Welcome to the Netherworld Academy. Words Cali Bishop never imagined hearing. She’d never even heard of the place before her acceptance letter arrived...courtesy of her father’s intervention.
Once there, Cali quickly feels like she doesn’t belong in the prestigious academy’s halls. It’s a place filled with elite pure bloods, royalty even. And even though her half-blood status is kept quiet, she’s definitely the favorite target of one of the royals.
But when the prince is attacked and everyone becomes a suspect, including his latest hookup and her new best friend, Anna, Cali is determined to prove her friend’s innocence.
Can Cali figure out who the attacker is before they strike again—this time with Cali in their sights?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was wild! I had a hard time getting into it at first--though, to be honest, I'm pretty sure that had more to do with me than the book itself--but once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
There are a couple of twists I didn't see coming and there's a *BIG* mystery interwoven within the story that I can't figure out. The faculty is definitely hiding something and I have a feeling these secrets won't be fully unraveled for a while.
Cali Bishop is a half-blood--half human and half vampire--and has just been accepted into the Netherworld Academy, a place she's never heard of. Thanks to her dad's influence, and the fact that she's a legacy, however, she's on her way to a tiny country near Romania.
It would be an understatement to say Cali is not welcomed by the elites and royalty of Netherworld. One of them, in particular, seems to have it out for her, and she has no idea why she's become such a target for the bully. Thankfully, she at least has her roommate-turned-BFF, Anna, and the cute guy who works on the grounds. Her personal worries are put on the backburner, though, when multiple assassination attempts are made on Anna's boyfriend, the prince.
This paranormal academy life is worse than Cali had even imagined, and she can't wait for the year to end… if she makes it that long.
Legacy by Lisa Cardwell is the first book in what appears to be a trilogy in which each year of academy will be covered. To be honest, I think it would have been better if the author had intended to write this as a one-and-done instead. There was so little that seemed to be accomplished in both Cali's schooling and in the story itself. Pretty much all aspects were underdeveloped--the characters, the setting, the tension… It was fully 40% into the book before anything very exciting happened. Then when it did, it was "Okay, this happened, and now we go back to your regularly scheduled boring school days." Several chapters later we get another assassination attempt followed by more of the "nothing to see here" basics. There was a definite pattern that needed to be broken in a big way.
Even the classes left me wanting more. When there is a history class dealing with the royal vampire family that can be traced back to Vlad the Impaler, and the current Prince is your classmate, there is room for some amazing backstory.
There were several unanswered questions in the end, but all I was left with was the same feelings Cali had waiting for the school year to hurry up and get over. My curiosity was not piqued enough to wade through another volume. I'll wait for the Cliff's Notes version.
I received a free advanced copy of this book, and I chose to leave this honest and impartial review.
I received a copy of this book for free. This does not affect my opinion or rating.
Wow. This book was wild! I had a hard time getting into it at first--though, to be honest, I'm pretty sure that had more to do with me than the book itself--but once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
There's definitely a plethora of teenage angst--compounded upon with our heroine being a half-vamp--which I find can either be a fantastic source of entertainment or incredibly annoying. Thankfully, the author is good at what they do, and rather than be annoyed, I found myself more intrigued and excited to learn what was next. I think my favorite part of this book was the friendship Cali shared with Anna. I obviously love romance, but there's also nothing like a wonderfully written friendship and I was so happy to see that representation here.
There are a couple of twists I didn't see coming and there's a *HUGE* mystery interwoven within the story that I can't figure out. The faculty is definitely hiding something and I have a feeling these secrets won't be fully unraveled for a while.
The only criticism I would give this book is that there's not much of a backstory or world-building and there's quite a bit of glossing over after somewhat big events that I found confusing. This would've knocked the rating down for me, but I enjoyed the characters and the story so much that I could look past it.
Overall, I enjoyed the main parts of the story. The novel is on the shorter size but nothing felt rushed and the author has created enough intrigue for the next book in the series.
There is enough tension and wanting to know what was going to happen did make me want to keep on reading, however, without wanting to spoil anything, it did seem that the main events were happening at the expected times, so there wasn't a lot of surprise there.
I am curious as to what the relationship between all the main characters is going to develop into. I am a bit confused in my head as to who our MC is leading towards, romantically speaking. I am all for a love triangle if there is one in the following books, but I have to say at the moment I have about three characters I could pair her with, which does confuse me a bit as I would like to care for one pair in particular more than the rest.
Another thing to mention, which contributed to the lower star rating, was that the novel seemed to lack the editing needed to make it an easier read. I encountered far too many mistakes throughout (i.e. repeated words, repeated phrases, spelling mistakes,...) which sadly took me away from the story a bit.
