ARC Review: The Candidates by Inara Scott

Title: The Candidates
Series: Delcroix Academy #1
Author: Inara Scott
Available: Now
Reading Level: Young Adult


4 out of 5 Stars












Description from Goodreads:


Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden. 

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome. 

And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.


My thoughts:


Dancia is not your normal girl. She has the ability to make things happen just by thinking about them. She spends most of her time trying to blend in, but Dancia is suddenly front and center as a hero after what was supposed to be a routine trip to the hospital with her grandmother. This also causes her to be noticed by the prestigious Delcroix Academy. When she’s offered a full scholarship she knows she can’t refuse. It’s at Delcroix that she meets the charming Cam and troubling Jack. Jack thinks the school is up to something more, and Dancia wants to believe he’s just paranoid. Unfortunately, the accusations Jack has made start to become impossible for Dancia to deny. 


I have to admit I was a little worried going into this one because the ARC I received was under 300 pages. I haven’t had the best luck with shorter books recently, but The Candidates really impressed me. The author was able to give readers a well paced and detailed plot in a few hundred pages. An excellent start to this series. 


I like how different it is than other books I’ve recently read. It is a fresh take on the paranormal/boarding school theme. I also enjoyed Dancia’s sweetness, and naivety. She loves her grandma, and seems perfectly content with her life even if it involves secondhand clothing, and the inability to afford a cell phone. Even with her special powers she was a believable character, and one I’m sure many girls will relate to. I’m finding this one hard to review without adding what could be considered spoilers. I’ll just say I’m a big fan of anything involving people with special powers, and that I had trouble putting this one down because I was eager to discover the meaning behind the title. I wasn’t disappointed and can’t wait for more.


I also applaud the author for creating a great book for teens without falling back on profanity and random sex scenes to fill the pages. It left more room for character growth and world building. With that said I’m not opposed to Young Adult books with sex or profanity, but lately it is feeling forced into plots where it doesn’t really fit. Alas, that is a topic for another post ;)


I’d consider this a very clean read. Language and content would be safe for even the youngest teen. I can see it appealing to both guys and girls. This is a series I’ll continue without a doubt, and share with my 5th grader.

Inara Scott on the web:


Website | Blog | Twitter


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*Received from Around the World Tours

ARC Review: Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Title: Dead Beautiful
Author: Yvonne Woon
Release Date: 9/21/2010
Publisher: Hyperion
Number of pages: 480
Reading level: Young Adult


4.5 out of 5 Stars


Thanks Book It Forward Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book!






Description from Goodreads:


A haunting love story about desire, danger, and destiny. 

After Renee Winters discovers her parents lying dead in California’s Redwood Forest in what appears to be a strange double murder, her grandfather sends her off to Gottfried Academy in Maine, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, “crude sciences,” and Latin: the Language of the Dead. It’s here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they get to know each other better, Dante can’t seem to control his attraction either, and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. Dangerous because Dante is hiding a frightening secret. A secret so terrible, it has him fearing for Renee’s life. 

Dante’s not the only one with secrets, though. Turns out Gottfried Academy has a few of its own… Like, how come students keep disappearing? Why are the prefect-like Monitors creeping around campus during the night? And what exactly are the Headmistress and Professors really up to? Renee is determined to find out why.

Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul. 


My thoughts:


Dead Beautiful opens with Renee discovering her parent’s bodies in a very isolated area. It seems she experienced something like a “pull" to the location. Things get even more bizarre (in a good way) as the plot progresses. Her estranged Grandfather shows up to assume the role of Renee’s guardian, and informs her she should attend Gottfried Academy for her own safety. Renee leaves behind her friends, home, and kinda sorta boyfriend. Gottfried turns out to be nothing like she expected. Renee discovers possible connections between events at her new school, and the suspicious deaths of her mom and dad. She then sets out to find out what really happened to her parents with the help of mysterious hottie, Dante.


My initial attraction to this book was the gorgeous cover. It is even more beautiful in person. The best news is the pages behind the pretty picture live up to the fabulous cover! I find it hard to believe this is a debut novel. Yvonne Woon managed to create something very special with Dead Beautiful’s intricate plot, and engaging characters.


This a without a doubt a B.A.B (Big Ass Book), but it doesn’t read like one. My attention was captured from the start, and held until the very last page. While reading I had several Aha! moments where I thought I had it all figured out. I was subsequently proven wrong with the next twist or turn. Dante and Renee’s romance will leave you swooning. You can almost feel the chemistry radiating from the pages when they are together.  I also have to mention the almost kissing scene. Yes, I said almost. They don’t actually kiss in a certain scene involving a chalkboard, but it will leave you fanning yourself. Yvonne Woon gives good teen romance. The ending seems to set us up for a possible sequel. Please, say there will be one! I’d love to read more about Renee and Dante’s adventures at Gottfried Academy.


I have a feeling Dead Beautiful will be a highly talked about book this fall. It has the potential to create a serious following. I highly recommend you add this one to your fall reading list.