“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.
E.E. Holmes grew up near Boston, Massachusetts, where she spent the majority of her childhood reading books. She read them almost constantly, and as a result, perfected the art of walking and reading at the same time, a skill she can still perform to this day with remarkably few instances of falling on her face. She also wrote many books and poems in blank books and on the backs of legal pads her father brought home from the office. They remain some of her finest work.
She soon learned to love literature of the dramatic persuasion, and earned a B.A. in theater from the College of the Holy Cross. After graduation, she set out to prove that her degree was, in fact, not useless, and worked as a principal actor in a summer Shakespeare festival and as a theater teacher, directing over thirty productions and numerous workshops for youth and high school students. She spent several years as the theater director at Wakefield High School where she also taught English literature and public speaking. It was in her classroom that she discovered the horrible truth: a disturbingly large percentage of high school students hate to read. This revelation devastated and bewildered her. She decided she wanted to do something about it, and thus she started work on her first young adult novel, Spirit Legacy: Book 1 of the Gateway Trilogy, which has gone on to win awards from Chanticleer Book Reviews and Media and The Independent Publisher Book Awards. She is also the author of three one act plays, one of which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
E.E. Holmes lives in central Massachusetts with her husband, two children, and small, but surprisingly loud dog. When not writing, she enjoys watching unhealthy amounts of British television, procrastinating, and rediscovering her favorite books from her childhood all over again with her kids.
I found this book by chance on a Facebook ad. I normally ignore them, but for whatever reason I followed the link, the book sounded intriguing enough and the price was decent, so I bought it on Amazon. Then, it sat on my TBR shelf for over a year, forgotten. I haven't heard anything about it or the author. None of my friends or people that I follow have read it, so to be honest, I was wary of it. I've had a lot of bad luck with unknown authors and non-mainstream books. Then came a reading challenge where I needed to read a book that I bought with good intentions, but never got around to....I thought this would be perfect. Might as well get it out of the way and off my shelf, even if it's not very good. It has great reviews, so it can't be that bad, right?
After finishing this book I have to say that it is one of the best book finds I've had all year. I seriously have a book hangover from this one. I was hooked as of the very first chapter. The main character, Jess, felt so normal and real to me. None of the dialogue felt forced or like the author was trying too hard to sound like an 18 year old or an intelligent college student (some authors feel they need to make their characters talk like a thesaurus in order to sound smart). I loved Jess's character. She's strong, smart, & brave. The storyline itself was great, with several surprising twists and turns and actually went in a direction I wasn't fully suspecting. And again, none of it felt forced. The plot just unfolded naturally. It was creepy, funny, tragic, & heartwarming and I didn't want to put it down. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and I am so looking forward to the next book, which comes out next month. I recommend to anyone who is a fan of YA Paranormal!
I'm always slightly wary of buying fantasy books on kindle, as there are so many out there that are either too badly written/edited/proofread to bother with, or where the lack of polish prevents me from enjoying the book fully. This was a very pleasant surprise - the writing was smooth and mature, the characters well-drawn and believable, the storyline tight and gripping. I kept putting it down because I wanted to make it last longer, then picking it up again because I needed to find out what happened next. A great ghost story, with extra elements in it, and also the story of a teenager who's coping with a new stage of her life as her mother dies after suffering a drink problem for years. This is the first of a trilogy, but also great as a stand-alone book. I'm not left feeling unsatisfied, but I'm definitely left wanting to know more about Jess and what happens in her life. How long until the next one is released?
Do not read when you're alone at night. This spine chilling novel will make you look behind your shoulders more often than you'd like.
I really enjoyed this book and its plot twists however I am quite disappointed as I thought there would be some romance elements since I did find under paranormal romance recommendations. Whatever romance there could be in there, believe when I say it's next to nothing. Especially if you're planning on reading two other books.
Well, it was fun while it lasted and sometimes it's not all about making relationships but about finding your true self.
I wasnt sure what to expect with this, the writing style is quite different to recent books but I have to say it didn't take me long to become lost in these pages.
