Official Review: Little School of Horrors

[Lovely_Loreley]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Little School of Horrors" by McKenna Cathryn Cooke.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Little School of Horrors by McKenna Cooke is the story of three girls: Malorie, Amber, and Ellie. The girls are hoping to get a fresh start for their junior year of high school. Their English teacher, Mr. Adams, was murdered only a few months ago, and everyone in Chandler, Arizona seems to think the girls did it, even though evidence points toward other suspects. When Malorie receives a packet of information about Briansdale Academy, a preparatory school in Oregon, it seems like the perfect place to start over; it promises anonymity, far away from the accusatory glares and whispers of everyone in town. All three girls, along with Amber’s boyfriend Elijah, transfer to Briansdale. While they do find new friends and more freedom there, they also have a hard time forgetting the last year, and keeping it a secret from their peers proves to be a challenge for them all.

This book was definitely a quick read for me. It was a couple hundred pages, but the writing flowed naturally (although there were a few spelling mistakes here and there) and I found myself drawn in by both the story and the characters. Admittedly, it was not as focused on the murder of Mr. Adams as I thought it would be; there was a great deal more about day to day life at Briansdale Academy, and I was a little disappointed before the book picked up the pace. It quickly changed my mind. This book seems to be targeted at young adults (although there is quite a bit of underage drinking that makes it feel more appropriate for the college student than the high schooler) and has a good mix of romance, mystery, and thriller. I think anyone who enjoys fiction in a realistic setting, hot boys and romance, or a bit of a murder mystery, will be captivated by this book.

My first impression of the book, specifically of Briansdale Academy, was that it was a tad unrealistic. The girls lived in dorms, with comfortable one-room doubles that had walk-in closets; I had never heard of a dorm that sounded that luxurious! They were also able to purchase meal plans that allowed them 25 meals a week and at one point during their first week they seemed concerned about running out of food (why would you need more than three meals a day, or 21 meals per week, anyway?). Beyond that, everyone at the school seemed to be quite good-looking; Malorie described every girl she met as cute or beautiful, and all of the boys were hot. After a while I realized that just because Malorie’s narration focused on boys and beauty, it didn’t mean that the school was full of models; that was just the way Malorie saw the world, and it wasn’t a bad thing by any means.

Each of the girls had a good mix of character traits, but I think Malorie was my favorite. She could be anything from shy, to excitedly nervous, to extremely bitchy, depending on her mood. Even though she was described as the ringleader of the group, she never pushed Ellie and Amber around; she relied on them as much as they relied on her. I also appreciated that although each girl was described in a particular way (Ellie was the shy, self-conscious member of the group while Amber was the ditsy one) she didn’t necessarily always act that way. So many authors box their characters into specific traits, even though human beings are so much more complex. Any other shy, self-conscious female character would probably act that way no matter the situation; Ellie, on the other hand, boldly drags her crush onto the dance floor and punches the creepy guy who calls her “gross” after he unsuccessfully hits on her. Overall, I thought Cooke did a great job of creating realistic characters with various backgrounds and problems of their own.

Little School of Horrors truly deserves 4 out of 4 stars. The writing is refreshingly raw and has an especially strong voice. The characters are unique and complex, and while the book certainly wasn’t what I was expecting, the girls each face some very real problems that test them in many ways. I think a lot of girls could relate to some of the things Malorie, Amber, and Ellie go through, and that was one of the strongest aspects that made this book such an easy, addicting read. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!

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Little School of Horrors
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[bookowlie]

Nice review! I agree that life at the Academy sounds unrealistic. Walk-in closets? A meal plan of 25 meals per day is not enough? Those girls probably gained a lot of weight!

[Lovely_Loreley]

Thank you! I just wish the dorms I've lived in had walk-in closets...that would be such a luxury!

[Levi]

Very detailed and interesting review. I was actually getting the feeling that if they went to an academy maybe that explained the luxury. It doesn't sound like a normal school after all. You brought the characters to life nonetheless, and I know that this review will create great interest for those to whom the story is intended.

[Lovely_Loreley]

Thank you! And yeah, I mean, it was an expensive school and such so I guess the luxury is plausible, it just came across as super idealistic rather than realistic. That's all

[ananya92]

Well-written, detailed review! I guess the author put her finger on every girl's dream, with that walk-in closet bit.

[Lovely_Loreley]

Thank you! I'm glad the part everyone is noticing is the amazingness of a walk-in closet XD

[LivreAmour217]

This is a great review! The book sounds like a lot of fun, and it will be going on my insanely long reading list! The bit about the walk-in closets does sound unrealistic, but perhaps it's just the author's way of playing to her target audience. What teen wouldn't want a nice, big closet?

[Lovely_Loreley]

This is a great review! The book sounds like a lot of fun, and it will be going on my insanely long reading list! The bit about the walk-in closets does sound unrealistic, but perhaps it's just the author's way of playing to her target audience. What teen wouldn't want a nice, big closet?

My thoughts exactly! I hope you enjoy the book when you get around to it