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Darke Academy #4
Lost Spirits
A new term, a new location for the Darke Academy - and everything is different for Cassie Bell. The beauty of the turquoise Kenyan sea can't make up for the loss of her soulmate, Ranjit. He's on the run, and Cassie will do anything to find him. But when the evil Katerina and her mother appear, more powerful than ever, Cassie has to make a crucial decision. And her love for Ranjit might just be her ultimate weakness ...
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2012
28 people are currently reading
1396 people want to read
About the author
Gabriella Poole
7 books235 followersGabriella Poole is a pseudonym used by Gillian Philip.
I live in the north-east highlands of Scotland, with one husband, two children, three dogs (Cluny, Milo and Otto), two psychotic cats (the Ghost and the Darkness), a slayer hamster (Buffy), three chickens (Mapp, Lucia and Mrs Norris) and a lot of nervous fish. I have taken a solemn vow not to get any more pets. I will probably break this vow.
Writing for a living is (a) what I always wanted to do; (b) occasionally frustrating; (c) a lot of fun – I take dictation from the characters in my head, who spend their lives telling me what’s going to happen next.
But I like it that I never know just how it’s all going to end – not till the fat lady sings, the villain meets a suitably sticky end, and the boy gets the girl (or indeed the boy).
As well as full-length books, I write fiction for secondary Key Stage 3. Life Of The Party, Mind’s Eye, Sea Fever and Cyber Fever have been published by Evans Brothers, and short stories The Changeling, Rockface, Misty and The Kindest Cut appear in their sci fi, crime, ghost and comedy collections. And I ghostwrite fiction for companies including Hothouse and Working Partners.
I live in the north-east highlands of Scotland, with one husband, two children, three dogs (Cluny, Milo and Otto), two psychotic cats (the Ghost and the Darkness), a slayer hamster (Buffy), three chickens (Mapp, Lucia and Mrs Norris) and a lot of nervous fish. I have taken a solemn vow not to get any more pets. I will probably break this vow.
Writing for a living is (a) what I always wanted to do; (b) occasionally frustrating; (c) a lot of fun – I take dictation from the characters in my head, who spend their lives telling me what’s going to happen next.
But I like it that I never know just how it’s all going to end – not till the fat lady sings, the villain meets a suitably sticky end, and the boy gets the girl (or indeed the boy).
As well as full-length books, I write fiction for secondary Key Stage 3. Life Of The Party, Mind’s Eye, Sea Fever and Cyber Fever have been published by Evans Brothers, and short stories The Changeling, Rockface, Misty and The Kindest Cut appear in their sci fi, crime, ghost and comedy collections. And I ghostwrite fiction for companies including Hothouse and Working Partners.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Want to read
June 23, 2012There's a fourth book?!
April 15, 2015
Before reading:
OMG I AM SOO EXCITED TO READ THE NEXT BOOK IN THE DARKE ACADEMY SERIES!! After the last one, I seriously can't wait! So glad it is making it into publishing :)
After reading:
I can't believe this almost didn't make it into publishing! After a couple of years ago reading the divide I decided to re read them all as I had not read the last one and remembered how much I enjoyed the series. Can I just say this is still one of my all time favourite series I have read a number of times and I really am disappointed that Gillian Phillips doesn't really get the recognition she deserves for such a tremendous series. What can I say about Lost Spirits?! It was definitely a page turner, I did not know what could possibly happen next. The fourth book was a necessary book to have as it concluded the series nicely I highly recommend you read it and I am not going to talk to much into what happens as I will definitely end up spoiling it!
OMG I AM SOO EXCITED TO READ THE NEXT BOOK IN THE DARKE ACADEMY SERIES!! After the last one, I seriously can't wait! So glad it is making it into publishing :)
After reading:
I can't believe this almost didn't make it into publishing! After a couple of years ago reading the divide I decided to re read them all as I had not read the last one and remembered how much I enjoyed the series. Can I just say this is still one of my all time favourite series I have read a number of times and I really am disappointed that Gillian Phillips doesn't really get the recognition she deserves for such a tremendous series. What can I say about Lost Spirits?! It was definitely a page turner, I did not know what could possibly happen next. The fourth book was a necessary book to have as it concluded the series nicely I highly recommend you read it and I am not going to talk to much into what happens as I will definitely end up spoiling it!
January 24, 2013
The whole series is pretty much boring. Why, oh why do writers insist on writing supernatural romance if they are just going to neglect the supernatural part?
The characters were one dimensional.
Cassie
This was my face the whole book.
NOT IMPRESSED.
She is a Mary Sue - a bitchy one in fact.
Ranjit
Also known as Gary Stu.
