The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant

(3.5 stars for plot but rounded up for the compulsion I felt to keep reading at 2am.)

Anne Merchant is a mortician's daughter, so she's used to a bit of spooky atmosphere and people acting strangely, but when she is suddenly fortunate enough to be sent to a private school in Maine, she realizes that there's something else going on.  Unsure whether she's in a boarding school, reform school or insane asylum, she tries to find out why everyone is keeping secrets from her and why there are all these strange rules.

Anne finds it hard to make friends, veiled in levels of secrecy and distrust as everyone is, but eventually starts piecing together something resembling a normal life.  At least, as far as "normal" goes in a place called Wormwood Island.  But then maybe fitting in is overrated.

Hints are dropped from the beginning (Wormwood Island, anyone?) and the occasional "oops" in conversation (most people don't refer to others as "mortals").  Between those and Ben's increasingly obvious hints, I was surprised at how obtuse Anne was, especially given her tendency to look closer.  (Mind you, Ben found it very easy to tell Teddy what she knew, immediately after telling her to say nothing.)

It's been a while since this particular plot was used, so at least it's a little original.  It's worth noting that, as many others have discovered before, the villagers soon realize that they've given the devil a foothold and he's using it to drag more people into his domain.

OMG!! I loved this story!! When I was reading this story, I thought I had it all figured out but than BAM!!! Everything was turned different!! What a mind blowing wonderful story!! I hope that this author continues to write more books like this because she is soo talented with plot twists and suspense!!

I enjoyed this book!  It kept me guessing throughout & surprised me with all the twists and turns.  I think it will appeal to older teens who like paranormal books.  I am looking forward to the next installment!

Kept me guessing and definitely ends on a note that keeps you wanting more. Will read the next in the series.

It was Sunday after church, and I was looking for something to read.  I casually picked up my kindle and selected this book.  WOW...I literally could not put this book down after that!  Seriously, while eating dinner with the family it was on the table and I could not help but continue the story.  Every time I tried to set it down it ended up right back in my hands until I finished it that evening.  

There seems to be a mix of reviews about this book.  I can only speak from my experience and say that I loved the Gothic creepy feel to the book.  I felt the author did a fabulous job of keeping the secrets of this school a mystery.  It kind of reminded me of a modern day "Turning of the Screw" in a very good way.  I loved many of the characters, and there were some of the expected regulars to show up; you can't have a boarding school without the mandatory group of mean girls.  However, there were many more well rounded characters with fascinating twists. 

I cannot wait for the next book in this series to become available.  It is one that I will be waiting for with baited breath.

NOTE: I received the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When I requested this book, I was really intrigued by the sound of the summary. Not the private school stuff - that's just too common - but the questions behind Anne being there. I got hooked from the first page on and was immersed in a world quite different from what I'd expected.

Writing style:
Fairly good and catchy. What I enjoyed the most though was that it was written so no secret was given away prematurely. No mystery was revealed until it's allotted time. That's what held me intrigued until the end.

Story line:
It was different from anything I'd ever read, taking aside the special private school. The world that Joanna Wiebe created isn't something I - or many YA readers - am used to (which is why Anne's story may not be much appreciated). It's a complete opposite to the norm I know (sweet or snarky girl falls for a sweet or snarky guy and nothing ever deviates from this general plot), which I presume is a reason why many readers won't necessarily like it. It's a different world that Anne Merchant goes to. A world where seduction, selfishness, outward beauty, sleaziness, abuse and such are highly esteemed. It's a world where you can't trust your own eyes or ears. Nothing is what it appears and you don't have the slightest idea what is really going on.

Themes:
- The everlasting one - being different and trying to somehow fit in (or not);
- Distrust towards everyone about everything could sometimes prove to be the best action plan;
- Not trusting the right people though... it can cost much;
- The ultimate price of life - or what would you give up to be alive?
- The evil that lurks around - where exactly is it?

