Review--Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff

IS LIFE OFFERING FEWER AND FEWER OPTIONS? THEN JOIN THE DEAD.

When Annelise goes off to college, it means good riddance to her abusive father and stepmother, but a bureaucratic screwup leaves her without a high school diploma, flat broker, and facing a future that seems more elusive than ever. Then she meets Ronan--tall, dark, and way too seductive for her own good. He promises Annelise a new life...if she has the courage to chance the unknown. One look at him, and she certainly has the desire. He offers her a lift, and, sure enough, accepting rides from strangers does yield surprises.

Whisked away to a mysterious island in the North Sea, Annelise is pitted against other female recruits in tests of skill, smarts, and strength. To win is to become a member of the Watchers, a unique elite partnership with vampires that dispatches its teams on the most dangerous missions imaginable. It's not exactly what Annelise had in mind for a new beginning, but it's livelier than the alternative. Because on the Isle of Night, to lose a challenge doesn't mean just dishonor. It means death.

Let the games begin.

Whoa! Veronica Wolff has seriously created a deeply dark and scary world here. Isle of Night is nothing like Hogwarts or even St. Vladimir's Academy--although they are all schools, the other two have nothing on this place! If you fail, you die. 

Annelise was looking forward to college, she's a brain at seventeen and was ecstatic to leave behind everything in Christmas, Florida. But then she's bombarded right at the start, there was a mishap in the computer system and she apparently didn't graduate high school. Stuck with nowhere to go, no working car, no money, she accepts the ride from the friendly Ronan. Even though she senses that there is something totally different about this guy, she decides to trust him.

He quickly reveals what he has in mind for her, and I love that Annelise actually stops and thinks about it. She sees the absurdity, that maybe Ronan is a whack job ready to kill her or he's just crazy. She weighs the cons and pros before deciding to join him, thinking that maybe this place will be her escape, her college that she will likely never have, but she's oh-so wrong! Not only are there vampires there, there are also viscous, manipulative, conniving teenage girls as well and they are the real enemy. It's high school all over again.

Annelise was a rejuvenating character, she's got brains, not so much brawn, but she learns as quickly as she can. She becomes a more relatable character in my eye.  I could see myself befriending her, although I am nowhere near as intelligent as she! But Annelise has a strength I admired. She has managed to surpass the abuse inflicted on her nearly all her life and is now tackling an even greater task. Her battle to win the title of being a Watcher will give her freedom off the island. All she has to do is win a series of battles.

The other characters were awesome as well! Lilac is without a doubt one of the b*tchest girls to ever cross the pages of books I've read! She is one evil twit! She is against Annelise and is out to make her life miserable. Every time she crossed the page, I had anger boiling inside of me! That takes great writing! Incredible talent and Ms. Wolff has it!

Ronan was a breath of fresh air! He's mysterious and kind. He sees a strength in Annelise that no one else does. It's the reason he chose her, or it may be... Yes I am being vague deliberately! Vampires play a huge role in this book as well. And one of them has his eyes on Annelise.

The story was well paced. It basically focused on Annelise at this school and trying to survive, which is harder than it sounds. There's danger at every turn. And one wrong move could leave Annelise a goner.

Isle of Night is a deeply intriguing read, filled with fresh characters! It's definitely a page-turner and I highly recommend it! Off to start the second one now!

Overall rating 5/5 stars