Yup. Yawn indeed. Ranjit is a very boring character with no depth. He's probably there to act as Cassie's arm candy. Speaking of Cassie, their so called chemistry is forced and their *cough, cough* romance is not believable. It wouldn't have lasted five minutes in the real world.
Plot
Katerina and her mom are back! And their plan to raise the Elder Spirit is very interesting but that only lasted for, like five pages.
Other than that there was nothing phenomenal happening in the book.
Thank God the series is over!!!
The characters were one dimensional.
Cassie
This was my face the whole book.
NOT IMPRESSED.
She is a Mary Sue - a bitchy one in fact.
Ranjit
Also known as Gary Stu.
Yup. Yawn indeed. Ranjit is a very boring character with no depth. He's probably there to act as Cassie's arm candy. Speaking of Cassie, their so called chemistry is forced and their *cough, cough* romance is not believable. It wouldn't have lasted five minutes in the real world.
Plot
Katerina and her mom are back! And their plan to raise the Elder Spirit is very interesting but that only lasted for, like five pages.
Other than that there was nothing phenomenal happening in the book.
Thank God the series is over!!!
January 3, 2020
Obstojné zakončení série. Bylo to cheesy? Yep. Ale umístění akademie do Keni? Hell yeah! Pro Ranjita jsem navíc měla slabost už od prvního dílu. Fajn průměr.
3/5*
3/5*
December 17, 2015
Novamente, o começo foi bem chato. Insuportável, na verdade. Os outros três primeiros livros consegui ler em menos de um dia, mas demorei 3 pra ter coragem de terminar esse. e não, isso não é positivo. não é porque eu não queria que acabasse, é porque estava extremamente chato e eu pegava no sono toda vez que começava.
eu não percebi muito todos os defeitos da Cassie nos outros livros, mas nesse aqui ela foi um poço de decepções pra mim. O descaso que ela tem com a opinião do Sir Alaric Darke chega a ser desesperador, porque é por causa dele que ela se coloca em tanta confusão e quase destruiu a raça humana inteira (porque era isso que o Eldest faria!).
outra coisa que me irritou foi o egoismo dela, ela só pensava em si mesma. Só nela e no Ranjit. Quase matou seus amigos e quase colocou todos os escolhidos em perigo porque não soube ouvir o Darke, porque ela se acha a mais sabichona de todas. Eu fiquei extremamente irritada com a imaturidade dela.
Também comecei a notar mais os defeitos de Ranjit. Ele é um peso morto nessa série. Ele não demonstra sentimentos, não tem background story... E ele é raso. Você só vê aquilo ali e a autora acha que é o suficiente. Eu não consegui criar nenhum tipo de simpatia por ele. Preferiria muito mais que Cassie ficasse com Richard, porque esse sim teve conteúdo, na verdade, ele foi o único personagem ao qual me apeguei, tanto que chorei quando li sua morte.
ENFIM, o final foi interessante, não pensava que as russas (que eu não sei escrever o nome) queriam reviver o Eldest, não imaginei e gostei de como as coisas acabaram. Mas todos esses problemas com personalidade dos personagens me impedem de achar essa uma série boa.
Ela tinha muitíssimo potencial no enredo, mas falhou na construção de personagens.
eu não percebi muito todos os defeitos da Cassie nos outros livros, mas nesse aqui ela foi um poço de decepções pra mim. O descaso que ela tem com a opinião do Sir Alaric Darke chega a ser desesperador, porque é por causa dele que ela se coloca em tanta confusão e quase destruiu a raça humana inteira (porque era isso que o Eldest faria!).
outra coisa que me irritou foi o egoismo dela, ela só pensava em si mesma. Só nela e no Ranjit. Quase matou seus amigos e quase colocou todos os escolhidos em perigo porque não soube ouvir o Darke, porque ela se acha a mais sabichona de todas. Eu fiquei extremamente irritada com a imaturidade dela.
Também comecei a notar mais os defeitos de Ranjit. Ele é um peso morto nessa série. Ele não demonstra sentimentos, não tem background story... E ele é raso. Você só vê aquilo ali e a autora acha que é o suficiente. Eu não consegui criar nenhum tipo de simpatia por ele. Preferiria muito mais que Cassie ficasse com Richard, porque esse sim teve conteúdo, na verdade, ele foi o único personagem ao qual me apeguei, tanto que chorei quando li sua morte.
ENFIM, o final foi interessante, não pensava que as russas (que eu não sei escrever o nome) queriam reviver o Eldest, não imaginei e gostei de como as coisas acabaram. Mas todos esses problemas com personalidade dos personagens me impedem de achar essa uma série boa.
Ela tinha muitíssimo potencial no enredo, mas falhou na construção de personagens.
August 26, 2013
I really really loved this series. there was something fresh about it. I would recommend this set of books to anyone who lived Richelle Mead, or even Cassandra Clare. they were great.
