What's summer without a young adult fantasy romance with action, intrigue, and...an academy (of sorts)? Since this type of read happens to be a 'must' on the YA summer-fun list, I was excited to get my hands on this read. It's the first in a brand new series and is sold as an exciting mix (read the blurb below to see what I need). I'm curious to see if this is worth grabbing up and diving in. So, let's find out!
THE ART OF EXILE
Academy of Muses #1
by Andrea Max
Margaret K. McElderry Books
YA Fantasy
448 pages
Legendborn meets The Da Vinci Code in this captivating light academia contemporary fantasy following a teen who infiltrates a secret school for the descendants of exiled Renaissance masters to steal their long-lost arts and sciences.
Unlike the high-achieving members of her family’s secret society, Ada Castle has mastered nothing but the art of falling for the wrong guys. But now she finally has the chance to prove her worth: she just needs to gain access to a hidden school that her family has been trying to locate for generations. Granted, she accidentally goes on a date with the recruiter first, then is temporarily abducted, but Ada manages to secure herself an invitation to the Genesis Institute, where descendants of exiled Renaissance masters practice long-lost arts and sciences.
The school is a utopia of sustainable technology, medical advancements, and myths come to life, yet they are unjustly hoarding their resources. Ada goes undercover to steal their innovations for the rest of the world, but Genesis nurtures her creativity and challenges her views, and she can’t help but fall for the school…and maybe also for her frustratingly off-limits recruiter-turned-mentor.
Ada’s tangle of lies starts to unravel when one of her new friends goes missing. To rescue her, Ada is forced to work with a dangerous (and dangerously hot) classmate whose suspicions threaten her cover. And when the information she’s shared with her family puts her missing friend and all of Genesis in peril, she’ll have to choose whom to betray: the family she loves or the school that has helped her find herself.
Unlike the high-achieving members of her family’s secret society, Ada Castle has mastered nothing but the art of falling for the wrong guys. But now she finally has the chance to prove her worth: she just needs to gain access to a hidden school that her family has been trying to locate for generations. Granted, she accidentally goes on a date with the recruiter first, then is temporarily abducted, but Ada manages to secure herself an invitation to the Genesis Institute, where descendants of exiled Renaissance masters practice long-lost arts and sciences.
The school is a utopia of sustainable technology, medical advancements, and myths come to life, yet they are unjustly hoarding their resources. Ada goes undercover to steal their innovations for the rest of the world, but Genesis nurtures her creativity and challenges her views, and she can’t help but fall for the school…and maybe also for her frustratingly off-limits recruiter-turned-mentor.
Ada’s tangle of lies starts to unravel when one of her new friends goes missing. To rescue her, Ada is forced to work with a dangerous (and dangerously hot) classmate whose suspicions threaten her cover. And when the information she’s shared with her family puts her missing friend and all of Genesis in peril, she’ll have to choose whom to betray: the family she loves or the school that has helped her find herself.
MY TIDBITS
A rich world of magic weaves against reality with plenty of intrigue and tension along the way.
Ada is seventeen and the only member of her family, who isn't reaching the high-goal posts set by the rest of her family, but she has her own talent, which they don't fully understand. Trying to prove her special worth, she follows a friend's advice and heads to Paris with the hope of infiltrating a secret society, which trains and harbors people wither her abilities...and with the mission to expose them so that they will, finally, share their accomplishments with the rest of the world. Right away, she meets danger and discovers that there is so much more going on than she expected. Caught in a web of opposing forces and golden promises, she does her best to finish what she came to achieve, but the heart betrays and secrets run deeper than most even know.
A love triangle, budding magic, the blur of good vs evil, learning to know yourself, and a touch of academy drama make this a read, which slides nicely into the young adult category that so many expect and enjoy. It grabs right away as Ada goes from first nods toward romance to a very precarious situation within a couple pages, and shoots right into the magical world from there. It took a second to figure out what was really going on, especially since this necessary background information first comes over fifty pages in. But the author definitely keeps the pacing quick and builds the world along the way.
The world building and characters are done with thought, which adds plenty of richness while the read stays tropey enough not to weigh down, too. Of course, some aspects stretch imagination (this is fantasy), and there are moments where belief simply needs to slide in without explanation but all within reason. There are plenty of explanations behind various moments, some of these slow things down a tiny bit which had me sliding over sentences here and there. However, it does enrich the scenes and story, too, and that goes for the characters as well...although some carry more depth than others, and even here, there are some aspects which stretch normal sense. But all of this makes this exciting read snuggle nicely into the teen drama range.
There is romance, and it is a triangle. Both are swoon-worthy and hard to choose between. Ada has a lot on her plate, though, and does keep the adventure in mind while dancing her choices and discovering her own heart's desires. It's messy as triangles are and tropey...but this also will make those readers, who enjoy this direction, smile.
As for the intrigue...it gets going nicely and the foundation is well-laid for the upcoming series. There are layers to the intrigue and many surprises along the way. Ada faces many choices, and not all of them are clear cut. Plus, danger isn't exactly rare, so the tension stays high, too. So, fans of the genre will want to take a peek at this one and sink into the magical realm.
And here she is...
Andrea Max is an English teacher who previously worked as a clinical social worker with an MSW from New York University. Aspects of the history and magic systems in The Art of Exile were inspired by the Jewish tradition and mythology with which she was raised. Andrea lives with her husband and toddler in New Jersey.
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