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paigeypng's review against another edition
5.0
I love Rachel Hawkins! I loved the Hex Hall trilogy, so I knew I wanted to read this. I think it was a cute idea for her to do a spin-off. I thought that when Izzy was having problems with the ghost, she was gonna call in Sophie, cause she's like a necromancer or something. I liked this book though! Is there going to be a second one?
rebeshelton's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, I really have to hand it to Rachel Hawkins. Her storytelling is interesting enough for me to keep trudging through her books.
However, her writing also annoys the heck out of me!
First, I enjoyed the story. There is at least a smidgen of talent that allows me to enjoy reading her books. I mean, she's no J.K. Rowling, but still, interesting plots.
Now, and let's face it, this was a problem with the Hex Hall series too, the discrepancies in her writing FRUSTRATE ME TO NO END! Why is no one else annoyed by this!?
In one scene, the main character is organizing a nighttime meeting for the club she's in at school. She changes the date of this meeting THREE times,and you can tell it's not intentional. It's simply the author's and editor's lack of paying attention to detail. This is only one example, there are several more throughout the book.
Another thing that drives me crazy is how the author is always trying to seem more teenage-y than she is with the words and language she chooses, and you can tell she's just trying too hard. And it comes across as obnoxious.
Last, and I will get off my soapbox. I really hate that she doesn't let the reader's feel anything for themselves. She's always telling us how the characters feel, instead of letting it be assumed. It makes for really one-dimensional characters, and also really makes you kind of dislike some of them.
I lied. I can tolerate one or two misspelled words in a book, but when that count goes up to like 10 or more, I just start to lose respect for the editors and publishers. There is no reason for a book to be so poorly edited, especially with a big publisher like Hyperion.
Okay, I'm done.
However, her writing also annoys the heck out of me!
First, I enjoyed the story. There is at least a smidgen of talent that allows me to enjoy reading her books. I mean, she's no J.K. Rowling, but still, interesting plots.
Now, and let's face it, this was a problem with the Hex Hall series too, the discrepancies in her writing FRUSTRATE ME TO NO END! Why is no one else annoyed by this!?
In one scene, the main character is organizing a nighttime meeting for the club she's in at school. She changes the date of this meeting THREE times,and you can tell it's not intentional. It's simply the author's and editor's lack of paying attention to detail. This is only one example, there are several more throughout the book.
Another thing that drives me crazy is how the author is always trying to seem more teenage-y than she is with the words and language she chooses, and you can tell she's just trying too hard. And it comes across as obnoxious.
Last, and I will get off my soapbox. I really hate that she doesn't let the reader's feel anything for themselves. She's always telling us how the characters feel, instead of letting it be assumed. It makes for really one-dimensional characters, and also really makes you kind of dislike some of them.
I lied. I can tolerate one or two misspelled words in a book, but when that count goes up to like 10 or more, I just start to lose respect for the editors and publishers. There is no reason for a book to be so poorly edited, especially with a big publisher like Hyperion.
Okay, I'm done.
allison_on_a_book_break's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
bookishvice's review against another edition
4.0
The Brannicks are almost extinct. For the past couple of years it has only been Isolde with her mom and her sister Finley, but then one day on a routine mission her sister goes missing. A year has gone by with no signs of Fin, and now Izzy gets a chance at her first solo mission: Exorcising a ghost from a small town school. What Izzy didn’t count on was the forbidden friendships she would make, or the dashing boy that would make her heart race.
School Spirits is the beginnings of another great series by Rachel Hawkins!
Izzy is strong both physically and in attitude. So when she gets her first solo case, she doesn’t want to screw it up. Unfortunately, Izzy has never been to school before or dealt with other teenagers, so she’s a bit out of her league. The only way to remedy her lack of highschool knowledge is research right? So she buys books and TV series about highschool to learn all about it! Iz learns the hard way that TV and reality are very, very different. I loved it every time she wished for a magazine article that would help her with a situation, like “How To Tell if a Boy Likes You?”, “How To Go On a Normal Date Without Looking Like a Total Spaz?”, or my favorite “Meeting His Nana: What Does It Mean?”
