Vidas secretas

Darke Academy #1

by Gabriella Poole

La Academia Darke es un colegio como ningún otro, un establecimiento de élite que se traslada a una nueva ciudad cada año escolar, con estudiantes increíblemente hermosos, sofisticados y adinerados.

Cassie, tras obtener una beca para estudiar allí, está segura de que no encajará; pero el paso del tiempo despierta su curiosidad: ¿qué secretos oscuros esconden los Elegidos, el selecto grupo de estudiantes que conserva su distancia con cualquier extraño? ¿Qué sucedió realmente, hace un año, cuando la última chica becada murió en misteriosas circunstancias?

Una cosa sí es segura, saber poco puede ser peligroso, pero saber demasiado puede ser mortal...

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2009

About the author

Gabriella 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.

Reviews

[Booknut 101 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the best part of this book were the words I picked up including:
- guff
- comestible

I mean, come on - guff?! I will officially be trying to slip that into every one of my conversations. NEW YEARS RESOLUTION PEOPLES!!

Overall, this book was (on a scale of 'ugh' to 'squeal'): meh. For those of you not fluent in fangirl, 'meh' is an expression used to convey indecision. The book was founded on some amazing, and original, ideas and concepts. Although I do have to stress the annoying quality it possesses of having girl characters that obviously haven't watched any horror movies or read any thrillers.

Rule #1: Do not go into woods @ night
Rule #2: When you hear footsteps in the hall @ night, do not leave your rooms to see who it is
Rule #3: For the love of God, don't break into peoples' rooms!
Rule #4: Don't touch knives. Duh.
Rule #5: If the guy is hot 98.98% of the time he is evil. Heads up.
Rule #6: Odds are, if people have DIED at your school, you should be careful. Death is not like the flu. It is permanent for one thing.
Rule #7: Don't help old ladies. Especially creepy ones.
Rule #8: Don't go up against Swedish girls (a valuable lesson in this book, let me tell you!)
Rule #9: New girls always get sucked into plot twists.

So if you know any girls who are off to a new school, or have been given scholarships to a shifty sounding academy, make sure to drill into them the importance of having a brain. And thinking before they act!

[Inês Montenegro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beautiful, intelligent, “spiritual”, “strong” scholarship girl with rare and wonderful eyes color, liked by most and bearing a sad past (aka Mary Sue) as protagonist: check.
Said protagonist is a judgmental complaining bitch, equal to all others, but apparently better than them because she’s poor and they are rich (also, she’s the protagonist and they are not): check.
Stereotype “good poor” girl versus bad “rich and beautiful” people: check.
Poor vocabulary and not so original storyline: check. This, however, is something I was expecting in this kind of literature, so it actually didn’t bring the book so low in my consideration as someone might think.
Multiplicity of love interests and instant love: oh, so check. Why, authors, why? Don’t you start thinking making the characters in love with each other with one look is a little bit lazy? And the "she's exactly like the ex-girlfriend who died" was creepy, not romantic or sad.
The majority of the scenes can be resumed to the main character eavesdropping to know what it’s going on, with the excuse “knowledge is power”. Now, I do agree with the sentence, my dear, I just don’t think teaching teenage girls and young adults to eavesdrop their surroundings is a nice thing. Besides it is, once again, being lazy: for it is so much easier making your character spy all the time (and this “all the time” is the main issue) than actually do something to discover things on their one.

[Scarlet Nell June · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite barely showing anything approaching intelligence, a judgmental and jumped up eavesdropper from a poor background wins a scholarship to a prestigious but ridiculous school, The Darke Academy, where nobody learns anything because the teachers are too busy being intimidated by the clique of beautiful, blatant moustache-twirlers that lord it over the rest of the student body. Despite hating and looking down on the group, Cassie (our asshole-ish eavesdropper) is desperate to become one of them – ostensibly so that she can find out what their deal is, but mostly so she can make sure they know how much better she is than them because of her poor upbringing. There were so many things that made me rage about this book, I may need some counselling as soon as I finish this review.



