Review: Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus


Release Date: July 13, 2010
Publisher: Egmont USA
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Pages: 400
Source: Around the World Tours


Rating: ♥♥♥♥

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.

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I knew there were a lot of good debuts coming out this year, but this is one you're not going to want to miss. Anastasia Hopcus really brought a refreshing and fantastic read for the paranormal genre.

Phe is the type of main character I like to read. While she does have her own mix of flaws, she's no one's doormat. The girl has a strong personality. She isn't afraid to break a few rules, and is very determined to find the answers to the mystery of her sister's death. Because she is such a strong character, the suspense that builds up in this story will keep you turning the pages right from the get go.

When Phe lands in Shadow Hills, you know something about the town isn't right. There are so many questions that play out nicely throughout the book. I never felt it got boring. Yes, sometimes a bit predictable, but for the most part, I was wowed! I cannot praise the idea of this town enough. I wanted to know more and more about it every time I turned a page. Coming from someone who can barely stand any sort of history, this is saying a lot.

What isn't a book without some romance? I, for one, love it. The character of Zach drew me in from the moment he was introduced. He was a well developed character who did have the mysterious side to him, but it wasn't an over-done sort of thing. All of the characters in this story, whether they're role is small or large, really stood out. What I liked it how easily I could see this group of teens together at the school living in this odd town packed full of secrets.

Basically if you are a lover of the paranormal then you'd be silly to even think about passing this book up in July! Go pre-order it now!

♥amber