Dex was perfection. He’s just all kinds of fun and sexy in a nerdy sort of way. At first, Izzy doesn’t even know if the tingling sensation she gets around his is because he’s Prodigum or because of her hormones. That’s how much he affects her! I’m excited to see what role he’ll take on in the next book, and I wonder if the other characters will go along for the adventure too.
This is a spinoff of the Hex Hall series, so of course I loved the references to things and people that appeared there, like Sophie, the War Room, and Torin. Oh yes. The warlock trapped in glass has a bigger role this time around, and he’s just as tricky and cunning as before. I’m was hoping we’d discover more about his mystery in this book, but we don’t. Maybe in future books? I hope so.
The ending was a shocking revelation where all the leads and false leads come together and blow your mind away. For a second there I was screaming at the book, because I thought one character wouldn’t survive to the next book. But it’s all good now! Though someone still dies… You’ll have to read to find out who *wink*
PS: I'm so happy they kept the style of the covers!♥!
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
School Spirits is the beginnings of another great series by Rachel Hawkins!
Izzy is strong both physically and in attitude. So when she gets her first solo case, she doesn’t want to screw it up. Unfortunately, Izzy has never been to school before or dealt with other teenagers, so she’s a bit out of her league. The only way to remedy her lack of highschool knowledge is research right? So she buys books and TV series about highschool to learn all about it! Iz learns the hard way that TV and reality are very, very different. I loved it every time she wished for a magazine article that would help her with a situation, like “How To Tell if a Boy Likes You?”, “How To Go On a Normal Date Without Looking Like a Total Spaz?”, or my favorite “Meeting His Nana: What Does It Mean?”
Dex was perfection. He’s just all kinds of fun and sexy in a nerdy sort of way. At first, Izzy doesn’t even know if the tingling sensation she gets around his is because he’s Prodigum or because of her hormones. That’s how much he affects her! I’m excited to see what role he’ll take on in the next book, and I wonder if the other characters will go along for the adventure too.
This is a spinoff of the Hex Hall series, so of course I loved the references to things and people that appeared there, like Sophie, the War Room, and Torin. Oh yes. The warlock trapped in glass has a bigger role this time around, and he’s just as tricky and cunning as before. I’m was hoping we’d discover more about his mystery in this book, but we don’t. Maybe in future books? I hope so.
The ending was a shocking revelation where all the leads and false leads come together and blow your mind away. For a second there I was screaming at the book, because I thought one character wouldn’t survive to the next book. But it’s all good now! Though someone still dies… You’ll have to read to find out who *wink*
PS: I'm so happy they kept the style of the covers!♥!
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
mjwerts's review against another edition
4.0
While the Hex Hall series tells the story of a girl learning to adapt to a school full of supernatural beings like herself, School Spirits expands that world by telling the story of a girl who grew up amidst the supernatural and must now survive in a regular high school. Izzy's adventures of gym classes and pep rallies, having her first crush and learning to flirt, and forming her first friendships outside her family are diverting. It's a quick, light read and sets up a spin-off series well. Let's hope Rachel Hawkins elects to return to Izzy and friends in the future.
shyalien's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me a special type of happy. I've been going through a rough patch at the moment but this book put the biggest grin on my face even though things have been hard. I laughed so much that I must have sounded like a crazy person to anyone around me but I didn't care. I absolutely loved reading this!
char9222's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVE the Hex Hall-series - and of course I had to read this one too. I feared that I would be disappointed, but I wasn't! Of course, there's not as much buildup to stuff happening as in book 3 of Hex Hall (I mean, it is book number three), but it's good.
Izzy is a Brannick, Dex is wonderful, Romy is great, Anderson is... a bit bland, and Adam is just annoying. I love them. The mystery is intriguing, too. I don't know what it is, but something about Hawkins' writing is just amazing.
This book really makes it seem as though there's gonna be a sequel - but there isn't one now, and the book was written in 2013, so we probably won't get one........ This is annoying, as.
