Title: The Last Academy Author: Anne Applegate
Publisher: Point
Release Date: May 1st 2013
Pages: Hardcover, 320 pages
Source: NetGalley
Summary from Goodreads:
What is this prep school preparing them for?
Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam—and readers—stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel
Excerpt
"But once I got to the back door of the chapel, I didn't know what to do. I heard a noise and peeked around the corner of the building.
There was nothing but scraggly bushes, a narrow dirt path, and the edge of the mesa. I could see right away that the stained-glass wall was open a bit. And a girl was crouched outside the chapel, peeking in. Candlelight from inside flickered on the stained glass, striping the girl's face with red and orange. The girl looked at me, eyes wide, finger over her lips to warn me not to shout out. I crept over to her. It was Rachel, from my Spanish class -- she was a loud, exuberant girl with pink cheeks and big brown eyes. In class, she always cracked jokes using our vocab words, and whenever she raised her hand, the teacher always sighed before he said, 'Yes, Rachel.'
'Are they still doing the séance?' I whispered, wanting her to know that I knew what was going on, that I had some kind of right to be there, too.
Rachel nodded. Looking inside the chapel was like seeing into another world. Everything seemed calm. The warm honey of the wooden pews and the flicker of candlelight. A blanket lay in the aisle, and the low murmurs of girls talking wafted out. From where I stood, only their legs were visible. It gave me the shivers. It was like I was spying on something holy. I shook the idea off—I’d had enough of feeling like an outsider."
There was nothing but scraggly bushes, a narrow dirt path, and the edge of the mesa. I could see right away that the stained-glass wall was open a bit. And a girl was crouched outside the chapel, peeking in. Candlelight from inside flickered on the stained glass, striping the girl's face with red and orange. The girl looked at me, eyes wide, finger over her lips to warn me not to shout out. I crept over to her. It was Rachel, from my Spanish class -- she was a loud, exuberant girl with pink cheeks and big brown eyes. In class, she always cracked jokes using our vocab words, and whenever she raised her hand, the teacher always sighed before he said, 'Yes, Rachel.'
'Are they still doing the séance?' I whispered, wanting her to know that I knew what was going on, that I had some kind of right to be there, too.
Rachel nodded. Looking inside the chapel was like seeing into another world. Everything seemed calm. The warm honey of the wooden pews and the flicker of candlelight. A blanket lay in the aisle, and the low murmurs of girls talking wafted out. From where I stood, only their legs were visible. It gave me the shivers. It was like I was spying on something holy. I shook the idea off—I’d had enough of feeling like an outsider."
About the Author
After graduation, she went on to Tufts University in Medford, MA, where she had a wicked good time. Eventually, she wound up back on the west coast, where she married a fantastic Californian guy. Together, they have three children.
For the last twelve years, Anne has lived in San Luis Obispo County. This is by far the longest time she has stayed in any one place her whole life. She immensely enjoys living where 1) the sun always shines and 2) she isn’t the weirdest person in town.
Giveaway
I would love to read this book. Thank you for the amazing giveaway and have a wonderful Sunday!!
ReplyDeleteReally nice excerpt. Thanks for participating!
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