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.

Glimmer Review

Glimmer

Pheobe Kitanidis

Balzer + Bray

April 17th 2012

A copy was provided by Harper collins Canada for review.

Summary:

What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?

And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so big and terrifying you were not sure you’d survive solving it?

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there oWhen Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it’s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, the two make a pact to work together to find the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they’re in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town’s perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything—not the death of Marshall’s mom, not the hidden shame in Elyse’s family, not even the day-to-day anguish of high school.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marsh and Elyse fall into an intense relationship...but the secrets they uncover could be the death of this growing love—and the death of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

Review:

Things can't get any weirder than waking up naked next to person you don't know, and having no memories of how you got there and who you are. For Marshall and Elyse, believe it or not, things do get weirder from there. Waking up in a town full of happy zombies, ghosts, magic, and the risk of ending up in the asylum, with no memories of how you got there makes for an interesting plot line.

My final though after reading Glimmer are, that was an unusual and different book than I have ever read before. It was truly an awesome book, the mystery is very well done, you don't know what's happening in this seemingly happy town, and why Marshall and Elyse have lost all of their memories. When you do find out what it really going on it's unusual but very interesting. I was hooked from the very first chapter and stayed hooked until the last page. Just to clear things up this book is NOT about zombies, I've heard some people think it is. The two paranormal aspects in Glimmer are ghosts and magic.

Pheobe Kitnaidis was very successful in creating an unforgettable story, the plot was very well though out and the writing consistent. Ultimately readers will be struck by just how unique a book the Glimmer is. Elyse and Marshall are the perfect match for each other, together they are a perfect team. The paranormal part of the book is really cool, but if I talk about it too much I will spoil you, which would be bad, so I won't. The only real complaint I can share about Glimmer is that I didn't really connect with the main characters and with the alternating chapters I sometimes forgot who's voice I was reading from because it wasn't too distinct.

Just a example of how weird the town of Summer Falls is to leave you something to chew on is that the people have something called a "heatnap" and randomly they with pass out into a nap when having a conflict. When they wake up they remember nothing of the event that occurs before and go on living happy. Weird!!  Overall Glimmer is a totally unique YA paranormal book, with a interesting concept that I strongly believe will amaze people other than myself. Pheobe Kitanidis has created a story that will be hard to follow up on in the originality department.

REVIEWrE

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