Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Reading Level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 336 Pages
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Narration: First Person: Sophie
Genre: Paranormal/Witches

Hex Hall Series:
Book One: Hex Hall
Book Two: Demonglass
Book Three: Spell Bound

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Author's
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Goodreads Synopsis:

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:

Since I was being annoyingly persnickety on figuring out which book to read next, I decided to pick something randomly and hope for the best. Hex Hall was the prestigious winner! I loved the unique cover design which almost gave off a sort of Alice In Wonderland vibe. And since I'm absolutely dying to read Splintered right now (AKA a retelling of Alice In Wonderland), I thought Hex Hall would be an excellent way to curb my panicking until January 1st. However, as I'm studying the cover in the present, I'm still a bit perplexed as to why the publishing company decided to place a black cat on each of the covers when it doesn't correspond with the story.....

The premise of a school/camp of supernatural beings isn't an original idea, but at the same time, isn't overused to the point of exhaustion just yet. Hex Hall was fast paced and almost always had me at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. In fact, I was so entranced by this book that I ended up reading the whole series within the span of a day and a half! Hex Hall being my favorite among them all.

Sophie Mercer was just like any other average sixteen year old girl, except for the fact that she's a witch of course. For three years she was able to keep her supernatural powers under wraps with the help of her mundane mother. But after a love spell gone awry, she had no choice but to leave her old friends behind and start attending Hex Hall, a reformatory school for fairies, witches, and shapeshifters who have similar problems controlling their powers. While in orientation, the new students find out that their two biggest enemies have converged in the hopes of destroying the Prodigium once and for all, and their biggest target? Her. By the end of Sophie's first day, she's managed to become the victim of a werewolf attack, befriend a vampire outcast, and piss off three of the most powerful dark witches on campus. And if that isn't bad enough, she also finds out who her real father is, and discovers that her magic might be far more darker and sinister than she ever realized....

The protagonist, Sophie, was my favorite character out of the whole book! Although she was gullible and naive at times, she learned from her mistakes and came out stronger, braver, and fiercely loyal to her friends. But even though she was confident, she wasn't perfect. She had her vulnerable moments when all she needed was a shoulder to cry on, and that helped me connect to her character better, because we all have those moments. The best part? Her inner dialogue and God given talent of sarcasm! This has got to be the funniest book I have ever read so far! Even beating out Puck from The Iron Fey series, which is seriously saying something, because he's freaking hilarious! Sophie's humor was NEVER corny or over the top, at least to me, and the jokes she cracked actually made sense! She's one of those characters who scoff in the face of danger as if to say, "Me? Scared? Ha!" Her jokes had me laughing so hard, to the point where I was on the verge of crying. My parents were giving me wide eyed looks throughout the whole book and probably considered committing me to a mental institution for a few moments there. xD

The friendship that Sophie and her vampire friend, Jenna, created was easy and natural. Yeah yeah at first Sophie was a little skeptical as to whether or not Jenna would try to suck her blood while she was sleeping, but she didn't let that get in the way! They both had the same sense of humor and always had each other's backs. And that one scene with all the dresses? For some reason, I thought that was brilliant and laughed until I could barely breathe!

Archer Cross. Don't you just love the sound of that name? It rolls right off the tongue! Archer Cross *Swoon*! He was the only love interest for this novel. Thank God! Suffice to say, that even I'm starting to get annoyed at those petty little love triangles. I used to look forward to them in every novel, but I have turned my life around and finally seen the light! I guess I don't mind them TOO much in debut novels, but 95% of the time, I hate the way they turn out. There so predictable. Either the unlucky guy gets stuck with another girl and they end up falling deeply in love, or he dies a bloody and heroic death protecting the love of his life. Well anyways, off of my rant. The romance from Hex Hall felt real! There was no Insta-Love connection. It was a crush feeling at first, which is totally understandable considering the hotness that is Archer Cross. Then they built a friendship that was made up of snide comments, playfully flung insults, and the rare, once in a while, heart to heart conversations. And Finally, that friendship blossomed into something a little more. I loved watching their relationship grow!

Overall, Hex Hall is a great novel for anyone looking for a good laugh. The humor made sense, and I understood most of the pop culture references. They talked like actual teenagers instead of using the annoying slang some authors think we use in real life. Hex Hall was a fast paced read, had a snarky, slow building romance, and a great story line!

Favorite Quotes:

“Let's just say you may regret that second piece of cake.'
Oh my God. Regret cake? Whatever was about to happen must be truly evil.”  

-Rachel Hawkins, Hex Hall

 

“I was literally seeing stars, and every ragged breath I took felt like I was trying to breathe through broken glass.

On the upside, my crush on Archer was totally gone. Over. Once a boy has slammed his kneecap into your rib cage, I think any romantic feeling should naturally go the way of the ghost.” 

-Rachel Hawkins, Hex Hall

Heroine- 4.5/5
Romance- 4.5/5
Comedy- 6/5
Action- 4.5/5
Overall- 4.5/5