In case you couldn’t tell, I despised our ‘heroine’, Cassie, and was at a loss to understand how everyone she met was so impressed by her, despite her doing nothing impressive whatsoever. I hated the stupid school, with its moving country every term (what a logistical nightmare that must be) and I hated the stupid ruling clique, The Few, and nearly strained my eye muscles through doing this every time someone called them by that ridiculously pretentious name:



I hated the ‘love triangle’, and thought its execution was particularly poorly done - although at least Richard, the ‘charming’ fop, actually spent some time with Cassie (even if I still couldn’t see any growth of feelings between them) as opposed to Ranjit who seemed to fall head over heels simply through staring at her (and the fact that she’s such a dead ringer for his dead girlfriend didn’t lend him the air of a tragic romantic hero, but that of a creepy weirdo who was about to pull a Vertigo on her).



And worst of all, I despised the ‘reveal’ which was so poorly executed that I’m still not entirely clear on what manner of monster The Few are – sort of vampire-like but feeding on souls, or life, or something equally vague and apparently something to do with some sort of spirit possession? Quite why an entire school would need to be set up to ‘teach’ these beautiful wankers how to be beautiful wankers was lost on me – as was how it was considered prestigious when the rest of the student body, there to be fed upon by The Few, learnt fuck all thanks to the tosspots derailing every lesson.



In case it isn’t staggeringly clear, I spent most of my time wishing that the school would burn to the ground with Cassie and The Few still in it, and if this had been a book instead of being read on my Kindle I’d have happily added it to the fire.



**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**

[Tanja (Tanychy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this at library few days ago. Didn't know it was translated. Although, I must say translation was really bad. It was full of archaisms, I just wonder why. I mean this book was published few years ago.

About the book. Well just typical teen, paranormal book. I guess that girls who start reading paranormal would like this. Most interesting thing is those spirits, ghosts or whatever they are. That was interesting. All in all, interesting story but really really bad translation (mislim ko jos kaze "pride", to nije u upotrebi od ne znam ni ja kada).

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the actual fuck. If I had to make a list of Worst Five Books Ever (That I Actually Finished), this is so nabbing one of the top spots.

[Lia Butler Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinister and chilling . I would recommend it for those who love thrillers.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic start to a promising trilogy that I found as captivating as Hogwarts life with a bloodthirsty twist & dark secrets!

Darke Academy is a singular school that harbors many hidden secrets, as it moves from place to place, each term so as to avoid catching the eyes of those suspicious few. The elite establishment has impossibly beautiful, striking students who seem if anything almost unreal, which are both extremely wealthy and sophisticated in manner. It all seems too good to be true to Cassie who begins to unravel the truth behind the surface about this mysterious Academy, with her curiosity and inquisitiveness getting the better of her as she delves even deeper into what lurks within the shadows. A select group of students called ‘the few’ aim to keep outsiders away, who hold close much undisclosed knowledge including about the incident a year ago when a scholarship girl died. Naturally as a scholarship girl herself Cassie endeavors to find out the truth, and so with the little insight that she possesses becoming a dangerous thing what might happen if she learns too much?
For readers who love teenage fiction/ Young Adult, you will be swept away by this stunning tale that has such an eye-catching and inspired front cover that I totally loved (with scarlet eyes that catch your attention instantly!). This trilogy promises much to come for I was left wanting to know more and to find out more about the Academy once I had finished this first installment, hence I take that as a very good sign and is testament to Gabriella Poole’s brilliant writing. Captivating and full of electric tension and suspense, as I plunged head first into this absorbing tale I wanted to similarly to the main character find out more. This book also includes an extract from the second book in the trilogy ‘blood Ties’ that brought a rather large smile to my face after feeling deflated that this story had ended, by the time I had reached page 267.

If you love Vampires and are a fan of the supernatural, fantastical and secretive then I urge you to discover and enroll at the Darke Academy, for before long you will be begging to join the chosen few. Character-driven with a fast-paced and gripping plot I found this story most original, the concept was totally inspired and it was refreshingly new. As a fan of not only the Young Adult genre but other works of fiction such as Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and The Vampire Diaries as well as ‘Teen’ books, this book was a real delight to behold and the surprising plot full of twists & turns certainly kept me wanting to turn the page. I rate this book four and a half stars which as a result of enjoying it so much surpassed and exceeded all my expectations, hence I am really looking forward to reading the next installment within this brilliant saga! Just brilliant!!!

[Shelfish Twitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I smashed through this book in one day. It was an easy read. A slow start, but it quickly picked up.

