Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1)

It’s not easy being a witch, especially when you’re raised by your human mother. Sophie Mercer knows this all too well, and it doesn’t help that every time she tries to use her magic, it goes wrong and other humans notice. Meaning she and her mom have to move … again.

Now she’s been sentenced to Hecate Hall, also known as Hex Hall, a last chance reform school for magical beings that have defied the Council. Her classmates are witches, weres, faeries … and her roommate is a vampire.

And here Sophie thought her last high school was hell. At least there, you didn’t run the risk of literally meeting a demon.

Hex Hall is a fun, laugh-out-loud read, with plenty of action, some mystery, and a teeny bit of drama thrown in. I immediately fell in love with the main character, Sophie. She’s so sassy and real – I swear, she has some of the wittiest lines in the entire book. Who wouldn’t love a girl who screams ‘Bad dog!’ at an attacking werewolf? And that’s just one of my favorites – seriously, the entire first chapter detailing how Sophie wrecks prom is a GEM. I can’t even quote it, because I wouldn’t want to ruin the humor by pulling lines out of context, but let me tell you that it is absolutely hilarious.

I also love that I didn’t see some of the twists and turns coming in the story. I read so much that many times I can vaguely predict where the story is going – not so with Hex Hall. I adore being surprised by writers, and Rachel Hawkins did a fantastic job of adding in plenty of surprises. There were two huge plot twists I didn’t see coming … and I’m not all that sure I’m thrilled with how the romance turned out. Mostly, I’m still confused and in a little shock: much like Sophie.

I would heartily recommend this book to fans of paranormal fantasy, the young adult genre, or to anyone who likes a little snark in their heroines. Or a lot of snark, as this case my be.

I don’t have much in the way of disclaimers, except there is a vampire, so there’s some mention of blood and death.

Oh, and I’m pretty sure you can get an eBook copy for $2.99 until Halloween. Go grab one! Here are the links for kindle and nook.

For once, a fresh and ORIGINAL take on teen witches and how they came to be, how they must answer to the Council, and how they make their way in the world. This is not another rubberstamped entry into the field. It reminds me of Diana Wynne Jones and Jane Yolen, with a witty narrator and fun turns of phrase. If you mess up and risk revealing your powers to humans, you’ll get sentenced to Hecate Hall, also known as Hex Hall, a reform school for magical beings that have accidentally or on purpose done just one too many spells that could “out” them. Here we find not only witches, but shapeshifters, weres, and faeries–and, new this year, vampires. And demons? Hmmm.

I would have rated this five stars, but towards the end things took a very, very dark turn, and it disturbed me. The rest of the series probably pivots on this revelation, so I don’t know if I will read the rest of the series . . . I probably will, but I”ll wait a while. Anyway, I think we should reward someone who does an ORIGINAL take like this! This is really about the power of women as much as it is about “magic” or “paranormal events.” You could read some of it as an allegory. (But then most good books can be.)

If you enjoyed this, try DULCINEA or APRIL, MAYBE JUNE, which are not nearly as dark but are also original takes on girls with unusual power.

Review was written for please feed the bookworm – http://pleasefeedthebookworm.com

If I could sum up this book in 3 words it would so much fun!
Im a bit late to the party where this series is concerned but better late than never. I snagged this audio book and was sucked in pretty quickly. I was looking for a light read in between some serious stuff and this hit the spot! Was it a mind blowing life altering experienceno. It was still a decent ride.

I have encountered this issue now a few times. I dont like the narrator of my audio-book. It is a similar plight when the casting director chooses someone who you think looks nothing like what the lead of your book to movie adaption should. This is a me problem but, a problem none the less. The narrator was trying to come off as young and snarky and it sounded forced. While it didnt ruin the book, it did throw me off a bit. Im starting to realize audio-books can be a double edged sword.

Anyhoo, this is the typical girl finds out she is a witch in her younger years, makes a monumental mess of something in school or hometown and is sent away to a special school for well, Witches along with Fae, Werewolves, Shape-shifters, Warlocks, and a few Vamps.

photo animated-witch_zpsyvc4q8mm.gif

This isnt your typical Hogwarts since the kids sent to Hecate Hall (Hex Hall) arent accepted with a magical letter from a flying owl. They are sent there since they have proven that they cant control themselves or their magic in public which makes them a danger to all Prodigium. Prodigium being another word for Fae, Witch, Shapeshifter, etc. There are rules that must be followed so Hex Hall helps these students hone their craft while they learn to protect themselves from hunters. There is some really fun dialogue which kept the mood light. However, Sophie wasnt my favorite person. The term that comes to mind is wet blanket. The history Mrs. Hawkins created was my favorite part. she did a great job of camouflaging the information throughout the plot. The pacing was also quick and entertaining. Sophie does turn out to be quite the bad ass though so hopefully I will end up more impressed with her in future books. I also must find out how that bombshell at the end turns out. All in all I will continue this series, Im just not in a rush to do so. After all

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!

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.

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