Night School: Legacy Blog Tour

Night School: Legacy by C J Daugherty publishes today!  And to celebrate it's release they have organised a blog tour with a unique twist. More details below, but first, today's stop!   I have a Night School Member Card for Carter West!!!

Yep, you have to love Carter West!

Now for the unique twist! The blog tour gives you the chance to enter a competition, called The Night School Challenge, where you can win the chance to become official members of Night School! All you have to do is to visit each of the blogs taking part in the tour to collect 14 Night School skills which will be hidden across the 14 blog posts. To find out if you have found the right one, click on the skill and it will take you to a website letting you know if you are on the right track.   For more detailed instructions check out this post.

Good Luck everyone!

All the stops and dates are below:

Thurs 3rd – Fluttering Butterflies

Thurs 3rd – I Want to Read That

Fri 4th – Teen Librarian

Fri 4th – Mostly Ready YA

Sat 5th – District YA

Sun 6th - So Many Books, So Little Time

Mon 7th – The Bookette

Mon 7th - Endlessly Bookish

Tues 8th – Feeling Fictional

Tues 8th - Bookaholics Book Club

Weds 9th – PewterWolf

Weds 9th -Book Passion for Life

Thurs 10th – Serendipity Reviews

Thurs 10th – Once upon a Bookcase

Night School: Legacy by C J Daugherty

For Review: Atom
Published: 3 January 2013

From Goodreads: In the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought the dreamy Carter West into her life hasn't hurt...But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could've imagined. The students, and faculty, are under threat and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandma to her runaway brother - are at the centre of the storm. Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart...

I loved Night School when I read it last year so have been eagerly awaiting the sequel. I am pleased to say it lived up to all my expectations – it was different than I thought it would be but in a really good way.

The book starts straight in with the action, and we are thrown back into the mystery not knowing who to trust. I was pleased to get back to Chimmeria, with all the characters I grew to love last time. And yes, okay, I definitely wanted my fix of Carter West!

One of the things that surprised me in this instalment was how much my opinion of all the characters seemed to shift ever so slightly. While I loved Isabelle in the first book, seeds of doubt grew and I started wondering if she could be trusted. I also began to really like Sylvain, although I am still hesitant over his character because I feel what he did at the Summer Ball was serious and shouldn’t be dismissed too easily. And also, what the hell was up with Carter? Don’t get me wrong – I still loved him but he seemed so angry and possessive this time (or at least at the beginning of the story). Unless it was just me?  Either way, the whole ultimatum thing really annoyed me – you don’t get to dictate who someone is friends with! Although I do wonder what it is between Carter and Sylvain – does he know something we don’t? Or is it just jealousy over Allie?

So many things happened – it’s such an exciting story – but at the same time I got to the end and am not sure I knew much more than I did to begin with. That’s not a bad thing though – I’m sure I read somewhere (and please correct me if I am wrong) that this is planned as a series of 5 books? If so, I can see it taking a while to get those answers, but I know I will be along for the ride because so far, it is seriously awesome! I mean, that ending? I am so glad the author is prepared to go there and take risks – I didn’t see it coming at all but it certainly raises the stakes so to speak!

Can I have the next book now please?

Favourite Reads In 2012

I have read so many great books this year - it is so hard to choose!  I have definitely been on a contemporary kick this year (which is showing no sign of abating!).  So, after much deliberation, here are my Top Ten Reads of 2012:

10: If I Die by Rachel Vincent
I LOVE Rachel Vincent and I adore this series!  I'm going to be gutted when this series finishes but I can't wait to read the final book.

9: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
I loved Delirium and I loved this one even more!  I love her writing and the world she has created.

8: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
One of my favourite dystopian series!  Soooo good!  Can't wait for the final book in the series.

7: This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Many of you will probably know by now that I have loved everything Courtney Summers has written but this one is just pure awesome sauce!  I love zombies and Summers managed to make a horror story feel like a contemporary read.  Plus is seriously creeped me out!

