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September
Maija Wessels, a high school junior, is confident, clever, and insightful. She hangs out at the beach with her besties, loves S'mores, and has a major crush on Carter Miller.
She's also a witch.
At least, that's what the Certified Witch Caretakers tell her when they show up with a letter from Applemoor Academy for the Magically Talented.
She's also in the first graduating class after Applemoor opened its doors to all magical beings: unicorns, elves, vampires, and more.
However, not everything is fluffy bunnies, apple pie, and rainbows.
There are boys too: the mysterious and brooding JJ who appears after she sees her name in the stars. Then Bobby Gold whose smile could melt any girls' heart.
As she tries to balance her old life with her supposed newfound abilities (not to mention the homework and spellwork), she can't use her cellphone, her roommate won't talk to her, she gets locked in a classroom, and tension among the magical beings on campus mounts.
And everyone keeps saying she looks exactly like Imogen Hawkes, the subject of the last great prophecy. Meanwhile, she's just trying to get through the day without turning anyone into a toad.
Read the first installment of the ten-part series for fans of the magical worlds of Gail Carson Levine & Shannon Hale, and the drama, romance, and secrets of Gossip Girl & Pretty Little Liars. A new book in the series will be published on the 15th of the month.
She's also a witch.
At least, that's what the Certified Witch Caretakers tell her when they show up with a letter from Applemoor Academy for the Magically Talented.
She's also in the first graduating class after Applemoor opened its doors to all magical beings: unicorns, elves, vampires, and more.
However, not everything is fluffy bunnies, apple pie, and rainbows.
There are boys too: the mysterious and brooding JJ who appears after she sees her name in the stars. Then Bobby Gold whose smile could melt any girls' heart.
As she tries to balance her old life with her supposed newfound abilities (not to mention the homework and spellwork), she can't use her cellphone, her roommate won't talk to her, she gets locked in a classroom, and tension among the magical beings on campus mounts.
And everyone keeps saying she looks exactly like Imogen Hawkes, the subject of the last great prophecy. Meanwhile, she's just trying to get through the day without turning anyone into a toad.
Read the first installment of the ten-part series for fans of the magical worlds of Gail Carson Levine & Shannon Hale, and the drama, romance, and secrets of Gossip Girl & Pretty Little Liars. A new book in the series will be published on the 15th of the month.
69 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2017
14 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Deirdre Riordan Hall
45 books264 followersDeirdre Riordan Hall is the author of the contemporary young adult bestseller Sugar, Pearl, and several YA fantasy novels. When she's not writing, she's probably surfing or in pursuit of magic. She also has a healthy case of wanderlust, is a major Harry Potter nerd, loves chips and salsa, and dreams about learning no less than three languages.
For more, please visit her blog or twitter
For more, please visit her blog or twitter
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 27, 2017
*voluntarily and honestly reviewed the ARC I received from the author*
3.7 - 4 stars for me.
This was pretty cool! You have to know that I'm not much of a fan of serials and if I do try them, I'm really picky about it. This one wasn't bad, it had a beginning, a middle and end- which I always look for with these smaller stories -but the idea of the author doing these "episodes" around a young girl who finds out she's a witch and has to go to mandatory school (awesome boarding school!) is pretty exciting, okay? The writing was really good and personal, it flowed and I thought it was a good start.
3.7 - 4 stars for me.
This was pretty cool! You have to know that I'm not much of a fan of serials and if I do try them, I'm really picky about it. This one wasn't bad, it had a beginning, a middle and end- which I always look for with these smaller stories -but the idea of the author doing these "episodes" around a young girl who finds out she's a witch and has to go to mandatory school (awesome boarding school!) is pretty exciting, okay? The writing was really good and personal, it flowed and I thought it was a good start.
November 19, 2017
Title: High School Magical: September
Author: Deirdre Riordan Hall
Rating: 4/5 Stars (I loved it!)
I received a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.
Summary:
When Maija Marie Wessels awakens on Monday morning, she is expecting to start her junior year at Hamilton High. She has a great group of friends, a crush, and is the captain of the soccer team. However, she is visited by Certified Witch Caretakers who inform her that she is a witch… seriously! She is then taken to a school for the magical called Applemoor Academy for the Magically Talented. Here, she encounters things she always thought were fantasy, including unicorns, centaurs, elves, werewolves, vampires, and more. However, with the new rule allowing all magical creatures to attend the school, tensions rise and drama ensues. Following Maija through her first weeks of classes, we see her increased workload, new classes, social drama, and mystery surrounding other students and faculty.
Review:
The High School Magical series will be updated every month. It is a “litcom,” a sitcom but for books. This idea fills me with so much joy. I love TV shows and I love reading so now I can do both at the same time! This story is easy to digest, like a TV show, while still containing all of the descriptiveness and creativeness that is characteristic of Deirdre Riordan Hall’s writing. It is easy to imagine this as an episode of a TV program. I love the humorous style of writing that comes and the references to pop culture, especially Harry Styles ;)
I find it incredibly important the reference to systematic prejudices and oppression when it comes to the integration of the school with various magical creatures. The tension is introduced in the September issue of the High School Magical series and I look forward to seeing how it is addressed as the series progresses.
