Rites of Passage by Joy H. Hensley
Posted by The YA Book Traveler , Wednesday, January 14, 2015 7:37 PM
Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published September 9th 2014 by Harper Teen
Goodreads Synopsis
Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.
So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him.
As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.
Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences.
My Review
Rites of Passage was my first read of 2015. I really enjoyed it. It was action packed, which I love, and I wasn't quite sure where everything was going. The main character Sam was likable and I admired her determination never to quit.
My only criticism is that Drill Sergeant Stamm was pretty much the same character as Four from Divergent. Now...that's not REALLY a criticism because I LOVE Four. So, I liked the character but he felt completely the same as Four. This book reminded me a lot of Divergent so if you liked Divergent but want a story set in modern real life contemporary then this book is for you!
As of now this book is a standalone but it leaves it open for a sequel.
About the Author
Joy N. Hensley is a former middle school teacher. She used to spend her twenty-minute lunch breaks hosting author Skype chats for her students. Once upon a time she went to a military school on a dare. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two children, finding as many ways as she can to never do another push-up again.
YAY!!! I am so glad that you read this book and enjoyed it! :D