Although the target audience for "Spirit Legacy" is young adult and I am very far from being that (young, that is), I found this a highly-engaging read that I think is appropriate for all ages. The challenges of friendship, mystery and fortitude faced by the protagonist will resonate with nearly everybody.
Spirit Legacy The Gateway Trilogy, Book 1 By: E. E. Holmes Narrated by: Lyssa Browne There is so many layers to this book! An orphan that starts to see ghosts when her mother dies. She moves to her aunt's house and then to a college dorm. There at the dorm she gets in trouble because she doesn't realize that the boy she talks about seeing is dead. It gets worse! Many twists and turns! Family secrets come to light. Very exciting! Going in my favorite file! Enjoyed it from the very beginning! Picked up book two! Narration was terrific! Really added to the story!
That was one thing I learned about grief; the world doesn’t stop even though it feels like it should.
I really enjoyed this spooky story! The writing was great, I felt for the characters and what they were going through, and I loved the friendship in it. The ending turned out to be really good and I can’t wait to start the sequel! Things got really heated towards the end, which was a good thing considering I feel like it’s going to make for an interesting setup for the next book!
If you like creepy stories that involve ghosts, then I recommend you check this one out. :)
4.0 easily, maybe closer to a 4.5. This book got so many good reviews that I couldn’t resist. (The fact that it was only $3.99 didn’t hurt either!) I like a little romance in my books, so I was almost leery of getting this one, but I got what I asked for … a little romance … almost too little. Still very much worth it.
Plot: Jess wakes from a horrible nightmare to find that her life is about to change. Her mother is dead, and she is moving in briefly with her Aunt Karen before starting college. Once she’s at school, she finds an unlikely friend in her roommate Tia. She also meets Evan, a charismatic, yet mysterious boy. Together, Jess and Tia try to find out more about Evan, and without spoiling anything, there is a lot to find out … not just with Evan, but with Jess as well. What she does learn spins Jess’ life in a new direction and the circumstances all but force her to prepare for her true calling.
Characters: Jess is the heroine of the book. She’s got a LOT going on in her personal life, and she just lost her mother. Still, I would have like to have seen her a little less snarky. I did appreciate the fact that she was motivated to learn more about everything that was happening to her instead of playing the victim. Evan’s not around much, but when he is, he is super sweet and makes for a great book boyfriend. Jess also has a great roommate in Tia. Even though she was OCD and somewhat sheltered, I really liked Tia, and I think she did a great job of balancing out Jess’ snarkiness.
Jess’ aunt Karen is around briefly. We can tell from the get-go that Karen is uptight and less than forthcoming, but once she does decide on full disclosure, she’s very informative and surprisingly fun. During her quest for information and before Karen’s revelations, Jess enlists the help of Dr. David Pierce, a professor at her school. He’s your stereotypical stoner, hippie professor, but he definitely gets the job done. The rest of the characters are somewhat minor in comparison until we meet Hannah. Can’t say too much about Hannah without giving away a MAJOR chunk of the story, but I will say that even though she doesn’t appear until the end, she has a major impact on the plot.
Writing: The last few lower priced books I have read had so many errors I could barely make it through the story. Spirit Legacy was a breath of fresh air! Very few errors + lots of descriptive language = happy reader.
The Bottom Line: The book was less than 300 pages, but the action began right out of the gate. Holmes didn't waste a ton of pages giving us every little detail that led up to the moment. The story was fast, and all of the small details came together to make a great plot. I love that in a book. One reviewer mentioned not to begin reading it on a work/school night because she couldn’t put it down. Another reason is that is can be a little spooky in a Sixth Sense, Ghost Whisperer kind of way. Scares aside, I definitely can’t wait for the next one.
The first half of this book did not pull me in like I thought it would. I guess my expectations were high because of the reviews I read. When I was about 45% into this book, I seriously thought about either skimming pages to see what happened or put the book down and try again at a later date.
Because of all the great reviews, I decided to keep reading, and boy am I glad I did! All of a sudden this book grabbed my complete attention. It hooked me in, and now I am excited for book 2!!