Characters:
*Anne was a girl with a character and lots of questions. Not always the right ones, that's for sure, but at least she did her best to ask, to pry, to figure things out. For the most part, she did well. I understood her denial (although I think it was rather artificially prolonged) of all things supernatural. She was a realist after all. But the clues, the things she found out... there were no natural explanations of them. I just wish she hadn't clung to her idea of a reform school/asylum all that long. I was a bit disappointed by her because she didn't try expanding her imagination to include the impossible explanations that lurked on the sides of her mind. And she was an artist, for crying out loud. Wasn't she supposed to be more open minded?
What I did like about her was that she decided to remain mostly unblemished by the darkness that lurked around her. Everybody seemed to be going for a life theme (PT) that loosed them on their morals, but not Anne. She could've picked the easy way out and become a seductress (as her trainer had said in numerous occasions), but no. She decided that having information was more honest, and more to her liking.

*Pilot - he was the snarky boy that you'd think would win Anne's heart. I mean, that's what usually happens right? So you'd expect it. Only this book is about the unexpected, so you'd better not try to solve anything or think ahead much. So, Pilot. He was likeable from the very beginning. He seemed to be defending his own view of the world. He had a purpose and was prepared to fight for it. In all honesty, among all the wickedness around Cania Christy, Pilot seemed to be actually good. Which should've made me suspicious way early, but no such luck.

*Ben was the guy who secretly admired Anne from the sidelines. He obviously wanted to take some action and get close to her, but just when I'd think he would, he'd start acting all cool and nonchalant - as if he didn't even see her there. Bipolar much? Umm, no. All of that secrecy, all of his little hints, all his love/hate/indifference had their purpose in the creepy mystery that is this book. I can't say that I liked Ben all that much. Not until the end anyway. But dude, that's because I had no idea what was going on. After finishing the book, I sort of understood why things happened the way they did.

*Teddy - Anne's very creepy personal guardian. That dude... he gave me the chills. Especially when he suggested getting all close and personal with Anne just to boost her grade. While I was still reading, I thought "what a total perv!", but again, after finishing, well... let's just say he isn't who he pretended to be. Still very creepy though.

*Headmaster Villicus was evil incarnate. No, I'm serious. He hid it under a mask of superiority, but really, that kind of evil can never be hidden too well. It leaks all over the place.

*Molly was probably the only real friend Anne made. She was risky, good-natured, adventurous. She never seemed to care much about herself. For some reason she seemed resigned to her fate. But she cared about Anne. The life that Molly was living - all alone, stranded on the stupid enchanted island with no one of her own age to even talk to - well it wasn't all that good. I'm glad that she befriended Anne, even though that ended the way it did.

In conclusion:
I want to say that if you're expecting a sweet romance with some paranormal elements out of this book, you'd better go find yourself a different read. This isn't a teen romance with some background story thrown in there. The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant is a mystery/thriller/dark-paranormal fantasy with some elements of romance in the background. It's creepy, it's got unexpected twists and turns and it deals with truths that aren't easy to stomach.

Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy with hopes of creating a new life for herself. No longer will she be known as the daughter of the mortician, she has the opportunity to completely revamp her life. And that's exactly what she's going to do. What she doesn't expect is that the school is full of wealthy teenagers who have one goal in mind: to become the class valedictorian. It's this concept that is literally fought over by every single student in the school, except for a guy named Pilot. Each student has a Guardian and a "strength" of sorts that basically dictates her life. Anne is assigned her Guardian, a creepy man named Teddy who announces that her "strength" is seduction which means that she is being graded on how she seduces people to win the title of valedictorian. Anne freaks out and rejects her strength which brings her to what Teddy calls her "second strength" - find out more about a person/place/thing. 

The first half of this book was confusing as heck. I'll be completely honest with you. There were several times where I felt like putting it down because I had no idea what was going on. The whole concept of the story was definitely interesting, but I felt like the story was going nowhere. But, as always, I kept pushing and thank goodness I did because the second half of the book was amazing, mind blowing, and definitely worth reading. The second half clears up so much of the confusion and so many things are revealed and things just keep getting thrown your way it's freaking awesome. 