January 17, 2013
In the beginning of this series, by feeling for Cass were kinda like:
But now, when it has reached its end and I have to part ways with her, I'm all like:
The series ended with a bang - people come back to life, sacrifices are made, people die that you wish hadn't (*sniffs*), cute couples and gorgeous architecture is flaunted from some of the world's most beautiful historical sites. A mix of mythology and the paranormal, this book is a thrilling conclusion to the series :)
But now, when it has reached its end and I have to part ways with her, I'm all like:
The series ended with a bang - people come back to life, sacrifices are made, people die that you wish hadn't (*sniffs*), cute couples and gorgeous architecture is flaunted from some of the world's most beautiful historical sites. A mix of mythology and the paranormal, this book is a thrilling conclusion to the series :)
December 29, 2012
2.5 stars.
Slightly better than the previous ones in matter of conflict, damage, stakes, but
- Cassie is still a bitch.
- Ranjit is still boring as all hell.
- The vampires, while creative, are still boring and pretty much one dimentional.
- The main meta conflict is still pointless and boring.
- The main character and others suffer from a major MAJOR bout of plot-convenient stupidity.
It all feels rushed, as if the author had discovered she can't stand the book any more and wants to be done with the series (which she did).
Still, the final combat and loss and final result isn't too bad. Ranjit is still awful. It does have some amazing potential that was not fulfilled, alas.
Slightly better than the previous ones in matter of conflict, damage, stakes, but
- Cassie is still a bitch.
- Ranjit is still boring as all hell.
- The vampires, while creative, are still boring and pretty much one dimentional.
- The main meta conflict is still pointless and boring.
- The main character and others suffer from a major MAJOR bout of plot-convenient stupidity.
It all feels rushed, as if the author had discovered she can't stand the book any more and wants to be done with the series (which she did).
Still, the final combat and loss and final result isn't too bad. Ranjit is still awful. It does have some amazing potential that was not fulfilled, alas.
June 3, 2021
Prečítané rýchlo, autorka mi často pripomenula udalosti z minulých kníh, postavy mi nevadili, ale nijak zvášť ma nezasiahli, často som sa zasmiala na tom, či autorka tie dialógy a udalosti myslí vážne, pretože je to mierne primitívne :D ale predchádzajúce diely som čítala asi pred 1-3 rokmi a vtedy som sériu "žrala". No záver ma celkom prekvapil a bol fajnový.
Odporúčam už sériu asi skôr pre mladšie publikum, ktoré má rado "niečo ako upírov".
Odporúčam už sériu asi skôr pre mladšie publikum, ktoré má rado "niečo ako upírov".
April 18, 2013
The start was a bit boring but it started to get interesting. I found Cassie stupid with her decision with the artifacts. I don't like the fact that my favorite character died too. All in all, I'm happy everyone is happy. The series is now finished, everyone has a happily ever after (except for my favorite character who just had to die)
October 12, 2014
4,5 stars
Well.. Ok, I have to admit that I didn´t expect less than that much of a greatness in this - last book of this serie. Action packed love story fulfilled with "magic", anger, fears and betrayal..
Great description of setting enhanced the feelings throughout the story, awesome turns and relationships.
Loved it!!
Well.. Ok, I have to admit that I didn´t expect less than that much of a greatness in this - last book of this serie. Action packed love story fulfilled with "magic", anger, fears and betrayal..
Great description of setting enhanced the feelings throughout the story, awesome turns and relationships.
Loved it!!
not-sure-if-i-ll-read-it
February 9, 2014Já pitomeček jsem si přečetl spoiler a teď se mi to vůbec nechce číst! :(
Want to read
October 7, 2012I have no idea why i keep reading these, but i just do... :P
I didn't even remember there was gonna be a 4th book!
I didn't even remember there was gonna be a 4th book!
June 28, 2023
Ese final... Ese final!!!!!
Odié ese final.
Pero la saga estuvo buena
Odié ese final.
Pero la saga estuvo buena
July 4, 2025
4,5 stars
It was a nice ending to the whole series.
Admittedly, I expected a different ending, or rather I hoped for a different ending. It was such a Hollywood happy ending, which I personally didn't mind, but it still could have been maybe a bit more cheesy (as I say I imagined a different ending).
In general, the book had a fast pace, maybe too much so. The ending in particular seemed very rushed to me. The author could have easily stretched the book out a few more pages, this way even though I got the ending to the whole series, somehow it seemed insufficient.
It is true, at one point I was tapping my forehead and saying to myself: girl why are you doing it this way? But then I realized that if I were in her shoes, at her age, I think I would have acted very similarly maybe even the same way.
Overall it was still very good, fast pacing, very easy to read, and with beautiful descriptions of places.