Who doesn’t love a good magical boarding school? I will never get tired of this and High School Magical brings this to readers. Also, who doesn’t love a mysterious and brooding guy dressed in Edwardian style clothes? I sure do and I am so excited to learn more about JJ and all of his secrets and his interest in Maija. And why he is always wearing a top hat.
This series is going to be a perfect series for lovers of fantasy, drama, and magic. It is like Return to Halloweentown in book form with the drama and tension of Gossip Girl. I am looking forward to the next installment and you should be too!
Author: Deirdre Riordan Hall
Rating: 4/5 Stars (I loved it!)
I received a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.
Summary:
When Maija Marie Wessels awakens on Monday morning, she is expecting to start her junior year at Hamilton High. She has a great group of friends, a crush, and is the captain of the soccer team. However, she is visited by Certified Witch Caretakers who inform her that she is a witch… seriously! She is then taken to a school for the magical called Applemoor Academy for the Magically Talented. Here, she encounters things she always thought were fantasy, including unicorns, centaurs, elves, werewolves, vampires, and more. However, with the new rule allowing all magical creatures to attend the school, tensions rise and drama ensues. Following Maija through her first weeks of classes, we see her increased workload, new classes, social drama, and mystery surrounding other students and faculty.
Review:
The High School Magical series will be updated every month. It is a “litcom,” a sitcom but for books. This idea fills me with so much joy. I love TV shows and I love reading so now I can do both at the same time! This story is easy to digest, like a TV show, while still containing all of the descriptiveness and creativeness that is characteristic of Deirdre Riordan Hall’s writing. It is easy to imagine this as an episode of a TV program. I love the humorous style of writing that comes and the references to pop culture, especially Harry Styles ;)
I find it incredibly important the reference to systematic prejudices and oppression when it comes to the integration of the school with various magical creatures. The tension is introduced in the September issue of the High School Magical series and I look forward to seeing how it is addressed as the series progresses.
Who doesn’t love a good magical boarding school? I will never get tired of this and High School Magical brings this to readers. Also, who doesn’t love a mysterious and brooding guy dressed in Edwardian style clothes? I sure do and I am so excited to learn more about JJ and all of his secrets and his interest in Maija. And why he is always wearing a top hat.
This series is going to be a perfect series for lovers of fantasy, drama, and magic. It is like Return to Halloweentown in book form with the drama and tension of Gossip Girl. I am looking forward to the next installment and you should be too!
February 22, 2019
Not bad but not great eather...
I love a good magical school story and i appreciate the need to set the stage and introduce the characters properly so as to dedicate more time to actually telling the story, and from what I've read this dose have the potential to be a good story, the main character is definitely likeable, the side characters are interesting and amusing, the love interests seem intriguing. But, im afraid using the entire first book to only introduce the main character and get rather brief descriptions of Supporting characters with not even a Smidge of possible intrigue other than a slight vague reference to a teacher being Turn to Stone and some slight money is between different magical species all attending school together for the first time doesn't really constitute a story, when I first started with the book it seems very promising young kid wakes up gets the shock of her life she's a witch but after those first couple of chapters the whole thing felt very rushed to get to the actual magical parts rather than building to it and even one's there everything was still blazed through which is a real shame because it genuinely seems like it was going to be a good story but I'm afraid my journey with High School magical ends here.
I love a good magical school story and i appreciate the need to set the stage and introduce the characters properly so as to dedicate more time to actually telling the story, and from what I've read this dose have the potential to be a good story, the main character is definitely likeable, the side characters are interesting and amusing, the love interests seem intriguing. But, im afraid using the entire first book to only introduce the main character and get rather brief descriptions of Supporting characters with not even a Smidge of possible intrigue other than a slight vague reference to a teacher being Turn to Stone and some slight money is between different magical species all attending school together for the first time doesn't really constitute a story, when I first started with the book it seems very promising young kid wakes up gets the shock of her life she's a witch but after those first couple of chapters the whole thing felt very rushed to get to the actual magical parts rather than building to it and even one's there everything was still blazed through which is a real shame because it genuinely seems like it was going to be a good story but I'm afraid my journey with High School magical ends here.
January 21, 2019
High School Magical is just that magical. Maija is like any other teenager, gearing up to start her junior year. Soccer, friends, a crush on Carter Miller, and classes are all on her mind when she wakes up for her first day back. Only to find out she would be starting instead at Applemoor Academy, school for the Magically Talented. Whisked away into a world of magic and magical beings only heard of in story books Maija has to discover who she really is and what it means to be a wish witch.
