if going to stay with me for quite some time.  What started out as a book that seemed to be going nowhere, actually ended up being one of the most well crafted books I've read in a long time and that is always a plus in my book!

Rating:

       4 Unicorns = Almost perfect!

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About The Author:

Anne Applegate was born in Chico, California.  Most of her childhood was spent moving across America with her family, nomad style.

When Anne was fourteen, her parents sent her to boarding school so she could spend four years in a single educational system.  As it turned out, her family then promptly settled into a small mid-western town and lived there for the next sixteen years.  Anne still hasn’t figured out if this means something.

After graduation, she went on to Tufts University in Medford, MA, where she had a wicked good time. Eventually, she  wound up back on the west coast, where she married a fantastic Californian guy.  Together, they have three children.

For the last twelve years, Anne has lived  in San Luis Obispo County.  This is by far the longest time she has stayed in any one place her whole life.  She immensely enjoys living  where 1) the sun always shines and 2) she isn’t the weirdest person in town.

Anne's Links: ... Blog ... Twitter ...

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Giveaway:

Here it is!  Your chance to win your very own copy of "The Last Academy"!  Trust me, you want it!  Make you check out the rules and regulations on the Rafflecopter below before entering and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway