Review: fun NA read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 11, 2014
The Academy – Thief, Book 1 of The Scarab Beetle Series,C.L. StoneReview from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.Sometimes I enjoy a foray into the world of YA novels. The upper end, not the teen end, and though the other Academy series is aimed at the younger end this is pitched more at the NA end from the blurb. It sounded fun, and the sample hooked me so what was it like overall?Well, Kayli, the heroine, is stuck pickpocketing in-between searching for work to support her younger brother, and drunken out of work father. She hates it, tries hard to only take a little and from people who don't look as though they are in need. She's terrified of getting caught too...Home is a pay by the week motel, and pretty dire. Then she gets targeted by a group who need her help. They're very quiet about who they are, and what they do but they'll pay a months rent upfront, help her get a job and help get brother Wil into college. She likes them – too much it seems to me at times! She's seems to be kissing one, and thinking he's nice, then another kisses her and he's nice too – then another...even the man they're shadowing gets to kiss and sleep with her. Literally – she sleeps as in bed with several of them sharing nothing more, no euphemism for sex. I always find it odd that we call sex “sleeping” with someone, when sleeping is last down the list :)  I did get irritated at how free she was with the kisses, and how suddenly each of these hot, sexy men want her and yet each doesn’t realise the other does. It just didn't fit well for me, I guess later books will show more, this is book one in a series and there's lots to cover especially for readers like me who don't know about the Academy.Gradually the story and background kind of opened out to me, and I began to understand a bit more about it. The guys were all recruited to the team for their varying skills, and their ability to work with each other. Kayli finds that hard, she's used to working alone, and needs to work closely with them to complete the job they need doing. She's a good female lead, even though irritating at times she is genuine in her quest to do the Right thing, not the easy thing. The guys in the team were a good mix, though it seemed a bit weird that they're all “hot” and yet only one of them has a girlfriend. Maybe the situation they were in – but they seemed to jump on Kayli like a starving man grabs bread....Its a well written book, easy to follow even if you've not read earlier books, and its a simplistic plot, but that works well for the target age and even for those like me long past it :) I could see flaws, but then I needed to put myself in the mindset of that other age group, and understand why things were written as they were and just enjoy the tale. I can recall as a teen enjoying the story, focussing on the characters ( I still do – they're make or break to me) and not getting too hung up on the practicalities and realities of the plots. If you can do that, and look past the obvious then its a story to relax with and enjoy. Despite the caution there's nothing in this book that's overly violent or sexual, but maybe later in the series? I can certainly see the romantic complications that may come into play – my bets on Raven at the moment!Priced at 2.45 for  a lovely 420 pages, I do love these longer novels – its a bargain and a really enjoyable read. I look forward to seeing where the story goes next.Stars: 4.  Excellent start to a new series.ARC supplied via Netgalley