I had almost decided not to read any more children's/YA fiction for a while, especially after my recent disappointment with Jeanne DuPrau's The Prophet of Yonwood and Linda Buckey-Archer's Gideon series. However, I am very glad I came across Knightley Academy before carrying out this new decision. It was a great read and a real page turner.
World-Building: Great - Awesome
Characterization: Great
Plot: Gripping
I picked this book up because it was on display and it had a cool cover and a cooler title. Reading the story I was intrigued by the setting and the way the author had "modernized" knights and the social commentary she was including about not only the Victorian era, but also many issues that linger until today. I thought of it as an original story and it didn't really occur to me that it was "like Harry Potter" even though I've read the series at least 7 times. Strangely enough when I looked it up online after finishing the story I was surprised by the sheer volume of reviews and comments out there that described is as being similar to Harry Potter.
Even after reading these comparisons I think that people are missing the point of one or both stories or that they didn't allow themselves to sink into the worlds. Yes, there's a train scene where the main character meets a snobbish kid, and yes, they're in a boarding school, but is that really what either story was about? Are those details really what made Harry Potter the work of genius that it was? No.
Personally, I am unconvinced by the reviewers that say Knightly Academy somehow lacks originality because of a couple of elements similar to HP. I found the world-building and the characters quite original. The plot did seem a little bit predictable in the first 10-20 pages, but I soon found that I was mistaken and that I couldn't predict what was going to happen as easily as I had imagined. The plot was very engaging and the story was a page turner. I would definitely recommend this story. Read it, and read it for it's own merit - don't compare it to Harry Potter or any other story.
I will be looking for the sequel and I'll let you know if it measures up to the quality of this first novel.
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