Peter Green and the Unliving Academy by Angelina Allsop - Book Review

Fourteen-year-old Peter Green can’t remember how he died.
All he has are his pajamas, a silk tie, and a one-way bus ticket to Mrs. Battisworth’s Academy and Haven for Unliving Boys and Girls, a strange and spooky school for dead orphans like himself. But that’s all he needs: the Unliving Academy has everything, from vampires in the hallways, to monsters in the cafeteria, to ghosts in the basement.
And that’s just the teachers; the students are far stranger.
As Pete learns to fit in with his new supernatural schoolmates, he starts to discover his own uniquely undead abilities, and even begins enjoying his life after death…but he just can’t shake the feeling that he’s forgotten something (or somebody!) important.
Somebody he left behind in the land of the living.
Somebody he loved very much.
Somebody who’s in terrible danger.
Peter Green and the Unliving Academy is the captivating first installment of Angelina Allsop’s Unliving series of young adult fantasy novels. If you like reading about fun-filled adventures, fully realized new worlds, and the most unlikely of heroes, you’re sure to love Allsop’s spirited coming-of-age tale.
Fans of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, the Charlie Bone Series by Jenny Nimmo, and The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton will enjoy this young adult fantasy series. 

I really, really enjoyed this book. I have mentioned several times that I am a sucker for any tale involving portals, rabbit holes, or other universes and this book fits in perfectly with its depiction of AfterLife and Purgatory.

*Notice* This review contains spoilers!

Fourteen-year-old Peter has died. He does not know how he died nor does he have any memory of who he was or his family, except for an odd feeling that he is just unable to shake. After spending time stuck in the DMZ inspired nightmare of the Department of Registered Deaths, Peter is directed to Mrs. Battinsworth’s Academy and Haven For Unliving Boys and Girls. Once there, he quickly befriends a girl who calls herself Scoot and a fabulous boy named Charlie. As he begins to learn what it means to be an unliving being and what his future could hold, a pair of brown eyes begins to haunt him, pushing him down a path towards his missing memories.

Negatives:

I did not have many problems with this book and I feel like some of the issues I did have could be resolved further in the series.

Multiple times it is mentioned that “purgatory has a strange magic”. The way that it is phrased the same each time feels repetitive. We are also given very little information about this magic...other than it being “strange”. I would love to find out more about and see this explored/explained better in future books.

The majority of the book is paced quite nicely until the ending and epilogue, which came off as rushed, lacking the details the rest of the book was saturated with.

Positives:

The connection that Peter has with his little sister Lilly just warmed my soul (also super relatable since I’m an older sibling). His love and loyalty to save her (and his family) even though he is dead had me on the brink of tears throughout the book. Granted, Peter just came off as the sweetest individual I have met in a story in a very long time. His kindness and empathy towards others was a refreshing thing to experience.

From the get-go, Mrs. Battinsworth is described as creepy and someone to avoid. The students even refer to her as “the Bat”. Her reveal as a very sad and tired individual dealing with a horrifying loss, and the fact that Peter (with some assistance from the wonderful Alex) was able to see this made me super happy. I love when so-called “creepy” characters are humanized and seen as more than just some monster. I also really loved how the school bully, Shelly was dealt with and how that situation was resolved. Something I did not expect to love about a book involving a dead boy at a school for dead kids was how amazing Santa/Nick would be. His depiction in this tale is definitely my favorite.

Peter Green and the Unliving Academy has elements that are reminiscent of Harry Potter combined with some pleasant lite horror. As the summary above mentions, it is perfect for fans of HP and Tim Burton and I happen to love both.

A special thanks goes to TCK Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book to review in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.5/5

Book & Author Information:

Follow Angelina Allsop on Goodreads (1, 2), Amazon, and Twitter
Angelina Allsop's Official Site

Released: November 20th, 2018
Published by: TCK Publishing
Buy the book: Peter Green and the Unliving Academy by Angelina Allsop

Credits:
The summary of Peter Green and the Unliving Academy is from Goodreads.
Book Cover image is from Angelina Allsop's Official Site.