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Shadow Hills (Shadow Hills, #1)

Anastasia Hopcus

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Mar 15, 2010 Nicole rated it really liked it

4-4.5 stars. This book was a lot better than I expected, and one thing I loved about it is that the girl was logical but also thrill-seeking. Usually in these kinds of novels, the girls are just plain stupid and the boy has to save her. But Phe had her own untapped powers and that's what made this novel very unique. I expected it to be the typical new boarding school novel, and in a way it was but it also had a pretty crazy twist to it. You could tell in some of the wording that this was the aut 4-4.5 stars. This book was a lot better than I expected, and one thing I loved about it is that the girl was logical but also thrill-seeking. Usually in these kinds of novels, the girls are just plain stupid and the boy has to save her. But Phe had her own untapped powers and that's what made this novel very unique. I expected it to be the typical new boarding school novel, and in a way it was but it also had a pretty crazy twist to it. You could tell in some of the wording that this was the author's first novel, but except for these few indiscretions this debut novel was amazing and very hard to put down.

**SPOILERS!!**
The mystery and suspense was to die for! The reason it took me more time than usual to finish this one, but that's only because I didn't have the time. And Zach supplied most of that tantalizing mystery and just general yumminess. Every book has the protagonist and the love interest feel some sort of spark or warmth when they kiss, but this was more than that. Because had some strange gene mutation passed down through generations (something I still don't fully understand and I hope will be explained in later books), he is like a magnet and because Anna is a daughter of Hecate (involved in witchcraft) she had a spark of her own. And hence they were drawn to each other.

This novel was mostly romance, and hence why I was drawn to it. Zach and Anna were so cute together and I couldn't get enough of them. Corrine was funny and the comic relief in her own way, although she was also the biggest bitch of the story. I thought the ending was a little strange. Not in the beginning, but when Anna was able to heal herself from a stab wound to the stomach, I thought it fit a little too perfectly. And of course the most pompous guy in school's uncle would be the bad guy. I predicted it a few times.

I like how there was a combination of of two different paranormal parts. Zach and all the townspeople were strange without a doubt, and a gene mutation that gave them sort of super powers was pretty cool. But Anna, and apparently her sister, were daughters of Hecate and so that was in a completely different ball park than Zach's issues. This made this debut novel even more unique. I would recommend it if you like great thrills and mystery mixed with a heaping dose of romance. ...more

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