The one thing that lacked a bit was the romance. I felt like it was a bit underdeveloped when in comparison to the intricate plot that was taking place. Ben and Anne just seem to have this connection from the start and the relationship goes from there. Throughout the whole story, Ben keeps pushing Anne away only to succumb to the feelings in the end. To me, it all felt weird and I just didn't see them as a couple in my mind. Hopefully in the future books, their relationship will appeal a bit more to me? I did think that their first meeting was definitely interesting and well quirky. ;)

Just a quick warning, there will be some small spoilers in the paragraph, but I have to talk about the really freaking amazingly developed plot. I'll try to keep it low key :) So...the plot. The second half of the book is where things speed up. Cania Christy is not some normal school, it's a special school for special people. I loved how the history of the school was built off of the Faustian Contract (spoiler). Once that's revealed and you are enlightened with the truth, everything makes sense. I understood why students fought for the title of valedictorian, I understood why Anne's father "paid" so much to send her there, everything just makes so much sense. Okay, I'm done, if I keep going I'll ruin even more.

The ending was...how do we say this? A tad bit frustrating. After the epic "battle" scene, Anne meets up again with Teddy and he's just saying a bunch of these things that make no sense whatsoever, but you're so compelled to learn more, you want to learn more but guess what? You don't cause the story ends right there before anything else happens. You learn some interesting incomplete facts and then the story ends. Come on!! I have to say that it's a pretty good cliffhanger because I definitely want to read the second book to see what happens, but to end so abruptly my heart...

So...definitely read it. The first half might be a bit torturous and confusing and hard to get through, but I promise you guys the ending is definitely worth it so don't give up!!

In 2004, ABC aired a show known as Lost. The story line in this television show was so disjointed, few could make sense of what was happening, and fans pressed forward with faith the answers would be revealed in good time. The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant felt much like this, while the reader patiently waits for things to be unveiled in the end. A fantasy novel, masked with elements of typical high school drama, there was something creative in engaging in this work. My only caution to the reader is to keep going, and hopefully your perseverance will be worth it.

In the beginning, I wasn't sure how I felt about this novel. I liked Anne, and found her voice honest, realistic, somewhat sassy but still relatable. Anne lost her mother a few years before, her father is a mortician, and her high school career was pretty much a flop up until that point. Going to this new school is supposed to be her 'new start', so she tries to make the most of it, but you can feel her frustrations when it feels like that hope is vanishing. She is immediately pegged as being an outsider, and the schools policies are twisted and confusing. While success means everything to Anne, she has begun to question what it will take to achieve it.

The other characters in this novel grew and transformed with time, which I appreciated, even with the fuzzy story line. There is more under the surface, which is something I really enjoy discovering with books. While it was frustrating at times to be tethered to Anne, who struggles to piece together the clues of Cania Christy, I found it easier to get through the book realizing I was sharing Anne's frustration. 

Much of this novel is written to see things through Anne's eyes; the unbelievably perfect characters, the frightening staff, the mysterious villagers. Sure, she doesn't solve everything right away, but I liked the small clues along the way that kept me going. By the time I closed the book, I felt like most of my complaints vanished because those elements made more sense. This is a book to suspend your disbelief for, although I will be honest, that can be a struggle. Most books we judge from the very beginning, but this is one I really think needs some time to settle before putting it down too hastily.

This book didn't start for me until i was a third of the way through. It Didn't grab my attention at all at first. I stuck with it though and i'm really glad that i did. The world that Anne uncovered was both unbelievable and believable at the same time. It was so mysterious and intriguing and i couldn't keep my eyes off the page. It breaches such an odd subject yet it makes total sense in the book. I cannot wait for the other books to come out and will be telling all my friends.

This book is incredible! There were more twists and turns in the story than I can count! I was constantly guessing where the author would take me next. The characters were believable and fantastic The outstanding mix of paranormal mystery and young romance keeps you engaged. I couldn't stop reading once I started. The reader wants to be friends with the bold heroine and sweet romantic lead. I strongly recommend this book for  fans of YA paranormal books. I am holding my breath anticipating the sequel! I truly can't wait to see what happens next.

Innocence vs. Evil...what wonderfully, deliciously, black imaginings Ms. Wiebe has. Character development is detailed and believably visual.  Literary references meld nicely with the plot.  The author's suspenseful ending leaves one craving the continuation.