What I liked the most?
* The opening scene is of a girl getting hunted through the forest in Phnom Phen, in Cambodia. That was creepy. Seriously. I could almost taste her fear. I love a book that shows me that primal fear.

* The whole YA 'Love-interest/Obsession' thing doesn't feature in this as a driving force behind the storyline, it's a lot darker and more sinister than that. Bravo! **claps** About time that someone wrote a good book without teenage love being the primary focus of the Main Character.

* Cassie - the protagonist isn't annoying. She isn't all self-focussed and emotional. No. She has had some crap to deal with in her life, and it is through that she has developed strength. She is not an 'ass-kicking' heroine - she is a normal girl - thrown into an elite society. And she flounders. She is uncomfortable.

I am giving this book a 5 star review because it hit some major points for me. The structure was great, the character voice was different, and it took a side step from being your usual vampy story. It's something different - and to be honest - it's about damn time someone who can actually write a good story, has released a good story.

I am really looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.

[liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

para mi es un 3,5 quizá... es juvenil, eso está bien, aunque a veces elige palabras muy rebuscadas que creo innecesarias, sin embargo no son tantas.
lo que me gustó: tiene más o menos buen ritmo, el misterio es bueno, se maneja bien; la trama y la forma en la que se narra está bien para el publico juvenil.
lo que no me gustó: suele, especialmente al principio tirar cambios en la narrativa sin contexto, por lo que cuesta entender un poco; la "magia" o "poder" queda un poco en el aire, sin mayores explicaciones y argumentos, por lo que deja muchas preguntas.
En general es un buen libro para jovenes. no sé si leería el resto, ya que es el 1° de una trilogía. pero capaz un adolecente lo disfrute mucho más que yo y quiera saber qué pasa después.
Aclaro que lo leí por y con un primito adolescente (13 años) y a él le gustó bastante.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting at a prestigious boarding school as a scholarship student already has Cassie Bell feeling like an outsider, but when she starts to uncover the secrets of the exclusive Darke Academy, she starts to feel even more lost at sea.

I found this a difficult one to review, because I have mixed emotions about this book. I neither loved it nor hated it, but there was something compelling about it. The plotline was something I've seen before, but there were definitely elements which I hadn't seen, which was a pleasant surprise.

At times it was a little predictable (it was obvious from the start who the respective villains and heroes were), but I think that's part of it's charm. You weren't constantly second guessing character's actions. While I found it took a little time to get to the main action, the time up until then wasn't dull like it could've been, and we learn things about the characters which help to flesh them out and make them more rounded individuals.

It sometimes felt as though the motivations behind certain actions, as well as the backstory for most of the characters, weren't very well developed, but as this is the first in the series, I'm hoping we get more insight in future books. Several characters (Ranjit & Isabella in particular) had the potential to be great stand out characters, however they lacked the depth fully required for this, which was disappointing.
The quality of the narrative and descriptive passages was something I loved, making this a smooth and enjoyable read. While I wouldn't rush to recommend this book, I also wouldn't try and dissuade anyone from reading it.

Review also at Musings of a Serial Bookworm

[PurplyCookie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cassie's had a pretty hard life -- her mother couldn't cope with her, so she's spent most of her life growing up in Cranlake Crescent children's home, under the bullying eye of care manager Jilly. Her future looked bleak -- until she won a scholarship to Darke Academy, an elite school which travels to a different city every term.

She almost immediately becomes involved with The Few. But when Cassie finds herself wandering the corridors at night, avoiding her snoring roommate, she finds something that will change her stay at the Academy forever. The more Cassie discovers, the more danger there seems to be lurking around the corridors.

Among the things that annoyed me about this book were the continual use of the word "beautiful" to describe nearly all the characters. There are a lot of characters, all introduced very close together so it is difficult to get a grasp of their actual personalities. These characters are just 2D cardboard cut outs. I didn't feel as if I got to know any of them and furthermore I certainly didn't like or care about any of them. What made it worse were the fact these characters were from all different places around the world and yet appeared to fit the national stereotypes. This was tiresome. I feel as though these books are dragging on and on and no real events are taking place.


