Spirit Legacy (The Gateway Trilogy Book 1)
- 4.5 out of 5
- 14,526 ratings
- 271 pages
Overall Content Rating: Parents Strongly Cautioned PG-13
This young-adult paranormal novel follows a college freshman who begins seeing ghosts after her mother's death, joins a paranormal-studies circle, and gets drawn into investigations, dorm social life, and a supernatural romance. Expect ghost encounters, séance-style rituals, hospital and detox settings, party drinking, and steady mild-to-moderate swearing suited to older teens rather than younger readers. Parent-oriented themes from notes include horror and scary paranormal elements, an attempted sexual assault at a party, implied teen sexual activity, occasional strong language including a handful of the strongest swear words, minor LGBTQ+ presence through a gay ghost character, and violence or self-harm imagery such as bleeding injuries and a wrist-cutting scene in a distressing moment. There is no indication in the supplied material of explicit on-page sex, heavy racist content, or constant graphic gore.
Reviews first uploaded July 6, 2023 8:43 pm. Revised October 6, 2026 8:52 pm. Page updated October 6, 2026 8:52 pm.
These summaries are AI-generated from relevant Amazon reviews of this book.
Crude Mild
15Characters use mild insults and dismissive language when annoyed, embarrassed, or arguing, without sustained crude joking.
Amazon reviews mentioning crude
Specific words
- stupid: 9
- idiot: 5
- suck: 1
Fbombs Mild
7A small number of strong expletives appear scattered through the book, often in fear, anger, or sarcasm rather than on every page.
Amazon reviews mentioning swearing
Specific words
- fuck: 7
Profanity Moderate
103College-age and adult characters swear regularly in narration and dialogue, including mild and stronger terms during stress, humor, and arguments. Reviewers describe the language as noticeable and sometimes forced, with dorm-party and campus settings where swearing is treated as normal teen behavior.
Amazon reviews mentioning profanity
Specific words
- hell: 47
- damn: 28
- shit: 13
- ass: 5
- bullshit: 4
- bitch: 3
- goddamn: 3
Sex Mild
2There is light sexual humor and leering comment, without graphic sexual acts on the page. Customer notes describe some teen sexual activity in the college setting, romance with a supernatural angle rather than explicit scenes, and an attempted sexual assault at a party tied to drinking and consent issues.
Specific words
- boob: 1
- grope: 1
Violence Moderate
8The story includes paranormal fright, objects flying, an injured face with bleeding, fingernail marks, and a vivid image of a wrist being cut. Physical conflict and ghost-related disturbances build tension; reviewers also flag assault-related content at a party.
Amazon reviews mentioning violence
Specific words
- blood: 4
- bleed: 1
- kick: 1
- punch: 1
- smash: 1
About this book
"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 harrowing truth... her encounters with the world of the dead are only just beginning. Spirit Legacy: Book 1 of the Gateway Trilogy is the first installment in the thrilling paranormal series "The World of the Gateway" by E.E. Holmes. Read more