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Addergoole by Lyn Thorne-Alder

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Rated 7.62 out of 10 Statistics

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Genre: Fantasy / Supernatural

Updated: Every Few Days

Content Advisory

Occasional Sexual Content

Occasional Coarse Language

Statistics

Overall Rating: 7.621

Average Rating: 7.86 (Guests), 7.92 (Members)

Ranking: #10

Rating Count: 19 (7 Guests, 12 members)

1 indicates a weighted rating.

Addergoole by Lyn Thorne-Alder product Read This

"dark, addictive and intriguing"

Rating: 8 / 10

In a world much like our own, hidden deep underground, is a secret school. And not just any school, but one where the students are part human, part something else. The story follows three of the new arrivals at the school as they try to come to terms with a world far different from anything they’ve encountered before.

Currently at 23 chapters (plus some lovely bonus stories!), I couldn’t help but devour the entire thing in one sitting. With so many school and college-type webserials out there, Addergoole comes as an utter relief. While there is some focus on relationships, classes, and the usual ‘school’ stuff, there is also a larger, darker subplot.

It’s well-written, and the premise is original. There’s a good balance between intrigue and explanation, keeping the reader’s understanding of the school only half a step ahead of the main characters’.

Negatives? It took me a while to keep track of all the character names (and I had to guess most of the pronunciations!), although the separate character description pages are useful in this respect.

As for the website it self, the thumbnail image here on Muse's Success is out of date: the background is now a soft, easy on the eyes sponged pattern. The layout is clear and easy to navigate. Other’s have mentioned the lack of an RSS feed, but I follow @LynThorneAlder on twitter and so get news of updates that way!

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Addergoole by Lyn Thorne-Alder product Read This

"A Vice Without the Bad"

Rating: 9 / 10

Addergoole is like a favorite vice. It can't possibly be good for to read and enjoy it so much, yet it's impossible to put it down (or close the browser, rather) until the very last word. And then the itch starts. When will the next post be available? Lucky for all Addergoole lovers, it updates twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays with bonus stories most Saturdays. Even when it takes a hiatus, it still posts guest stories.

Now onto what makes Addergoole so delicious to read. The series follows the stories of three separate students, with interludes for other students and even faculty, that begin their time at the Addergoole School. While the story begins slightly curious, with hints toward something darker, it isn't long before we're dragged into something all together more outrageous yet intriguing. The Addergoole school is for teens who are part of a race of fairies (by a very loose definition). The school teaches them the laws of their people and it teaches them how to control their powers as well as how to do workings with power words. The politics within the school are dark and foreboding, yet how many handle the Laws of their people, gives hope that just because they can do something, doesn't mean everyone will choose to do it.

Each of the three main characters experience Addergoole in a different way. And because they each are so different themselves, they handle their situations in varying ways as well. Shahin is a goth girl with a chip on her shoulder and a response for everything. She also has horrifying visions when she touches people. It's easy to see why she is so aloof. Kailani is your average girl with a whole lot of smarts and not quite enough confidence in the right areas. Luckily for her, she finds a Crew of people who are more than willing to show her the ropes of how Addergoole functions. Even if they do stand back to wait for her to decide if she wants to be owned by a total stranger. Jamian is use to being called a freak of nature. As a hermaphrodite, it's par for the course with him. But now that he's at Addergoole, it's only going to be more complicated because, yet again, he finds he's a rare "breed", but for a totally different reason.

Addergoole deals with friendships, falling in love and the boundaries that people set when they want to own or be owned under the Laws of their people. As dark fantasies go, this story has it all. Some of the magic and abilities seem a bit forced and awkward, but those things are easily overlooked when the characters and the story itself are so engrossing. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys even one of the elements that make Addergoole stick out as an excellent read.

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Addergoole by Lyn Thorne-Alder product Read This

"Watch what you say"

Rating: 7 / 10

This review is crossposted from my blog.

I’m sure you’ve read the "cover blurb", so it’s probably no surprise that this one comes with an adult content and a NSFW warning. More on this in the review.

I like this story a lot and I’ve meant to review it for a while, but for some reason I’m finding it hard, so here goes nothing…

Addergoole is set in a rather unusual finishing school. The main characters are three of the current year’s intake (aka the 5th cohort) and are apparently just pre-college in age (which is good given the erotic parts).

From the moment it becomes clear the school is literally underground you know it’s only going to get weirder. It soon turns out that all the students are Ellehemaei – inter-dimensional alien faeries – even though most – if not all – of the fifth cohort know that yet. And by human standards Ellehemaei society is very twisted.

The Ellehemaei have great power, but with this great power comes an almighty bitch slap from the Universe in the form of The Law. These people have to watch what they say because even casual promises or statements made without knowing the consequences will be supernaturally enforced by the universe.

For goodness sake don’t say you belong to someone.

Which brings us to the erotica. The adult material in Addergoole is all well-marked and can, so far at least, easily be skipped. Which is good, if like me you don’t like that sort of thing. And skimming and skipping it does not impede understanding the story.

The storyline is fairly light so far even though this is undeniably dark fantasy. Mostly it’s been twisted romance with a little bit of other stuff thrown in – twisted because Ellehemaei romance is not remotely normal by human standards. That’s part of what makes it fun. Anyway this seems set to change soon – an external threat is in place to rear its head and I think that can only make a good story better.

There layout isn’t my favourite, but it’s clear to read and easy to navigate so I have no complaints either. There is the occasional error or typo, but Lyn is quick to correct them when they’re pointed out to her. Indeed one of things I like is the way Lyn interacts with her readers. It makes a fun story even more fun.

The first chapter isn’t very good at all but the writing improves rapidly after that, so please don’t let it put you off.

Another plus is that it updates regularly – though there is a short two-week hiatus between ‘books’ coming up. On the upside this means it’s an excellent time to start reading because new readers will have time to get through the backlog before the next section starts. And there will still be bonus material posted in this time.

Summary: Addergoole is an entertaining fantasy which I enjoy a great deal. I think it will not be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s certainly to mine. It’s worth a look.

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Addergoole by Lyn Thorne-Alder product Read This

"Forget Hogwarts. I’m going to Addergoole!"

Rating: 9 / 10

When I first heard about "Addergoole," I was skeptical.  Another magical college/coming of age story?  It was highly recommended, so I gave it a try. 

Chapter one got me intrigued, despite my dislike of Shahin*.  By the end of chapter two I was hooked.  I devoured all of the available chapters during a long plane ride.  Monday can’t come soon enough!

The other reviewer has pretty much expressed my opinion of Addergoole so far, so I won’t add much more here.  The mysterious school seems to be a microcosm of Thorne-Alder’s alternate earth:  dark, multi-layered, and nuanced.  I’m as intrigued by the supporting characters—teachers and students alike—as the protagonists.  There’s a hidden war brewing, and it’s hard to tell yet who’s on which side.  Even better, there’s no clear good and evil.  Everything in Addergoole is shades of gray, which is so much more satisfying. 

  • Great character, but I don’t have to like her!

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