Reading Between Classes

This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between ClassesCover Impressions: I like the colors and the contrast between her hair and the font with the snow. Otherwise, there isn't much to make this cover stand out from the others on the shelf.The Gist: Having survived her first semester at Cimmeria Academy, Allie is returning to classes with a new sense of the danger that surrounds her and an enrollment into the mysterious Night School. Here, Allie hopes to finally learn about the secrets surrounding her family and to find a way to save her brother from the clutches of the mysterious Nathaniel.Review:Having just finished Night School and gotten little to no answers about any of the big mysteries, I moved straight on to Legacy hoping for some enlightenment. I was sorely disappointed. Daugherty is the queen of the lengthy conversation in which absolutely nothing is reavealed. During the course of one conversation Isabelle tells Allie:"And if I try to explain it now we'll be here for hours.""It really would take me ages to tell you the whole story.""That ... is a conversation for another time.""I know you want to know everything, Allie, but just trust me when I tell you, this is complicated."Forget everything, Isabelle, I would just like you to tell her SOMETHING! And she is not the only one, even the bad guys speak in these oddly vague terms. Naturally, this lack of information leads to Allie making stupid decisions and running off into dangerous situations which make me want to strangle her myself. The love interests are equally infuriating. Yet again, in this book, we flip-flop from one boy to another. I am only able to be okay with Sylvain is if I completely ignore the almost rape scene in the last book - which I find very difficult to do. I am still not sure why the author wrote that scene. Surely she knew where the story would be heading. Could she not have found some other way for Sylvain and Allie to split up, something for which he could stand a hope of gaining forgiveness from the reader? Carter is also considerably more annoying in this book than he was in the last one. His overprotectiveness has gone into overdrive and he has gotten petty and jealous. The female characters don't seem to play as important of a role this time, though I enjoyed the addition of Zoe as the quirky character who constantly speaks her mind - which was important as Rachel not being a part of Night School meant that she could no longer act as Allie's sounding board.Legacy is considerably racier than Night School was. It includes steamier make-out sessions, more vulgar talk and a risque game of truth or dare. Against this backdrop, Allie becomes stronger and learns to defend herself, however despite having lots of action and a fairly entertaining story, there is no real movement forward on the larger plot or much character development. As this series is scheduled to continue up to at least book 5, I think I will be bowing out at this point.Teaching/Parental Notes:Age: 15 and upGender: FemaleSex: Kissing, Nudity (not described), risque talkViolence: Hand to hand combat, murder by knife, attempted kidnappingInappropriate Language: Pissed, Bitch, Bastard, Jesus, TitsSubstance Use/Abuse: Underage drinking