Review: If only Briarcrest Academy were accepting applications...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2014
I have been craving more from this author, more from Briarcrest Academy, since the moment I finished Very Wicked Things.  I am absolutely thrilled with this next installment. I should note that although the first and second novels in this series have interconnected characters and familiar faces, there is a full story within each volume and each one is therefore a standalone.  I HIGHLY recommend reading the prequel novella, Very Wicked Beginnings, before starting this novel, however.  The novella gives a more detailed backstory and a deeper understanding of the characters' actions and motivations.This was an incredible book.  I read from the prequel to the last word of this novel from start to finish.  I may not have gotten a lot of sleep, but every moment was worth it!Cuba and Dovey are, on the surface, very different people.  A rich boy, a girl on a scholarship.  An athlete and a ballerina.  A popular jock and a quiet girl on the fringe.  But, when you look deeper, each has been damaged by a series of events that have led them to their time together.Love is never easy, but, with Cuba and Dovey, you cannot help but feel the passion and pull between them as you also feel the heartbreak every time they don't quite get it right.A glimpse into the minds of the lovers:"I didn't want something I needed.  I wanted Cuba."  -Dovey"I like how you hate me, Dovey."  - CubaThis is an incredibly well crafted story from start to finish.  There were moments that were sad, sexy, funny... You name it, it's in there somewhere.  The writing, the storyline, the characters... I can't find fault with a single thing,  I am absolutely enamored with the writing style of Ilsa Madden-Mills and with the world she has so beautifully and perfectly created.The more I read, the more I review, the harder-pressed I am to give a full 5 stars to any book.  There has to be a sort of spell-binding magic to a story, that something special that you can't find every day, to give it that boost and earn that last star.  If you, like me, are constantly searching for that novel that is satisfying in every way, you're in the right place. Very Wicked Things is that novel.