Review of "Demonglass"

"Demonglass"
Rachel Hawkins




5

Pub. Date: March 1, 2011
Pages: 359
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Synopsis:  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 Acher to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

I really loved "Demonglass", it actually kind of surprised me how much I loved it.  I know I really enjoyed "Hex Hall", but I enjoyed "Demonglass" more.  I'm not sure if I was just really in the mood for it or what, but I just thought it was a great combination of funny and adventure.  I just love the tone of these books.  They deal with some very serious issues, but Sophie is so spunky it lightens the entire mood of the book.

Sophie struggles with her identity as a demon and desperately wants to go through the Removal.  She is also trying to learn more about her family history while solving the mystery of who is raising demons.  Luckily she has plenty of people to sass off to and other demons trying to get her to loosen up a bit.  If this isn't enough to keep Sophie busy, she is struggling with her feelings for Archer.  I have to say that I love Cal's dry sense of humor in this book.  Yes, Cal plays a major role in this book!  I would explain, but I would be ruining a good laugh.

I was a bit worried that I would miss the setting of Hex Hall, but there was so much going on I didn't really think about it.  I really wanted to know who was raising demons and if Sophie would accept herself as a demon.  Is she just a vessel for evil that will one day take control of her body making her kill innocent people or is this something she can learn to control?

I love the combination of romance, mystery, paranormal, identity, and humor that the both "Hex Hall" and "Demonglass" possess.  Rachel Hawkins has impressed me so far with this series.  It may not be super original, but it is such a fun read full of adventure that it didn't bother me.  I am over the fact that the covers have black cats that aren't in the book.  I was taking them WAY too seriously.  The covers are cute and so are the books.  I would recommend "Hex Hall" and "Demonglass" to fans of Meg Cabot, "Paranormalcy" and the "Magic in Manhattan" series.  I kind of feel like fans of Ally Carter might enjoy this series as well.

Review of "Hex Hall"

"Hex Hall"
by Rachel Hawkins


4

Pub Date: March 3, 2010
Pages: 336

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 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 thought this book was a lot of fun with great fantastic characters. I read it in only a couple of days because I just couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed Sophie's character, even if I thought she was being a little dense at times. I just felt like reaching into the book and pinching her saying, "Wake up! This is SUCH a bad idea". Sophie has a wonderful sense of humor and a unique voice that hooked me into the story from the beginning. I wasn't sure how I felt about Archer, Sophie’s love interest. He had his moments, but I didn't quite grasp why he was dating Elodie. I hope that he is in the next book because I think he could develop into an interesting character, but right now I don't know how I feel about him. My absolute favorite character in the book was Sophie's roommate Jenna. I have to admit that I love pink so I could relate to Jenna's pink obsession. I just felt she was an interesting character with a lot of spunk.

I can't wait to read the next book in the "Hex Hall" series. Hawkins seems to be taking the next book in a really interesting direction that has potential to be an even more fantastic. It feels weird to predict that the next book will be so awesome, but Hawkins finished the book with some interesting twists that could make it more than just a super fun, but typical supernatural book. It does bother me that there is a black cat on the cover, but there is nothing about animals being a part of the book. Well... other than the shifters, but I don't remember there being a shifter cat in the book. I know this is just being picky, but it seemed unnecessary.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of paranormal fiction, especially if you are looking for a fun page turner. People who like the series "Magic in Manhattan" and/or "House of Night" will enjoy "Hex Hall".

*I received an ARC of this book for free at the ALA conference.