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Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite
Surrounded by spirits most of her life, Abby Marcelli had her fair share of haunting. But finally she's had enough. However, will the spirits let her go and will she be able to shut out the voices? Hildebranch Academy might just be the solution to her problems. I liked the high school scenes in Haunted Echoes (Spirited Book 1) by Emma Bloom. A lot of people think young adult stories taking place in high school is overdone, but I thought it was handled very nicely in this book. Abby's voice was really strong when she was describing "Benson High School, home of the boring Bobcats." Little add-ons like that really made her snarkiness come out and showed the reader exactly how Abby feels about school without having to say too much. Many writers have a tendency to overwrite, so being able to show exactly how a character feels about an important aspect of their teen lives in four words is really done very well. Nice job!
Hildebranch Academy is this cool, alternative school that we eventually learn is for kids like Abby who see spirits and talk to the dead. I think the contrast of these two schools is really done well and makes the story that much more interesting. The reader is excited to learn that Abby is transferring to Hildebranch because of how rough life at Benson High is. We want her to make friends and be successful and learn to cope because those were all the things she never had a chance to do back home. This complete opposite is a really smart move by the author and really shows the reader exactly how special Hildebranch is to Abby and ultimately the story.
