Hex Hall: Hex Hall Series, Book 1

I have an admission to make. I am a giant cover whore. I can't help it, if I see a cover I love I have to have the book. Now, of course, I read the description and make sure the story sounds mildly interesting before I blow twenty bucks on a hardback, but the cover definitely is the first draw for me. Sometimes I even keep books that I really didn't like, just because I love the cover so much. And trust me, with my lack of shelf space, this is a sin. So naturally when I saw the cover for Hex Hall (well the American cover at least, some of the international covers are just terrible) it was love at first sight, add in a reform school for wayward magic-types and we have some real long-term relationship material here. But, as with all budding love affairs, there was some apprehension. What if it was cheesy? What if it was a thinly-veiled Harry Potter knock-off? Worst of all, what if there was (dun dun....duuuun) INSTA-LOVE?! Luckily for me and everyone else, my fears were unfounded. I got totally wrapped up in Sophie's world and thoroughly enjoyed this magical read.LIKES:Sophie and Jenna: Sophie, our main character, is not your average YA fledgling witch. She likes having powers, isn't afraid to use them, and is pretty sure of herself. Once she gets to Hex she realizes she has some major improving to do and works hard to better herself. There's none of the usual "but I don't want to be a witch" or "I just want a normal life, why must I be so awesome? why?" crap. She has moments where she questions where her life will go, as we all do, but she is a strong character with plenty of personality to boot. Jenna is a vampire. A blood-sucking beastie who happens to love hot pink and sleeps with a stuffed lion named Bram. She is also Sophie's new roommate and the only vampire student in the whole school. Her character represents being strong in the face of stereotypes and adversity and I love that about her.Cliches (but in a good way): Normally cliches are frowned upon in this day and age, but I loved the classic elements of this story. It was cool to have witches that actually fly on broomsticks, vampires who (without a special talisman) can't eat garlic or go out in the sun and fairies that have fairy wings and bad attitudes. It made the book so much fun and it felt so much more familiar.So many surprises: I'm a sucker for twists and this book had quite a few. Maybe I'm just bad at foreshadowing but most of them caught me off guard and that always makes reading more fun.It was just lots of fun. Nuf said.DISLIKES:Atmosphere: The author chose a great setting and I was really looking forward to a creepy, atmospheric feel to this book. However, I just don't feel like it was developed enough. I wanted to know more about the school and its grounds and I found that I could really picture much of it. I'm hoping this gets better in the next two books.Isn't it just lovely when cover-love works out? I can't wait to get my hands on Demonglass and see where Sophie and Jenna's adventures take them. Oh and did I mention that even though this series is through Rachel Hawkins is coming out with a new spin-off series starting with School Spirits in May of this year? Yes, we don't have to say goodbye just yet. I'm so excited to see what Hawkins has planned. I haven't even finished this series and I'm ready for the next one. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the cover for School Spirits is just as awesome. My addiction continues.

Goodreads Description: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 did I pick it?I heard about this series from the YA Sisterhood blog in the Tournament of Heroines. The book looked like a fun read so I purchased it.So....how did I like it?I'm going to be honest and say....I could not stop reading it! Every line since the first paragraph hooked me in. Sophie's snarky attitude and little comebacks kept making me laugh. I fell in love with her right away. Almost every line that comes out of her mouth makes me love her more and more.The story had a really nice twist to it. When I first started this book I was wary about it. Seemed like it had a Harry Potter feel to it. But it didn't and I was really excited that it wasn't. Hawkins made every character relatable and lovable.Hex Hall (as the characters call it), is amazingly surprising. Every time a chapter ended, it was practically a cliffhanger so it encourages you to keep reading. I couldn't stop.I loved the story and all the characters in it. Yes there is a hottie in it (isn't there always?). A story isn't a story without a little romance am I right?Archer is a cutie and like Sophie, I'm still not sure where he stands. I can't wait to read the next installment to see what happens.Sophie's loyalty to Jenna made my heart sigh. I know it's cheesy but when you see that kind of friendship, it makes me smile.Of course this book ended on a cliffhanger so I already bought the next installment. :-) I'll be getting to it pretty quick since I can't wait to see what happens.Now for some quotes (it's my favorite part):I'd left her alone before, figuring that it was every girl's right to cry in a public bathroom from time to time. But tonight was prom night, and there was something really sad about sobbing in formal wear."Awesome," I murmured, sliding my sunglasses on top of my head. Thanks to the humidity, my hair felt like it had tripled in size. I could feel it trying to devour my sunglasses like some sort of carnivorous jungle plant. "I always wondered what it would be like to live in somebody's mouth."I scowled. Being manipulated has always been one of my least favorite things. Right up there with snakes. And Britney Spears.

Amazing book, so detailed and just such a great story! Can't wait to read the rest of this a,axing trilogy!!

Quiero encontrar la tercera parte en México y no hay un solo ejemplar. Una lectura rápida y fácil de leer. Me enamore de Cal.