Maybe the only problem besides that rushed ending, was the Czech translation. It was not so good, not extremely bad either, but... There were a few grammatical mistakes, and sometimes weird sentences. Slovak translation is awesome, sadly this fourth book was not translated to Slovak.
It was a nice ending to the whole series.
Admittedly, I expected a different ending, or rather I hoped for a different ending. It was such a Hollywood happy ending, which I personally didn't mind, but it still could have been maybe a bit more cheesy (as I say I imagined a different ending).
In general, the book had a fast pace, maybe too much so. The ending in particular seemed very rushed to me. The author could have easily stretched the book out a few more pages, this way even though I got the ending to the whole series, somehow it seemed insufficient.
It is true, at one point I was tapping my forehead and saying to myself: girl why are you doing it this way? But then I realized that if I were in her shoes, at her age, I think I would have acted very similarly maybe even the same way.
Overall it was still very good, fast pacing, very easy to read, and with beautiful descriptions of places.
Maybe the only problem besides that rushed ending, was the Czech translation. It was not so good, not extremely bad either, but... There were a few grammatical mistakes, and sometimes weird sentences. Slovak translation is awesome, sadly this fourth book was not translated to Slovak.
April 17, 2019
And now the time has come for me and Cassie to part ways and such as with the others kids in school I didn't gel with, I won't miss her at all.
I nearly gave up circa 50% through this one as it was annoying me so. However, the last portion improved distinctly with the great showdown and finale.
I nearly gave up circa 50% through this one as it was annoying me so. However, the last portion improved distinctly with the great showdown and finale.
April 1, 2018
Nicely wrapped up
February 7, 2024
I can see why this almost didn’t get published
March 14, 2015
Tahle série vypadala zezačátku hodně slibně. První dva díly se mi docela líbily - připadalo mi to zajímavé a jistým způsobem i neotřelé, hlavní hrdinku jsem měla celkem ráda a prostě tak nějak celkově jsem se bavila. Třetí díl byl ale o třídu horší než oba předchozí díly a tenhle poslední je vůbec nejhorší. Možná ho soudím tak příkře kvůli spoileru, který jsem si bohužel někde přečetla, a kvůli kterému jsem dokonce čtvrtý díl nechtěla ani číst.
Od začátku až do konce mi tu připadalo všechno špatně. Příběh byl absolutně nijaký. Měli jsme tu dvě rádoby emo holky, které se neustále litovaly a fňukaly nad svými ztracenými příteli. Do toho Cassie samozřejmě vymýšlela způsoby, jak se oddělit od svého ducha, aby tak mohla být se svou životní láskou navěky. A to bylo celé. Až do konce se nedělo vůbec nic, žádná akce, žádné nečekané zvraty ani žádná nová tajemství. Byla to jenom jedna velká nuda. Během čtení jsem neustále protáčela panenky nad hloupostí hlavní hrdinky a modlila se, aby už byl konečně konec.
Skoro všechny postavy se tu chovaly nenormálně. Počínaje Cassie a konče panem Darkem. Cassie dělala jednu kravinu za druhou, aby zachránila svého Ranjita. Dokonce záměrně ohrozila celý svět Vyvolených, ale to jí bylo jedno. Hlavně že se mohla zase ochmatávat s Ranjitem. A když jí za to pak někdo vynadal, ještě se cítila ukřivděně.
Co se týče Ranjita, toho jsem prostě nikdy neměla ráda a nijak se to nezměnilo ani tady. Prostě jen další, naprosto nezajímavý a romantický trouba. Potom Isabella. Tu jsem měla ráda, ale tady se chovala nesnesitelně. To, co předváděla, mi vážně lezlo na nervy. Taky sir Darke mi přišel na hlavu. On prostě puberťákům pronajal bungalov, kde je pár týdnů nechal úplně samotné, aby se dali do kupy. Ale jak znám tuhle sérii, tak se tam stejně jenom celou dobu líbali. V téhle sérii se totiž o ničem jiném nemluví, natož aby to někdo ještě dělal.
Jediný, kdo to zachraňoval, byl Richard. To je prostě od začátku můj favorit a Cassie s ním vorala celé ty čtyři díly. Možná proto jsem ji začala tak nesnášet.
Tím koncem mě autorka tak nakrkla, že jsem chtěla knihu vyhodit z okna. Povedlo se jí kolosálně zkazit zajímavou sérii. Kdyby nebylo toho Richarda, s klidem bych dala jednu hvězdičku, ale jen kvůli němu dám nakonec dvě.
