Demonglass - Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) - Rachel Hawkins
Grade: YA
Rating: 5/5 stars

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? (Description from Goodreads)
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I was so impressed with ‘Hex Hall’ and had high expectations for its sequel. Did ‘Demonglass’ live up to those expectations? Oh.My.God, yes! We are thrown back into Sophie’s magical world and it’s even more exciting than the first book. We come across familiar characters; new additions and a plot that drives you insane. Perfect sequel to a magical series.

Snarky, sarcastic comments fill the page once again and I love how real everything felt, despite being set in a Castle in England and all the magic and demons running wild. Sophie’s sadness over leaving her mum for the summer, was so touching – I’d be the same if I was away from my mum for that long – and her nervousness about spending time with the father she’s never known. It was all so normal. The only part that made it abnormal was the supernatural beings and magical mysteries, like: who keeps making the demon teenagers and what is their purpose? Do we get an answer? Oh, yes; yes we do!

I was looking forward to learning more about L’Occicho di Dio, The Eye, the hunters, but we’re still sort of left in the dark with them, except for knowing they've been attacking a lot of magical establishments. Their lack of involvement is my only negative for the book. I really wanted to see more of them and while we obviously do see more than in the last book, it still wasn't as much as I would have liked. The focus was still heavily on the Prodigium side of things, especially working with the Council and demons.

What sort of young adult book would this be without an epic love triangle? This is one of those hard love triangles where you can’t help loving both guys. I don’t want either to get hurt. I had one of my theories from book one confirmed in ‘Demonglass’ and it’s making me a little anxious for ‘Spell Bound’. We find out a lot more about both Archer and Cal in this book, but I feel like there’s more to come; we don’t quite know enough to be sure who Sophie will end up with.

Speaking of “more to come”, I shouldn’t be so shocked when a middle of the series book leaves you with an epic cliff-hanger ending, but am I and I was. I distinctly remember my mouth being used to catch flies, couldn’t quite get my jaw off the floor with this one. Not a heart wrenching I’m-Going-to-Die ending, but one that hits you hard. The only way I can describe it in words would be: WOW! Followed closely by: I need the next one, now! Action packed ending that left me breathless for the last 50 pages and desperate for book 3.

I cannot express how much I loved this book. Definitely a favourite.

5/5 stars


Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)