I usually go for books with more romance, but I felt a powerful emotion with Jess and Evan anyway..... It makes you go NOOO, and question what if.......
It will be interesting to learn more about Hannah, and I have a feeling there is more to Neil than meets the eye....
4/4.5⭐ I wonder why I've taken so long to read this book, it's one of those that accumulate on your reading list and that when you finally take it one day you are pleasantly surprised!!
I loved it! All this world about spirits and the other side always have attracted me, and this story was so normal at the beginning... your typical college novel but with a sweet twist of ghosts, the unknown, friendships, family secrets and some scenes that scared the shit out of me (ok, maybe it wasn't my brightest idea to read the library scene or when the little boy appears in the middle of the night haha). I can't wait to read the second book. I hope it will be as good as this first.
Someone in my book club recommended this series ... it was a nice YA series that was easy to follow. Coming of age Jess loses her mother and is headed to college. She finds that she sees dead people. She posses a power of helping dead people pass from one world to the next which was inherited from generations of women in her family.
So not bad, and even spooky at times. I don't know if I like the direction this story is taking though. I'll probably still continue the series though as it may surprise me.
This book is what I like to call a “slow-to-warm” story. It took a while to get going, but when it did…wow, what a ride! Our heroine, Jess is a very likable girl who encounters some extraordinary circumstances. We are fortunate enough to find out just how extraordinary her life is to become in real-time with her. The gripping details are revealed to the reader as Jess finds out herself. The reader is treated to suspense, a teeny but heartwarming love story, some shocking moments and even humor (think overbearing ghost who considers himself the fashion police…ha!). E.E.’s ability to make the characters and subject matter of this paranormal story plausible definitely adds to the attractiveness of Spirit Legacy for me. Not once did I do an “eye roll” or say, “yeah right like that would happen” to myself. She was able to make the unrealistic…realistic. And remember the “slow-to-warm” progress I mentioned earlier? I have to wonder if that was a genius strategy to have the reader think things were normal only to ask, “WTH??” later on. Jess remained in shock just as much as I did, which I loved! Oh, and when the spooky started, the bedside lamp wasn’t enough. I had to get up and turn the BIG light on! Please don’t misunderstand, this isn’t a horror novel at all, but any introduction of ghosts into a story is enough to have me peeking over the covers. ;)
The ease at which E.E. developed believable characters and responses in this paranormal is nothing short of brilliant. She can write an action scene worthy of screen time and gets extra points with me for the academia backdrop. I was very impressed with her writing style and her ability to draw me into Jess’s world. It was refreshing to read a book so straightforward with its story; no fancy tricks needed. E.E. is definitely a gifted storyteller, and I can’t wait for book 2 of this trilogy, Spirit Prophecy!
**This review is also posted on Book Geeks Unite book blog.
This book has a bunch of things which I'm just a sucker for.
-Paranormal stuff -Young adults that are actually adults -- they are over 18, BUT the book isn't centered on them banging each other -College setting -Emphasis on female friendships -Focus on important plot points -- no long exposition about something not really relevant to anyone's character development or progressing the plot along -A little bit of mystery -It's SHORT
Maybe I shouldn't rate this five stars, because I can see a few small issues with it, and my qualification for a five star rating is *in theory* "I had no issues with this book." But I just flew through this and really enjoyed it, and I'm upset that I can't get my hands on the next installment quite yet! But anyway, some of the things that are less than perfect:
-I'm glad the focus is really on important plot points, but some aspects tangential to the plot were skimmed over in a way such that it was jarring -The main character is supposed to be smart, and it's implied that she does really well in school, but I think we see her actually doing an assignment, like once in the entire book that spans a full school year? I'm not sure if including more detail about her academics would have added to or detracted from the book as a whole. -I wasn't fully convinced by Jess' grieving -What is the platonic version of insta-love? Because I felt like that happened a lot in this book. Come to think of it, even though most of the book wasn't strictly romantic most of the time, there was insta-love as well. Hm...
