Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Quick & Dirty: Wonderful paranormal story filled with witty banter, fun adventure, a snarky protagonist, and cute romance. I loved every minute of this book and highly recommend it.
Opening Sentence: Felicia Miller was crying in the bathroom.
The Review:
Sophie Mercer is a witch and has been since she was 12 years old. Her parents broke up before she was born and her mom never let her meet her dad. Her magic comes from her father, he’s a warlock and her mother is human. Sophie has never really stayed in one place for long. She has lived in 19 different states and gone to many different schools. She always seems to get herself in trouble and when that happens her and her mom just pack up and move. Her last mistake (which was a love spell gone wrong) lands her in Hecate Hall. A school for all different prodigium that can’t fit into normal society, and can’t afford a private school.
Sophie isn’t excited about attending Hex Hall, but she is surprised to find that she fits in there more than she thought. Yes, there are the mean popular girls and a boy who is way out of her league, but she also makes some great friends. Unfortunately, there is someone attacking witches at Hex Hall and Sophie’s new best friend is the prime suspect. The more Sophie learns about herself; the more she realizes how sheltered she has been her whole life, and that she has enemies that she never knew existed.
Sophie is an awesome protagonist. She is so funny and snarky. She has a comeback for everything, and her dialog is full of witty banter. She is a witch with an attitude and I loved her. There are a lot of layers to Sophie’s character and as the story unfolds you get to see so many sides of her. She has insecurities like any young girl, and she can be emotional. But she also speaks her mind and sticks up for those she cares about. She was such an easy character to like and I loved being inside her head.
Archer Cross is the dreamy warlock Sophie immediately starts crushing on. Sure he can be a total jerk and his girlfriend is a stuck up snob, but Sophie can’t help but like him. He can be really sweet when he wants to be and he is just as snarky and witty as Sophie. It also doesn’t hurt that he happens to be totally hot. Their relationship is cute and is developed perfectly.
This was such a fun read for me. Laced with mystery, adventure and an adorable romance; this book was impossible to put down. The pacing is great and there are some big twists that I wasn’t expecting. This was actually my second time reading this book and I liked it just as much as the first time. The characters are very engaging and fun to get to know. The story is fun and entertaining. I love Rachel Hawkins’ writing, and I can honestly say that I will read anything she writes. I loved this book and I know the rest of the series is going to be great. I would highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys a fun YA paranormal book that is an easy light read.
Notable Scene:
Suddenly Jenna burst out laughing.
“What?”
She shook her head, her pink stripe falling in front if one eye. “Just thinking. Man , Sophie, it’s only your first day and you’ve already befriended the school outcast, pissed off the most popular girls at Hecate, and developed a full-blown thing for the hottest guy. If you can manage to get detention tomorrow, you’ll be like, legendary.”
By Jenna’s definition, it took me a week and a half to become legendary.
FTC Advisory: Hyperion Books provided me with a copy of Hex Hall. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.