Book Review-Shadow Hills

By Anastasia Hopcus

Published by EgmontUSA

To Be Released July 13th, 2010

4 Stars- I enjoyed this book, go pick it up

An Unforgettable Thriller About One Girl's Connection To A Town With A Haunting Past

Since her sister's mysterious death, Persephone "Phe" Archer has been plagued by disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep inShadow Hills, Massachusetts- the subject of her sister's final diary entry.

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, weird "townies"- and somehow she's connected to it all.

But the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town....might be a deadly mistake.

*SPOILER FREE* Shadow Hills is such an engaging read, that from the moment I started reading, I had a hard time putting it down. I was not only captured by the story, intrigued by the characters, but I was engrossed by the setting. The descriptions are so vivid that I had the urge for it to be fall and wanted to find the cemetery the story takes place around.

Shadow Hills is a good blend of mythology, mystery, and romance, mixed in with some suspense. It's the type of story you sit down to read, and before you know it, you find yourself thrust into the story and right beside Phe, the story's main character, as she's trying to find answers and piece together what happened to her sister. The story is more than just Phe. Shadow Hills has a story with in it's story. The more Phe looks for the answers, the stranger things become and soon she becomes so tangled into a world she didn't know existed.

To add to the story's mystery is a cast of unforgettable characters. Phe is the sassy, strong willed character who has an undeniable pull to Zach, the main love interest. Their chemistry mixed with Trent, the ultimate bad boy, and the other characters, leave me wanting to know more about them. Each character brings something to the story and adds an element to the history of Shadow Hills that Phe has just barely scratched the surface of.

Shadow Hills hooked me, took me on a ride and before I knew, it was over and it left me wanting more. Anastasia provided me with real characters, a vivid, luring setting and a story that left me thinking about it after I had finished the book. I recommend this book for 14 yrs and up. Be sure to pick up your copy next Tuesday when it's released.

There is an underage drinking scene and very mild language.

*Shadow Hills is one of our Book Of The Months on our MM forum this month.