Hex Hall Review

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion Children's
Published: March 2, 2010
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 323
Source: Personal Copy

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.
Sophie's always known she was a freak, so why not own it, right? When yet another of her spells goes wrong, Sophie's only chance at a normal life with others like her is at a boarding school called Hecate Hall, or to its students, Hex Hall. Sophie isn't pleased she's been condemned there, and she's even less pleased to see the offbeat school in person, meet the students and discover half her life has been a lie. But there are silver linings...her vampire roommate, though odd, is pretty nice and there's a crushworthy boy just lurking in the foreground. There are mysteries in Hex Hall though, and Sophie's past and future are tied to them, making normal seem like a very lofty goal.

Again, I'm late reading Hex Hall, mainly because when I first started reviewing, it was really hyped. You know me and hype - we don't get along so well. Anyway, I finally decided to read Hex Hall, and I was actually pleasantly surprised. The author, Rachel Hawkins, has a decidedly unique writing voice. It's conversational, easy to follow and allows one to easily access the characters' minds, especially Sophie. I read fast, but Hex Hall, though fairly long, is a fast read with a steady plot, plenty of twists and turns and a lovable heroine that kept me on my toes throughout.

I will say that I don't think Hex Hall, speaking generally, is the most original story (ie - school for magic, hot boy, new students, vamps, mean girls yadda yadda), BUT Hex Hall does present these common items in a unique and interesting way. Sophie's dialogue was consistently tangible to me. She uses slang, she's snarky and her sarcasm was something I could totally relate to. Furthermore, Hex Hall had secondary characters like the hot guy, Archer Cross, who managed to step outside of his stereotype into something a little more, and Sophie's vamp roommate was a great twist on a lot of vamps in YA fiction. Mixed together with an intriguing mystery, Hex Hall is a fun and inventive tale that had me rooting for and laughing with Sophie the entire time.

I'm surprised to say this, but Hex Hall quite lived up to its hype. I give it a strong 4 out of 5, docking points only for the underlying common themes, but I definitely recommend it. I think it would be enjoyable for those who like YA, especially paranormal books with vampires, werewolves and witchcraft.

30 comments:

  1. I just finishedbreading this book, too. I picked it up from the digital library. Your review was great, informative and fun to read. The book itself for me was a slow start, but picked up the pace about 1/3 of the way into the story. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the sequel.

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  2. Great review! A new book to add to my list! :)

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  3. I loved this book, it was just so cute! I liked the school, it makes me want to visit it. :) lol.
    Great review.

    Ps; Love your new layout!

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  4. Me and hype don't get along too but I have been curious about this book for a long time. I love snarkiness and sarcasm - I think I will like this book. Wonderful review!

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  5. I enjoyed this book too last year and am looking forward to reading the second in the series soon. Glad you enjoyed it too.

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  6. I heart this books! It's one of my fav YA series!

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  7. We went to see Rachel at a signing and she even said the idea wasn't super original, but she wanted to put a twist on it! I love this series and you need to read Demonglass ASAP! :)

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  8. Great review!
    I really have to agree with you, at first the concept felt very old -but Hex Hall managed to surprise after all! And trust me, Demonglass is even better! :)

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  9. I was surprised by this book too-I didn't expect it to be so AWESOME and yet it was. Kudos to Rachel Hawkins for putting a different (and fun!) spin on a common story line.

    Oh, and of course, great review! :)

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  10. I read this right after reading Fallen and I felt like I was reading the same book only in a simplified cutesy version. Boarding school for misfits, secret society, mean girls, cemetery, hot guy it really couldn't have gotten much closer except there were no angels. But, I ordered the sequel anyway!

    Heather

    Heather

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  11. Hype can be SO bad! But I am glad that it still lived up to the hype :) It does seem to have that something extra

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  12. I enjoyed this one, too, even though it did seem like a snarky mash-up of every other YA paranormal. Sophie was a great character, which made the difference. Glad you enjoyed it!

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  13. I'm late reading this one too, but less because of the hype and more because of the cover. It just makes it seem too...young, I think. I still haven't gotten around to reading it, but I did buy it a few months back. That's progress, right?

    Great review! I'm much more likely to bump Hex Hall to the top of my list now.

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  14. I agree that this wasn't the most unique book in the world, but Sophie's voice makes it all worth it! I loved the funny, sarcastic, dark humor. Lots of great characters. Especially Jenna.

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  15. Wait... tell me more about the hot guy. ;D Yep another review that I just love about this book. Guess I need this series.

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  16. So glad you enjoyed this one Melissa! It was one of my favorite reads last year. Any girl with a penchant for snark is a girl I'm a big fan of, so Sophie instantly stood out for me and I couldn't help but love her. Can't wait to see what you think of Demonglass!

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  17. I really love the Hex Hall series - I wish more people were reading them. They're just so great.

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  18. Great review. I have read lots of good reviews for this series. I really need to get around to reading it soon too.

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  19. I love this book. It's hilarious. Yes, you are right about the originality but Hawkins sure makes up for it in Sophie and the other characters, including Archer. Plus all their crazy antics. Looking forward to reading Demonglass!

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  20. I've had this book sitting on my shelf for the last few weeks and I cannot wait to dive into it, unfortunately I have a few other books in line on loan through the library that I need to get to and a few books coming out within the next month or two on NetGalley that I need to get around to.

    But, I really did enjoy reading your review, it was kind of fun really and not too spoilery. So, yay for that. And I'm totally a new stalker/follower of your blog and think it's totally adorable and I sorta want to marry it. ;)

    So, maybe if you have time or something, check out mine if you feel like it.

    Suz @ A Soul Unsung

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  21. I loved Hex Hall! Sophie is one of my favourite YA characters.

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  22. Sounds like something I’d enjoy, and the cover is nice to. Although, living in Australia, our covers are often different, and I’ve been putting off buying this book because of it. But I really shouldn’t let something like a cover stop me from enjoying a good book. Thanks for sharing :).

    Alisa @ the Novel Nook.

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  23. Loved this book! I jsut got DemonGlass signed by Ms. Hawkins! AHHHH! Super excited to read it. Great review :)

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  24. I LOVED Hex Hall, mainly because Sophie was a little mcsnarky!!

    (This is the game!!)

    ARE

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  25. I just adored this book! I am currently reading Demonglass, and it is also fabulous! :D

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  26. Haha, the hype here got me too - I haven't picked the book up yet :D
    Will eventually get around it, sooner than later thanks to your review :)

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  27. Great review, Melissa! I’ve had this one on the shelf for a long time, but haven’t picked it up. I’ll have to give it a go soon :)

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  28. I really want to read this! I've had it on my radar for awhile now but just haven't gotten around to it yet! Glad you enjoyed it.

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  29. I was totally taken aback by these books too! It is always nice when things actually like up to the hype surrounding them!

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  30. Great review on Hex Hall! :D I recently purchased and finished reading Hex Hall and Demon Glass and I loved them both. I would rant onwards about my love for them but I don't think anyone would care.

    I just posted my review of Hex Hall today if you wanna stop by and do some reading! :D

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