Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) - Rachel Hawkins
Grade: YA
Rating: 5/5 stars

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. (Description from Goodreads)
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I’m a big fan of witches. I love the idea of casting spells and having magical mysteries and adventures. If I knew nothing else about Hex Hall, the fact that it had a magic school and the main character was a witch would have interested me. Turns out that was all I knew about the series anyway, but it met my expectations and more.

Have you ever met an extremely sarcastic and funny witch? Well you will when you meet Sophie Mercer. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much on so many pages in ages. Sophie comes off as this incredibly “human” character, despite her powers. She makes mistakes, crushes on unavailable guys, fights with the popular kids and even has major panic attacks when she discovers unknown information about her family. As a character, she is so easy to become familiar with, her voice just flows. Yes, she seems silly and superficial at times (hexing dresses and complaining about mean girls getting the good guys) but she’s a teen in a magical boarding school, all teens are a little silly sometimes. That just made her more real.

Sophie’s knowledge of the magical world is limited, so when she’s forced to attend Hecate Hall for endangering the magical community, she’s thrown into a world she’s not familiar with and much learn all she can about the other part of herself. Sad for Sophie being pushed into the unknown; but really good for us, because we get the chance to learn with her. We see the different types of magical beings, learn that there are two types of witches (white and dark) and are equally shocked when it is revealed that there are supernatural hunters. Not everything is sunshine and daisies for Sophie. I really hope we come across the hunters at some point in the future, because they sound like they will cause some series damage, which could be exciting.

Hex Hall is not just a book about magic and hunters. The book has a fair bit of mystery. The dark witches of Hecate Hall are being attacked and no-one knows why. The answer was not what I was expecting and there’s a shocking revelation at the end that left me dying for the next book, so much that I instantly ordered it online.

I can’t wait to see what happens next in this magical series.

5/5 stars


Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)