More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie


Book Details:

Title Secret Lives (Darke Academy, #1)
Author Gabriella Poole
Reviewed By Purplycookie

[Burçak Kılıç Sultanoğlu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sevdim güzel kitaptı.. Aşk üzerine kurulu bir ergen kitabı olmaması hoşuma gitti :)) gece evi gibi bişeyle karşılaşacağım diye korkarak başladım açıkcası :P Ama kitabımız gotik, korkunç ve gizemli bir kitaptı.. Arka kapak kitap hakkında pek bilgi vermiyor bu yüzden ben vereyim ^^

Hiç kimsesi olmayan Cassandra (Cassie) girdiği bir sınav sonucu Darke akademisinde burslu olmaya hak kazanır. Ama akademinin geçmişinde gizemli ölümler vardır ve kendilerine Azınlık diyen bir grup öğrenci okulu tam anlamıyla yönetmektedir. Caasie akıllı olduğu için Azınlık'ın önemli kişilerinden birinin gözüne girer ve gruba dahil olmak üzere önerilir. Ama burslu olduğu için diğer azınlık üyelerinden düşmanlar edinmiştir onlarda Cassie'yi istememektedir. Cassie'de bu olaylarla en yakın arkadaşı Isabella, Jake isminde kızkardeşi Darke akademisinde öldürülmüş bir çocuk beraber ölümlerin arkasında Azınlık'ın olduğunu düşünerek araştırma yaparlar. Ve Azınlık'ın en güçlü üyesi Ranjit, Cassie'den hoşlanmaktadır ve bazı olaylarda Cassie'nin hayatını kurtarır :) Cassandra'nın Azınlık'a kabulu ile ise olaylar hareketlenir. Ben sevdim kitabı heycanlı yerde bitti ama devamı hemen çıksa :)) Tek eksiği bence yazarın ilk kitabı sanırım bir amatörlük sezdim betimlemeler olsun, anlatım olsun bir eksiklik kendini hissettiriyor :P

[Marya Morevna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually quite surprised at the low reviewers rating. Read it quite a while back and so it in a local bookshop today and so I'd thought I'd write a review. When I first saw this book the first thing thought was 'Okay the few are definitely vampires or werewolves and Cassie is probably going to fall in love with one of them and blah blah blah' I had these thoughts because I read this book during the vampires and wolf hyped and so when I was reading it I always thinking 'omg this guys a vampire or this ones hundred percent werewolf or whatever'. It was really surprising actually and there's quite a big twist. I still haven't managed to read the next one but this book was really unique, had a well built plot and very likeable characters. I actually liked Cassie (the protagonist) she wasn't annoying and I liked how the whole book wasn't based on romance, it was more based around the mystery of 'The Few'. I was also quite surprised at the love interest I've never read a book with an Asian love interest before so that was quite different. It was a nicely paced novel and had none of that paranormal business in it(spoiler)although the beginning was very slow and it took me a while to get into it, I actually enjoyed it. Just take it as a light bit of reading to do in your spare time.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the reviews for Darke Academy here on Goodreads I didn't really have much hope for it. How wrong was I. What fantastic start to a series, witty, mysterious and well written, quite an intelligent read for a YA novel. The plot is fairly good and runs quite smoothly, perhaps with a few overused themes, but that's common in almost every genre of book. The lead protagonist is your usual vexing fumbling innocent heroine but she's endearing enough, the male characters are razor sharp and sarcastic, they're also very typical of YA males but in a funny ironic way. The only real potential flaw in Darke Academy is the old fashioned humour, irony & sarcasm, though I personally prefer books this way, younger readers and a lot of YA fans will not understand it. Overall a great first book and for the first time in a while I'm excited to start the second.

[Silke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh...I just couldn't finish, I had to stop after page 40 because I was too frustrated to continue!
The writing is too shallow and simple, I cannot understand that this book still received such high ratings, it has zero depth and I can't imagine that I would feel differently if I had finished reading this book.
As for the main character: I actually dislike her and feel no sympathy whatsoever towards her, she infuriates me, and I kept waiting for her to become ... well... someone else.

No, sorry, really did not like this one.

[Laura Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I was pleasantly surprised with this book...In a very good way I might add.
I didn't know what to expect but I thoroughly enjoyed every word.
I especially love the way she has written the male characters, I found I was constantly questioning who was the good guy and who was the bad...And even at the end it still leaves questions! Which I loved!
Onto the second book I go!!!!