Od začátku až do konce mi tu připadalo všechno špatně. Příběh byl absolutně nijaký. Měli jsme tu dvě rádoby emo holky, které se neustále litovaly a fňukaly nad svými ztracenými příteli. Do toho Cassie samozřejmě vymýšlela způsoby, jak se oddělit od svého ducha, aby tak mohla být se svou životní láskou navěky. A to bylo celé. Až do konce se nedělo vůbec nic, žádná akce, žádné nečekané zvraty ani žádná nová tajemství. Byla to jenom jedna velká nuda. Během čtení jsem neustále protáčela panenky nad hloupostí hlavní hrdinky a modlila se, aby už byl konečně konec.
Skoro všechny postavy se tu chovaly nenormálně. Počínaje Cassie a konče panem Darkem. Cassie dělala jednu kravinu za druhou, aby zachránila svého Ranjita. Dokonce záměrně ohrozila celý svět Vyvolených, ale to jí bylo jedno. Hlavně že se mohla zase ochmatávat s Ranjitem. A když jí za to pak někdo vynadal, ještě se cítila ukřivděně.
Co se týče Ranjita, toho jsem prostě nikdy neměla ráda a nijak se to nezměnilo ani tady. Prostě jen další, naprosto nezajímavý a romantický trouba. Potom Isabella. Tu jsem měla ráda, ale tady se chovala nesnesitelně. To, co předváděla, mi vážně lezlo na nervy. Taky sir Darke mi přišel na hlavu. On prostě puberťákům pronajal bungalov, kde je pár týdnů nechal úplně samotné, aby se dali do kupy. Ale jak znám tuhle sérii, tak se tam stejně jenom celou dobu líbali. V téhle sérii se totiž o ničem jiném nemluví, natož aby to někdo ještě dělal.
Jediný, kdo to zachraňoval, byl Richard. To je prostě od začátku můj favorit a Cassie s ním vorala celé ty čtyři díly. Možná proto jsem ji začala tak nesnášet.
Tím koncem mě autorka tak nakrkla, že jsem chtěla knihu vyhodit z okna. Povedlo se jí kolosálně zkazit zajímavou sérii. Kdyby nebylo toho Richarda, s klidem bych dala jednu hvězdičku, ale jen kvůli němu dám nakonec dvě.
May 25, 2013
At the end of Divided Souls, Cassie discovered to her horror that Ranjit, (having been possessed by the power of the first who touched the pendant) was the stalker responsible for the deaths of the Few members. She saves Richard but Jake wasn’t so lucky and was inadvertently killed by Ranjit when Jake tried to stop him. Isabelle was beside herself with grief. With Ranjit now on the run and a grim faced Sir Alric rebuking her for failing to stop him, Cassie faces an uncertain future. Lost Souls, the conclusion to the Darke Academy series, sees the Academy move to a new location, the exotic Kenyan desert. Both Cassie and Isabelle are still struggling to cope with Jake’s death and Ranjit’s disappearance. Their only reprieve from their troubles is Richard, ever the entertaining funny guy who tries to cheer them up. Isabelle however no longer sees any reason to remain at the academy and decides to leave until Sir Alric reveals a shocking secret – that Jake is alive! It transpires that Sir Alric fed Jake the Tears and revived him. The trio are forced to keep Jake a secret from his family for fear of reprisals.
Cassie continues to fight Estelle’s influence and starts to uncover some startling revelations regarding the spirits that Ranjit hosts and Estelle. She learns the two despite being in love, were mortal enemies who killed their hosts in alternation. Cassie becomes more determined than ever to separate herself from Estelle and renews her efforts to track down Ranjit. With the re-emergence of the Svenssen’s who are bent on raising the Elder Spirit, Cassie faces the fight of her life and this time the odds have never been so against her.
Lost Spirits was a thrilling conclusion to the series with an epic showdown that unfortunately saw not everyone makes it out alive. There were lots of twists and turns though and overall I was satisfied with the way the series ended. Kudos to the author for coming up with this original idea, I look forward to reading her future releases.
Cassie continues to fight Estelle’s influence and starts to uncover some startling revelations regarding the spirits that Ranjit hosts and Estelle. She learns the two despite being in love, were mortal enemies who killed their hosts in alternation. Cassie becomes more determined than ever to separate herself from Estelle and renews her efforts to track down Ranjit. With the re-emergence of the Svenssen’s who are bent on raising the Elder Spirit, Cassie faces the fight of her life and this time the odds have never been so against her.
Lost Spirits was a thrilling conclusion to the series with an epic showdown that unfortunately saw not everyone makes it out alive. There were lots of twists and turns though and overall I was satisfied with the way the series ended. Kudos to the author for coming up with this original idea, I look forward to reading her future releases.
December 24, 2014
Source: I own this book.