I am interested enough to invest in the next few books, so hopefully a few of the aspects I have mentioned would be resolved there.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advanced review copy of this book. I was not monetarily compensated and all opinions are my own.
This book is a YA Dark Academia themed book that is Centered around The Netherworld Academy. This school is for kids born to vampires. The MC is Cali who is a 1/2 blood (1/2 vampire, 1/2 human). She is sent to the school to learn about her heritage and abilities. While at school, Cali meets Anna and they become bff's. Cali is targeted by others who do not like 1/2 bloods and the book takes her through the first year at the academy
I truly enjoyed this book. There was action, intrigue, violence and a big mystery that is not solved at the end of the book. I loved Cali and Anna's relationship. they were true friends who stuck by each other no matter what. This is book one in this series and book 2 is mentioned at the end, although there was no release date. I look forward to reading what happens to Cali and her friends.
Thank you to Lisa Cardwell and BookSirens for this book .
Cali is a half blood who is accepted into a prestigious vampire academy she's never heard of. Why her father went behind her back and enrolled her she'll never know, what she does know is that she will never fit in. When attacks on Storm, the vampire prince, start happening everyone becomes a suspect, even Cali's only friend Anna. Can Cali find out what is actually going on and why her father insisted she attend this academy?
This book was just blah for me. Cali seemed okay but I honestly didn't see any growth in her character-wise. It was always, school sucks I don't fit in, to "oh this guy Cole is dreamy" to another attack happening. There was so much potential to really make this book great, but it just fell flat for me. As the book progressed I found myself rooting for the villains instead of Cali and you know that is never a good thing. I just wanted something more from this book.
Cali Bishop isn’t happy with her father. He has enrolled her, as a Legacy, into the Vampire Netherworld Academy without telling her. It’s a world she doesn’t want to belong to, as she’s a half blood vampire, trying very hard to live a normal life.
This caught my imagination from the first chapter, held it all the way to the end, through numerous twists and turns where you think you know who the villain is, only to be surprised and intrigued by yet another red herring. The characters are colourful, endearing (mainly), and you root for them all the way. I can’t wait for the next instalment to find out what happens to Cali and her friends in their second year.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book had me hooked. It started really slow and casually explaining the academy, Cali's life, her obsession with chocolate (man, the girl has some serious addiction problem) and i really had to force myself reading it. The friendship between the two girl really got me going. But after half way to the book the plot thickens. Adrenaline was rushing through my system and I couldn't read fast enough for my liking! The plot? Amazing. The plot twists? Couldn't freaking saw them coming? I didn't expect anything! I was sure who was the villain in this story but guess what? I was freaking wrong! It has me hooked and I can't wait to read the second one.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It’s rare to find a book that keeps you fully guessing the whole way through. That keep you questioning everything you think you know. I want know more about … everything. This would have made it a 5* for me as I love an amazing world and backstory.
I’ve read a few academy books (joys of having an advanced reader with a love of fantasy and only being 11 years old, I get to read it all first). I think some parts of this story could have expanded in some way to get some back story in and I want that for the characters and some lessons. I was often left wanting to know more lol. That could be me though as I found it interesting.
I can’t wait to see where this series goes and how the twists and turns go as for once I honestly have no clue
Note - I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Rating - 4.5
Huge thanks to Booksirens and author Lisa Cardwell for a chance to read this title. This book was simply a treat to read and felt like the vampire version of Harry Potter world. It had the right amount of fantasy, drama and romance. The cliffhanger ending just makes you want to grab hands on the next book in the series as soon as you can. The protagonist Cali is a half blood - half human and half vampire who joins the Netherworld academy on her dad's insistence. Her life and the things that follow once she joins and submerges into the supernatural part of her life is what the story is all about. The only point I felt could have been improved upon was the absence of fantasy history. Yes vamps are known to all - their traits etc. But it would have been nice if author had elaborated a little on how vamps in her fictional world functioned etc. Things would have been a lot interesting then. Nevertheless can't wait to know more about Cali in the next books to follow.
I received this book from Book Sirens for an honest review. This is the first book in the new Netherworld Academy series. This book focuses on Cali and her first year at the Academy. This is a well written, fast paced book. I really enjoyed this start to the series. It kept me turning the pages until I finished it. I wasn't expecting the twist. I had started to suspect right before the revelation but not before then. My only issue with this book was the ending. This book ended with a cliffhanger! But I would have been reading the next book in this series regardless of the cliffhanger though! I recommend this book to pretty much anyone, especially Harry Potter fans.
