15826934Fifteen-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 guess I should start out this review with a confession. Here goes….I’ve never read the Hex Hall series. There, I admitted it. I mean…I OWN the first book, Hex Hall, but I’ve never had a chance to actually read it. And then, of course, someone borrowed it, and now the book smells way too strongly of smoke to even read it. Note to readers: Do NOT loan out your books to smokers! Anyways, there you have it. The honest to goodness truth. I, the queen of reading all books in a series, read the first book in a spin off without reading the original series. Shame on me. The good news is that School Spirits was AMAZING, and people who want to read this book without reading the original series don’t have to worry about a bunch of spoilers. Honestly, I wouldn’t have known it was a spin off unless I hadn’t read about it.

School Spirits is about a demon hunter, Izzy, who has been enrolled in a new school to try and catch and contain a ghost that has been haunting and trying to murder people. Of course, Izzy has never been to a school before, let alone interacted with kids her own age. Needless to say, she is so out of her element. There she meets some awesome new friends and has the chance to embrace a life she’s never been offered before. Unfortunately, it’s not going to last long. Her mom gave her a mission: to kill this pesky ghost. And as soon as the ghost is out of the way, so are they….never to return.

This book was so stinkin adorable. I loved it. I’ve been wanting to read something by Rachel Hawkins for the longest time now, so I begged Disney-Hyperion to let me read and review this one for the site. The main character, Izzy, is an amazing girl to follow. I loved her from the get go, and I never got tired of her. The friends that she met along the way are equally as delightful. There wasn’t one negative character in this whole book!

Mystery is a key component in the book, and I have to say I am DYING for the next one! I kind of wish that I hadn’t read this one quite yet, because I know that I’m going to have to wait like another year for it…and that just sucks. The ending was just too suspenseful! I need to know what happens! I need to know more about the guy in the mirror, Torin, and what happened to Izzy’s sister. I need to know what’s going to happen with Izzy and Dex. Yes, it’s a bit annoying that I don’t have the next book right now. But I loved this book. Loved it!

The one negative thing about this book…well not really negative…but Dex was a really awkward character/love interest for me. I don’t mean this to be offensive at all, but Dex just didn’t come across as straight. And that’s no problem at all! But it made it a bit awkward when he was straight, and he had a think for Izzy. If he wasn’t taken by Magnus, I’d introduce Dex to Alec. I think that they would have a better relationship.

Another thing is that the book was slightly juvenile, but not in a bad way. It just seemed like more of a middle grade book than a young adult book. I love middle grade, so that didn’t bother me at all, but I could see this type of read not being for everyone. Not me, though, I was on board from the very first page!

Overall, I loved School Spirits. It was fun, suspenseful, and full of the supernatural! I could totally see this one as a tv show. Everyone MUST go read this one!

Pages: 304

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Publication Date: May 14th, 2013

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion

Rating: : ★★★★½

 

Teaser Quote: “You are my new hero. Seriously, I might actually be in love with you now. Would it be awkward if we made out?”