Anastasia Hopcus
Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: July 13, 2010
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Summary (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.
Shadow Hills is a stunning debut from author Anastasia Hopcus. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is some ordinary paranormal romance. For one thing there are no vampires or werewolves in sight. Instead, Hopcus has create her own new world in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts, where the townies have a dark secret.
Filled with mystery, romance, mythology and suspense, Shadow Hills is a captivating book that will drag you into the plot and not let you go until the last page. Phe comes to Shadow Hill to see why her sister, who died, was interested in Devenish. Phe ends up learning a lot more then she bargained for when coming to Shadow Hills. While there are overlapping story lines, Hopcus writing is so clear that all the story lines fit and easily blend together without leaving the reader confused.
Shadow Hills was such a page turner. The plot was so rich in mystery and suspense I just had to keep reading to figure out all the mysteries of Shadow Hills as Phe was figuring them out. The ending of the book nicely tied up many of my questions, but still left me wanting more. I want to learn more about these characters introduced to us by Hopcus. I want to know more about Phe and the powers she has and I would love to see more of Zach and learn about the Brevis Vita more. When I reached the last page, I wanted more because I was intrigued by the story and the world Hopcus had created. Shadow Hills is a fantastic and unique debut. I am looking forward to reading whatever she writes next.
This is a beautifully written, well thought out review---and I'm happy that it is a positive one as well. ;) So glad you enjoyed Shadow Hills!
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