Bound: Hillcrest Academy

by Abby Ryan

After barely surviving my first semester at Hillcrest Academy, I hoped the danger was behind me. But a new threat has emerged - and this time, it's more powerful.

The wolf shifters I've come to care for vow to protect me, but how can they keep me safe from one of the most influential men in the country?

As shocking secrets about my heritage come to light, I realize there may be more to my abilities, and my mother's mysterious death, than I ever imagined.

Now, the unbreakable bonds of our new mating connection may be the only thing that can save us all.

Can I master my magic and uncover the truth before it's too late? Or will the shadows of the past finally catch up to me and destroy the future I'm fighting for?

[This book was previously published on Kindle Vella.]

Note - some scenes might be sensitive to readers.

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2024

About the author

Abby Ryan started the Light and Dark Chronicles when she was eight-years-old and finally wrote Orphan of the Shadowsas a sophomore in high school. Abby resides in Sumner, Iowa.

In the future she wants to learn Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and French, go on missions, become a movie producer, a music video director, and an illustrator. Time will only tell, and God can only guide.

Reviews

[Keeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made my heart so happy! I love the end of this series! And I've grown to love them all so much.

[Paulina]

I feel like lots of things and experiances were overdramatized. That's the best description I have for instances where Journey discribes her feelings on different matters or reacts to things... Oh and she reacts to things A LOT, in great amount of time like a hormonal teenager and straight after like a philosophy graduate. Though I'm glad she kinda grow up a bit, because in first book I almost labelled her as 'to stupid to live'.

For example. FMC claims her mates Father aka 'the big bad', made 20 something years of her life a living hell? She met that guy once, she was left alone till she got to Hillcrest Academy [not counting the 9+ days in correction center]. That type of proclamation should be left for actual victims of said person ~~

Another example: Vince : 'My father was a monster, a soulless creature who had long ago sacrificed his humanity on the altar of power and ambition. But he had made one fatal mistake. He had raised me to be a monster too.' I mean, if it was Rogue, yes we can see a monster. BUT Vince? He was at most a school bully, who took out stick from his ass and became a softie for FMC.... Plus he only got anxious and disturbed whenever his father was calling, so where is the monster???

The series in overall lacks grounds for a lot of things. The world building is one of those. Another is expanding on the plot. The very first chapter for instance, Journey's time in 'captivity' was barely described when suddenly we jump in her moving in to attend Academy. I felt like a brush of a horrible experience. Then we have FMC acting like a total brat, being dickmatized, going to party drinking and ending up in the very same situation she got sent to torture. LIKE WHY would you be so damn stupid. The reason for going to that party... Because she can't handle her horniness towards some guys... AND NOT because she have a stalker who tries to hurt her...

To summarize. It's Okay read. Nothing fancy. Have potential, but feels like author is doing lots of hit and miss with plot and desciption of situations. DRAMA out of air.

[Kristin E. Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun trilogy

Pnr, rh, with shifters, magic, found heritage, good vs. evil and romance. This trilogy was quite short. I enjoyed the storyline for the most part. The editing really needs work, especially in book 3. This started as a kindle vella product which I do not use. Book one is not connected on the Amazon page with books two and three, so I was glad I stumbled on these. The story is simple and entertaining. There is not much world building or true character development, but I still enjoyed it. My only issues lie in what appear to be editing snafus? The book almost reads like two people wrote it. One wrote the majority and uses prose in a beautiful melodic style that I truly admired. The other style may be editing notes that were inserted and forgotten, instead of being removed from the final version? Several times a sentence is repeated with a one word change. My other thought is the motivation behind the bad guys' actions are not credible. But all in all, once the editing is corrected, this trilogy was a fine, easy reading experience that could have been just one book.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I previously read the first season (Book 1) on KV and it was so good. There were some laughs, some heartbreaks, and some cursing. I think Echo is my favorite of the guys rights now. His silent broody bit gets me. Vice is second, just because he's isn't easy. He, and Journey, make the other work for it. Rogue isn't necessarily my least favorite, he's just different. He's playful and funny, a serious flirt, but he's also sweet and open. I like them all for different reasons. Vice, though, is getting on my nerves a bit because he refuses to admit he likes her, or even that he wants, regardless of how many times they connect physically.

I knew who the bad guy was gonna be, and what species she was, before it was revealed in the story. However, that didn't subtract from my enjoyment of the read. I look forward to seeing what happens in Season 2 (Book 2).

I finished the second season (Book 2) and, oh my, what a story. I think the bonding was a bit drawn out, meaning that it took too long, but it was still a great story.

This book, the ending to the series, was beautiful and perfect. Well done to the author!

[annemarie brogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended

Good storyline and well written. Feel like she could have made a bigger impact but still good none the less