School Spirits

Title: School Spirits
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Release Date: May 14th 2013
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: ARC for review
Rating: 4

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Review:

 

 After being a huge fan of the witty writing style of Rachel Hawkins in the Hex Hall trilogy I was ecstatic to hear there would be a spinoff series and I had high hopes for it. Lucky School Spirits lived up to my expectations. I ended up really enjoying the first in the new spinoff series and can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

As always when I start a Rachel Hawkins book I get so engrossed in it I don't want to do anything else but read it. I really enjoyed Izzy as a main character although I missed Sophie's humour Izzy was enjoyable in a different way. 

As I was reading I couldn't help but compare School Spirits to Supernatural. The whole coming from a family of monster hunters, moving from town to town and making no personal connections with anyone reminded me of the show in a good way. I think it's safe to say that if you're a fan of Supernatural, School Spirits with appeal to you.

Going through Archer withdrawal I couldn't fall in love with Izzy's love interest as much as I wanted to. I do like him and think he's unique but it's going to take a bit longer for me to love him with Archer still in mind. The best part of this book I think is that you don't have to have read Hex Hall to enjoy it, sure it would help with the world building and mentions of various characters but its not mandatory.

Even though I didn't love School Spirits as much as the Hex Hall Trilogy it was still an absolutely fantastic book, with a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Filled with angst, romance and ghosts School Spirits is a must read.