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Ghost Bird: (The Academy)
Omnibus Part 1: Books 1-4

by C.L. Stone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Contemporary Slow burn, YA, RH
Available on Kindle 

Down & Dirty

This is a great and affordable way to dip your toes into the world of The Academy. Books 1-4. It’s interesting, unique and very… VERY slow burn – and VERY YA.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

Books 1 – 4 in the wildly successful (and swoon-inducing) Academy Ghost Bird Series, together for the first time at a low price. This bundle includes an exclusive that fans have been begging for: Meeting Sang, an alternate POV story of how it all began.

Book 1 (Ghost Bird – Introductions)

With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang Sorenson abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. What she craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary, because for her, being different meant being cast out alone.
When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys, each nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have friends.
Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy they’ve sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers her friends are far from what she’d expected. Will her loyalty change when she’s forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she’s traded one house of secrets for another?
Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.
The Academy, ever vigilant.

Book 2 (Ghost Bird – First Days)

As a new student to Ashley Waters High School, Sang Sorenson hopes her new friends will be the change she’s been craving and will make fitting in a breeze.
But Academy students aren’t there to take it easy at the overcrowded school rife with violence. When fights begin, Sang will uncover the true reason the boys traded in their private school lives for public ones. This year, Sang will no longer be invisible. This year, Sang is a target.
The principal and vice principal are hot to take Sang down, and her own mother is determined to entrap Sang forever in her belief that the safest place to be is in the shadows. Despite this, Nathan, Luke, Kota, North, Silas, Victor, and Gabriel will discover Sang’s unyielding loyalty. And they will sorely need it.
The Academy, supremely influential.

Book 3 (Ghost Bird – Friends vs. Family)

Sang Sorenson is forced to suffer through another of her mother’s extreme punishments that almost kills her. The Academy boys vow it will be the last. They’re determined to keep Sang safe, especially from her own family. Their solution: complete infiltration into her life.
Kota, Luke, Silas, Nathan, Victor, Gabriel and North do everything within their power to show Sang what true loyalty means. It takes more than blood to make a family and they want Sang in theirs. Sang experiences a taste of freedom and what it’s like to truly be cared for, wanted. Sang learns a bit more about the boys’ broken families and they discover more than they ever imagined about Sang’s. The Academy was the answer to their problems. Could it be hers?
Sang’s actions force her mother to reveal a startling truth that will change Sang’s and the boys’ lives in unpredictable ways.

Book 4 (Ghost Bird – Forgiveness and Permission)

Sang Sorenson’s abusive mother is secure in a hospital and her father has vanished to a new family of his own, leaving Sang and her sister to fend for themselves.
But Sang is never really alone. The Academy team has stepped in, promising to protect and care for her. Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North take over, showing Sang they can be depended on for anything. But just because her parents are away, doesn’t mean Sang’s life has become any easier.

Thoughts on Ghost Bird – Books 1-4

I’ve heard about Ghost Bird for quite awhile now, but never tried it out – yet somehow this omnibus was on my kindle, so I finally caved and gave it a shot.

YA isn’t normally my first choice, but I’m glad I went out of my wheelhouse as it really is a decent story. It’s smooth, a bit emotional and rather mysterious. The characters are 15-19, but none of them act like it, which is kinda jarring, but still works fairly well. Honestly, it reminded me of the Veil Diaries, minus the supernatural aspect, but it was an echo only, a feeling of familiarity.

I’ll continue on with the next omnibus – maybe I’ll finally learn what the academy really is!!

Perspective

First Person, Limited Multiple POV

Ending Type

Episodic and Cliffhanger

Rating

YA = PG-13

Romantic Dynamic

LOL! Let’s see…. MMMMMMMMMF (and no, I am NOT joking)

Character Age Range

15 – 19

Final Verdict on Ghost Bird Omnibus 1 (Books 1-4)

This is an excruciatingly slow burn YA RH, teasing more then tempting, while building a background story of mystery and CIA’esque action all set in the halls of a troubled High School. It’s interesting, very unique and so very, very Young Adult. Look for the Omnibus on Kindle.

Published September 15th, 2014
1666 Pages

If you enjoyed this review of Ghost Bird Omnibus Part 1, please consider checking out a few of my other articles.

• My Big Fat Fake Wedding by Lauren Landish – A Book Review
• Conspiracy of Ravens by J.C. McKenzie – A Book Review
• Cardinal Caged by Mia Smantz – A Book Review

Your Turn

What are you reading today? Have you read Ghost Bird? There are 12 books out, but it’s been a year since she last published one in this series. What do you think? Are you a fan? Or do you like the Scarab Beetle Series by C.L. Stone better? Leave a comment, I would love to talk!