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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I liked this book but felt it could have moved along a bit more. The story is about Izzy Brannick whose entire family has hunted ghosts, vampires, etc. Now it is only Izzy and her mother left to carry on. They move to Ideal to stop a ghost who is haunting a school.
I went into this book hoping for something like Hex Hall, also it was sort of a tribute to my past self who really enjoyed Hawkins’ books. It was a fun read.
Amazing and classy!! I am seriously looking forward to know what happens to our brannick crew.. And also Dex and Izzy 😉.
I really enjoy this author's work, and this book certainly didn't fail in keeping up the tradition. I put off this particular book because when I read the Hex Hall books, I wasn't a huge fan of Izzy, but she's grown up a little and circumstances have changed, and I really enjoyed her story. This author has a habit of making the characters a little less stereotypical which I love, and there is a mix of humor and mystery and drama. I found myself laughing during this a lot as poor Izzy tries to get a grasp on what being a normal teenager entails and then I found myself having a good cry at the end, I always love when a book can bring out emotions in me, and I am really looking forward to the rest of this series. Thank you Rachel Hawkins.
Great snark, detailed character development, lots of mystery and sympathetic heroes.
Izzie is terrific, alternating between innocent school girl and confident monster hunter. Her grief over Finn's loss is palpable.
Aislinn is trying to be a better mum, but she has a little ways to go, and I am interested in what transpires with both Torin and Dex.
Definitely keen to keen adventuring with the Brannicks!
Received from publisher via netgalley with thanks.
Izzie is terrific, alternating between innocent school girl and confident monster hunter. Her grief over Finn's loss is palpable.
Aislinn is trying to be a better mum, but she has a little ways to go, and I am interested in what transpires with both Torin and Dex.
Definitely keen to keen adventuring with the Brannicks!
Received from publisher via netgalley with thanks.
Sixteen year old girl, Izzy, is a monster hunter. Her and her mother and sister are the last three of their monster hunter family, but the sister has disappeared while going after a coven of witches. The story is about Izzy attending high school (school for the very first time) to investigate a ghost who has injured a teacher.
This was a pretty good story; I read it in an afternoon. It went along at a pretty good pace, keeping with the main plot, but added a little here and there, the M.C.'s history and her fears about going to school. The school age group the book is between 7th-12, and I do think that it is appropriate, but may be a little too 'young' for 12th. There isn't a lot of subject matter, just suggestions, so I think even 5th and 6th graders could read this.
It does remind me a little of the TV show 'Supernatural' and the book 'Anna Dressed in Blood', but this story is a lot more suitable for the younger age groups.
This was a pretty good story; I read it in an afternoon. It went along at a pretty good pace, keeping with the main plot, but added a little here and there, the M.C.'s history and her fears about going to school. The school age group the book is between 7th-12, and I do think that it is appropriate, but may be a little too 'young' for 12th. There isn't a lot of subject matter, just suggestions, so I think even 5th and 6th graders could read this.
It does remind me a little of the TV show 'Supernatural' and the book 'Anna Dressed in Blood', but this story is a lot more suitable for the younger age groups.
I liked the audio, just about as much as I liked the Hex Hall series on audio. I was happy to get back into the Hex Hall world, but I'm not happy with how the book ended. Especially since there probably won't be another book out in this series, which makes me sad.
Okay I know three stars might seem a bit harsh, but it's not like that. School Spirits is great, it's well-written, Izzy & Co rock. Here is what led to my rating--I had already decided on four stars halfway through because it was good, not great, but then I found out there wasn't a sequel and I had to deduct another star. The decision to have School Sprits remain on its own is a miss-step..
Well, if you've read School Spirits then you know there are several unanswered questions, too many loose threads and just no. I was actually thinking this spin-off was going to be another trilogy like Hex Hall had been, there is certainly enough story for one. And yet what we got is all we are going to get. To put it simply, I felt cheated.
Well, if you've read School Spirits then you know there are several unanswered questions, too many loose threads and just no. I was actually thinking this spin-off was going to be another trilogy like Hex Hall had been, there is certainly enough story for one. And yet what we got is all we are going to get. To put it simply, I felt cheated.
Izzy is a Brannick, this name holds a certain weight, in that her family is the only family with some powers that enable them to hunt down Prodigium, which are paranormal creatures, as in vampires (preferably not the sparkly ones), werewolves, ghosts, and any others that defy the council that governs them. School Spirits was an adventure. It brought me back to the adventure novels I used to read and I ended up really enjoying it.
