Hex Hall

Rating: 5 out of 5 Demon Spells

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 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.

I saw this book from a long ways away, standing and talking to a friend of mine at Barnes and Noble. The cover attracted me instantly. And then the synopsis sounded interesting. So, yeah, I bought it.

First of all, Sophie Mercer is a funny character. She isn't your normal type of character that usually populate these kinds of books. In other words, she actually has a spine and some wit. That being said, she still acts like a normal teenager with a little angst, random and uncontrollable crying, a lot of sarcasm and humor, and inevitable crushes. I enjoyed reading Sophie and, by the end of the book, I felt like I knew her very well.

The relationship between Archer and Sophie is also very enjoyable to read. There is enough tension there to keep it interesting. And there is definitely some chemistry between them although at parts it seems glossed over. However, I don't really feel like Archer is really given a whole lot of depth where other characters have been given some.

Like Jenna. She is a good character as well. We get the whole story about how she fell for the wrong person and ended up a vampire all alone once her lover was killed. That is a powerful story and I was hoping to get something like that from Archer as well. But that did not happen. That is probably my only real complaint about this book.

Everything else is great. The plot is smooth and quick, fast. I did not see the twist at the end coming. I did see the whole business with Archer coming because I was an idiot and read the back of the second book before I finished this one. Oh well. It was still interesting and I nice little plot twist.

I definitely can say I would put Hawkins' book up there with Unearthly. It is a great, entertaining read, and left me with a hankering to read the next one. I gave it 5 out of 5 Demon Spells.