Title: Lost Spirits
Author: Gabriella Poole
Series: Darke Academy #4
Overall rating: 3 Stars
This has been a series of many highs and many lows for me. In some cases I've thought, HELL YES. This series is great! In others, I've thought why the heck am I reading this again?! Leading to the overall view of this being a fairly average series, however this one did pick up a little bit. Cassie developed a little bit of character showing compassion for Isabella, grief for Ranjit and platonic love for Richard. I won't lie, I think her and Richard would've made a far better couple. But that stems from my dislike of Ranjit, I mean hello, he went ape in the last book! He was partially the reason for your best friend's boyfriend's death...I mean why she's still pining for him... But it's the spirit inside her... Boo Hoo. I hold little sympathy where Ranjit is involved he's kind of a two dimensional character that is replaceable in my head. Isabella also grew a lot in this book which I was so happy with! It proved that she isn't some self, shopping obsessed bimbo with no heart.
I don't really have a lot more to say on this book, it wasn't a book that'll stick out in my mind in many years time but it was overall an average series. They seem like the kind of books that came out post twilight kick.
Overall series rating: 3 Stars
See my review of:
Secret lives: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Blood Ties: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Divided Souls: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Title: Lost Spirits
Author: Gabriella Poole
Series: Darke Academy #4
Overall rating: 3 Stars
This has been a series of many highs and many lows for me. In some cases I've thought, HELL YES. This series is great! In others, I've thought why the heck am I reading this again?! Leading to the overall view of this being a fairly average series, however this one did pick up a little bit. Cassie developed a little bit of character showing compassion for Isabella, grief for Ranjit and platonic love for Richard. I won't lie, I think her and Richard would've made a far better couple. But that stems from my dislike of Ranjit, I mean hello, he went ape in the last book! He was partially the reason for your best friend's boyfriend's death...I mean why she's still pining for him... But it's the spirit inside her... Boo Hoo. I hold little sympathy where Ranjit is involved he's kind of a two dimensional character that is replaceable in my head. Isabella also grew a lot in this book which I was so happy with! It proved that she isn't some self, shopping obsessed bimbo with no heart.
I don't really have a lot more to say on this book, it wasn't a book that'll stick out in my mind in many years time but it was overall an average series. They seem like the kind of books that came out post twilight kick.
Overall series rating: 3 Stars
See my review of:
Secret lives: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Blood Ties: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Divided Souls: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 1, 2013
This review is also posted on my blog Book Savvy:
http://abookaweekbloggers.blogspot.co...
Lost Spirits is definately one of my favourite Dark Academy novels by far. In this last novel it keeps the storyline flowing in a way that doesn't seem as though Poole is trying too hard to keep the Darke Academy series going.
Lost Spirits continues to follow Cassie and her best friend Isabella through the trials and hardships of attending a school of prestigious, soul feeding students.
Since the end of the last term Cassie has been trying to cheer Isabella up since her adoring boyfriend Jake was murdered by Cassie's boyfriend at the time, Ranjit Singh.
Since that occasion, Ranjit has disappeared and Cassie is preoccupied wondering where he could be. When Isabella decides to leave the academy Darke decides to take a leap of faith and make a revalation that will permanently alter all ther lives.
I found that the way in which Poole intertwined the character relationships and personalities was creative and well executed. I overly enjoyed the plot twists that occured and the ways in which the characters grew in themselves and how even they changed over the course of the Darke Academy novels.
There are certainly some characters which I hate with a passion and others which have been developed well and I absoloutely adore! For me this demonstrates the lengths to which the novel has been thought out and how passionate the author is about the world that she has created. The ending wasn't what I expected when I began Lost Spirits but I thought it was a superb way to end this series that I adore!
http://abookaweekbloggers.blogspot.co...
Lost Spirits is definately one of my favourite Dark Academy novels by far. In this last novel it keeps the storyline flowing in a way that doesn't seem as though Poole is trying too hard to keep the Darke Academy series going.
Lost Spirits continues to follow Cassie and her best friend Isabella through the trials and hardships of attending a school of prestigious, soul feeding students.
Since the end of the last term Cassie has been trying to cheer Isabella up since her adoring boyfriend Jake was murdered by Cassie's boyfriend at the time, Ranjit Singh.
Since that occasion, Ranjit has disappeared and Cassie is preoccupied wondering where he could be. When Isabella decides to leave the academy Darke decides to take a leap of faith and make a revalation that will permanently alter all ther lives.
I found that the way in which Poole intertwined the character relationships and personalities was creative and well executed. I overly enjoyed the plot twists that occured and the ways in which the characters grew in themselves and how even they changed over the course of the Darke Academy novels.
There are certainly some characters which I hate with a passion and others which have been developed well and I absoloutely adore! For me this demonstrates the lengths to which the novel has been thought out and how passionate the author is about the world that she has created. The ending wasn't what I expected when I began Lost Spirits but I thought it was a superb way to end this series that I adore!
