Review: Spirit Legacy (The Gateway Trilogy #1) by E.E. Holmes

Published: July 2, 2013 by Smashwords
Genre: YA, Paranormal Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Sent for honest review

Goodreads Summary

“The Gateway is open...”
These cryptic words wake college student Jess Ballard from a terrifying dream into an even more terrifying reality.
Jess' life has never been what anyone would call easy; doing damage control in the wake of your nomadic, alcoholic mother doesn't exactly make for a storybook childhood. But now her world has fallen apart just when it should be coming together: her mother gone—dead under mysterious circumstances; her life uprooted to stay with estranged relatives she’s never met; and there’s something odd about some of the people she’s been meeting at school:
They’re dead.
Aided by Tia, her neurotic roommate, and Dr. David Pierce, a ghost-hunting professor, Jess must unravel the mystery behind her hauntings. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger shadows her every move. An ancient secret, long-buried, is about to claw its way to the surface, and nothing can prepare Jess for one terrifying truth …
… her encounters with the world of the dead are only just beginning.
Spirit Legacy is the first of three thrilling novels in The Gateway Trilogy by E.E. Holmes.

"Help me. Find Hannah."

The Good

It starts out quickly throwing Jess into a completely different setting. She's just lost her mom and is going to live with her aunt and uncle. She's also just started college. There is a lot of stress and a lot of change, and Jess actually does a pretty darn good job of handling it all. That is until crazy things start happening to her. "I see dead people" (I said that in my head all whispery and creepy like The Six Sense). While the story does seem reminiscent of The Six Sense, the concept Holmes uses here is original and entertaining. Jess still goes on like a champ though and with the help of her roommate, Tia, she tries to figure out what is wrong with her.

I enjoyed seeing the different personalities of all the characters thrown in there. There isn't a specific character that stands out to me as my favorite yet. I like the setting of a college campus and I enjoyed it a lot when Jess audits the class with the ghost hunting professor, Pierce, teaching.

The ending went up quite a few notches in action, adventure, and mystery and has me very curious about where this one will go in the future. Spirit Legacy ended on a high note.

The Bad

Don't go into this book looking for a lot of action. While there is some, this isn't an excitement based book. There's not a lot of action going on, more like gaining knowledge and suspenseful moments. The pace is fairly slow, although it is entertaining and interesting.

Romance

The romance was a little odd in this one. I do like Tia with Sam though so I hope that pans out.

Conclusion

Overall, Spirit Legacy was a well-written book with an interesting concept and varied characters. The pace was slow and it could've used some more action, but the ending was very well done and has me excited to see where the series goes.

Excerpts

"So, do you only tell your name to warm-handed boys, or..."
"Oh, sorry! I'm Jess Ballard."
Evan's grin widened, "Oh, excellent!"
That didn't seem like the appropriate response. "Sorry?"

I stared back into the mirror. A dark figure, shoulders heaving, fists clenched, stared not back at me, but down at Anthony. I watched him reach for another book, and then stop, hand outstretched, as he caught my gaze. His eyes were blazing and his handsome features were twisted in anger, but I recognized him right away. Evan.

"You know what, forget it. I'll find someone else to help me. Enjoy your book."
I turned to leave. My hand was on the doorknob when Pierce suddenly spoke. "What do you mean, 'someone to help you'?"