Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Synopsis:
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.

My Review:
Really good! I had not heard much about this book but saw that it had really good ratings and it sounded like my kind of book. I love books that are set in modern times with some paranormal element because it makes me feel like it could happen in real life. I the thought the pacing was great, the plot fairly original, and it was a page turner for sure. The mystery was really intriguing with Persephone, “Phe,” the main character trying to discover why all these people that live in the town of Shadow Hills have these strange powers and how her sister’s death is connected to it. Phe is a very smart, witty, and dynamic character who has a very relatable and realistic reaction to every situation. There is no damsel in distress here as Phe battles with the nightmares that plagued her about her sister all while seeking out answers to her questions even in the face of danger. I definitely laughed out loud a few times about things she said and words she thought. I also thought all the secondary characters were strong supports to Phe and the story with unique personalities all their own. The romance between Phe and Zac was a bit rushed but it was not enough to take away from the story. Hoping and betting on a sequel since I can’t imagine this story ending the way it did with so many questions unanswered. Read it!