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 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.
Despite the rather tacky looking cover of the UK/Australian version, Hex Hall was a fun read with quite a bit more depth than what its exterior would have you believe. There isn't really anything here that hasn't been done before, but the fresh, hilarious narrating and crazy twists and turns of the story is what makes all the difference.
The story started at a good pace, but raced as it got closer and closer to the end. All the revelations caught me by a huge surprise- I never saw any of them coming! I absolutely loved the unpredictability of it all. The characters were mostly likeable too, even if somewhat cliche at times. I don't know if I was just lucky, but I have never once met girls like Elodie and her gang before- you know, the uber popular biatches that rule the school, and so whenever I see them on TV or in books I can't help but think it's all a little unbelievable. Regardless, each character did bring their own spark to the novel and made their mark.
In a lot of ways this book reminded me of Evernight. I won't tell you exactly why, but if you liked that book, chances are you'll probably like this one. The ending was such a killer though, and I cannot wait for the sequel!
Overall: ♥♥♥♥
Published: March 2nd 2010 by Hyperion Book CH
I really liked this one, too! It drew me right in. But you're right--that UK cover just doesn't fit :)
ReplyDeleteNice review, sounds like something I'd wanna read :)
ReplyDelete