Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall

Rachel Hawkins

323 Pages

Published March 2nd 2010 by Hyperion Book CH

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.

 I'd been hearing about these series for what seems like forever when I finally decided to take the plunge and read it. I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline, even with the huge cliffhanger ending, and will for sure be reading the rest of this series.

Sophie has a lot going on in her life. She's recently discovered she's a witch, her never-around father a powerful warlock. On occasion she tries to do magic, but everything always manages to go all wrong, usually landing her in a heap of trouble. When a simple love potion goes awry she is sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for misbehaving supernatural beings. Here she discovers she's not alone, meeting witches, warlocks, fairies and even a vampire, whom she has for a roommate.

Not too long into her stay at Hex Hall, a girl is almost killed by what looks like a vampire, though Sophie has her doubts about this, which nobody hears her out on. I felt like Sophie was a very inquisitive character, always questioning why things were the way they were, and if circumstances were really what they seemed. I really liked her spunky attitude, along with her kindness and ability to stay calm in stressful situations.

I also enjoyed the setting. Hex Hall had a very historic vibe that I enjoyed quite a bit, and it was also a bit spooky at the same time. The author threw out a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing the entire book, and that I really enjoyed. Though I gotta say, the ending was a killer cliff-hanger!