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!!!

Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Genre: paranormal, mystery
Series and Book #: Hex Hall #1
Pages: 323
Synopsis:

Three years ago, Sophie Mereer 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.

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This was such a fun, suspenseful, unique book with a hilarious and sarcastic MC. All of Rachel's characters were well put together and she did an amazing job of explaining Sophie's world.

Sophie was brilliant. She was so witty and sarcastic while everyone else was serious. Her situation was different than other Prodigium because she was raised by her human mother, so she has to learn everything about being a witch from scratch, and she hates it. But with her friend Jenna, the only vampire student at Hex Hall, she's back to her usual self, cracking jokes that virtually no one else finds funny. I think Rachel did an excellent job building up the secondary characters as well.

Hex Hall was a perfectly written place, from Sophie's first impressions, to when she's exploring for fun. Rachel wasn't very detailed, but she did show us what Hex Hall was like, and I could see the people and places as I read the book. The old-looking mansion on the outside, the woods surrounding the school, and the classrooms were all explained very well, and I loved that I was able to have a picture in my head.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I'm totally zipping through Demonglass, the sequel. Rachel's writing was amazing, Sophie was the best, and the rest of the characters, figures, and places in Hex Hall were awesome. I can't wait to learn more about Sophie's magical abilities and the rest of the magical world in the next book!

The Cover: I love how it has both Sophie and her ghostly friend on the cover, along with the pond that's beside Hex Hall. It's pretty awesome.