Hex Hall

  So I read Hax Hall ages ago and hadn't gotten around to reviewing it yet, so, since I've read Demonglass since then, I've decided to write back-to-back reviews.


Hex Hall is the first book of a trilogy by Rachel Hawkins. Hex hall kind of reminded me of meg cabots novels with more action and fantasy. It was a pretty good book, and actually went quite a bit above my expectations. I'd gotten a lot of recommendations for this book, and I knew that it was a popular YA book so I put it on my to-be-read list. The summary and descriptions I'd read hadn't really pulled me in, that and the fact that the cover screamed "middle school" was why I wasn't really eager to start this book. Once I was past the first few chapters though it reminded me of a mixture of Meg Cabot and the House of Night series (which I am planning on reviewing soon). I loved the whole budding romance thing going on, but it was a bit creepier than I would have liked.

Blurbs from Goodreads.com:


Hex Hall:
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.

My Review:

This book was a surprisingly nice read, I went in expecting a fluffy YA book, with no depth. And much as I like fluffy books (light reading is always enjoyable) this turned out to be quite a bit more than that. With a perfect balance of romance, action, magic, and history, I was really impressed. The main character, Sophie, is a bit annoying at times, always whining about everything that happens to her. She really evolves in this novel, she tackles her problems head on and resolves them herself. No knight-in-shining armour to be seen. I love a novel where the heroine is actually a Heroine instead of the usual whiney damsel-in-distress, and Sophie is definitely a Heroine. Her main love interest, Archer, is a bit of a disappointment really, he's such a cliche, dating the most popular girl in school (who is, of course, a total witch), macho guy, handsome, and Sophie feels a "connection" with him and thinks he should be with her. Personally, I think she's too good for him. The book is about Sophie's journey of self-discovery, and I ended up liking her more and more with every page. A word to the wise, though, expect a cliffhanger, so don't start this book until you have the sequel(s) in hand. 

Ever Yours~

The Know-it-all