Guest review of The Viscount’s Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy (Treadwell Academy book 3)

Review by Luisa Plaja from Chicklish.

I’ve recently read two sets of novels which, at first glance, seem to have a lot in common. The Butterfly novels by Denise Deegan and the Treadwell Academy novels by Caitlyn Duffy are both based on the lives of privileged students at exclusive schools, and the first book of both series is about a girl who’s the daughter of a rock star, coping with grief. However, I’ve now read three books in each set and I can safely say that the two series couldn’t be more different. In fact, the only other similarity I can think of is that I’ve really enjoyed them both.

Caitlyn Duffy’s series is set in a boarding school in Western Massachussetts… except that so far, it hasn’t been. Or not very much, at least. The key events of the second book, The Believer’s Daughter, mostly take place off-campus, and this third book, The Viscount’s Daughter, starts off in Croatia, where Betsey’s step-father is from. (If you’ve read the first book, The Rock Star’s Daughter, you might remember Betsey Norfleet and her wild-child sister, who featured in Taylor’s life on tour with her father.)

With good (and horrible) reason, Betsey is desperate to go to boarding school, and eventually she hatches a successful plot to be sent to Taylor’s school. I was as delighted as Betsey when the action moved to Treadwell, and in this story you truly get to see the inner workings of school life, with appearances from many familiar characters and some new ones. UK readers might find the British Nicola oddly amusing. Grace from book two, The Believer’s Daughter, gets a mention, and it’s great to see everyone through Betsey’s eyes. Everything is explained clearly enough for this book to work as a standalone, but there’s something fun about spotting the cast and events of previous books and viewing them differently.

Betsey is a very determined, likeable character who seems to attract misadventures. She’s also (understandably) extremely troubled – she’s keeping a dark secret about her relationship with her step-father, and it affects her life deeply. Throughout the book, I was willing her to hurry up and tell someone what had been happening. It’s great to see Betsey’s self-confidence grow, especially when she begins to build trust with certain people in her life.

This is another absorbing, entertaining teen novel by Caitlyn Duffy, and I’m really looking forward to more in this series. (Note that the first ebook in the series, The Rock Star’s Daughter, is still a free download.)

The Viscount’s Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy (The Treadwell Academy Series book 3)

• Publisher: Lovestruck Literary (6 Aug 2012)
• ASIN: B008UDGD5A

Links:
Chicklish review of The Rock Star’s Daughter
Treadwell Academy site
Caitlyn Duffy’s author site
Luisa Plaja’s author site