3.5 stars ✨
Super cute and fun, love the paranormal investigator vibes for a while, a little juvenile so I feel I’d have loved this as a teen, I might read the next one but it feels quite nicely tied together as a stand-alone anyway. Very neat and tidy little book, well written, good plot, characters etc. ( )

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! ( )

This is a very intense book, very well written, with a rich plot and characters very well developed. Jessica Ballard is not a normal teenager. After the death of her mother, he ended up living with her aunt for a few weeks during the process of moving into college. When in college, strange things start to happen and she asks for a professor (Dr. Pierce) that teaches paranormal classes to help her understanding what is going on. Her roommate Tia is wonderful. I simply love her. Always there to support Jess and to help however she can. Jess sees and interacts with dead people. But soon things get out of control and the only person who can explain what is going on is her aunt, twin sister of her mother. And then, many family secrets come to the surface and Jess needs to get ready to embrace her destiny.
I loved everything about this story. The writing style is wonderful, very well revised and edited, plot flows smoothly and there is plenty of action that makes you read the book in one weekend, at the edge of your chair. I really recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that likes action with paranormal activity. I can hardly wait until I put my hands on the second book (Spirit Prophecy) of this trilogy (The Gateway Trilogy). ( )

This book pleasantly surprised me. I got a great story with characters I like, not something that happens all the time with indie works. I’ve had some bad experiences in the past with them so it’s always a joy to find an excellent work among them. I enjoyed it so much, I already have book 2 on my Kindle ready to go.

First off, the main character is just a peach! She’s practical and no frills, handling life as it throws the many obstacles and danger at her. I liked how she approached these events with calm and rational thought, not letting the danger or excitement get to her. Her occasional vulnerable streak just added depth to her overall emotional state. I loved Jess and can’t wait to explore more of her and her world.

Her immediate supporting staffs are also great. I loved Tia! The obsessive-compulsive, research-obsessed roommate was a nice foil for Jess as she deals with all the supernatural crap coming her way. She seems to connect with Jess on a deep level and makes for a fantastic ally. I also found enjoyment in David, Evan, and others. I did find some fell into stereotypical college roles, like Gabby and her blonde, slutty, popular girl type. But those were only occasional and not glaring.

I adored the story and how the author pulled in the supernatural elements. The story unfolds in a very organic and flowing way, not being weighted down with too busy action sequences or over-wordy supposition portions. She has a great mix of coming of age, mystery, eerie ghost sightings, with a side of college life for levity. I loved her blend and how she was able to balance everything.

And then there are the supernatural elements, the cream of the book in my opinion. They’re unique and engaging, aspects not always present in a supernatural thriller. I loved the idea of Jess’ role with her family member and how that played into all that was happening with Jess and her mother’s death. It sets some great groundwork for future works in the series that I look forward to seeing. The ghosts are spine-tingling and yet sad at the same time. Your emotions are pulled into their fates and their release, or not as the case may be, with great strength.

A great balance of storytelling, supernatural, and characters, this is a great start to a promising series. I think this author has a great future and I look forward to following her in future.

Note: Book received for free from author in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Spirit Legacy took a while to build up speed, but when it did, it really took off! Jess,our heroine's a very likable girl encountering some extraordinary circumstances in her life. As we go along, we find out just how extraordinary her life's to become, as her life plays out in real time and she enters her Freshman year at St Matts college.As the unfolding details of her life reveal themselves to Jess and to us, we're treated to suspense, a heartwarming love story with someone who happens to be dead,some shocking moments and even humor. E.E.’s ability to make the characters and subject matter of this paranormal story plausible definitely added to the fact that I was being drawn further and further into the story. Growing up,I had wanted to be a Ghost hunter just like Dr. Pierce in the book, and Jess reminded me why I've always had this interest in the Paranormal. Her character was very believable, so that I felt Jess's shock when she meets Ghosts the first time in the story.It gave me goose bumps.The ease with which E.E. developed such believable characters and their responses to the paranormal is nothing short of brilliant. I loved her action scenes, all against this academia backdrop at St. Matts college. 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 her second book of this trilogy, Spirit Prophecy!
Jack Murphy ( )