Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1)

by Rachel Hawkins

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.

• ISBN10: 1423121309
• ISBN13: 9781423121305
• Publish Date: 2 March 2010
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

It's a bit hard to rate this book, or review it, as it's definitely not a book for my demographic. BUT, this is a book I would have loved loved loved as a "Young-adult" and as it is, I found it to be a very fun read as a not-so-young-adult. :D

I love Sophie's wit and humor and the students around her are all interesting and far from bland. The plot was excellent and I didn't find it at all predictable - I loved the ending. Not so much loving the Archer twist...

Part of a trilogy, I'm looking forward to seeing how the story develops.

Originally posted at Miss Book Reviews.

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I have to say that this book pleasantly surprised me. Lately I've been used to expecting mediocre or just 'okay-ish' paranormal books. I mean in comparison to books of the genre's like Grave Mercy, or Graceling. This one took me be surprise. Relief washed over me as I suddenly realised I was quite enjoying this book, and it was exciting to read!

Sophie is a witch, her father was a warlock and her mother a normal human being. They fell in love and had Sophie, but just before Sophie was born her mother found out what her father really was and separated all ties with him. Therefore Sophie was brought up by her mother and when she came into her powers at 13 she only had the knowledge that her mother could find out about witches. So she hesitantly let Sophie's father back in to help with these things.

One day Sophie uses her magic and it turns out very bad and nearly exposes her 'kind' -the prodigium's- which are beings that are not humans such as witches, fairy's, and werewolves. Her father finally intervenes and sends her to Hecate Hall where she must go to school until she's 18 years old.

Hecate Hall
Hecate Hall (Hex Hall for short) slightly reminded me of Hogwarts. I honestly think that's only because of the name of the classes. The classes were named things like 'Magical Evolution', 'Magical History' and the P.E. class was actually a 'Defense' class where they were taught how to physically fight to defend themselves and protect themselves from the L'Occhio di Dio (The evil that hunts prodigium).  I was waiting for 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' to pop up in there somewhere. But there were also classes like 'Classifications of Vampires' and 'Personal Grooming of Werewolves'. They sounded interesting, I wanted to know what thing's they were taught in these classes.

Witches
The witches were either white witches or black witches. White witches had the ability to do small thing's like love spells, powerful white witches can heal others of their injuries but they cannot raise the dead. Then there are black witches, black witches are much more powerful and can do stronger and, if they so wish, more evil magic. Sophie was classed as a black witch, there were only three other black witches at Hecate; Chaston, Anna and Elodie.

Faeries, Were's and Shapeshifters
We didn't get to see many fairies but they were described. They all had different coloured hair and their wings looked more like butterfly wings than anything. We also didn't get to learn much about these were's or shapeshifters but that they could lose control of their changing when their emotions got high, like anger. Were's and shapeshifters were seen as different prodigiums all together.

Hex Hall
This book was fun and I found it kept me on my toes. Most of the twists I predicted were wrong, or the twists that happened hadn't even occurred to me. That was great, it kept me guessing and wondering what on earth was going on. We all know I love being as clueless as the MC until they find out the reveal themselves! Well if you've read any of my other reviews then you do, if not then you do now!

Although other supporting characters felt very vague. Elodie, Chaston and Anna felt like they were going to be a bigger part of the story so I was surprised to find they weren't really as big as I expected. Although Elodie ended up suddenly being a bigger part than I expected once I had gotten used to the idea. I felt like she jumped from 'supporting' to 'near lead'. Archer was the male love interest, and I'm pretty sure there was insta-love there. How I loathe insta-love. Sophie decided she liked him after only have talked to him a few times, both conversations would not have lead her to like him. Then we met characters at the beginning of the book that I thought we were going to see again but we never did. Maybe we'll see them in the next books?

Hex Hall was a good, fun paranormal that mixes witchery in with faeries, were's, shape shifter's and vampires. 

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a little more than just fun and entertaining. I'm really interested to read the next book because I want to know what Sophie does next and where the story goes. I'm hooked!

Miss J
x 

*Actually 3.5 Stars

[catiebug]

While I love all kinds of mythical creatures, witches are definitely my favorite. I think the idea of the magic and just the history of them is so cool and interesting.

I love that Hawkins took the idea of a boarding school for mythical creatures and made it her own by having Hex Hall being about all kinds. She opened it up and created this world where all of them co-exist and it's so cool and interesting to see.

Sophie is one of those characters you immediately love. Her wit and sarcasm makes for very interesting narration because of the snaky humor. I wish I could have her as a best friend. I felt kind of bad for her because there was so much about her life that was hidden from her that she slowly begins to uncover.

