Book Review - Firespell

Ack my delay in posting my Wednesday review has now resulted in a bit of pile-up in reviews so I really oughta not finish any books for a couple of days but I think we all know that it's not likely to happen as planned.

Title: Firespell
Author: Chloe Neill
Date: 24/1/2011 PM
Source: Borrowed from library
Description: As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face… When Lily’s parents decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building. The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster. (Description taken from Goodreads)


My Review
In recent months I have found myself getting a bit tired of the whole "paranormal shenanigans in a boarding school" plot idea and with having read Hex Hall only the other week I was wary that I'd just be getting the same story set in Chicago instead of a creepy gloomy island. However I found myself pleasantly surprised by Firespell.


The main thing that stood out for me was the interesting philosophy that Scout and her friends have with regards to their magic. They believe that magic eventually corrupts the user and pledge to only use their gifts until they're 25 before irreparable damage to their soul occurs. Add in the vair interesting firespell and the various different gifts that the other folks have and you have a pretty original magic system. 


Lily was a pretty cool heroine; snarky enough to not be a complete goody-two-shoes but not overdone on the attitude however it's Scout who was my favourite character. She's kinda wacky with a love of words and down-to-earth despite her rather wealthy roots. She's not one of the "brat pack" and quick to befriend Lily.


I can't forget the two lovely lads Michael and Jason; it's hilarious seeing the banter between Michael and Scout since you just know that they're gonna end up together despite how much Scout wants to deny it :P The flirting between Lily and Jason was teasingly delicious and I can't wait to see how that relationship develops in Hexbound.


There was also a great setup for the next book with the unknown past of Lily's parents and the strange boy Sebastian who throws the Firespell at Lily. There are some subtle hints but not enough to give it all away so I'm still really intrigued to know where things are going.


Overall a quick fun adventure through the underground tunnels of Chicago and a solid start to this paranormal series. I do rather like Chloe Neil's style although I haven't quite decided whether I like this more than her adult series but reading both around the same time has given me a craving to visit Chicago although I doubt that's gonna happen any time soon.


My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars


This is a somewhat shorter review than I usually write but I hope it's informative enough :)


Toodles
LadyV