The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant (The V Trilogy #1)

Publication: 14th January 2014

Publisher: BenBella Books

Pages: 272

Genre: Mystery/Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon+Barnes & Noble+The Book Depository

So many secrets for such a small island. From the moment Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy, a boarding school for the world’s wealthiest teens, the hushed truths of this strange, unfamiliar land begin calling to her—sometimes as lulling drumbeats in the night, sometimes as piercing shrieks.

One by one, unanswered questions rise. No one will tell her why a line is painted across the island or why she is forbidden to cross it. Her every move—even her performance at the school dance—is graded as part of a competition to become valedictorian, a title that brings rewards no one will talk about. And Anne discovers that the parents of her peers surrender million-dollar possessions to enroll their kids in Cania Christy, leaving her to wonder what her lowly funeral director father could have paid to get her in… and why.

As a beautiful senior struggles to help Anne make sense of this cloak-and-dagger world without breaking the rules that bind him, she must summon the courage to face the impossible truth—and change it—before she and everyone she loves is destroyed by it.

My Thoughts.

The Unseemly Education Of Anne Merchant is the first novel in The V Trilogy by debut author Joanna Wiebe.

You know how you have those books where you are so sure that you have the storyline figured out, and you get to thinking that you've read this story before, well that was my opinion of this book, and then it twisted into something I would never have guessed, and then it twisted again just when you think you have the last twist figured out.

It's going to be hard to review this book without wrecking both twists but I'll try, so the gist of the story is about a girl called Anne who is starting her first day at new school Cania Christy, on an island far away from most places, being a very exclusive school parents are willing to pay anything to get their children enrolled, but what has Anne confused is the fact that her Father is poor, as a Mortician he doesn't earn much and she can't understand how he could afford to send her to Cania Christy with all these rich kids.

First day and she's given a Guardian named Teddy who's job it is to observe and record every little thing she does, all this goes toward winning The Big V, being the Valedictorian of the year, and at this school it's a very big deal.

But Anne soon realises that there is something very strange about this island, for one the red line that no student from their side can cross over into the village on the other side and vice versa, without being given a reason why, and that is the same for most things at Cania Christy, which leaves Anne with a load of questions that no one is willing to answer.

Then there are the two boys: Pilot who is the only friend she has at school who seems to like her way more than she likes him, the reason why Ben Zin, her next door neighbor and the guy she has a crush on although he won't give her the time of day.

There is a big secret on this island and when it's revealed get set for a huge shock that will knock your socks off.

This book was fantastic, from the concept, the very well-written storyline and the often mysterious island and it's inhabitants, this was a very enjoyable read that had me guessing a lot of the way through.

I eagerly await the next book so I can discover what happens next after the finale we were left in this one, I want to know what's in store for Anne next.

Highly recommended.

I give this 4/5 stars.

I WAS ALWAYS A READER, and I imagined how wonderful it must be for an author to know that someone – anyone – even someone like me – was waking up, rolling over and opening their book first thing in the morning. Or, as I grew older and lost the luxury of idle mornings, I watched people reading on airplanes, and in waiting rooms, and in parks, and in coffee shops, and on buses, and with their feet up on the sofa (TV off!). And I wondered what it would feel like to see my book in their hands.

It gives me goosebumps even now.

As I write this, I’m just over 2 months from seeing my debut novel hit bookshelves. It’s starting to feel real, although I do wonder if it ever will feel fully real. But those musings are for the blog.

For now, here’s a short list about how I got here – because that’s probably why you’re reading the page titled, “About Joanna”:

My first writing ‘accolades’ were for a Remembrance Day poem I wrote in Grade 4, which earned me honorable mention; seven years later, another Remembrance Day poem earned me first place in northern Alberta… and some much-needed vindication!
My Nana and sister Sarah were the first to remark on something I’d written – a description of someone holding something – and I was quickly hooked on the high of hearing I’m “a good writer”
I graduated with first-class honors from the University of Alberta with a BA in English, which was really just a cover for me to take Creative Writing classes
I won the James Patrick Folinsbee Prize for my short stories two years in a row
I have an MA in Communications & Technology, which has been a big part of my life for the past decade
I lived in Japan for a year
I can’t swim
I’m the fourth of five children – or the middle of seven, if you include my stepbros
I adore the tech startup world, which will hopefully make it into a book or two of mine one day
I’m a total foodie
Chocolate, espresso, cheese and wine – the four food groups
I had 3 literary agents reading my manuscript at the same time, but one very motivated fellow named Jason Anthony zoomed through the whole thing over the weekend and ‘scooped me up’ first thing Monday morning
“The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant” is my first novel… and hopefully not my last!