Oh my, Hex Hall, what can I really say about Hex Hall to truly convey my feelings?? It was freaking full of awesomesauce. It was perfection. I don't have a single bad word to say about this witty and clever tale. And why have I only just read it I hear you ask? Well I have absolutely no idea.Sophie is a witch but lives with her non-magical mother. After a love spell goes wrong she is sent to Hecate Hall where she embarks on quite an adventure. On her first day she manages to piss off a coven of dark witches, nearly gets attacked by a werewolf and is embarrassed by a warlock when he points that she isn't a very good witch. And as she starts to settle into school life, a teenager is murdered and the suspect is Sophie's only real friend who happens to be a vampire. Not to mention she is falling for Archer (the warlock who call her out on her first) who just happens to be the head of covens boyfriends.The characters in this book are some of the best characters I have came across in a YA in a long time. Sophie is kickass and hilariously funny and very strong willed. Her best friend Jenny, I love her. She is the only vampire in Hecate and they make a good pair. And come on a vampire that love pinks? Won me over. Now Archer, he is a very intriguing character. I couldn't help but swoon over him. Why he was with Elodie I didn't understand. Elodie is an utter bitch. I want to slap her so hard on more than one occasion but it made for excellent reading.Hex Hall has a little bit of every thing that I love in a YA read. An action packed storyline, a kickass Heroine, laugh out loud humour and oh yeah, witches, vampires, shape shifters. And a perfect setting, a boarding school, I'm a sucker for story set in boarding schools. And I knew from page one that I was going to enjoy it. I just didn't realise on how much I would enjoy it.Rachel Hawkins has definitely set the standard on how a YA supernatural book should be like. She gives her Sophie a very unique voice. And has created such a fun and exciting story that any fans of YA will love. I am so glad I have the other book in the trilogy now so I can sit and read them.

As soon as Sophie arrived at Hecate Hall - fondly nicknamed "Hex Hall" by the student body - I knew this was going to be a great read. There were important scenes around every corner, and no filler scenes to be seen.Sophie even caught the eye of the school hottie - Archer Cross - within the first few minutes of arriving. If that's not immediate chemistry, then I don't know what is! The story followed Sophie through her settling into her room with her new vampire roommate, Jenna. Then, all of a sudden, students start getting attacked. From then on, the reader is left trying to guess who - or rather, what - attacked those girls.There are a couple of surprise moments thrown in, as well as a couple of twists that also left me shocked!The pacing was pretty average throughout the book. Whilst it was fast, I wasn't made to feel that the plot was leading up to anything huge. I was left wondering if anything was going to happen, and if it was, when exactly things would kick off!Before I start with Sophie, I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved reading about all of the Prodigium that were at the school. Hawkins described each different type of Prodigium (isn't it easier just to say "creature"?) in such a magical way, I just kept wanting to read more about them to see if there was anything else to discover.Now for Sophie Mercer... I did like her character a lot. She was humorous, stubborn, and a great friend - even at the hardest of times. She dealt with moving away from her mum and in with a vampire and an assortment of other "creatures" very well, and it showed how strong she really was. However, what I didn't like about her was the way she spoke. I know that may sound silly, but the dialogue just did not seem up to par with her character.The love interest - the dashing Archer Cross - was a wonderful addition to the cast. He was extremely witty, which you know I love, and while he's no Jace Wayland he's certainly way up there.Jenna, the new roommate, was a darling. I loved how the author included Jenna's struggles in with the story as well. She really was a treasure to read about!The writing style was incredible. It was descriptive and not dialogue heavy. It drew me in straight from the prologue!I think that if you enjoy reading about magic, witches, wizards warlocks, vampires, werewolves, shape shifters and demons - then you're definitely going to want to buy this book! It's a must have for your bookshelf! Make sure you read it before Demonglass[Image] (Book Two) comes out in March!

I kept on reading very positive reviews of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins so I decided to find out what all the fuss was about for myself. I'm so glad that I did, Hex Hall is a little like The Worst Witch crossed with Mean Girls and a sprinkling of Harry Potter.Sophie Mercer is only sixteen when she discovers that she is a witch. Whilst trying to help someone out she performs a love spell with dire consequences. As a punishment Sophie is sent to Hecate Hall; known as 'Hex Hall' by the pupils, it is a reform school for Prodigium; which can include witches, shapeshifters, faeries and warlocks. Sophie's first day does not go well, she quickly makes enemies of the three most beautiful and popular girls in school. She has a crush in a warlock who happens to be with one of the 'mean girls'. To top it all off, Sophie's roomate Jenna is the only vampire allowed at Hex Hall making her the freakiest and most disliked of them all. As if this isn't enough, awful events start taking place at the school; students are being attacked and all fingers are pointing at Jenna. Sophie wants to protect her new best friend but it is hard for her to know who to trust in this strange new world she has been thrust into.I loved Hex Hall, Rachel Hawkins starts the action immediately and she does not let up until the very end. I did not see the twist at the end coming which is great as you feel as though you are experiencing everything a and when Sophie does. Rachel Hawkins has created some weird and wonderful characters but if you strip away all the magic and special powers then you are left with a group of teenagers trying to discover who and what is important to them. Sophie is new to this world and there is so much she needs to know. She has to decide whether she would rather fit in with the popular pupils or stand up for those who are most important to her.Hex Hall was such a good read and I really hope that there are more to come as they would make a great series.