Book Review: School Spirits

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: School Spirits # 1

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?

Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

Killing vampires is actually a lot easier that you’d think.

 

A shiver went through, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with any ghost.

 

She sounded so excited, and it was all I could do not to wince. Humans getting involved with all the supernatural was bad enough, but exorcisms were way more than a bunch of teenagers could handle.

 

“Forever condemned to high school,” Dex said with a little shudder. “That would make me homicidal, too.”

I must admit before going on with this review that I have not read the Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins. However, the first book in this new series, School Spirits, makes me want to go back and read the first series from which this book is a spin off. Rachel weaves a very supernatural world in this book bringing in the cousin of heroine, Sophie, from the Hex Hall series. The heroine in this new series is introduced as Isolde “Izzy” Brannick and her back story follows her introduction. She and her mother are the last two Brannick women, and they are very powerful when it comes to destroying Prodigium, supernatural beings that get out of control. Learning to conquer small missions on her own is Izzy’s latest task and her mother and she are whisked off to a small town called Ideal, pun intended. Here Izzy is given the task of getting rid of the local ghost, but finds that this might not be the only problem as far as the town hauntings are concerned.

 

Rachel Hawkins writes in a very easy, carefree manner. It is almost like the descriptions and the supernatural happenings just come easy to her. Her writing style is easy to follow and I was finished with this book before I knew it. The chapters were relatively short and most all of them left off with a minuscule cliffhanger. There were so many instance of humor embedded within the pages. I especially loved Izzy’s friend Dex who often had something clever and witty to say. Izzy makes some remarkable friends whilst she is attending Mary Evans High School, and I happy to say that I loved every one of them! They are all colorful and somewhat odd even, but that is what makes them spectacular.

 

Lastly, I loved the supernatural element in this book! I loved that we were dealing with about three mysteries at one time: Izzy’s missing sister, Finley, whether or not Dex was really Prodigium, and the ghost of Mary Evans who was trying to kill off members of the high school one by one. The story was fast-paced and drew readers straight to the point. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, and it was no surprise that I was left with questions concerning the characters and what will happen next. My biggest concern is with Torin, the man in the mirror, I think something is up with his character and I am dying to know what!

 

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Disney-Hyperion in exchange for my honest review***