[ARC] Review: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

Title: School Spirits

Series: School Spirits Book One

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: March 14, 2013
Rating: 2.5 Stars

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? 

 

***

My Thoughts

If I had to describe this book in one word it would be Average. Nothing stood out.

I was expecting Izzy to be as spunky and kick ass as Sophie, even more so seeing as she is a Brannick. I was getting kinda annoyed at the constant reminders but I kept seeing no proof of this anywhere. Actually there was no mention of a successful solo mission for Izzy in the whole book, which didn't help her case.

I got over Izzy not being that kind of kick ass so instead I hoped I could get some enjoyment in watching her experience the normal world, high-school, and all the drama it brings. I did get some enjoyment and amusement, but it was all very fleeting.

I did however like the interaction between the 4 friends and Izzy and Torin. Actually, Torin was my fave out of the bunch. He was an interesting character, and I might just read the next one just to find out more about him. So again, the characters weren't amazing, but they weren't bad either. They just were. The romantic interest Dex, was amusing enough as well, and I did like him, but nothing to write home about.

The plot was the real downer here. It was incredibly simplistic. After coming from a trilogy like Hex Hall and to get a simple ghost haunting plot story..Disappointing to say the least. There was a 'twist' at the end about who the culprit was and the whole reason behind it, but honestly I saw who the culprit was a mile away, so it wasn't anything really exciting either.

So, while this book was by no means bad, it wasn't really good either. It just was. After reading it and writing this whole review all I can come up with is, it was meh. I might give the second one a try just for Torin, but we'll see.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the copy!*

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