I received The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you Netgalley, BenBella Books, and Joanna Wiebe.
I am so happy to say that I really loved this book!  I wasn't sure at one point around 15% or so  if I would be able to get through the whole thing, but I am so glad I stuck it out.  Frankly, I am surprised the average rating isn't higher.   When I first saw the cover, I thought it was beautiful and creepy, and that alone made me want to read it.  Then I saw it was about boarding school and it was paranormal, and it was final - I needed to read this book.  And then I actually got approved for it on Netgalley.  Well, now I need a paper copy, and I need it bad.  

I really can't and won't say anything about the plot, other than that it's awesome.  And I would recommend you not read the synopsis either.  This is one book you need to go into knowing as little as possible about the plot.  It was creepy and fun, and there were plenty of twists to keep me in suspense the whole time.  There were a few parts that were slightly predictable, but I think the reader was meant to grasp a few things before Anne realized them.  

I highly recommend this book to YA readers, especially those that love paranormal books and/or boarding school settings.  I absolutely plan to order a physical copy of this as well.  And I can't wait for book 2 to release!!!

When is the second and third book coming out!? The title and the intro is what attracted me to start reading the book. The cover is so-so in my opinion. It's an excellent mystery & horror book. It kept me guessing all the way to the end. I hope Anne comes out of this alive and well. The plot is well developed. Each character in the book also has a sense of mystery in them. It kept me engaged page after page. I finished reading this in a couple of days.  I liked Anne a lot. It is also my first time reading a novel about a funeral home director's daughter. It sets an excellent spooky environment. The first few chapters are excellent in describing the fact that she lives in a  funeral home in one of the richest zip code of the country. The plot of this book is quite unique in its own way and different from all the other horror stories I have read so far.

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant has the characteristics of several of my favorite types of stories. Story Type 1: Something weird is happening, and the main character has to figure it out. Story Type 2: The main character is at a private school with weird rules. If you also like those types of stories and are prepared for things to get a little weird, then go ahead, and pick this baby up.

I don't claim that this book makes a lot of sense or is expertly planned, sometimes, to get to the good stuff, this is just the way it needs to be. You just gotta let your grip on reality float into the sky like a balloon, because if you look too closely, you'll notice that you're witnessing a full-on dance battle and will have to admit to yourself how fully ridiculous that is. So, just be mentally prepared for that, and you'll be free to enjoy Cania Christy's specialized grading system, line-drawing, potentially supernatural elements, mysteriousness and so on. I fully enjoyed it.

Definitely intriguing. I was NOT feeling it at the very beginning simply because it seemed to follow the "boarding school fiction" outline. Then, blam! That special sort of weirdness that is called the "imagination" apparently took hold and I was reading a story about a girl in a boarding school that was just different and creepy enough to keep me interested.

It took a LONG time for the book to start giving you clues about what the heck is going on, but I held on because I knew it was going to be good. I WASN'T DISAPPOINTED. All caps so you understand clearly.

This author has a great new idea regarding afterlife, demons, devils, and what people will do to keep their loved ones near.

There were multiple VERY disturbing moments, especially when the parents visited the school. If this book were a film I wouldn't be able to watch it. Too freaky to be actually seen.

Looking forward to the next book in the series! Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys creepy, dark, afterlife themes. 

(Full Review to be posted on Auggie-Talk website August 31, 2014)

This book blew me away!

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant isn't what you think it will be. You start off the book believing one thing and finish it completely floored and confused -- but in a good way!

I am in love with all of the characters; both the main ones and the not. I am fascinated with the idea of the "big V" and the entire creepy private school and how it is run.. and by who/what it is run.. 

I am ecstatic for book two to come out and I plan to recommend this book to everyone I know.

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant fell flat for me because it combined a few YA tropes that I'm just not a huge fan of. For example, Anne is a bit of a special snowflake who seems too caught up in boys' opinions of her. I didn't like how she shamed her classmates a "skanks," and yet was very enthusiastic about the idea that boys found her attractive. Overall, neither the plot nor characterizations pulled me into this book.