A spoiled teenager is sent off to a boarding school for delinquents. Gothic, boring and strict the isolated campus and its shady student body is exactly what she expects from a reform school. But she soon learns all is not as it seems. Life on campus bares an uncanny resemblance to the plot lines of the tragic novels the students are studying. Vampires, insane pyromaniacs and obsessive lovers all appear to be par for the course. And she is not the first one to notice it.
The ghost of a past student, who disappeared in the woods during an unsuccessful escape attempt, keeps leaving clues that seem to suggest that the teachers are the spirits of long dead writers and that the school is purgatory for both them and the students. The theory becomes easier to believe as term progresses and she finds her life mirroring Wuthering Heights, as if all the typical high school dramas weren’t enough.
But she manages to weather the storm, save the world and win the heart of her crush all before heading home for Christmas.
I was disappointed in this book. The blurb lead me to believe I could expect humour, mystery, romance and even a splash of horror. Sadly it didn’t deliver on any count. All elements are present but none are developed to any degree. Tension is never allowed to build. Questions raised are answered with ease almost immediately. The story lacked atmosphere and attempts to build it fall far short. The main character comes across as an angsty, egocentric brat and the secondary characters are thin to the point of transparency.
Though the book is only two years old references to pop culture have already dated.
Another prime example of a great idea sacrificed on the altar of woeful execution.-Lynn
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