I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Chira Kelly thinks her life is routine and mundane, but all of that changes with an owl tapping on her window late one night. Her visit to the nurse's office gets her recruited to show tall and handsome Ben Oscuro around school, and he introduces her to Steve, his awesome pet owl. She's instantly attracted to his mysterious brown eyes, but saves the boy craziness to her best friend Tasha. A party planning at a rumored haunted school house begins a chain of tragic events that no one seems coming. With the help of Ben and his cousin Matt, they work together to uncover the mystery of the haunted schoolhouse. Will Ben be able to keep Chira safe? Will they figure out what happened at the schoolhouse before it's too late?

This was a really neat paranormal novel. There's a budding romance but there's far more suspense and mystery than there is romance, that's definitely a plus for me. I love how courageous Chira became after the incident with Tasha, she finally opened herself up to making new lasting friendships. The paranormal aspect is in the background, it's not happening all the time like most stories. There's a whole lot more to the story than that, that's just one part. This is definitely a five star novel about friendship and acceptance. ( )

Chira Kelly is a high school junior with only one friend due to an untrue rumour that she has not bothered to refute. She gets involved with several other students in exploring an old unused schoolhouse that they want to use for a party when they apparently see an apparition that Ben Oscuro, another teen new to the group says is called an "impression". An impression is a type of ghost that can be seen where someone has met a violent death. While at the schoolhouse the students split into two groups of five. One of the students decided to video the group and post it on YouTube.

The sighting of this impression leads to several unfortunate incidents, beginning with the serious accident of Chira's friend Tasha, who winds up in the ICU at the hospital. Of the 10 students who went to investigate the old schoolhouse, the only ones having accidents or being haunted after the excursion are those whose pictures ended up on YouTube.

I liked this story because it wasn't about the beautiful people. It was about the underdog. I liked that Ms. Creeden shows that even those who society seems to think are unpopular or are unlovely are worth just as much as the beautiful and successful. I really liked the main characters of Chira and Ben, who were considered outcasts by their classmates just because Chira's family didn't have the same financial means as the rest of their families and Ben because of his background.

I liked Ben's owl Steve; I thought he was a nice touch. An unusual pet for an unusual guy. I think there is much more to Ben and his mysterious eyes than we have found out so far. I'm looking forward to finding more about him. I love his old-world gentlemanliness - opening doors for Chira, etc.

First Impression is a fast-moving adrenaline-pumping, exciting read. I wasn't expecting the thriller aspect in it that there was. It was great! I loved the twists that brought it all about. Pauline Creeden has done it again. She's got another winner here.

I'm ready and waiting for the next instalment of the Shadow Maven Paranormal Series. This volume gets a 5 out of 5 star rating from this blogger. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

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This review was published on my blog Shelf Full of Books ( )

Free ARC in exchanged of an honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

1.5/5 stars

The story started at a very slow pace. I kind of groaned when I realized that the heroine has insta-love-syndrome. I mean the story just felt like anything else around there. I asked myself, "What does this book have that makes it stand out or different?" I tried to find something but I didn't.

I didn't fell for the male lead, Ben. And I will tell you that is very much unusual. I mean, almost every YA book I read made me wish that those heroes are real. I didn't connect with the characters. I mean when I knew who the hell is behind those events in the book, I just thought "Okay." Nothing mindblowing.

I don't know. I feel kind of detached from the story. It didn't reel me in. Somewhere between the book, i just wished that i could finish it soon enough. I'm not a writer but I knew that it's hard creating a story. I just want to find something that other books did not have yet. Maybe others will find this interesting but it just wasn't for me. ( )

Free ARC in exchanged of an honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

1.5/5 stars

The story started at a very slow pace. I kind of groaned when I realized that the heroine has insta-love-syndrome. I mean the story just felt like anything else around there. I asked myself, "What does this book have that makes it stand out or different?" I tried to find something but I didn't.

I didn't fell for the male lead, Ben. And I will tell you that is very much unusual. I mean, almost every YA book I read made me wish that those heroes are real. I didn't connect with the characters. I mean when I knew who the hell is behind those events in the book, I just thought "Okay." Nothing mindblowing.

I don't know. I feel kind of detached from the story. It didn't reel me in. Somewhere between the book, i just wished that i could finish it soon enough. I'm not a writer but I knew that it's hard creating a story. I just want to find something that other books did not have yet. Maybe others will find this interesting but it just wasn't for me. ( )

This was a quick, easy read and well written. I liked the spooky element of the mystery and the sweet G-rated romance. The wrap up might have been a little too tidy but still entertaining. I will read the sequel. ( )