Do read this book. And Hex Hall. Hex Hall first, though...
Izzy is a Brannick, Dex is wonderful, Romy is great, Anderson is... a bit bland, and Adam is just annoying. I love them. The mystery is intriguing, too. I don't know what it is, but something about Hawkins' writing is just amazing.
This book really makes it seem as though there's gonna be a sequel - but there isn't one now, and the book was written in 2013, so we probably won't get one........ This is annoying, as
Spoiler
we don't get to know what happened to Finley (is she really gone? will she never return??), what will happen between Torin and Izzy (am I the only one feeling some vibes from Torin that he wants to be with Izzy?)Do read this book. And Hex Hall. Hex Hall first, though...
hyms's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Hex Hall series (I especially loathed the ending!), but when I found out that School Spirits was about Izzy, I had to read it. She may not have had the most important part in Hex Hall, but she caught my attention.
The story is fairly predictable, but I really didn’t mind since I didn’t read the book for the plot. Not that it was in any way a bad plot; I just wasn’t overly impressed by it. But I loved hearing about Izzy! She has never been in a high school so she buys a lot of TV shows about high school to kind of watch what to do. And I adored the show! There where so many references and conversations about the show and it sounded like something I would love to watch. Frankly, that’s not an option, since the show isn’t really -trust me, I googled it. Dammit!!
School Spirits had a lot of interesting characters. The PMS club (Anderson, Dex and Romy) were so much fun and it’s obvious that they are very close. Besides, I just love Torin - I mean, he is so much fun and I would love a guy in the mirror to talk to. And I like how he isn’t all good, but has his own agenda. The only character I kind of missed was Izzy’s mother - fortunately for me, School Spirits is the first book in a new trilogy, so there’s probably going to be a lot of great moments between Izzy and her mother.
Side note: I wasn’t that impressed by the writing in the Hex Hall series, but now that I’ve read School Spirits, I think it may have something to do with the translation (I read Hex Hall in Danish), because I loved the writing in School Spirits. Very well done and with a nice flow. I recommend Rachel Hawkins (and her books, obviously) to anyone who wants to start reading in English. Not only is the story line easy to follow and the writing is great, but you also get a very funny story with loveable characters and a lot of paranormal goodness.
The story is fairly predictable, but I really didn’t mind since I didn’t read the book for the plot. Not that it was in any way a bad plot; I just wasn’t overly impressed by it. But I loved hearing about Izzy! She has never been in a high school so she buys a lot of TV shows about high school to kind of watch what to do. And I adored the show! There where so many references and conversations about the show and it sounded like something I would love to watch. Frankly, that’s not an option, since the show isn’t really -
School Spirits had a lot of interesting characters. The PMS club (Anderson, Dex and Romy) were so much fun and it’s obvious that they are very close. Besides, I just love Torin - I mean, he is so much fun and I would love a guy in the mirror to talk to. And I like how he isn’t all good, but has his own agenda. The only character I kind of missed was Izzy’s mother - fortunately for me, School Spirits is the first book in a new trilogy, so there’s probably going to be a lot of great moments between Izzy and her mother.
Side note: I wasn’t that impressed by the writing in the Hex Hall series, but now that I’ve read School Spirits, I think it may have something to do with the translation (I read Hex Hall in Danish), because I loved the writing in School Spirits. Very well done and with a nice flow. I recommend Rachel Hawkins (and her books, obviously) to anyone who wants to start reading in English. Not only is the story line easy to follow and the writing is great, but you also get a very funny story with loveable characters and a lot of paranormal goodness.
stephaniereaume's review against another edition
5.0
First of I would like to say that I am very disappointed that the author is not making more of these books. Isodle Brannick is a wonderful relatable character. Basically every high school girl can relate. As for Dexter, I am in love. He's the boy you only fall in love with in fictitious stories. I believe that author should most definitely change the ending considering this is all there will be to this series. If she ever does change her mind I will be preordering months in advance. Wonderful book!!