[Harvey Blundell · Rating 3 out of 5]

80% boring 20% entertaining. There are many things about this book I liked and disliked. The first 70% of the book is incredibly boring, the main character, Cassie, isn’t likeable at all, all she does is complain and talk about her past... abuser? See I don’t even know, Jilly Beaton. I understand trauma but come on Cassie, it doesn’t make you this annoying of a person. The book heavily relies on her best friend, Isabella, one of the only tolerable characters in this book, to keep the conversations light hearted and to balance Cassie’s toxicity. The book picked up about 70% of the way through, when one of the students, Keiko, basically sucks Alice dry, I don’t know how else to word it, and then attempts to kill Cassie and Jake. These moments are enticing and exciting, however not enough to make up for the lack of plot. Another story line we see is Jake’s sister, Jess, dying and Jake being on the hunt to find her killer. In a very predicable turn of events, it was the mean girl who was stringing him along, Katerina. This book had much potential, and it probably would be good if it doubled in size, as I’m still confused and dissatisfied with how everything wrapped up. This is a series, but nothing about it encourages me to read the next book. I don’t think I will be either. I will say, I am 17 and I can imagine reading this book at 13 years old and loving it, so maybe that’s why I didn’t like it as much. Regardless, it wasn’t awful, just not interesting enough to carry on

[Emilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

The 150 Prompt Doctor Who Reading Challenge - Second Doctor's Companions - 3) Victoria Waterfield: Grace In The Shadows - Read a book with gothic vibes, hidden strength or quiet bravery.

I remember loving this book so much when I was a teenager, so much so that the spine is broken several times.

And yet, I read it today as a 30 year old, and I can't remember what I actually liked about it. The main character is frustratingly inept and does nothing of note despite the fact that she is "clever" and "amazing" and "fantastic". The love triangle is pointless and insta-love, and eye roll worthy. The reveal is so confusing, but honestly by that time, I didn't care anyway.

Honestly, this is a book that doesn't deserve the read.

[Paulina]

Tyle tego szukałam i znalazłam, szukuje się reread

[holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

cassie and ranjit have zero chemistry btw 👍🏻

[KatieMras · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bol to dobre, plynule a aj napínavo napísaný príbeh. Avšak nevyvolal vo mne takmer žiadne emócie. Určite budem ešte v sérii pokračovať a dúfam, že pár detailami sa to rozvinie a zlepší :)

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hatte mir gleich alle 3 gekauft aber die anderen beiden konnte ich mir nicht mehr antun.

[disa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book unites flat characters, a weak plot and awful tropes like insta-love, love triangle and the quirky main character and turns them into a big mess.

[Mary M · Rating 5 out of 5]

WARNING!!! This review is very bi-polar, passionate and a little crazy!!! Hope you love it!!!

This book is amazing, it's like a breath of fresh air. In the past two months I've read a lot of books, but i haven't been really too excited about reading them, i liked them, but they were just a little bland. Some of the books, not all. I really liked it, it was short and to the point, it didn't feel like it was going on and on; house of night series. Love suspense, but they kill me. That's one of the many things i loved about this book, there wasn't action at every turn, but when Cassie was by herself and just think, the thoughts were interesting. Sometimes i catch myself, although i shouldn't, skipping over the part when the protagonist is by him/herself just thinking, because i just want to get to the action, but i never felt that way with this book, never skipped a single page. A true page turner. It reminds me of vampire academy, now that i think about it, and i love Darke academy as much as i loved vampire academy, the iron fey and other ya series. I don't know i just find something so interesting about books were the protagonist goes to a private school. Every ya book that i rated as 5 stars had, majority, private schools or a boarding school as the setting.

Ok i know i'm saying love a lot, but i can't think of any other words. I LOVE Raj and the ending, it was beautiful, he he he, you'll only get that if you actually read the book. And the part where he tells Cassie that he can't accept that. It was so sweet what he did for her. But i have a bad feeling that the part with Jess and Raj's relationships is going to come in their way more so than usual because of Jess's and Cassie's similarities. Ughh! But oh what can we do.

At first when i started the book i though that Jake would be the love interest, but boy was i wrong, then i saw Raj and just knew. Ha! Anyway, ya i like Jake, but i also think that he's gonna be a problem later on in the other books, with all his grudges and all. I mean i understand he lost his sister, but he shouldn't blame Raj, but then again when people are to conflicted by emotions they never can see reason. Again what can ya do.

