98) Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

The Blurb :

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

My Thoughts :

I know there must have been something I liked about the first part in this series because I wouldn't have added this second book to my wishlist otherwise. Hex Hall however was a distant memory and even after the first few chapters of this sequel I didn't remember much about the first book. It was only halfway into Demonglass that the pieces of the puzzle came together and my memory came back to me.

Despite finally remembering what had happened in Hex Hall I have to say it felt like I was reading a totally different series. Instead of witches there were demons and the school had been left and exchanged for a huge over the top house in England. I was left slightly confused by the authors decision to take things elsewhere and spin the plot around. Curious I continued reading but by the end I knew that this was the last time I was visiting Hex Hall.

It wasn't that the storyline was bad or not well written it was just slightly confusing, uninteresting and weak. All this bad points built up throughout the book and at the end I was left wondering what had been achieved in this sequel. Nothing much. I could be wrong and the third book may offer a lot of revelations and excitement but Demonglass didn't and has left me feeling like I wasted my time.

Younger readers may find this series much more likable. After all it has the paranormal aspects that are popular these days and also a forbidden love vs the good guy. I wasn't moved by the story and will not be continuing but I can suggest this one for the young girls in your life who are looking for something new now that Twilight is over.

113) Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

The Blurb :

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 student 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.

My Thoughts :

It seems like every Young Adult novel that branches into the Paranormal has to have some kind of school theme. Yes most of the characters are school age and this means they need to go to school but it does get a little tedious. Hex Hall however does do some things a little differently and has a nice lead character with an interesting story to tell. I can't say that this one held me captive but I did enjoy it.

A nice storyline with a good plot this debut in the series was filled with some nice supernatural elements. Sometimes I felt the story was lacking a little something and kept feeling annoyed with the author for making Sophie so naive. However I think that this is a series that will grow and evolve into something bigger and better as each new installment comes along.

Hex Hall doesn't stand out like the House of the Night or Vampire Academy but it was original enough to keep me reading till the end. I even added the next book in the series to my wishlist. I am very curious to see what comes next and hope that things start to get deeper and darker next time around.