I have a real weakness for YA books about kids learning about their magical powers at a special school, so this was right up my alley. I thought it was a fast, fun, engaging, and at times suspenseful read. I especially liked the sense that, unlike Hogwarts, for example, the teachers and the Headmaster of Oakhurst Academy were not necessarily to be trusted. There is definitely a larger agenda at play, but Spirit (and therefore the reader) does not yet have enough information about this new magical world for her to figure out what it is. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

One caveat -- I figured out the mystery long before the kids themselves did, but I wasn't bothered by that. The book was still enjoyable.

Book Description:
Who -- or what -- is stalking the students at Oakhurst Academy?

In the wake of the accident that killed her family, Spirit White is sent to Oakhurst Academy, a combination school and orphanage in the middle of Montana. There she learns that she is a legacy -- not only to the school, which her parents also attended, but to magic.

All the students at Oakhurst have magical powers, and although Spirit's power hasn't manifested itself yet, the administrators insist she has one. Spirit isn't sure she cares. Devastated by the loss of her family, she finds comfort with a group of friends: Burke Hallows, Lachlan Spears, Muirin Shae, and Adelaide Lake.

But something strange is going on at Oakhurst. Students start disappearing under mysterious circumstances, and the school seems to be trying to cover it up. Spirit and her friends must find out what's happening -- before one of them becomes the next victim....

I'm organizing a bookring for this book! If you want to join, please PM me and I'll add you to the list.

All standard bookring rules apply.

1. When you receive the book, make a journal entry, so we all know where it is.
2. Read the book within a month of receiving it in the mail.
3. Journal with your thoughts/opinions/etc.
4. PM the next person on the list to get their address.
5. Mail to the next person on the list, and include this information in a journal entry, so we all know where the book is.
6. Rinse and repeat!

Here are the current participants:
1. Minerva101 (Canada, will mail to Canada/US)
2. megami-no-ushi (Canada, will mail to Canada/US)
3. Crossing-Guard (Canada, will ship to Canada/US)
4. rureading (Canada, will mail internationally)
5. Sardonyx (UK, prefers EU/UK shipping but will ship internationally if needed)

I'll be putting this book in the mail to Minerva101 on Monday. And the bookring begins!

Yay! This book arrived today!! I am looking forward to reading this one - I too enjoy YA quite a lot! I will journal again as soon as I have read it and get it on to megami-no-ushi as quick as possible :)
Thank you, SheWhoReads!

I quite enjoyed this fun, light read! I liked the mystery feel of the story and the idea of Oakhurst, which didn't feel at all welcoming, like Hogwarts. I liked the melding of modern with aspects of fairy.

*****SPOILER ALERT****- do not read any further if you don't want to have part of the story revealed prematurely.
The one thing that bothered me about the book and the reason I only gave it a 7 out of 10 is because I didn't like the fact that there was no further explanation or enlightenment into why Spirit did not have an 'affinity' to any of the Elemental Schools of Magic or why she was able to 'save' the day by casting such a complex spell.

Thank you so much for sharing this book with me, SheWhoReads! I will be passing it off by hand to megami-no-ushi on Oct 9th at our monthly bookcrossing meeting.

passed to me at the BC meeting. I'll try and get this one finished quickly and passed to crossing guard so it's ready to be passed on next month.

Update: a fast and exciting read, thanks for sharing!

SPOILER ALERT!!

I also figured out that the "whatever" was the wild hunt much earlier than the kids - "the horns, the horns" was the last clue needed to twig my memory. I also agree with Minerva about the part about Spirit's powers left unsolved - while it irked me I felt it was deliberate and am counting on a good explination in the next book. (2011 sometime according to her website)

passed to crossing guard at our exercise class.

Sorry, I was passed this ring a few days back and forgot to journal it. Why do rings always come at the same time! I just finished the one before this so should be able to start this right away.

What a great fun little book! It was a fast and a very enjoyable read.

Spoilers:

Like other readers, I also liked the fact that this was not Hogwarts and the fact they poked fun at it was awesome! I'm looking forward to the next book, although I wish I didn't have to wait as long. Like megami-no-ushi I am counting on a good explanation on a few key points (which if not both of her parents is she a Legacy for... magical ability). I am also wondering about why no one on the teaching staff took matters into their own hands and went after the hunt. If it was as easy enough for a bunch of kids without much of a magic background to figure it out then I'm sure a teacher trained in magic and not having to hide things could have taken care of it a long time ago. Yes not everyone is "good" but I would think someone wouldn't want kids disappearing.

Thanks so much for sharing this! I will pass it off to rureading at our next Calgary meetup on November 13, 2010.

I'm passing this onto the next reader. Thanks so much for sharing!

Are you in the Calgary area and interested in meeting up with other Calgary BookCrossers? Please check out our facebook group, "BookCrossing Calgary" for details on how. Meeting are held on the second Saturday of every month at the Joshua Tree Cafe starting at 11am. New Crossers are always welcome.

I received the book today from Crossing-Guard at our BC Meetup and I will begin reading.....now!

I wanted more definite bad characters within the school community; teachers with an axe to grind and mean, witchy girl students for example. I thought the story a little flat, with attention paid to description of the 'resort' school, and seasonal changes for the school uniform. In a short book of 300 pages, that didn't leave much scene building for the plot. I wanted more skullduggery from the students as they investigated, with more suspense. I did enjoy the Hunt's choice of vehicles with a Montana vibe. ;)
Thank you SheWhoReads.

As Sardonyx is unable to take the book due to moving, on Nov 22, I mailed the book to SheWhoReads as per her request.

This book made it back home, safe and sound. Thanks for a great bookring, everyone! :D