Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Review: School Spirits

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
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 theNew York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!
 I will just say right out that I am a huge Hex Hall fan, and while this spin-off wasn’t quite as good, the novel definitely did not disappoint. Rachel Hawkins has her humor and sarcasm at the ready and her awesome characters to save the day.

While Izzy was no Sophie and Dex was no Archer, I loved both if them lots. Izzy was fun and Dex made me laugh frequently. I also enjoyed learning more about Torin, a centuries old guy in a mirror, who also had me laughing despite the fact I had huge trust issues with him. 

One part I liked was that Dex's story was unpredictable, some of his secrets came out (some even he didn't know about) and I was just, like, "woah, did not see that coming"! Also, some of the other friend's Izzy made were fun, although they didn't have any of the cool magicky stuff Dexter did.

The story was quite short, and moved very quickly. I am pretty sure I finished School Spirits in only a couple hours. Also, this book seemed a lot lighter than Hex Hall. I think the circumstances were more dire in the Hex Hall trilogy and Sophie seemed much older than Izzy. Plus, I think I got Sophie's humor so well, and with Izzy, well we just have different personalities! Still, the book is laugh-out-loud funny. I do love the Hawkin Sarcasm, as I have said before. 

I enjoyed how the family aspects were handled. Izzy is part of the Brannick family where she is taught to fight and fend for herself. Her father, however, is absent and her mother is more like a trainer most of the time. Also, Izzy’s sister is missing. The point is Izzy’s family is a little strained and hanging out with her first friends at school is good for her. I also loved the character growth between Izzy and her mother. 

Hauntings were very intriguing in this book, ghosts and spirits are another specialty of Hawkins. There is a lot of foreshadowing before the actual spirit events, though. This was kind of cool, as we got to spend more time with the characters and got all these clues to the mystery, but then again Rachel Hawkins always makes a good ghost and I would like to see more of each! 

I am looking forward to anther book to the series, but I have heard that if there is another one coming, it won’t be very soon. Rachel Hawkins is working on a different book that I am excited for though. So, at least I can read more by her in the future even if it is not in the Hex Hall/Prodigum world! Is anyone else who read this sad there won't be a sequel next year though?

Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone, but only second to Hex Hall. I miss Archer and Sophie! School Spirits in light and fun though. And definitely still highly recommended!

4/5 bookcases

 Please check out the giveaway of 5 copies of Perception, and my 150 follower giveaway, ending soon!





4 comments:

  1. I have head some really good things about this book. Great review!!


    Http://www.daydreamerN.blogspot.com

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  2. Glad that you enjoyed this one! I was looking forward to School Spirits, because I enjoyed the Hex Hall series thoroughly. The humor was hilarious and Sophie always had me laughing! Can't wait to get my hands on this one. :)

    Daphne @ Reading Until Dawn

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    Replies
    1. Hex Hall is so good! Definitely pick this spin-off up :)

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