Umm, i really like Cassie and Is they were interesting, i'm really curious about how they plan to deal with the whole few business, but i don't think, if Cassie and Is decide they will try the whole feeding thing out that Cassie will use the potion, kind of a given really, now that i think about it. A real mystery,ohhhh!

You know what i also like, i like how the other incorporated all these different religions, it's interesting, involved a lot of research no doubt, but interesting no the less, add a little more to the book in a way. Amazing! Some others try to incorporate different cultures, but it's very subtle and something i never really thought of until know, i like it! I'm not the kind of person who notices or pays attention to different authors writing style, but not from lack of interest, i just never do, although i'll try to do that from now on, makes the book more interesting and more fun to rate.;)

WOW did i get a MAJOR shock when i saw Estelle at the ritual. Ha! Not really something to laugh about, but it too shocking i can't help, but laugh. It's more of a Wow laugh and not a LOL laugh though, he he he! However i don't hate Estelle, i mean i thought she was cool at the beginning, but now i don't really have any feelings for her; don't hate or love her. I feel the same way about Yusuf, Alice, Keiko, Peter, Sara, Katrina and so on. But i do like Ayeeesha, Cormac, Hamid, basically the good ones.

When i was reading the book, i liked Richard at the beginning, but i knew he wouldn't be the love interest, just thought in the ending the would at least be friends, but when Cassie overheard Katrina an Richard, i kinda hated him. Kind of because i just thought he was a major ass, but also when i read about how he was stealing glances at her and how sorry he looked at the ritual, not an excuse i know, i felt sorry for him. We'll find out more in the next book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far life has been tough for Cassie, she has spent most of her life in a children's home since she was abandoned by a mother who couldn't cope. When she wins a scholarship to the elite Darke Academy she is determined to make a fresh start of it but she knows it won't be easy to fit in with the wealthy students. Arriving at her new school she finds herself ignored by most of the other students, in particular by a group who call themselves the Few. Students in the Few seem to run the school, skipping lessons as they please and ignoring curfews which immediately catches Cassie's attention, she is determined to find out what secrets they are hiding and why they are allowed to break all of the rules.

Secret Lives is the first book in the Darke Academy series and was a quick and easy read. I'm not always a big fan of prologues but this one had me completely gripped. After the prologue the story did seem a little slow to get started but the pace does pick back up again and it made for enjoyable reading. One thing I really did struggle with was the number of students we were introduced to in such a short space of time. I was desperately trying to remember all of the different names because I wasn't sure who was going to be important to the storyline. I think we could easily have been introduced to less characters without losing any of the story or if they had been introduced over a longer period we would have been able to get to know them all a bit better.

What I really loved was getting to read a young adult urban fantasy with a British main character and I found myself really liking Cassie. Life in the children's home wasn't easy and she quickly learnt how to stand on her own two feet which makes her a feisty character and one who won't let the other students push her around even if they do have a lot more money than she does. I loved the way she didn't let anyone get away with bullying her and didn't let it show that she found the others intimidating. She is a tough cookie and you wouldn't want to end up on the wrong side of her.

The other students come from all over the world and although they do tend to pretty much follow the standard stereotypes I liked the fact that a mixture of cultures were included. It made it more interesting than stories where all of the main characters come from the same background. My favorite characters alongside Cassie had to be her roommate Isabella and the other scholarship student Jake. Isabella is a fiery Argentinian who is funny and likable and made me smile with the way she was constantly mixing her metaphors while Jake is the all American boy who has his own secrets to hide.

I knew going in that this was a vampire story so I had expectations before I started reading but Gabriella Poole (Gillian Philip) managed to completely surprise me with her unique twist on the genre. I'm very curious to see where the story will take us in Blood Ties so will definitely be continuing the series. If you're looking for something with a great British heroine I would recommend giving Secret Lives a try

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 Stars)
Being a high school English teacher I'm always on the lookout for YA books I can recommend to my students. They love the paranormal genre and so do I; but, I always look for a plot that has a different twist and I definitely found that and more with "Darke Academy: Secret Lives."