Legacy is Book 1 in The Netherworld Academy by Lisa Cardwell. I enjoyed this book. The characters are vampires, but, not "the living dead". Cali Bishop is a half vampire and half human. She eats regular food and can tolerate day light. Her Dad is a well connected vampire and pulls strings to get Cali into the Netherworld Academy. The King's son, Storm, is also attending along with his cousin, Brandon. When Prince Storm is attacked, everything at the academy changes and Cali changes too. To be honest, I generally do not read vampire stories. Legacy was an excellent book. I am looking forward to reading book 2. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
Wow... This book was amazing. I loved all the subtle detail and how the author built on that detail. In addition, I loved the feelings the author added to their description. Even from the first few chapters, you get an amazing insight to the main character and her personality and overall every reference and feeling that made her human. All the twists and visuals made this book an exceptional read! I am anxiously waiting for the next book and highly recommend it. I also got this book as a free ARC and voluntarily wrote this review.
This book follows Cali Bishop through her first year at Netherworld Academy, teaching her all about her half-vampire side. Cali and her newfound friends have quite an exciting year, between classes, hunts, and even some dances. The author puts so much detail and love into this book. Every time you think you know who’s trying to ruin Cali’s school year, another plot twist unravels. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I received this book as a free ARC and am writing this review voluntarily.
What a cliffhanger! I am soo ready to see what happens to Cali, Anna, Storm and Cole in their 2nd year. This book had mystery, friendship and a little romance.
There are many mysteries to solve including what happened to Storm's uncle, who is after Storm and Cali and why is Cali so important that her father would keep a secret?
So many twists and turns that make you want to keep reading and see if any questions will be answered. With a cliffhanger like that, you would want to read the next book.
I received an advance copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Positives: The storyline was intriguing and the mystery aspect was a plus. I’m a sucker for anything with vampires and royals so this was definitely a book for me. Anna, Storm and Cole made the story better especially during the last hunt!! I am looking forward to seeing what happens with this series and what the big deal is behind Cali.
Negatives: Cali seemed a bit too “in the dark and naive” about things pertaining to her life and history which I found odd since she’s a half blood. Parts of the story were a bit slow also.
An excellent story. Fantastic characters and plot. Constant action with a few twist. It kept my attention throughout the book. Twice it hints that there is something extra special about Cali, the main character, but it doesn't reveal what. Guess we have to wait for the next book in the series to find out. There is romance but no sexual content. It does have some graphic violence and fighting. I would recommend it for late teens and up. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a fantastic book to read. I really enjoyed the friendship between Anna and Callie and also the relationships of Storm and Anna/Cole and Callie. It was intriguing, mysterious, and of course ended with a cliffhanger. Throughout the book there was plenty of unexpected events that just lead to more and more questions as to what was actually taking place. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I received this book as an ARC reader for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As an adult, I have to say that the book was a bit tedious (for me). The author spends a lot of time explaining and maybe a little too much without much happening. But when something happens, it's action and you get very involved in the story. Feel there are some threads, which were not explained. But it may come in the next book. The ending was very exciting and with a concluding event, as well as building up to the next book. Conclusion is probably that this is a perfect teenage book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was looking for something just like this when I decided to read it. The main issue I had with the book was that Cali didn't seem to know anything about her past or where she came from. However, I really enjoyed that Cali didn't just fall for the prince. I am looking forward to reading the next one because I must find out more about Brandon. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A very intriguing 1st in series. I'm kinda new to the younger genre in fact, I have only read a handful oh authors BUT, I am adding 1 more!! Her character building from beginning to end is top notch and the world she created is fantastic. The story is so good that I'm not patiently waiting for the next Installment. I WANT IT NOW!!!! LOL. 2 thumbs up and highly recommend.
The book is a good, and enjoyable paranormal young adult read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry. The story has a couple of twists that you will not be able to see coming I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was incredibly eventful to say the absolute least. The twist and turns were able to keep me on edge and reading. However, this was definitely hard for me to get into. I found myself pulling through the first few chapters. I did overall enjoy this book. I enjoyed the writing style! I would be happy to read from this author again :)
I really loved this book. Couldn’t put it down. If you love paranormal with vampires then read this series. It’s got mystery, romance and keeps you wanting to know the characters secrets and history. Can’t wait for the next book in the series and what it will reveal.⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟🌟
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Awesome beginning for a new series. Full of excitement and adventure. I can't wait for the next book in the series. All of the characters are great. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was brilliant. There was so much entertaining things happening in this book. I have not read a book this entertaining and unique for a while. Im incredibly excited to continue reading this series.
This book is very slow, and over detailed. It takes a significant amount of time to establish the main character. Honestly, I just could not get into it. The writing style itself is not bad, it just has a slow over detailed flow.
I really enjoyed this story! I was hooked in from the beginning to the end. Although it was an urban fantasy/academy book, this takes the standard trope to a new level and combines mystery and suspense along with paranormal. Looking forward to seeing how the series continues