Review: Hex Hall

by Rachel Hawkins
publisher: Disney Book Group
date published: April 27, 2010 (first published March 2, 2010)
format: NOOK ebook
pages: 196
source: gift
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

When I read the first few chapters I thought, "Uh oh. Am I reading a soap opera? Is this All My Witches or something?" I'm happy to say, though, that there is more to Hex Hall than at first meets the eye. This was a very fun read, albeit a short one. I immensely enjoyed Sophie as a character, as well as Jenna, her roomie and friend. The banter between the two was smile-inducing and they conveyed a definitely sense of camaraderie.

The story line was a lot of fun, as well. It's a little like Harry Potter with more hormones. The behaviors and interactions between the teens at Hex Hall was very believable and often very charged. I loved the air of mystery surrounding the events that started before Sophie arrived and resumed once she had settled in. There's nothing quite like a good "whodunnit" in a story like this. I was very surprised by the outcome and was left wanting to know more about the how and why.

The first few chapters left me feeling very dubious, but the rest of the book quickly won me over. I am eagerly looking forward to reading Demonglass and am glad that I already have it checked out from the library. I don't think I would want to wait too long to read more. This was a great intro to the Hex Hall series and I look forward to seeing what else Rachel Hawkins has for us. I give Hex Hall 4 hoots.