The Year of Four by Nya Jade Pages: 339
Published by Dreamwell Publishing on October 28, 2012
Series: Phoebe Pope #1
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Source: ecopy from Author
Alternate-cover edition can be found here and here.
The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .
Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.
As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.
Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself—and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive.
The Year of Four is the first book in the Phoebe Pope series by Nya Jade. The Phoebe Pope series is a young adult paranormal romance featuring a magical boarding school for shifters. You all know I am a sucker for a magical school setting, and this one was particularly cool for two reasons. One, it sits below a normal boarding school, and the students attend classes both “above” and “below”. I loved the mixing of the students from the two schools, and I really loved the idea that the regular school “hid” the shifter school. And the second reason I loved this setting was that this was no ordinary school for shifters…no this was a secret spy school. Where they are training animal shifters of all kinds to be spies! How awesome is that? I have never seen this spin the boarding school idea and I couldn’t wait to dive into the series.
I also really, really love the cover changes the series got. I think the new covers are perfect for the story. And I’m not sure if this is unique the to new cover editions or not, but I absolutely loved the illustrations in the book as well. The Year of Four follows Phoebe Pope and a group of other students and shifters in their school year. Like I mentioned before, I loved the mixing of the normal and the paranormal. I thought it added so many layers of excitement to the story. Honestly, this book really surprised me. When I first started reading, I thought the story was going to be one thing- where we trained Phoebe and the other new shifters to fight and ultimately kill Vigos- these horribly scary shifter monsters that are plaguing the earth. But then the story soon morphed into something much more, with lots of mysterious characters ans secrets. I really enjoyed myself with this book, and I am so so happy that I have the second one because I can’t wait to dive in and continue the story.
I loved the whole cast of characters but I loved Phoebe the most. I feel like Nya Jade did a fantastic job of fleshing out her character. I felt like she was a real life friend that was telling me about her adventures. She felt so real to me. She is going to be a character that I know I am going to continue to love in upcoming books because I felt like we really got to know the way she thinks and learn what makes her, her. That is my favorite part of a book. When an author can make you think the main character is a real person, then I know they have totally won me over.
Bottom line: The Year of Four was a pretty great start to the phoebe pope series. I might have missed this series when it first released in 2012, but I am super happy that I found it now. It kind of reminded me of The Shapeshifter’s Secret series by Heather Oslter, which I really enjoyed. Except Pheobe Pope has a big twist in the story that makes it totally unique and a lot of fun. This series will be great for people who really enjoy a magical school setting, love adventure and love paranormal books featuring shifters. Bring on book 2!
Books in the Phoebe Pope Series:
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Giselle
Thanks for being on the tour, Michelle! This sounds like a unique and entertaining read! 🙂
danielle hammelef
Yes, I also love when authors make book characters seem so real. Then, when I’m done, I want to spend more time with them.
Victoria
This sounds interesting, thanks for sharing your review!