School of Spirits

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Release Date:   May 14th, 2013

Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion

Genre(s): YA Paranormal 

Pages:  297 pages

*As of now, it's a standalone, but there is potential for a sequel; spin-off of the Hex Hall series*

~Spoiler Free~

Summary (Goodreads): 

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!

Review:

A fun book (for the most part), but forgettable.

My feeling towards this book went from “like” to “dislike” as the book went on.   At the beginning, this book was fun. The characters were fun, their dynamics were fun, and the plot was whipping along (but not too fast). Fun.

But towards the end, the book became predictable, REALLY rushed, and too neatly wrapped up. Not fun.

I had this same problem with Hex Hall too.  The beginning started off strong, and then the ending just ruined it.  The plot just built and built, but the ending gave us nothing- wait I take that back.  The ending left us with a big old:  WHAT just happened?? It went by SO fast, and it was SO random.

But as a whole- minus the ending- the book was enjoyable, but nothing crazy good. It was a good one-time read and one time read only.

As for the characters, I liked Izzy because she was a fun character, who, despite being all tough and "the monster cop," was also cringe-worthy  awkward, esp. when it came to boys. ;) And TORIN! Oh my goodness, his addiction to those teen chick TV series was HILARIOUS.  Not to mention, he was also swoony. ;) I loved their bickering friendship (?), and until Dex came along, I was actually rooting for her and him to get together. Since there aren’t any sequels planned at the moment (which I kind of want, kind of don’t-more on that later), I guess we won’t be able to see how their relationship turns out in the end because I think Torin has a crush on Izzy.  When Dex entered the picture, I thought there was going to be a love triangle (Nooooo!), but I was glad that Izzy shut that possibility down (sort of) and didn’t string the guy along (but who knows what’ll happen in the future?).

I also loved their group of misfits!  :) Romy and Izzy had a very sweet friendship, where Romy totally brought out the girly side (a bit rusty, but it was there ;) ) of Izzy, while Izzy and Dex (wink, wink) made for a really cute couple (NO INSTA-LOVE!! :D).  I love a cute, dorky romance, and  Izzy and Dex were that cute, dorky couple. ;)  With Izzy’s awkwardness on all things boys and Dex’s own loveable uniqueness, this relationship was my favorite thing about the book. :)

Now about that sequel…  If that sequel ends anything like this book, then I DON’T WANT IT. On the other hand, there were tons of things the author left open that I do want to see resolved.  If the sequel answered those with a fabulous ending, then maybe I’d read it.  But until then, who knows? ;)

Thanks for reading! :)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5