Dickensen Academy by Christine Grabowski

Dickensen Academy by Christine Grabowski
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, YA
Length: Full Length (351 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Dickensen Academy isn’t a typical boarding school. The faculty is hiding an unbelievable secret within their fine arts program. When Autumn Mattison receives an invitation to attend the high school, she yearns to escape her overbearing father yet remains reluctant to leave her mother and brother. Her doubts fade away when a vivid dream convinces her she belongs there.

Away from home, Autumn discovers a unique school environment that awakens her creative potential, and her new friends become like a second family. However, as she uncovers more about the dark side of the school and struggles with its curriculum, she questions whether Dickensen Academy is truly where she belongs.

When tragedy strikes, Autumn must learn to believe in her own power and stand up to her greatest fear or risk having her memories destroyed to protect the school’s secrets. Caught between secrets and dreams, can she find her true self?

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Ms. Grabowski has come up with a thought-provoking premise. I don’t think I’ve come across anything quite like it in a young adult novel. Autumn and her fellow students have a unique ability, which I can’t reveal without spoiling the story. At first glance, this power sounds wonderful and amazing. However, the potential for misuse is huge and truly terrifying. Immediately, my mind was filled with questions. How will the students learn to control their abilities? If someone is misusing their power, how could it be proven? What sort of discipline would the staff use if misuse was proven? How do they ensure the secret of the academy is kept? I eagerly anticipated learning the answers.

Autumn is a sweet girl. She is very determined and much stronger than she thinks. Autumn blossoms on the campus of Dickensen Academy, and I get the feeling this change is a breath of fresh air she’s needed for a very long time. Autumn has great potential, but she’s been living in the shadow of her father, older brother, and best friend. It is clear all these people care about her, but Autumn needs some time away to prove she is capable of succeeding on her own terms. It was a pleasure to watch her grow and change.

While Autumn is intelligent, school work is not something that has ever come easily to her. She works hard to maintain her grades, and her new-found ability is no exception. Unfortunately, Autumn is unable to push her ability to the next step. Frustrated, Autumn can only watch as her classmates progress. While it is nice to read about a character who isn’t magically good at everything, I must admit that Autumn’s struggle seems a bit prolonged, and I feel that the pacing of the story suffers as a result.

Autumn’s relationship with Ben is sweet, but moves at a very leisurely pace. While a slower approach is understandable given that Autumn and Ben are young, under a lot of pressure at a new school, and learning to control their special abilities, I do feel that the pacing suffers here as well. Autumn and Ben clearly care for each other and spend a lot of time together. I feel they could have moved on to dating sooner.

Dickensen Academy has a satisfying ending, but I have a lot of unanswered questions concerning not only the students’ power, but also a source of conflict between Autumn and a girl named Caitlyn. There is a lot of tension between these two and the potential for harm is real given the abilities of these students. There are also several serious events that weren’t explained. I’m curious to see how this will play out in the future.

I enjoyed reading Dickensen Academy. I see a lot of potential in this series and look forward to the next installment.