Age: 16+
Plot Development: A
Character Development: A-
An elitist a boarding school that churns out Olympians in every graduating class, Stark Springs Academy is where we meet Roxie and the other elite teen athletes. First and foremost the thing that made me want to read this book is that there is the BIGGEST jerk running the school and from an excerpt I read, Ryker Black intrigued me. Although, he's "that guy" of Stark Springs - you know the one with supermodel looks, rich and insanely talented - he's not your average student. From the get go you see that there is something VERY, VERY off about him.
There were many a time I wanted to reach into the book and smack him because of how arrogant and frustrating he was being. But honestly that's the sign of a well-written book, it elicits strong feelings both positive and negative from you. Besides, Roxie handles herself pretty well and Ali Dean wrote her with the capacity to be drawn to Ryker but also stay true to herself.
Now, I'm normally not one for sports books because I'm not a super sporty person. I know enough to get by and sure I like watching the Olympics and what not but yeah...sports themed books aren't my go to. However, when I saw this book was by Ali Dean, I knew it would be good. Like I said before, I don't go running to sports books all the time but I recently read her other book Chasing Indigo (which was also well written). Ali Dean is an amazing writer; she writes strong female leads who are finding their way and may get a little distracted along the way, but always stay true to themselves and become a better person in the end.
If you get a chance to read Black Diamond or one of Ali Dean's other books you will not regret it. The plots are well thought out, complex the further you get into them and are not cookie cutter YA books.