I couldn’t put this down for anything it pulled me in and caused me to fall in love with the characters. I love how it is broken into the months and follows them through the school year. It keeps you engrossed and wanting to turn the pages just to see if any of your suspicions are in fact true. I’m seeing book two in my very immediate future. If you loved Harry Potter this will definitely be right up your ally!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I couldn’t put this down for anything it pulled me in and caused me to fall in love with the characters. I love how it is broken into the months and follows them through the school year. It keeps you engrossed and wanting to turn the pages just to see if any of your suspicions are in fact true. I’m seeing book two in my very immediate future. If you loved Harry Potter this will definitely be right up your ally!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 17, 2017
I have to thank the author for sending me a copy of the books in exchange for an honest review. If you'd like to read these books, make sure to get in touch with the author.
This is an overview review for the first three books in this series, as they're mini books and I don't want to spoil anything.
High School Magical is a short series of mini-books that follow Majia, who finds out that she's a witch at the Applemoor Academy. Applemoor Academy is a boarding school, like many other magical boarding schools. You see all these different creatures coexisting together: witches, werewolves, unicorns, vampires, and so on.
I flew through these book because of their fast pace, and short length in that sense. The author's writing is direct and to the point, which works well with the tone of this series.
In terms of story, these books are fun and action-packed, and again, it works with the overall tone of the series. However, when it comes to fantasies, I much prefer detailed worldbuilding and politics. I need to get familiar with the world and see how it works. The more detailed, the better for me.
Also, the overall storyline and characterization was a bit too teeny for my taste. These books are like CW TV shows, and they work, because many people like them for their lightweight plot and romances that are embedded within, but for me, I much prefer a detailed fantasy world where plot and worldbuilding outweigh romance.
If you like romance with a hint of magic, this is for you. Unfortunately, it was not for me.
Overall rating: 2.5/5
This is an overview review for the first three books in this series, as they're mini books and I don't want to spoil anything.
High School Magical is a short series of mini-books that follow Majia, who finds out that she's a witch at the Applemoor Academy. Applemoor Academy is a boarding school, like many other magical boarding schools. You see all these different creatures coexisting together: witches, werewolves, unicorns, vampires, and so on.
I flew through these book because of their fast pace, and short length in that sense. The author's writing is direct and to the point, which works well with the tone of this series.
In terms of story, these books are fun and action-packed, and again, it works with the overall tone of the series. However, when it comes to fantasies, I much prefer detailed worldbuilding and politics. I need to get familiar with the world and see how it works. The more detailed, the better for me.
Also, the overall storyline and characterization was a bit too teeny for my taste. These books are like CW TV shows, and they work, because many people like them for their lightweight plot and romances that are embedded within, but for me, I much prefer a detailed fantasy world where plot and worldbuilding outweigh romance.
If you like romance with a hint of magic, this is for you. Unfortunately, it was not for me.
Overall rating: 2.5/5
July 27, 2018
This book is cute and well-written! I love it!! So, we have Maija Marie Wessels, sixteen-year-old junior in high school, soccer team captain, straight-A student, book lover, and oh yeah, she's also a witch. She has to attend a special academy {Applemoor} to learn her powers.. and from there she meets some special people, {dwarfs, fairies, vampires/werewolves} and including the handsome, mysterious and moody, JJ.....
The main character, Maija, remind me so much of my 14 yr old daughter, Savannah. My daughter is half Russian and Mexican/Jamaican. And Maija, is Finnish/Jamaican. It was so nice to read a book about a biracial girl and all her friends (all of them were from diverse backgrounds) I absolutely loved this little gem. If you love a sweet/clean paranormal YA read. I highly recommend! Great for 10 years and up. Kinda reminds me of "Monster High!"
The main character, Maija, remind me so much of my 14 yr old daughter, Savannah. My daughter is half Russian and Mexican/Jamaican. And Maija, is Finnish/Jamaican. It was so nice to read a book about a biracial girl and all her friends (all of them were from diverse backgrounds) I absolutely loved this little gem. If you love a sweet/clean paranormal YA read. I highly recommend! Great for 10 years and up. Kinda reminds me of "Monster High!"
September 18, 2017
Amazing
I absolutely love this book. I love how I just got lost In to the book. I love how Deirdre Riordan Hall wrote High School Magical September it an amazing book. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down I was hooked. I definitely recommend this to everyone
I absolutely love this book. I love how I just got lost In to the book. I love how Deirdre Riordan Hall wrote High School Magical September it an amazing book. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down I was hooked. I definitely recommend this to everyone
November 16, 2018
I wanted to love this (because magical boarding school, obviously), but it ended up being quite forgettable. The problem is twofold, I think, and a little oxymoronic: there's too much and not enough going on here. The idea seems to be to split the books up by month (and thus, I say cynically, earn more $ by selling more books), but that means that we don't get to any real conflict (or plot) in this book...and also that the book is so short that any character development, traits, etc., have to be told rather than shown. I'm not sure how long it would take—how many books—to get to the meat of the story, but I don't think I'm going to find out.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews