Review: Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Title: Shadow Hills
Author: Anastasia Hopcus
Release Date: 7/13/2010
Publisher: Egmont
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number of pages: 400

Thank you to Anastasia Hopcus and International Book Tours for giving me the chance to read and review this book.






Description from Goodreads:


His love captivated her... his secrets might kill her.

Since her sister’s mysterious death, Persephone “Phe” Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts—the subject of her sister’s final diary entry.

After stepping on campus, Phe immediately realizes that there’s something different about this place—an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach—and somehow she’s connected to it all.

But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town…might cost her her life.


My thoughts:


Shadow Hills opens with protagonist, Phe, having a seriously creepy dream while on the way to her new school, Devenish Prep. She is barely at Devenish Prep an afternoon when she takes a walk and ends up in a spooky graveyard that just happens to be the same one from her dream. Then the handsome stranger (also from her dream) shows up. To say this book had me intrigued would be an understatement. I love a good ghost story and Shadow Hills provided. 


I was hooked immediately and kept that way until the end. The characters are entertaining and well developed. If you want a main character that makes rational decisions and avoids sticky situations this isn’t the book for you. Phe is impulsive and daring and I love her for it! Her curiosity constantly got the best of her while she tried to solve the mystery of Shadow Hills. Zach, Phe’s love interest, was charming although a little intense. Her circle of friends were also fun and I loved the interaction between the group. This is a fantastic read and I hope the beginning of a new series. It offers romance, suspense, paranormal goodness (which I love) and even a mini lesson in Greek mythology. Very cool! Anastasia Hopcus really outdid herself with her debut novel and has set the bar high for future books. Shadow Hills is must have addition to your summer reading list. 


I’d recommend this to readers that enjoy books with paranormal elements or those that take place at a boarding school. I think fans of the House of Night series will really enjoy Shadow Hills. There are a few references to sex, drugs, and rock and roll ;) Also one or two scenes where the characters partake in alcoholic beverages so you might want to keep that in mind if you are looking for a book for a younger teen/tween.

Shadow Hills Trailer!

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