6: Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
Completely exceeded my expectations - the main character's voice is spot on.

5: Saving Daisy by Phil Earle
I was so looking forward to reading Daisy's story and it lived up to all my expectations.  Brilliant!

4: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
This almost destroyed me.  Such a great story and I loved the relationship between the main character and her dad.

3: What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton
My surprise read of the year.  I just loved everything about it but especially the friendship/romance that develops between the two main characters.

2: Wonder by R J Palacio
So different from anything else I've read this year - just loved it.  And although it made me cry it's also such an uplifting story.

1:  Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry
I read this at the beginning of the year and I had the feeling it would be my favourite read of the year.  Nothing else quite topped it - everything about it was spot on for me.  Love Noah and Echo and I am now practically salivating for Beth's story Dare You To.

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

From Goodreads: Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.

And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

I had read so many great things about this book I was dying to read it. I was so excited when I learnt it was going to be published in the UK that I started to wonder if it could ever live up for my expectations for it – but it really did. It is brilliant!

Carly’s voice is spot on. I love Kirsty Eagar’s writing – she made me believe I was in Carly’s head. She’s such a broken character – for good reason - and the story tackles a very difficult subject. But from a different angle - by looking at how someone lives with its aftermath.

I had to commend Carly for trying to get on with her life. She drops out of college but is managing to support herself and spend time doing what she loves – surfing. It’s here she meets Ryan and they form a connection. I loved Ryan! He’s honest with her about being in Prison and the reason why, and he’s just so patient with Carly – despite not having any idea why she is the way she is I love the way he slowly gets to her, slowly breaks down the wall she has and lets him in. Lets him see her by telling him about her past. I had to love him for refusing to let her push him away.

This story deals with serious and sensitive issues. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea - it’s definitely more character driven that plot driven - but I absolutely loved it.

Night School: Legacy (Trailer & Blog Tour Details)

Looks brilliant, right? Well I have read it and can confirm it`s awesome!!!

Here is more information about the book:

From Goodreads: In the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought the dreamy Carter West into her life hasn't hurt...But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could've imagined. The students, and faculty, are under threat and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandma to her runaway brother - are at the centre of the storm. Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart...

I`ll also be part of the blog tour next week (3 Jan) so stop by for that!  Plus the tour is running an awesome competition - check below for the details:

Do you have what it takes to face the Night School challenge?

To celebrate the publication of CJ Daugherty’s new book Legacy, she is offering fans of Night School the chance to join Allie and her friends in becoming members of the secret student group Night School. In order to prove you’ve got what it takes to join the highly competitive Night School you will have to distinguish the 14 skills every Night School member should have which will be hidden across the 14 blogs taking part in the tour.

Everyone who successfully completes the challenge will become a Night School member for life and will receive the Night School membership charter and Night School members’ badge as proof of membership, but, because intelligence and speed are two of the most important Night School skills, we will be rewarding those of you who are able to collect and enter the 14 skills in the fastest time. The first ten entrants to correctly enter the 14 skills will win an exclusive members only goodie bag, including: personalised copies of both Legacy and Night School as well as a Night School members material badge which can be sewn onto a book bag or school blazer and a place on an exclusive Google Hangouts chat with CJ Daugherty herself!

Night School Challenge Rules:

1.Visit 14 book blogs between 3rd – 10th January

2.Locate and collect 14 Night School Skill words

3.Return to the Night School Members page to enter your collected skills by 13th January

4.The entry form will be live from January 10th and will close at mid night on January 13th

5.If you successfully complete the challenge you will become a Night School member for life – when this happens you will receive a membership charter and Night School members badge to download

6.The first ten people to receive Night School membership will be rewarded for their speed with an exclusive Night School goodie bag and a place on a Google hangouts chat with CJ Daugherty!

For more information, visit the members page on CJ Daugherty’s website here