Night School: Legacy by C. J. Daugherty

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Atom, 2013. ISBN 9781907411229.
Well worth a read. Night School: Legacy, plunges the reader into a world of action and intrigue, at the centre of which is the Cimmeria Academy, a vast gothic mansion that no longer provides sanctuary and safety for its inhabitants, and indeed, seems to harbour nothing but secrets and mysteries.
In this, the second book of the Night School series, C. J. Daugherty wastes no time in immersing the reader in Allie Sheridan's life at the Academy, a co-educational boarding school that teaches far more than academic subjects.
Cimmeria Academy is an intimidating place, but it is the one place where Allie has felt a sense of belonging. Its old world traditions, its sense of entitlement and privilege, its unusual subjects, and the friends she makes make her determined to protect it.
Some of the school's traditions are based around nocturnal activities where night croquet, with glowing balls and racquets and night tennis, with a net made of fairy lights provide fun as well athletic training. But then there is the Night School - a society of elite students so secret that just talking about it can get a member expelled.
Able to be read as a stand-alone, Daugherty skillfully manages to supply enough of the back story, and information about the significant events in the first novel to enable the reader to understand that Allie's life is far more than it seems.
From a missing brother who she believes may now be the enemy, to a hithero unknown grandmother, to parents who have lied to her, to mentors and friends that she no longer completely trusts, Allie's life seems to controlled by forces that she must discover and understand, beginning with who her family really is and why the mysterious Nathaniel is trying to kill her.
Allie soon uncovers a huge conspiracy of which the Night School is only a small part. However, it is down to these students to ensure that the Cimmeria Academy and its inhabitants survive.
As Allie tries to find out the truth about what's going on at Cimmeria, she soon realises that her life and those of her friends, and the people she cares about is under threat. She must uncover the truth about who she really is and where she really belongs.
This novel is action packed, and full of danger, intrigue, excitement and romance.
Ros Lange

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