Hex Hall (Rachel Hawkins) Review

Received book from Book It Forward Arc Tours.

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (March 2, 2010)
Hardcover: 336 pages

When Sophie Mercer turned thirteen, she 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 Hecate Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward prodigium, a.k.a. witches, fae, 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, tag-along ghost; and a new roommate, who happens to be the most-hated person and only vampire on campus. Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her friend Jenna is the number one suspect.

Meanwhile, Sophie has a more personal shock to grapple with. Not only is her father the head of the prodigium council, he's the most powerful warlock in the world, and Sophie is his heir. 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. (Source)

Review

I think I have claimed a new record of how fast I read a book. I literally could not put this book down once I started.

I don't usually read up on books that I want to review because I like to be surprised and make my own judgements. So with this book I had no idea what to expect and I was hooked after the first chapter!

Throughout the book I felt like I was always a step behind just reaching to get ahead. I could not predict anything that was going to happen and that made this such a fun and fast read. I loved taking the journey along with Sophie while she was discovering her roots and the strength of her powers.

I really enjoy the paranormal YA genre because each author has their own spin on characteristics and profiles for each race. I appreciated the fact that Hex Hall was more like a normal school in that the students were racially intermixed but still formed cliques and enemies. I could relate to these characters on a deeper level when thinking about my own high school experience. Likewise, the feelings of lust and crushes was appropriate for hormonal teenagers. For Sophie, her immediate attraction to Archer was justified in his looks and eventually learning more about him deepened the emotion.

The story itself was intoxicating. Rachel kept me on my toes wondering who was the mysterious threat to the students and how much more Sophie could unintentionally screw up at school. And then there was the whole aspect of learning about Sophie's father and his position within in the supernatural world. Along with learning of Sophie's past, she comes across someone who shows her how to excel with her powers but soon realizes at what cost. There were so many elements that kept me wanting more and more, it was euphorically torturing!

I appreciated the antiquity of the characters. I think that each one of them held strong to their values and were true to themselves. No matter how many times Elodie screwed up any chances of Sophie fitting in, Sophie got over it to try again. She stood up for herself and never changed her personality to fit in. Even when her best friend was under scrutiny from everyone at Hex Hall, Sophie trusted her instincts to stand by and be a good friend. Jenna, as Sophie's faithful sidekick, was really a pleasure to read. She was the biggest outcast but held onto her old life and did not waiver even when he was accused of a most heinous crime. And Archer (oh Archer..) was such fun to experience. He was so mysterious and foxy, but I think there is a whole other story to him left to experience.

I absolutely cannot wait for the next Hex Hall book to come out because there are so many questions that I NEED answered! I was left at the biggest cliffhanger that I ever remember reading and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for this story to continue!