May 30, 2014
Bez mučení přiznávám, že při dočtení Rozpolceních, tedy třetího dílu jsem si říkala, zda ten další je nutný. Celá série ztrácela tu jedinečnost, kterou získala prvním dílem. Měla něco jiného, nového - hostitelské duše - ano, známe jej, ale přeci jen se s tímto setkáváme v knihách velmi málo. Ač se mi kniha líbila, neokouzlila mě zas tak moc jak bych očekávala. Byla jsem nucena knihu číst ne z důvodu, že mě zajímá jak to vše dopadne, ale z touhy mít sérii konečně za sebou. Autorky styl psaní mi dobře seděl, hlavní postavy mi
vyhovovali, ale jak to říct... prostě tomu chyběl ten správný šmrnc. Bylo to táhlé, chvílemi nudné a na závěrečný díl celé série málo akční a překvapující. Samotný konec byl předvídající, přesto i v jedné části mile překvapující. Myslela jsem si, že autorka utichající slávu této série dožene alespoň láskou, po které každá žena prahne, ale bohužel ani toho jsem se nedočkala, nebo aspoň ne v tak velké míře, abych mohla dát lepší hodnocení. Tento díl mě bohužel zklamal a jsem velmi ráda za ukončení celé série, protože už teď to bylo zbytečně dlouhé. Myslím, že kdyby byli všechny díly lehce zkráceny a dány do jedné knihy, udělala by autorka lépe. Člověk by byl nažhaven prvotními novinkami, kterými nás spisovatelka zahltila a celou knihu by přešel s větším nadšením. Mrzí mě, že dám slabé hodnocení, protože tato série měla dobře našlápnuto. Závěrečný boj nebyl boj, pouze jedno velké štěstí. Kniha mě nechávala emočně totálně vyschlou a právě kvůli tomu, mě příběh zklamal.
vyhovovali, ale jak to říct... prostě tomu chyběl ten správný šmrnc. Bylo to táhlé, chvílemi nudné a na závěrečný díl celé série málo akční a překvapující. Samotný konec byl předvídající, přesto i v jedné části mile překvapující. Myslela jsem si, že autorka utichající slávu této série dožene alespoň láskou, po které každá žena prahne, ale bohužel ani toho jsem se nedočkala, nebo aspoň ne v tak velké míře, abych mohla dát lepší hodnocení. Tento díl mě bohužel zklamal a jsem velmi ráda za ukončení celé série, protože už teď to bylo zbytečně dlouhé. Myslím, že kdyby byli všechny díly lehce zkráceny a dány do jedné knihy, udělala by autorka lépe. Člověk by byl nažhaven prvotními novinkami, kterými nás spisovatelka zahltila a celou knihu by přešel s větším nadšením. Mrzí mě, že dám slabé hodnocení, protože tato série měla dobře našlápnuto. Závěrečný boj nebyl boj, pouze jedno velké štěstí. Kniha mě nechávala emočně totálně vyschlou a právě kvůli tomu, mě příběh zklamal.
November 8, 2019
An average end to an average series.
Book one was great, then it ALL went down the drain from there on. Never have I come across a character as obnoxious and annoying as Cassie, not even Cathy in Wuthering Heights was this obnoxious and selfish. She is portrayed as this boy crazy, weak willed, blundering idiot, to the point where i find it actually offensive, surely no one is that stupid?... right?. Her obnoxious petulance towards authority figures who only have her best interest in mind is so disturbing and I don't really get what role this horrendous character trait has in this story, it's not teen angst, so what is it there for?. in her entirety the character of 'Cassie' is so anti-feminist that if I didn't already know who it was written by, I would have assumed the author was a man with a very poor opinion of women.
Another painful disappointment is the character of 'Ranjit', he must be the most absent (and boring) male protagonist/love interest I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. He has no depth, no background story, he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, in fact the entire 'relationship' the protagonists have is completely devoid of any chemistry and depth and to be honest is downright awkward and very confusing.
I'd just give this series a miss. It's not worth the pain.
Book one was great, then it ALL went down the drain from there on. Never have I come across a character as obnoxious and annoying as Cassie, not even Cathy in Wuthering Heights was this obnoxious and selfish. She is portrayed as this boy crazy, weak willed, blundering idiot, to the point where i find it actually offensive, surely no one is that stupid?... right?. Her obnoxious petulance towards authority figures who only have her best interest in mind is so disturbing and I don't really get what role this horrendous character trait has in this story, it's not teen angst, so what is it there for?. in her entirety the character of 'Cassie' is so anti-feminist that if I didn't already know who it was written by, I would have assumed the author was a man with a very poor opinion of women.