Cassandra, aka 'Cassie' Bell has been in the foster care system for awhile. She has experienced first-hand the cruelty that can manifest itself in people with power; yet, she has also experienced kindness like that she discovered in a counselor who recommended she apply for a scholarship to the Darke Academy. When she arrives in Paris to begin her first term she had no idea that the school has the ability to change locations each term and would thrust her into a world she never knew existed. She also wasn't prepared to learn that the last scholarship girl had mysteriously died.

When Cassie arrives at the school she is appalled by the snobbery; yet, that doesn't stop her from offering aide to an older woman struggling to the entrance. Madame Azzedine is quite taken with Cassie's kindness and advises her to take advantage of everything the school has to offer. Little does she know but this chance meeting will have major ramifications for her in the long run.

Of course every school has it's share of bullies. You know the ones that I am talking about: the pretty rich girls who have it all but a speck of humanity and goodness. So, we are introduced to Katerina and Keiko who seem to want to make it their life purpose to mock Cassie at every turn that is until her roommate, Isabella, comes to her rescue. For a rich girl she is pretty awesome but has a major crush on Jake who wants to be with Katerina and she want to be inducted into the school's elite club, the 'Few.'

Then, Cassie meets Ranjit Singh, cutie pie and member of the Few but he doesn't seem to want anything to do with her. Of course, Katerina and Keiko are members but Cassie can't help but feel like something is definitely wrong with this group. When she catches Jake sneaking out one night to break into their club room, she is determined to find out what is going on.

I really enjoyed this book and gobbled it up in one sitting. I always love a book when the heroine is the underdog and Cassie fits this role nicely. There is plenty of action, unique plot, and romantic tension. My only issue with the book is that there is so much British vernacular that some of my students might be turned off. However, I am so hopeful that they will enjoy it I am going to have to break down and purchase the hard copy so they can borrow it. For YA Paranormal lovers this book is definitely a must for your ' to read' shelf.

[Domčo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keby ste dostali štipendium na obľúbenej škole, odolali by ste? Určite by sa väčšina z nás natešene rozbehla a postavila do radu. Cassie však nevie, do čoho ide. Dostávame sa do temnej, Darkovej akadémie plnej tajomstiev a ešte tajomnejších Vyvolených. Vo svete to tak býva – vždy existujú ľudia, ktorí sú nad nami, o level vyššie a ktorí majú svojich podriadených. V tejto knihe sú zobrazení veľmi dobre, bez zbytočných opisov. Po dočítaní knižky som ostal príjemne prekvapený. Aj táto, navonok útla a neznáma kniha, môže v čitateľovi zanechať príjemné pocity a spomienky. Upírska tematika v súčasnej dobe pôsobí otrepane, ale autorka vyrozprávala príbeh po svojom, zaujímavým a pútavým štýlom.

Ako by ste zareagovali, keby sa vám pred nosom týčila miestnosť, do ktorej je vstup zakázaný? Riskli by ste to a vtrhli dnu alebo naopak bojazlivo ostali stáť pred dverami? S Cassie to však dopadlo trochu inak. Ako? Odpoveď nájdete v knižke. Veľká časť knihy sa sústreďuje okolo Cassie, hlavnej hrdinky série, ale naprázdno neostanú ani ostatné postavy. Pri postavách mi vadilo, že zo začiatku pribúdali veľmi rýchlo a na niektorých miestach som sa strácal a nevedel, kto patrí kam. V druhej polovici som problém nemal, s postavami som sa stotožnil a už mi neboli neznáme. Z ďalších postáv ma zaujali už spomínaní Vyvolení, ktorí príbeh ešte poriadne zauzľujú. Nemožno nespomenúť ani Isabellu, Cassinu spolubývajúcu, s ktorou hlavná hrdinka prežíva množstvo času.

Každý z nás určite aspoň raz premýšľal o tom, aké by bolo študovať na čarodejnej univerzite. Akadémia temna patrí spolu s univerzitou, ktorú poznáme z legendárneho Mena vetra, ba Potterovského Rokfortu, medzi miesta, na ktoré by sa niektorí určite (ne) chceli dostať. Aj keď sa opisy akadémie vyskytujú v knihe len zriedkavo, čítanie som si užil.

