REVIEW: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall (Hex Hall series, #1)
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Format: hardcover, 323 pages
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Source: purchased
Published: March 2010 by Hyperion

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.

Why I Read this Book: Witches don’t woo me so I wasn’t too excited to read Hex Hall. Slap me silly because when I finally decided to read it, it turned out to be a really good read. I’ve been missing out!

What I Liked: I really thought this was just going to be an okay book. I didn’t have any expectations but I was blown away. The cover didn’t grab me; if anything, it felt too “young” for me. And again, I’m not fascinated with witches so I wasn’t exactly thrilled that the protagonist was a witch. But once I started reading Hex Hall, the more I read, the more the book proved to be NOT what I expected. In a good way. This author knew how to keep me guessing without overwhelming me.

Hex Hall is a fascinating world of Prodigium (paranormal creatures). There’s one main love interest (Archer) and a possible second love interest (Cal). I am rooting for the underdog. Team Cal!

I love Sophie’s sarcasm and humor. I enjoyed reading from her POV; she’s not your typical whiny teenage full of angst who thinks too much. She’s realistic (as realistic as you can get for being a Prodigium) and I couldn’t help but like the girl. I enjoyed Archer’s sense of humor and sarcasm as well. Sophie and Archer seem to be a good fit.

What I Didn’t Like: Hex Hall was a good first book in a series. The author set up the plot splendidly, along with the characters. There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about this book.

Overall Impression: Hex Hall is a quick read. I wanted to know how everything was going to play out. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger but it only made me that more eager to read Demonglass (thank goodness I had Demonglass in hand when I finished Hex Hall!). The author’s fluid writing will draw you in and before you know it, you’ll blink and have had read 40 pages. It literally went by in a blink of an eye, in a very enjoyable way.

The Book Vixen’s Rating: