Book Review: Initation (Bonfire Academy 1) by Imogen Rose

Paperback, 412 pages
Published: December 25th 2011 by Imogen Rose (first published November 23rd 2011)
ISBN 0982800258 (ISBN13: 9780982800256)
Edition Language: English
Series: Bonfire Academy #1
Characters: Cordelia, Jagger, Faustine, Ryker
Buying Link:
Initiation: Bonfire Academy Book One (Bonfire Chronicles)


Blurb:

Welcome to Bonfire Academy. Set in the foothills of the alpine mountains in St.Moritz, this exclusive private school caters to a special kind of student. Enter at your own risk... but if you are human, you may not want to enter at all. 

My Thoughts:

Initiation is the first book of Bonfire Academy written by Imogen Rose. This book is a very nice, action packed and full of mind blowing mystery and suspense that would definitely make you guess and would make you think. I must say that it is a very nice way to start a series.


 The story started with the start of school year for the supernaturals in Bonfire Academy. Cordelia thought that it would be a very normal year (for a demon princess like her) and her boyfriend Quinn. The truth was she didn’t really have to go back, the only reason she was back at the academy was so she could spend more time with Quinn. She didn’t expect that things would be so different for her and for the whole academy.  


Initiation is one story that the young and young at heart would definitely enjoy. It’s a bit different from the other Young Adult books out there. It has a bit of everything. It has mystery, suspense and action! It also has a bit of romance, although, I think it’s not the main focus of the story.


The characters are all fascinating! There are a lot of characters in this book but the main character is Cordelia. I have a bit of love and hate feelings for Cordelia. I mean, I don’t hate her but I guess, some of her actions and decisions annoyed me a little bit. She’s very complex. She’s not perfect. Sometimes, she’s a bit spoiled and selfish but still she shows maturity when it matters. I think these qualities are the ones that make her so endearing to readers. 


Cordelia is caught in between her long time boyfriend Quinn and this mysterious Student Council President, Jagger. She loves Quinn but Jagger makes her feel intense things. This is where I didn’t understand Cordelia, she wouldn’t let Quinn go even though she’s having a secret affair with Jagger. Now, don’t judge her yet. Jagger and Cordelia formed an unbreakable bond, somehow when they met and she couldn’t stop whatever feelings she have for Jagger just as Jagger couldn’t stop his feelings for Cordelia. It’s like they mated. 


Now, if you think that this book is just all about their unbelievable love triangle then you are dead wrong. As I said before, this book didn’t focus much on romance, it has more action, suspense and mystery which was greatly mixed by the way. I loved how the author made this even more unique. She didn’t just make another love triangle for us to be obsessed about. She put a lot more in the action/suspense part of this book which makes it more exciting and intriguing. It’s the kind of book that could make you so curious that you wouldn’t want to put this book down.


The only complain I have is the relationship between Jagger and Cordelia and Quinn. It would have been nicer and more heartfelt if their relationships could be discussed in a more evenly manner, in a way that could make us, the readers, connect more with them. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series and see where the love triangle goes even though I’m absolutely TEAM JAGGER!


Overall, I think this book is on the right track when it comes to being a first book of a series. I always believed that the first book of a series is the most critical one because it’s the one that would decide the fate of the whole series, the one that would make people decide if it’s worth following and I think that the way Imogen Rose wrote Initiation made it pass with flying colors. 


Initiation is a great YA read! It would make your heart beat faster with its mystery, suspense and action! It’s a definite keeper!

About the Author:

 


Hi! I am Imogen Rose and I am based in New Jersey. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamt stories. Stories that can and do continue from night to night, from dream to dream. So, going to bed was never an issue, even as a child, just an anticipation of the story to come. 


I was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in my twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, I moved with my family to New Jersey, where I have been based for the past ten years. Although storytelling is my real passion, I have only now decided to share my stories by publishing my first work of fiction, PORTAL. 


PORTAL would have remained in my imagination, to be shared only with my daughter, Lauren, had my eight-year-old not insisted that I write it down. In the course of a month, I typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape. 


The warm reception PORTAL has received has encouraged me to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. The sequel, EQUILIBRIUM, is due to be published Summer 2010

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