The Last Academy

By: Anne Applegate

Narrated by: Kate Reinders

Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep meets The Sixth Sense in this spine-tingling, unforgettable debut.

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 listeners - stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut audiobook.

©2013 Anne Applegate (P)2013 Scholastic Inc.

Simple and enjoyable

I enjoyed the Last Academy as a light read that managed to keep my interest.

I didn’t exactly get lost in the characters or plot and I think that’s partially because the author had to keep her cards very close in order to maintain the central mystery. This also meant the climax was a touch slow because of the all the exposition required for the final reveals.

The best moments could only happen after the mystery was revealed so I have to wonder why the author worked so hard to maintain it for both the protagonist AND the reader (who could take a pretty reasonable guess before even cracking the first page). The central themes and dramas were interesting and Last Academy could have been a more profound and thought-provoking read if it had the freedom of a more straight-forward narrative.

Still, I enjoyed what I got and that’s pretty high praise given some of the clunkers I’ve be disappointed with recently.

I’d classify Last Academy as a light piece of fiction and though I usually look for stories more intense or grander in scale there is often a need for quieter, palate cleansing fiction. Last Academy doesn’t seem to be the start of a new series, which makes it even more refreshing in the age of the trilogy.

Overall Last Academy was a fairly simple and inoffensive story. It was elevated by a few powerful character moments and themes but let down by the reliance on the thin mystery plot. I’m hesitant to all-out recommend it to any particular audience because I think expectation would be pretty toxic to anyone’s enjoyment.

All I can say is, at the end, I was happy to have read it and as a very demanding reader I don’t often say that!

wow...

This was my daughter's favorite book, she is 13 and would not shut up about it... so I listened to it, and not only was it voiced well, but the emotional depth of the story was beautiful, and sad, and redemptive. it's rare a book moves me, and unheard of in a teen book, but well done here. Truly, thank you.