Lindsay's Review: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
Series: School Spirits #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 297
Published by Disney-Hyperion on May 14th, 2013
Date Finished: August 5th, 2013
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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? 
Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

I expected a lot from this book. Probably too much, but still, it's hard not to after absolutely loving the Hex Hal series. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed. I wish this book could have been better than it was, however I did enjoy it a lot.

You meet Izzy and her family in the end of the Hex Hall series, which this book takes place afterwards. Though there is no Sophie and Archer, they are mentioned from time to time, which I was happy with.

I had a love-hate relationship with Izzy, but it wasn't her fault. Since she never went to school or made friends, school was a huge change for her, and she reacted to situations...well, let's just say she reacted to situations. She didn't act like a normal kid at all, and somehow, she didn't come across as a freak, despite being called it by like one guy. Cough Adam cough.

Dex. Let's start with Dex. He was fabulous. I hated the way he dressed though. Hate is a strong word, and trust me when I say that his clothing is atrocious. Though his personality made up for it. He was so sweet, sarcastic, and despite coming off as rude as times, his heart was always there for Izzy and his friends. He also has asthma! (like me! Maybe I'm being biased...)

I hated Romy at first. I had a cringe moment when she was introduced, mainly because I thought she was awful and thought she was going to be an enemy. I thought wrong, and I grew to like her, for the most part, but kill her off and put Dex in the picture and I would still be content.

There was humor in this book, though minimal, but the same loveable charm as the Hex Hall series had. I think that's where the three stars came from because it was an alright book, and I love Rachel Hawkins' style of writing. However, I don't see myself ever reading this again. Not because it was bad, but it's one of those books you read, enjoy, set down and let it collect dust on your shelf until you rearrange your giant book collection.

They never find Izzy's sister, Finley. I know, I'm probably ruining a protein of the book for you, but trust me when I say it's a sub plot that's hardly a plot. I was highly disappointed that they didn't find her. I thought by the end, they would. I was honestly so pissed and annoyed that they didn't. Bad part on you, Hawkins.

Oh, the ending. I almost forgot to include this part. The entire book, you don't know what Dex is - and I'm not going to tell you. But what I am is that it honestly kept me up at night, staring at my ceiling wondering what he was and coming up with all these crazy theories. None of my theories were correct, and the ending was good. I didn't see it coming AT ALL.

Overall, this was a well-written book. I only suggest this as a read to those who read the Hex Hall novels, because this is a nice book to accompany it with. However if you haven't, I don't think you would enjoy it as much, or as all.

Because there is no other place for this quote, I shall put it here:

"Oh, smooth, Izzy. Why didn't I just grab him and yell, "TELL ME WHAT KIND OF MAGICAL POWERS YOU HAVE!"