Another painful disappointment is the character of 'Ranjit', he must be the most absent (and boring) male protagonist/love interest I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. He has no depth, no background story, he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, in fact the entire 'relationship' the protagonists have is completely devoid of any chemistry and depth and to be honest is downright awkward and very confusing.
I'd just give this series a miss. It's not worth the pain.
May 31, 2014
Not as good as the first and second book in the series, but definitely an improvement from the third. The story is revolving around Cassie and Ranjit wanting to get rid of their spirits, so they can finally be with each other.
Overall, a fantastic read. The series really makes you think about how real life events are related to the themes in this book.
Spoilers!
I didn't expect a happy ending for both of them, but they really did it. Their spirits are gone. I was kinda hoping they'd be stuck with them though, so they could remain powerful for the rest of their lives. Who'd want to be normal anyway!? Haha.
Wow, so when the spirits of Cassie and Ranjit were cast out, they actually fused. Their spirits were already super powerful individually. Who knows how incredible the combined spirit will become. And who's the special kid who will one day be appointed with the almighty spirit? There are many things, as a reader, I would like to know. But I guess the story really has ended.
Overall, a fantastic read. The series really makes you think about how real life events are related to the themes in this book.
Spoilers!
I didn't expect a happy ending for both of them, but they really did it. Their spirits are gone. I was kinda hoping they'd be stuck with them though, so they could remain powerful for the rest of their lives. Who'd want to be normal anyway!? Haha.
Wow, so when the spirits of Cassie and Ranjit were cast out, they actually fused. Their spirits were already super powerful individually. Who knows how incredible the combined spirit will become. And who's the special kid who will one day be appointed with the almighty spirit? There are many things, as a reader, I would like to know. But I guess the story really has ended.
May 16, 2014
Mám z toho pořád takový divný pocit. Popravdě mě závěrečný díl trochu zklamal, čekala jsem od toho víc. Pokud jste tuhle sérii rozečetli, tak ji určitě dočtěte ;), jinak bych ji doporučila spíše mladším čtenářům (12-14). Ukončení celé série se mi líbilo, ale nějak jsem to tušila jak to dopadne :). I když je pravda že díky jedné věci jsem byla dost překvapená a nečekala jsem to, a díky jedné jsem zas byla smutná a trochu mě autorka naštvala :D :D, ale musíte si to sami přečíst :). Celkově jsem ale od toho poslední čekala víc, možná to taky bude tím, že třetí díl se mi docela dost líbil, tak jsem to asi čekala i od tohoto. :)
Moje recenze - http://mojenejnejknihy.blogspot.cz/20...
Moje recenze - http://mojenejnejknihy.blogspot.cz/20...
August 23, 2017
Towards the end the series just seemed rushed, I started out the book intrigued but then lost interest as the story wore on. I feel like there wasn't a lot of depth concerning important characters like Ranjhit and even the evil Kristina and her mother. I feel like the whole plot was just very predictable, and put together for the convenience of it, ya know.
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I also wanted some loose ends to be tied up, you can't just stop being Few after causing a stir in this elite community and then expect to go live life normally with no consequences. The way things ended was pretty abrupt.
*******************************spoiler alert***************************************
I also wanted some loose ends to be tied up, you can't just stop being Few after causing a stir in this elite community and then expect to go live life normally with no consequences. The way things ended was pretty abrupt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2014
I don't know exactly why this has a lower rating from me compared to the other books in the series. Maybe it was because of the large gap between reading the other books so my memory was a bit foggy on events which at times left me feeling confused, the one time I was actually grateful for the author habit of summarising past books which I normally find annoying lol.
I found the ending refreshing because for once the happily ending after consists of giving up supernatural qualities such as super strength, telekinesis etc. to become a regular human again.
I found the ending refreshing because for once the happily ending after consists of giving up supernatural qualities such as super strength, telekinesis etc. to become a regular human again.
July 17, 2018
Jedan od rijetkih serijala u posljednje vrijeme, koji me nije razočarao. Prve tri knjige su bile poprilično zanimljive i shodno tome dobile su visoke ocjene. Posljednja, odnosno veliko finale je i više nego dobra. Mnogo akcije bez ikakvih zastajkivanja, ni likovi nisu loši, a sam kraj je poprilično simpatičan, ali u neku ruku i očekivan. Ni premalo, ni previše, četiri knjige su bile sasvim dovoljne da autorica kaže sve što ima u vezi s ovom pričom i da pri tome ne umori čitatelje. Odlično.
July 24, 2015
some left, some came back, and some just stayed
some lost, some won, and some were surprised with the outcome
people may change but in the end the Academy will stay the same
and one thing is certain: I'll miss you Halton-Jones...
some lost, some won, and some were surprised with the outcome
people may change but in the end the Academy will stay the same
and one thing is certain: I'll miss you Halton-Jones...
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