Hex Hall: Raising Demons

by Rachel Hawkins

Sophie Mercer's first term at Hex Hall turned out to be quite eventful. First the ghost of her evil grandmother haunted her every move, then her best friend was accused of murder and of course there was the discovery that Archer Cross, aka the boy of her dreams, was actually an undercover demon hunter - which would probably be something she could have worked on, if she hadn't also discovered that she was actually the demon Archer was hunting…

So, despite their issues, Sophie is actually relieved to be spending the summer in London with her father. But when your father is Head of The Council of Prodigium and your summer is being spent at the headquarters of everything magical, then a quiet holiday isn't really that likely. And, as Sophie struggles to come to terms with her new found demon powers, she finds herself thrust once again into a world of dark magic and conspiracies. The only thing that could possibly make things more complicated would be for Archer Cross to show up again, which of course he wouldn't, would he?

• ISBN10: 1847389902
• ISBN13: 9781847389909
• Publish Date: 3 March 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

"I've never been good at concealing my emotions, and fear was practically making my internal organs shake."

  
A light and breezy read on the surface, that subtly gains depth and complexity.

Sophie, the main character, is a great heroine. She still has her trademark snark, wit and attitude and her observations and one-liners are hilarious. There are moments of naivety and gullibility, but Sophie always has reasons for going through with something and has a sense of knowing what she's getting into. 

Before I go any further, I'd like to give another shout-out to Sophie's parents. They have such an active role in her life and are so supportive. I love reading about complex parent-children relationships, but because they've become the norm in YA Fiction, it's refreshing to read about parents who are genuinely trying to do their best. Sophie's dad is also the best character in Raising Demons and I love the development of their father-daughter relationship.

"Dad was at his desk when I opened the door, doing what all British people do when they're freaked out: drinking tea."

The rest of the secondary characters are interesting, but they're not well-developed. Jenna is a cool best friend, the rest of the Council is meh and Nick and Daisy are probably the most interesting secondary characters in Raising Demons, excluding Sophie's dad and the love interests, of course. 

My only issue is the introduction of the love triangle because it's obvious how things are going to end and is ultimately unnecessary. I had so-so feelings towards Archer in Hex Hall, but I enjoyed his appearances in Raising Demons because his personality shines when he and Sophie banter. I don't think Sophie's chemistry with either of her potential love interests is that great, but I'm willing to go along with the romance because it's not portrayed as this epic-forever romance and it clearly isn't. Also, there's second love interest syndrome in Raising Demons because Cal is an all-round awesome guy. 

Raising Demons is a page-turner as there are mysteries and secrets to uncover and so many twists. This is a reread, so the twists weren't as surprising, but I was still shocked and felt a lot of emotions when reading that cliffhanger ending. We also learn more about the Prodigium, demons, magic and Sophie's heritage. Raising Demons has a lighthearted surface, but deals with heavy themes, without them seeming out of place.  

What a fun read! The story kept on unraveling, getting bigger and better, until it reached an ending that pulled out all the stops. I'm excited to reread Spellbound because I don't remember much of it and I'm intrigued about what happens next. 

"Oh my God, less talking, more stabbing, please."