Izzy moves to a new town and starts attending school in order to hunt down the ghost that seems to haunt that school. I found a ton of parts funny, especially ones where Izzy experiences things for the first time, such as going to the mall, pep rallies, and even watching mindless, yet fun, tv shows! By the end of the novel I was seriously invested in the lives of Leslie and Everton on Ivy Springs (think Gossip Girl). I honestly thought this book was full of fun, add in Torin, the warlock stuck in the mirror who pops up whenever, which results in back and forth banter between him and Izzy, you have a book that will make you laugh at least once for sure.
As for the friends, Izzy instantly finds them in Dex, Romy and Anderson. I found that to be a little bit absurd because we all remember how hard it is for the new kid, whether you were one recently or you've seen the new kids. It is tough ladies and gentlemen. Kids these days are vicious and never leave the comfort of their circle of friends, so to make friends on literally the first and second day? yea, I couldn't buy that. However the friendship between them was pretty awesome. As for the romance with Dex, while it was a tiny part of the plot, was cute. However I probably would have loved the possibility of Torin to be there; Izzy does say he looks like an 18 year old, so why not? I am sure a sequel would include that however it seems that Rachel Hawkins isn't writing one.
There is a major plot line that wasn't resolved because Hawkins wrote this book thinking it would have a sequel, so now I guess we'll never know. I have to say, I loved the adventurous feel of this novel, while it feels a bit more MG than YA, I still found myself sucked into the world every time I pick it up to continue reading. I really enjoyed this novel and actually went and ordered the full Hex Hall trilogy! I am really excited to start them now. I would definitely recommend this novel to all adventure/paranormal fans who want a kick butt female protagonist and a ton of fun!
Izzy moves to a new town and starts attending school in order to hunt down the ghost that seems to haunt that school. I found a ton of parts funny, especially ones where Izzy experiences things for the first time, such as going to the mall, pep rallies, and even watching mindless, yet fun, tv shows! By the end of the novel I was seriously invested in the lives of Leslie and Everton on Ivy Springs (think Gossip Girl). I honestly thought this book was full of fun, add in Torin, the warlock stuck in the mirror who pops up whenever, which results in back and forth banter between him and Izzy, you have a book that will make you laugh at least once for sure.
As for the friends, Izzy instantly finds them in Dex, Romy and Anderson. I found that to be a little bit absurd because we all remember how hard it is for the new kid, whether you were one recently or you've seen the new kids. It is tough ladies and gentlemen. Kids these days are vicious and never leave the comfort of their circle of friends, so to make friends on literally the first and second day? yea, I couldn't buy that. However the friendship between them was pretty awesome. As for the romance with Dex, while it was a tiny part of the plot, was cute. However I probably would have loved the possibility of Torin to be there; Izzy does say he looks like an 18 year old, so why not? I am sure a sequel would include that however it seems that Rachel Hawkins isn't writing one.
There is a major plot line that wasn't resolved because Hawkins wrote this book thinking it would have a sequel, so now I guess we'll never know. I have to say, I loved the adventurous feel of this novel, while it feels a bit more MG than YA, I still found myself sucked into the world every time I pick it up to continue reading. I really enjoyed this novel and actually went and ordered the full Hex Hall trilogy! I am really excited to start them now. I would definitely recommend this novel to all adventure/paranormal fans who want a kick butt female protagonist and a ton of fun!
What would you do if you had never been a normal teenage girl, and all of a sudden, you had to act like one? Would you be able to play the part without getting attached? Would you be able to just do your job and do what needed to be done and then move on without a second thought?
Read this book, and you will find out whether or not Izzy Brannick was able to do that. The answer to how that goes will probably surprise you as much as it did me.
While some parts of the plot in this story felt like filler, or didn't always make sense, the characters were real and I could feel myself going through the things they were going through and experiencing the turbulent experiences with them.
I was really amused about the high school soap opera that Izzy watches to try to find out how to act. I laughed because as a teenager I was one of those kids who didn't feel like I fit. It seemed like something I might have done as a teenager if I would have thought of it!
I wish I could see what was happening now, though. While I enjoyed this story, I feel like I have too many unanswered questions and it does not look like this one will be a series from all of my digging about, so I will never find the answers to them. IF the author is reading this, I really would like to know MORE!!!
Read this book, and you will find out whether or not Izzy Brannick was able to do that. The answer to how that goes will probably surprise you as much as it did me.
While some parts of the plot in this story felt like filler, or didn't always make sense, the characters were real and I could feel myself going through the things they were going through and experiencing the turbulent experiences with them.
I was really amused about the high school soap opera that Izzy watches to try to find out how to act. I laughed because as a teenager I was one of those kids who didn't feel like I fit. It seemed like something I might have done as a teenager if I would have thought of it!
I wish I could see what was happening now, though. While I enjoyed this story, I feel like I have too many unanswered questions and it does not look like this one will be a series from all of my digging about, so I will never find the answers to them. IF the author is reading this, I really would like to know MORE!!!