Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus Review and Author Visit

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

July 13th 2010 by Egmont USA

Hardcover, 400 pages

Review Copy 

Book 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 just cost her- her life.............(GoodReads)

Review

The dreams that have led Phe to Shadow Hills soon launch her onto the scene of a town full of secrets and shadows. The vivid mysteries behind closed eyes become that of reality when Phe discovers that the same places that haunted her dreams are around the campus. As Phe begins to investigate the dreams and discovers an alarming mark growing on her hip- an overwhelming feeling begins to creep in and she knows that somehow her life and Shadow Hills are deeply connected. Although Phe is grieving over the loss of her sister and over some crappy choices in her past, her strength and maturity give the book the anchor it needs in the story to pull us readers into a believable world.

Phe makes some new friends which were well developed side characters that I felt gave the book much needed humor…….also with new friends comes new love and Phe finds that with Zach, the boy from her dreams and the boy who is tied to everything mysterious in Shadow Hills. Creepy libraries and mental hospitals take us readers down a thrill ride of action, suspense and oh, don’t go in there moments!!

For a debut author, I thought the writing for Shadow Hills was supreme. The plot and suspense builds at an even pace and when the explosive end hits us, it doesn’t feel rushed or to slow. The central conflict of the book is resolved but we are left with some unanswered questions and a great set-up for future installments. Something else I found very fun while reading was Phe’s vast taste in music. Her love for music reminded me of Henry’s love for music in The Time Travelers Wife…(one of my absolute favorite books) in which Henry gave me a crash course in punk rock- Phe showed me more current punk and music out there. The musical choices defiantly had my interest piqued and I checked out a lot of the bands I’d never heard of like The Death Set (which is cranking on my iPod) and Gogol Bordello-which will not be playing on my iPod……..I love it when authors share those little nuggets of themselves (say favorite music, movies and books) because not only do we get to connect with the character, but we get to connect in a small way to the author.

A big round of applause to Ms. Hopcus for delivering a debut that was a humorous, magical, creepy and romantic at the same time.

Rating

Shadow Hills does not shy away from mature content, language scores a high and there is reference to drug use and murder. If I had to say anything negative about this story it would have to be all the underage drinking that went on. Although there are no sex scenes, our characters deal with sexual circumstances. Recommended for 16 and up.

4/5 YA, Paranormal, Magic, Romance

Copy provided by Other Shelf Tours

Author Visit---Chatting with Anastasia Hopcus

Im thrilled to welcome the lovely Anastasia Hopcus to TinasbookReviews, not only does this gal have gorgeous hair, but she can write a mean YA.....so lets chat..........

1. What Inspired the idea for Shadow Hills?

The idea really came from several different elements, but the main two were a 60 Minutes segment about a savant named Daniel Tammet and a trip to LA. However, a lot of the story came together as I was doing my research into Greek mythology---that’s when the plot really started to take shape.

2. Has Greek mythology always intrigued you?

Yes, I always thought Greek mythology was interesting, but I really didn't know anything about Hekate. I actually came up with Phe's name (Persephone) early on because that was one of my favorite myths, and as I got further on in the research process, I read about Hekate and her connection to the Persephone myth, and everything really began to fall into place. I hate to get too specific because I don't want to spoil anything in the book, but I was amazed sometimes at how something I might not even have been aware of when I first began to work on the book just later seemed to work in perfectly.

3. Phe makes some poor choices out of loneliness and grief, yet she grows much stronger during the duration of the book- did you or can you relate to her in any way?

I think we all make some poor choices as teens. I know I did, especially when it came to a certain guy I dated in high school. But looking back on it, I can see how those mistakes influenced my life and how I learned from them and became stronger. I guess what's important is not that you made the poor choice in the first place, but how you handle it and how you let it influence your life. I think Phe realized that she’d made some mistakes, and she saw that the way in which her parents dealt with their grief wasn't good, either, so she made a conscious decision to take action and change her life. That's what brings her to Shadow Hills, where she really comes into her own.

4. Music is a huge background story in Shadow Hills, what type of music do you listen to? Do any groups in particular inspire you?

I like a ton of different music styles, but the one that has always influenced me the most, probably starting back as early as sixth grade, is punk rock. I got into a fight with one of my friends in middle school that led to a falling out with our whole group. They took her side, which left me feeling alone and betrayed, which is a feeling that I think is really portrayed well in lots of the lyrics of punk songs. That’s when I started to identify more with that outsider perspective. Even though I now am lucky enough to have an amazing group of friends I can trust, I recognize that that music is what got me through some of the most painful experiences of my teen life. There are way too many bands to list, but some of the music I really enjoyed back then (and still love now) was music that was made before I was even born, including the Sex Pistols, the Danzig era Misfits, and the Dead Kennedys.

5. Do you want to write in different genre's of fiction or is your main focus in the paranormal world?

I love YA, so I'm sure I'll continue to write that. I've always been interested in things that are kind of odd or different, so I'm drawn to paranormal elements. There are just so many fun things you can work with in paranormal stories. I particularly love the juxtaposition of the real, everyday world with these supernatural creatures or events.

6. Can you share some future works with us?

I’m working on a continuation of Phe and Zach’s story, as I find it all very interesting but I can’t confirm a sequel at this time. (But I hope to have more details on this in the near future.) I have several other different ideas buzzing around in my brain, including one that is set in the early 1800’s and has a Mary Shelley connection; I don’t want to say any more than that.

7. Who are your favorite authors and what did you read as a teen?

As I teen, I especially loved Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas, Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I still think they're all excellent books. Among my favorites in the present: I love Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell. Oh, and I'd have to include Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series. I also really enjoyed Nina Malkin’s Swoon, which I thought was very well written and very unique, though it’s definitely for a more mature audience than Shadow Hills.

8. What are you reading right now?

I just finished Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised by Wolves, which I really enjoyed, and I'm about to start The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong. After that, I intend to start on Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments trilogy. I'm really eager to get to it, but everyone has told me that once I start I won't be able to stop until I've read all of them straight through, so I'm trying to save it until I finish my the project that I’m working on right now and I can take a break to devote to them. I cheated and read the first 100 pages of the first book and just based on that I know I’m going to want to read them right in a row, probably in less than a week.

9. Fun question: If you could be any Greek god- which one would you choose?

Out of all the Greek gods, I thought Hermes would be the most fun to be as I’ve always thought that he, as the messenger, would have all the juiciest gossip on the gods.

....And there you have it...thank you so much Anastasia for stopping by and answering all those questions!! I'm looking forward to your future works!! Shadow Hills can be bought on July 13 2010. You can also check out Anastasia's website for info about her and Shadow Hills. Also you can connect with Anastasia at her blog and Goodreads page.