Another series review

Hey everyone! Today I’m going to review the Another series written by siblings Daniel and Dina Nayeri. I came across this series at an old job of mine (well the first book that is) and decided to give it a chance. Boy am I glad I did. Just a heads up, there may be possible spoilers.

First book: Another Faust

On a single night, five children from cities across Europe vanish, only to reappear years later at an 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 New York holiday party with their strange but beautiful governess, Madame Vileroy. Rumor and intrigue follow the teenagers as they attend the exclusive Manhattan Marlowe School, where they rise to suspicious heights using the “gifts” given to them by their governess. Though it seems like simple fun at first, the five soon learn that their newfound talents are far more potent then they ever imagined- and far more addictive. Even as the side effects of pursuing their personal obsessions begin to show, these ambitious teens are intent on achieving their goals at any cost…until two of them uncover a secret even more shocking than their own most unforgivable sins.

I read this one a year ago. It started of slow than gradually kept getting better. These five kids (from left to right: Christian, Victoria, Valentin, Belle, and her twin Bice) are all a mess in their own right. However, my sweet cinnamon rolls that are Bice and Christian make me happy. They were my faves throughout the entire story. Belle eventually got on my good side towards the end. She wasn’t necessarily a bad character, but her actions at times made me keep her at a distance.

Victoria and Valentin…..I said it in my original review on Goodreads, I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone as much as I hate Valentin. He started out as one of my cinnamon rolls, but as the story progressed and his “gift” got stronger, he got worse and worse. His mouth made me want to punch him in it. Yes I still feel that strongly about it. Victoria was never a favorite from the start. Her attitude was always bad from the first time we met her. She also gets worse as time progresses.

Madame Vileroy. I can’t really describe her without giving too much a way because she plays a big part in this entire series.

To me, this whole story is more about the characters than any plot really. Like there is an underlying plot going on, but it has to do with all six of the main characters so it’s best to pay attention. Plus I’m not familiar with the Faust story so any similarities went right past me.

Second book: Another Pan

Darkness continues to haunt Marlowe School. Wendy Darling, a headstrong junior, and her brother, John, a thirteen-year-old genius, struggle with being from the poorest family at the posh New York academy. Wendy’s new boyfriend, socialite golden-boy Connor Wirth, offers a solid step up in popularity, yet ambitious Wendy and John still find themselves longing for something more. When the mysterious and fabled Book of Gates appears at Marlowe along with Peter, a dashing new resident adviser, the Darlings are swept into a captivating world of “Lost Boys”, old-world secrets, and forbidden places. The book opens the door to a hidden labyrinthine underworld where Egyptian myths thought impossible become frighteningly real. Suddenly, Peter, Wendy, and John find themselves captive in the lair of an age-old darkness, trying to escape the clutches of an ancient and beautiful child-thief who refuses to let go.

This one is my favorite of the series. I read this last summer I believe, and I absolutely love it. The synopsis seems to give things away, but it doesn’t really. Yes those things happen, but what comes before and after is just as important. This story has way plot in my opinion. They actually have something they are trying to figure out and whatnot. Man I just want to talk about this in full but I won’t lol I can do a spoiler review if anyone actually wants that.

The Darlings are amazing. Especially their dad. He just loves his kids and his job, but of course dealing with teenagers is not easy. Wendy and John are typical siblings. I loved their relationship. Connor we met back in book 1. He’s the best friend of Thomas (remember the name) who dated Belle. That relationship caused some problems. I love how they made Peter an RA and his Lost Boys were the prep kids that lived on campus. Plus, nurses can be scary 😏

I forgot to mention earlier that each chapter starts (or ends in the case of this book) with either a scene or a letter or something that ties into the chapter. In the first book, we get glimpses of Vileroy. In this one we get “interludes” after each chapter, and it’s a characters thoughts or actions that tie into the character.

Third book: Another Jekyll, Another Hyde

When Thomas’s billionaire father marries French governess Nicola Vileroy, high society is all abuzz- but Thomas is just plain high. Ever since his girlfriend dumped him, he’s been spending less time with friends and more time getting wasted at clubs. As Thomas’s new designer drug-induced blackouts give way to a sinister voice inside his head, news of a vicious hate crime has students at the Marlowe School on edge. Thomas can’t escape the sickening realization that Madame Vileroy is far more sinister and powerful than your average wicked stepmother- and has made him a victim of a horrifying supernatural plan.

This one you may have just recently seen because I finished it last month. Shortest book in the series yet it took me forever to get to it lol however I did manage to finish it all in one day. I could not put it down. By the synopsis alone you can tell that there is a trigger warning for drug abuse, both intentionally and unintentionally. Also there is violence in this book. To me this is the darkest of the trilogy.

Remember when I said to remember the name Thomas? This is why. Poor baby Thomas has been through hell, and it only gets extremely worse in this book. In the first book, the things that happen to him seem minor in the grand scheme of that book. However, in this one, we see just how bad it affected him.

Connor shows back up again and oh boy is he different. We also get call backs to both books 1&2. Not only character wise, but also plot wise. Vileroy is the absolute worse. You learn things about her past in each book, and all of those come to a head in the finale.

The beginning of each chapter I can’t give away because it is a huge spoiler for the plot of this book. Plus I love how this book hurt in the best way possible. After I finished I felt satisfied with the conclusion of the series. Everything wrapped up nicely plot wise with all the connections between the series, but the stories themselves don’t really end all that happily. Feels way more real that way especially for this third one.