So could it have been better? Probably. But I just thought it was really fun.
dnf @ 42% pointless sexual harassment that had no significant aid to the plot, and we’re strung along only to find out “oh yes the plot is ridiculously obvious and cliche with its nonsensical run around!”?! yea no thanks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This had a couple of pacing issues, and our main character often left much to be desired, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. And even I can admit to having a little cry near the end there. I don’t think I’ll continue with this series but I liked this book for what it was.
3.5 stars rounded up. I originally picked this up because it was tagged YA and available via Amazon Prime Reading. I was trying to see if it would be appropriate for my 15yo niece. We all know now a days that just because something is tagged YA does not mean its appropriate for the younger teens so I though I would give it a go. It does have one kiss scene and some cursing but all in all I feel like YA is accurate for this book. The characters are college aged so there are some NA mindsets and scenes but nothing I would deem inappropriate for age 15. That all being said I though this was surprisingly good and unique new world.
FMC, Jess, is off to a new home after the tragic death of her mother. Not only that but she has a new school to go to all the while dealing with her mother's death and getting to know her long lost aunt. As if a whole new school isn't enough.. Jess is having weird dreams, and now an interaction with a dead person. Of course this gives her the reputation as the trouble maker, the teachers all thinking she is pulling a horrific prank. Jess is bound and determined to get to the bottom of it and she feels like everyone is keeping information from her. The only one that seems to want to help is her roomate Tia and a quirky professor Pierce who teaches a class on the paranormal. Jess tries to experiment with her new gifts only to realize that dealing with the spirit world is way more dangerous than she ever thought and the legacy of her family is way more in depth and deep in the supernatural itself.
I did enjoy this book though I feel like after this first one that the story can now really begin especially with everything that is now happening. I'm excited to see where this goes.
The reviews on this book are really good, which I what drew me to the book in the first place, but there are so many books out there for such a low price, which I never finish due to many different reasons, but the main one is they are crap.
it's so well written, the characters are well thought out, it's a gripping read, and someone has said in a previous review not to read in the middle of a work shift. They are spot on! I was lucky that I was cruising around the Med deeply engrossed in my new fave book to complete it in a day, and now I am telling everyone about it.
The book will not disappoint you at all.
I'm now disappointed that I don't know when the next book comes out!! argh! Hope it's not going to be too long!
Spirit Legacy by E.E. Holmes I received this book in exchange for an honest review by the Author and the “Lovers of Paranormal” Group on Goodreads.com This is a brilliant book, that I did not want to end. The plot is very well crafted. The writing style is rich and descriptive, and flows smoothly ... and is surprisingly mature for a YA book. The characters are well described. This book is a real page turner that will have you hooked until the very end. Although it is the first book of a trilogy, this book can easily stand alone. Thank you to the Author for a most enjoyable and gripping read ... and thank you to Carrie the LOP Book Fairy for allowing me the change to read this fantastic book.
I almost gave Spirit Legacy 4 stars because I am certain I will have nightmares about my freshman year at college. Please believe all the reviewers that warn not to start Legacy late in the day; not because it is spooky, but because this book begs to be gulped down in one piece. Holmes does not have to resort to trite plot lines for laughs, tears, frights, and surprises. Legacy's world is interesting and unique with hints of surprises to come.
This is a really good paranormal book. I did not find it scary at all as some reviews had touted. I connected with the characters a lot. The plot was a slow builder but once it hit a peak it just took off.
I was hopeful because of the beginning of the book was somewhat interesting. I got a little more then halfway but couldn’t even finish it because it got so boring.🥱
The pacing in this book was totally off. The beginning was slow, the middle is when it starts to pick up it just gets slow again, and the last half was just so rushed and just had way too much going on. The h was extremely unlikable also.
Every now and then I run into a series which captivates me and makes me read it almost non-stop. This is one of those series. My wife had chosen the first book (Spirit Legacy) for her bookclub and I started reading it out of curiosity. I was enthralled by the story and the writing. I devoured 300 pages in one day and got the rest of the trilogy. This is one series I can definitely see turned into a movie. It has all the hallmarks of a good drama - interesting, relatable characters, logical premises, and well-paced action. Highly recommended.