Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

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Source: Won
Publisher: Harcourt
Format: Hardcover, 534 pages
Release Date: March 6, 2012

 Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew

The thing about this book that really grabbed my interest, in the beginning was the history behind the Chicago Hotel. 

This also ended up behind one of my favourite things about the book. But surprisingly enough there were many many different things about this book that held my interest other than the history.


I loved the difference between everyone and how they reacted to the situation they were put through. 
  
Another thing is that  this book is one of the few that I have read recently that has a real plot and kept me guessing throughout the entire book.

 I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 starts