Jul 29, 2011

Book Reviews: Hex Hall and Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins



Hex Hall
Author:  Rachel Hawkins
Publisher:  Hyperion Book
Date Published:  March 2nd 2010
Series:  1st bk in Hex Hall series

From Goodreads:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.



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I've had Hex Hall on my WL on PBS for ever, so I was pretty excited when it was loaned to me on my kindle.  I zipped right through it, there was some predictability but I still enjoyed it.

Most of the YA books out right now all have the same formula, and Hex Hall does not waver from what is obviously working considering YA is hugely popular right now. It was a good story with the witches, werewolves and the such all intermingling in a private school, but this formula is starting to grate on me a bit.  Sophie's love interest is dating the most beautiful witch at Hex Hall who hates Sophie but he always seems to be there to help her out (hmm..sound familiar), and they are drawn to each other even if it seems like they don't get along, which actually kinda is like when in grade school a boy pulls your pony tail to show he likes you.  So the romance was not doing anything for me.  Though I did love the slight WTF moment when we discover something about loverboy. It made their romance get a little more interesting to me. He always did "seem fishy" to me.  


Hex Hall lacks in some ways, but hits a slam dunk in others.  Too me the good outweighed the bad.  



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*Possible Spoilers*


Demonglass
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher:  Hyperion Books
Date Published:  March 1st 2011
Series:  2nd bk in the Hex Hall Series

From Goodreads:

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. 

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth. Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

 But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

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I enjoyed Demonglass way more than Hex Hall.  If you read my review above you know that I had a problem with the romance in Hex Hall.  In Hex Hall we learn something major about Sophie's love interest, and I thought it made for a better relationship dynamic in Demonglass.  It made for more action and movement in the story.  

In Demonglass we learn more about what Sophie is and how big of a deal it is.  We learn more on the background of Hex Hall and how it came to be.  All together a lot more interesting.  

Demonglass left readers with a cliffhanger.  Yeah, and a doobie of one to boot. Demonglass solidified my want to finish off the series.  


2 comments:

  1. I've been wanting to read this series too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yay! These are two of my favorite books! I can't wait for the third!
    Glad you liked them.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting!