Book Review & Giveaway: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Paperback, 336 pages
Release date: April 1st 2010.
Rating: 3½ out of 5
Series: Hex Hall Book 1.
Age group: Young Adult.

        Witches, vampires, magic...welcome to Freak High.

In the wake of a love spell gone horribly wrong, Sophie Mercer, a sixteen-year-old witch, is shipped off to Hecate Hall, a boarding school for witches, shapeshifters and faeries. The traumas of mortal high school are nothing compared to the goings on at "Freak High." It's bad enough that she has to deal with a trio of mean girls led by the glamorous Elodie, but it's even worse when she begins to fall for Elodie's gorgeous boyfriend, Archer Cross, and frankly terrifying that the trio are an extremely powerful coven of dark witches. But when Sophie begins to learn the disturbing truth about her father, she is forced to face demons both metaphorical and real, and come to terms with her own growing power as a witch.

Having been a big fan of the movie The Craft,  the UK TV series Hex, and generally all things witchy, I was really looking forward to reading this one.  Hex Hall was a quick, fun read, but I felt that this was maybe more suited to a younger teenage audience, and was a little lacking in the crossover appeal for adult audiences that so many young adult books have at the moment.  That said, I mostly enjoyed reading it, and I really loved the ending which was full of unexpected twists.

I really liked Sophie as a leading character, and I felt that she was somebody that all of us could identify with.  Who hasn’t been the new girl in a group at one time or another? Hawkins portrays Sophie’s sense of loneliness and alienation in her new school very well, and it makes her close friendship and loyalty to her vampire friend  Jenna very believable.  I also loved Sophie’s sense of humour which added a little comic relief to the tense moments in the book.  There is a large cast of characters in the book, and while I didn’t really feel like I got to know them all, I did love the ‘mean-girls’ element of the dark witches led by Elodie.  That girl definitely reminded me of Regina George at times!

I always like a little romance in my fiction, and I love a good looking leading male, so I enjoyed the flirtation between Sophie and Archer. Now, he’s one with a lot of secrets, and I hope to find out more about  him in the next Hex Hall book, Demonglass, due for release March 2011.

The ending was definitely the highpoint of the book for me where secrets are revealed and certain characters may not be what they seem.  A few times I thought I knew where the story was headed, but then it would go in a completely different direction.  I always try to figure out plot twists, so I love it when I end up being totally surprised at the end of a book.

All in all I thought this was a good debut, and a fun read! I’m looking forward to the next installment. 

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