Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Dark Companion is a decent novel. The plot was pretty predictable though. And the characters were see-through. I have definitely read better books.

The main character is a girl named Jane Williams. At first, I liked her. Yeah, she was falling for a guy I didn't like, but that was okay. I knew she wouldn't end up with him. She was more than a bit predictable. At the beginning, I thought she was a strong heroine. But by the middle, she was being an idiot and was very weak and not well done. Her character was falling apart. Towards the end, I started to like her again. After she comes to her senses, of course. One last problem I had with her was that she bounced from one guy to the next. One minute she's like 'I can't live without *spoiler*. I love him so much.' The next, she's all 'I don't like him anymore. But ooh, he's hot and nice. Now I love him.' I get that there is supposed to be some indecision, etc. but really? It was a little much.

The plot was mighty predictable. I was able to able to say 'And then that will happen. Then that. Oh, and she'll end up with him.' The beginning and end of the book were good, but the middle doesn't have much going for it. Most of it drove me nuts. I wanted to throw the book at the wall many times. The only reason I didn't was because it was a library book and I didn't want to pay the fine if I damaged it. So, in summary, the beginning and end were good and interesting. The character was okay at times but wasn't well constructed. And the middle was just plain boring. I was very much looking forward to this book, so I give it a three.

Synopsis:

Orphaned at the age of six, Jane Williams has grown up in a series of foster homes, learning to survive in the shadows of life. Through hard work and determination, she manages to win a scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy. There, for the first time, Jane finds herself accepted by a group of friends. She even starts tutoring the headmistresses gorgeous son, Lucian. Things seem too good to be true.

They are

The more she learns about Birch Grove, the more Jane comes to suspect that there is something sinister going on. Why did the wife of a popular teacher kill herself? What happened to the former scholarship student whose place Jane took? Why does Lucian's brother, Jack, seem to dislike her so much?

As Jane begins to piece together the answers to the puzzle, she must find out why she was brought to Birch Grove-and what she would risk to stay there...

Title: Dark Companion
Author: Marta Acosta
Release: July 3, 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 356