Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HEX HALL, I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU DO NOT READ THIS POST. THERE ARE SPOILERS!

Genre: paranormal, mystery
Series and Book #: Hex Hall #2
Pages: 359
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 (a.k.a. witches, shapeshifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact 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 the 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 either destroy her powers for good--or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They're demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons 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 Archer to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

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An excellent sequel to Hex Hall! Sophie's back, and so are all the disasters that follow her. Starting with the demon kids that are living with her and Jenna, along with discovering who she's betrothed to, and an appearance of Archer! So much happens in only the first couple of chapters, which is something I've loved about these books. Rachel keeps the action coming.

Sophie's decision to go through the Removal was a wonderful ending to Hex Hall. But it was a bit rash in my decision, and I thought it was perfect to have her spend the summer with her father to learn more about being a demon. And her dad? Awesome! The usual characters were back--Jenna, the vampire, Archer, and Mrs. Casnoff, the headmistress of Hex Hall. But we are also shown Cal, the groundskeeper at Hex, more. He's also pretty cool.

Overall, one of the smartest, action-packed, best paranormal books I've ever read. Rachel has this way of making things not too obvious, so I didn't know who the culprit is before Sophie. She's also excellent at building romantic tension! Ugh, I couldn't decide which of the two boys--Cal or Archer--Sophie should choose! They were both too amazing. I'm anxiously awaiting Spell Bound, coming out in May of 2012.

The Cover: Jaw-dropping and dead-on accurate. The London back round, then the fiery reflection of Sophie. Awwwweeeesommmee!!!