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.