ARTBA 2021 discussion

PLEASE READ ALL BOOKS AS YOUR TEEN SELF - NOT YOUR ADULT SELF.
What did you think about this book? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? Do you think it would appeal to teens?
Please provide a score for this book based on a rating scale of 1-5 (1--you hated it; 5--you loved it). THIS IS NOT YOUR OFFICIAL VOTE!

Really this was 3.5 stars for me, so I rounded up to 4. There were many things that I loved about this book, and a few things that were just okay.

Basic premise of this book is that Bree Matthews is 16, dealing with the unexpected death of her mother, and now enrolled in an early college program at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Once she is on campus, lots of mysterious, magical events begin to happen. Bree eventually joins a secret society on campus learning information about her background along the way.

Overall, I am looking forward to the next book in the series and I think YA audiences will connect with this fast past contemporary fantasy novel.

Pros-
• Bree is a strong black female character. There are many times Bree’s character reads older than 16.
• Some diversity in the cast of characters
• Interesting world the author has created
• Action and surprises throughout the book, along with a twist at the end
• Interesting new take on the King Author legends
• Grief and loss are explored

Cons-
• There are a lot of characters and ranks to keep track of throughout the story
• Bree’s character seems to understand and adapt to this mysterious new world very easily
• This is a first in a series and the author’s first published book. There is a lot of “world building” to set the stage for the series
• For a “secret society” the members are willing to tell an outsider information fairly freely
• For an early college program these 16 year olds have so much freedom on campus—there are a few instances where the author mentions rules they are supposed to follow, but there seems to be little oversight. I know it’s a book, but the liability of having underage students with complete access to a college campus is not realistic.