Knižka je písaná v on-forme v minulom čase. Autorka použila jednoduchý štýl, ktorý zaujme najmä dospievajúcich čitateľov. Občas sa dej vliekol, ale so sklopeným nosom neostanú ani milovníci akcie – na svoje si však prídu až pred koncom. Autorka totiž vysvetľuje priebeh ďalších častí a v mysliach čitateľov sa tak môže črtať stovka ďalších možných zápletiek a rozuzlení. Väčšinou si knihu nevyberám podľa obálky, no na tejto ma zaujala a prinútila prečítať si oficiálnu anotáciu. O mene autorky ani názve série som nikdy pred tým nepočul, takže som vlastne nevedel, do čoho idem. Nakoniec ma príjemne prekvapila a bude patriť medzi obľúbené oddychové čítanie so štipkou napätia a poriadnym dúškom tajomna.

[Bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far life has been tough for Cassie, she has spent most of her life in a children's home since she was abandoned by a mother who couldn't cope. When she wins a scholarship to the elite Darke Academy she is determined to make a fresh start of it but she knows it won't be easy to fit in with the wealthy students. Arriving at her new school she finds herself ignored by most of the other students, in particular by a group who call themselves the Few. Students in the Few seem to run the school, skipping lessons as they please and ignoring curfews which immediately catches Cassie's attention, she is determined to find out what secrets they are hiding and why they are allowed to break all of the rules.

Secret Lives is the first book in the Darke Academy series and was a quick and easy read. I'm not always a big fan of prologues but this one had me completely gripped. After the prologue the story did seem a little slow to get started but the pace does pick back up again and it made for enjoyable reading. One thing I really did struggle with was the number of students we were introduced to in such a short space of time. I was desperately trying to remember all of the different names because I wasn't sure who was going to be important to the storyline. I think we could easily have been introduced to less characters without losing any of the story or if they had been introduced over a longer period we would have been able to get to know them all a bit better.

The other students come from all over the world and although they do tend to pretty much follow the standard stereotypes I liked the fact that a mixture of cultures were included. It made it more interesting than stories where all of the main characters come from the same background. My favourite characters alongside Cassie had to be her roommate Isabella and the other scholarship student Jake. Isabella is a fiery Argentinean who is funny and likable and made me smile with the way she was constantly mixing her metaphors while Jake is the all American boy who has his own secrets to hide.

I knew going in that this was a vampire story so I had expectations before I started reading but Gabriella Poole (Gillian Philip) managed to completely surprise me with her unique twist on the genre. I'm very curious to see where the story will take us in Blood Ties so will definitely be continuing the series. If you're looking for something with a great British heroine I would recommend giving Secret Lives a try.

[Pankti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ho ho ho....I don't know where to start. I tried to.like this particular book....I really did but it did not work out.I and this book are NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER!!!! I did not effing expect such a pathetic writing and story line.... The previous ratings said that this was a good book.... Come on!!! The book overall has four and a half rating so it was expected to give the readers some little satisfaction!!!!! Oh come on!!! Please send earth to hell in a hand casket!!!! Totally overrated book! No(spoilers ahead) fucking dork line..... Man I have never read so dorky and irritating as this book and being in cassie s character was like being in the characterof a strobe wall..... Please God eradicate this earth of hopeless books like this.

I hated this book for the reasons below,



1. Too much smirking .
Example. He smirked and cassie blushed bright red under hours penetrating gaze.

As he stood there with them she smirked and walked right past him.

((these are just two.... There are innumerable sentences as such))


2. Cassie was so stupid and I hate juvenile and desperate protagonists they tend to strike a nerve... And cassies character practically grated on my darn nerves!!!!


3. Bullshit storyline and pathetic imagination of the whole background



4. The people were ask stupid and there was nothing that was even worthy of being read


5 cassie s "feelings" screwed up things for her in the ducking book.... Oh come on chickenshit.... Show me what you got. ... Oh I am sorry you have nothingto freaking show..... I hate this book and their author as well





AAAAAARGH I WASTED TWO FREAKING WEEKS ON THIS SERIES.....I BOUGHT THE WHOLE SET!!!! Sold it on e eBay for barely $6 man I did not want to keep them on my shelf also three only way was to sell it.....


Guys.... Don't bother reading this book of you don't do books written in the third person pov..... And the people who read for fun.... Trust me there is no fun in this book!!!!