The plot of Hex Hall is fast-paced, full of suspense, mystery, and some action. While it was a bit predictable at times, it didn't make it any less interesting because there were times where it wasn't and just the way everything had been revealed and come together was intriguing.

Hawkins' writing was simple and easy to follow along with which I love because a lot of books are just overwhelming with information and it is sometimes confusing and hard to follow.  From the very first page I got so caught up in the story and before I knew it, it was over and I found myself wanting more.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Hex Hall is the perfect blend of humor, realism, pop culture references, snarky/sacrastic witty banter and excitement combined for a novel of this genre in the young adult market. There are a number of things to enjoy about this novel and Hawkins does not fail in delivering the goods.

The character's were strong, funny, and real. Plus, there was a great mash-up of character's from shifters to faeries, to witches and warlocks, and vampires too. Sophie was pretty amazing and very well developed, she possessed this likable quality about her that made it easy to connect with her and relate to her situation and what she was going through, being sent to Hectate Hall (or Hex Hall as the other students often referred to it).

The character's were average or about as average as one paranormal can be, not over-the-top dramatic, and very relatable in their interactions and exchanges with one another through out Hex Hall. You had your mean girls, which consisted of Elodie, Chaston, and Anna. Then you had your social outcasts, which pretty much cosnsisted of Jenna and of course Sophie the better part of the time, since she refused to join "The Trio's" coven. And, of course, round all that out with the mysterious bad boy himself, Archer, and you have the perfect set-up.

Hawkins unique brand of humor in this novel, was very enjoyable. One of my favorite moments from the book happened towards the beginning when Sophie first arrives at Hectate Hall and she's attacked by a werewolf practically out of nowhere and the only thing she could think of to say was, "Bad dog."

The world building and history of the Prodigium was very well developed and fleshed out. I enjoyed getting to know who Sophie really was, where she came from, the fear and danger that she had to watch out for (can true evil really be inherited?), as well as getting to know her great grandmother Alice and finding out how she came to be whom the reader's later discover she was. I am excited to start Demonglass as soon as I can, to find out what comes next for Sophie.

The over-all pacing of Hex Hall was great, it moved along pretty quick and smoothly, keeping me glued to my seat in anticipation of what was going happen next and how it was going to end. There was mystery, intrigue, and a few twists thrown in for good measure. For any Buffy or House of Night fan, I would definitely recommend this book.

[inlibrisveritas]

I'm so happy I managed to finally get this book. I had my skepticism about how good this was going to be since the hype about it was pretty high, and from past experiences not a lot of young adult novels live up to their hype. However this one does, it's a wonderful and gripping story.

It is a fairly quick and easy read, but there was the feeling of something slightly missing but it wasn't terribly overwhelming. The story seems like it would be just about witch story but it has it's own little unique quirks that make this a new experience. Sophie is a great character and very down to earth, she's got a great personality and there are moments when you think "that's what I would say/do". It's great that the character felt so real. I really liked her friend Jenna, who is a vampire...and adores pink. Archer Cross is definitely worth swooning over and so is Cal...though he doesn't get very much in the way of face time. The plot and premise is fairly unique once you get past the slight similarities to Harry Potter, which in truth don't even need to be compared because the stories are different. Overall a very wonderful book. I was expecting the explanation that was given for the magic, nor was I really expecting her absent father to have an real part in this. I really enjoyed this and I can't wait to read the second one, I actually might start it immediately.

I would recommend trying to find a copy of this to read. I know some female Harry Potter fans would really like this book.

This is the first book in the series and I enjoyed it. I loved the main character and the overall feel of the book. The ending was great and I can't wait to move onto book 2 to read what happens next.

[lizarodz]

I liked Hex Hall a lot, but then again, I LOVE Harry Potter and this book reminded me a lot about it. I think the next books might be a little different since they change the setting. It also has the element of the mean girls, but in this case the different species do not like to mingle with each other. Sophie's roomate is a vampire, and let me tell you that I wouldn't sleep a wink if I had one sleeping in the bed next to mine! The book is action packed, although I didn't see what happend with Archer coming, and was actually disapointed to see him go. Very curious to know what happens next and to learn more about Sophie's dad.

[Amber]

The story begins with Sophie being shipped off to Hecate Hall - a reformatory school for ‘special’ people. Sophie has always known she’s a witch, and that came in handy with this story. There was no awkward moment of having Sophie discovering her powers, and there was no explanation needed for the parental figures either. Sophie’s mum already knew.


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!

[Eve1972]

LOVED this one!