Review: Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

SHADOW HILLS by Anastasia Hopcus
Pub. Date: July 13, 2010
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Format: Hardcover, 400pp
Age Range: Young Adult

After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.

SHADOW HILLS entices readers with its haunting mysteries and forbidden secrets.

Persephone enrolled into Devenish Preparatory after her sister passed away, in hopes of finding out why her sister was drawn to the place. Right off the bat, Hopcus lured me into SHADOW HILLS with Phe’s eerie dreams. Anytime there’s a creepy cemetery involved, combined with mysterious deaths, I can’t help but WANT to know what happened.

As soon as Phe arrived in Shadow Hills, I was full of anticipation in wanting to know more about the town and the mystery guy in her dreams. Which begs the question, what’s Phe’s link to Shadow Hills? Especially, when this town’s inhabitants are strange and weird things continue to happen all around them.

I adored Phe, the girl’s got sass! She’s strong willed and won’t back down from a challenge; even if it could ultimately have dire consequences. You know what they say: “Curiosity killed the cat.” But, Phe’s determined to get answers and she’s not about to let some weird incidents prevent her from finding out what’s really going on in Shadow Hills. Speaking of the mystery guy, Zach is alluring in his own right. As soon as Phe locked eyes with him, I could see the sparks flying. Talk about Magnetism! Hopcus's writing style and well paced plot kept me in suspense as I tried to fit the puzzle pieces together.

SHADOW HILLS takes haunting dreams and mysterious undertakings to a whole new level. I’m just glad we get to see more of Phe’s and Zach’s story in the next installment. I can imagine this series going in so many directions. I’ll be picking up the next book and immersing myself into it intensely. Now all I NEED to know is WHEN?

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars