Cross Academy by Valicity Garris

The Village of Wee is the strongest establishment in the Region of the Dragonfly. They have food, they have water, they have women, all enclosed behind the walls that stand over 5 meters thick and 30 meters high. These walls encircle the entire village, they keep the danger out … but they lock the villagers in.

What’s outside? Demons.Humanity was pushed to the brink of extinction when legions of demons crawled from beneath the earth and devoured two-thirds of the world’s population in a single night. For centuries, humans have been locked in a war with monsters—and they are not winning. There comes a day when the evil supernatural creatures break through the village walls and this time they hit with a vengeance.Sixteen-year-old Fox Fire watches as her home is reduced to rubble in one night. Desperate to protect her few remaining loved ones, she joins Cross Academy and devotes herself to destroying demons. But when she learns her best friend is possessed she must decide if she will be loyal to the Cross or spare her companion. Slaying the monsters doesn’t seem so easy anymore.

I received a copy of this novel in return for an honest review

First off major disclaimer: The synopsis of this novel does not tell you this is a Christian Fiction book, written by a very religious person, however it is obvious if you read about the author and within the first two pages of the novel.  When I chose to review it the author warned me saying it was Dark YA Fantasy ( which I love and thought this might be Buffy-esque due to the cover and synopsis) and contained mild to moderate violence and religious reference. Which is slightly misleading since this book is very much a Christian Fiction novel with heavy religious undertones.

I had mixed feeling about this book, on one hand the writing, pace, style and characters are pretty decent. The author did a good job of dealing with her world building, The Village of Wee in the Region of Dragonfly and the Cross Academy, as well as the different demons and the history of the Demon Wars. This was all very thought out, original and interesting.

However I had such a hard time getting past how preachy this novel felt. I don't care for Christian Fiction, normally, though I have read some. I went to a Christian elementary school after all. CS Lewis is a very Christian author bringing across his beliefs into his fiction without it being so "in your face." I feel you can write engaging and awesome Christian Fiction without coming across as anti- atheist and anti-evolution as this book turned out to be. That and the giant talking spider are my main two complaints. (eeeeewwww, spiders)

I did find it interesting that at one point Fox can't believe anyone would think that God was the answer to their problems or responsible for what had happened during the Demon Wars, or what was still happening. I also liked that one character states all people, whether male or female are called priests, that God makes no distinction between the two sexes.

Other than my two issues... this book is just like many of the other books of the genre (Dark Fantasy I mean). The MC has many trials she has to face, not just fighting demons, but her own personal trials, and you see a lot of character growth. Fox sees a lot of horrible things happen and still must resolve to fight on. There is some familiar mc-goes-to-a-special-school tropes; like she attends the academy to protect her vulnerable best friend, and winds up being pretty good at all she tackles.

The book ends with the knowledge there will be a sequel and on kind of a cliff hanger, which I found very effective.

So while not my cup of tea, I must admit I know several Christian teen girls who would eat this novel up in a few short hours. I respect the author's attempt and recommend this to anyone looking for a fast paced piece of Christian Fiction that lives in the world of Dark YA Fantasy.