Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com
Persephone "Phe" Archer feels as though she doesn't belong in L.A. any more since her sister's death. She leaves the city to go to Devenish Prep, a boarding school in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts. Her sister, Athena, had written of this place in her last diary entry, and Phe is determined to figure out why.
As Phe snoops around the school and the town, she continues to have dreams about the town and people within, both dead and alive. But the townspeople are odd. Every single one of them. And they might be after her.
This novel's synopsis makes the story sound mysterious and romantic, though it was kind of misleading. The chapters moved at a slow and steady pace, and didn't really pick up until the ending. The characters could have been more developed, and the relationship between Phe and Zach, as well. Overall though, a good read that wasn't as great as I had expected.
Persephone "Phe" Archer feels as though she doesn't belong in L.A. any more since her sister's death. She leaves the city to go to Devenish Prep, a boarding school in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts. Her sister, Athena, had written of this place in her last diary entry, and Phe is determined to figure out why.
As Phe snoops around the school and the town, she continues to have dreams about the town and people within, both dead and alive. But the townspeople are odd. Every single one of them. And they might be after her.
This novel's synopsis makes the story sound mysterious and romantic, though it was kind of misleading. The chapters moved at a slow and steady pace, and didn't really pick up until the ending. The characters could have been more developed, and the relationship between Phe and Zach, as well. Overall though, a good read that wasn't as great as I had expected.
This was a great YA paranormal thriller. The supernatural element was completely unique to me. It revolved around science and mythology and put a brand new spin on both! A town full of people who are are completely human, but have more superior brain functions. Phe was a strong character that looked for the answers she wanted and refused to back down. She's trying to find answers to what happened to her sister, and in the process she also begins to find out who she really is. She was funny and charming, so easy to relate to. Zach was completely gorgeous, and a great male lead. Although he was occasionally cheesy with his mushy lines, he was also strong and always there for Phe. There was also great supporting characters. Phe met some great friends that were there for her from the beginning, but each had their own life and their own story. It was really refreshing that a YA main character was able to go get in trouble all by herself, without having to have a side-kick for every adventure.
The mysteries were intricately spun, and each was resolved by the end of the book with just enough loose threads to lead to a sequel. I did figure out who the bad guy was before it was revealed, but not until almost the last minute. I'm sure this will lead to a sequel that I will be so excited to get my hands on. The setting of the small-town and the prep school were perfect and a lot of fun! Overall, this was a fantastic read that I recommend to YA and Adults! This was a great story to be able to lose myself in, I flew through it and when it was all over I wished for more!
The mysteries were intricately spun, and each was resolved by the end of the book with just enough loose threads to lead to a sequel. I did figure out who the bad guy was before it was revealed, but not until almost the last minute. I'm sure this will lead to a sequel that I will be so excited to get my hands on. The setting of the small-town and the prep school were perfect and a lot of fun! Overall, this was a fantastic read that I recommend to YA and Adults! This was a great story to be able to lose myself in, I flew through it and when it was all over I wished for more!
Persephone "Phe" Archer transfers to Devenish Prep at the start of her junior year in order to figure out why her older sister mentioned the school in her diary the day before she died. Located in the small town of Shadow Hills, Massachusetts, this preppy boarding school is highly divided between haughty, genius townies and more average boarding students.
Phe meets and falls for a gorgeous townie student, Zach, who seems to have mysterious powers and hold the secrets to this strange town. As Zach and Phe grow closer and Phe learns more about Shadow Hills, however, little does she realize the extent of her connection with Shadow Hills, and the fact that she's putting her life in danger...
If you can't get enough of true love romances set in paranormal plots, but are craving something beyond vampires, SHADOW HILLS will be a great read for you. Though flawed, it contains endearing characters and a well-formed supernatural mystery that will suck you in.
Just when you thought the paranormal genre was all out of fresh ideas, along comes Anastasia Hopcus. The supernatural mystery behind the town of Shadow Hills is a delectably unique mixture of Wicca, witchcraft, mythology, and superpowers, wrapped up in a believable contemporary setting. Hopcus reaches back several centuries and even across an ocean to chart the progression of the supernatural element in an entirely plausible manner that I appreciated.
The characters are, for the most part, gutsy and funny, and thank goodness for Phe not being a boring, spineless protagonist. Her boarding school friends provide lighthearted and humorous dialogue exchanges whenever the supernatural plot threatens to take over with its melodrama, though Zach is a little too perfect to be credible heart candy, and the villains run the risk of being caricatures.
The binaries between good and evil are a bit too black-and-white for me, but that won't bother most readers, as they'll be too captivated by the romance and suspense to do much outside thinking. SHADOW HILLS freshens up an oversaturated YA genre with a believable romance and interesting take on the supernatural in the towns history.
Phe meets and falls for a gorgeous townie student, Zach, who seems to have mysterious powers and hold the secrets to this strange town. As Zach and Phe grow closer and Phe learns more about Shadow Hills, however, little does she realize the extent of her connection with Shadow Hills, and the fact that she's putting her life in danger...
If you can't get enough of true love romances set in paranormal plots, but are craving something beyond vampires, SHADOW HILLS will be a great read for you. Though flawed, it contains endearing characters and a well-formed supernatural mystery that will suck you in.
Just when you thought the paranormal genre was all out of fresh ideas, along comes Anastasia Hopcus. The supernatural mystery behind the town of Shadow Hills is a delectably unique mixture of Wicca, witchcraft, mythology, and superpowers, wrapped up in a believable contemporary setting. Hopcus reaches back several centuries and even across an ocean to chart the progression of the supernatural element in an entirely plausible manner that I appreciated.
The characters are, for the most part, gutsy and funny, and thank goodness for Phe not being a boring, spineless protagonist. Her boarding school friends provide lighthearted and humorous dialogue exchanges whenever the supernatural plot threatens to take over with its melodrama, though Zach is a little too perfect to be credible heart candy, and the villains run the risk of being caricatures.
The binaries between good and evil are a bit too black-and-white for me, but that won't bother most readers, as they'll be too captivated by the romance and suspense to do much outside thinking. SHADOW HILLS freshens up an oversaturated YA genre with a believable romance and interesting take on the supernatural in the towns history.
