"Help me, Sophie-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."
A rushed finale.
Each book in the Hex Hall series explore a different aspect of the main character, Sophie. The first book is where Sophie finds out more about herself. The second book deals with her heritage from her father's side and learning more about her powers and Spellbound looks at Sophie's heritage from her mother's side. We've seen all the parts that make-up Sophie and continue to witness her heroic choices.
Sophie has gone through it all, and while that means character development, she still remains her awesome, snarky and witty self. In Spellbound, however, it seems that Sophie's trying too hard to make jokes and be witty. There are some comments, while at the Brannicks, that made me laugh, but otherwise, the lightheartedness and humour doesn't come by naturally and seems forced.
Here are some of my feelings about the secondary characters: I love the Brannicks, a group of fierce warrior women, and their interactions with Sophie, with Izzy warming up to Sophie right away and Finley's grudging respect. There's also the obligatory shout-out to Sophie's parents because they've been awesome throughout the series. We all need a Jenna in our lives! Elodie has a larger role in Spellbound and her love-hate relationship with Sophie is entertaining. I also feel there's a lot to unpack with Torin and he probably has an interesting life story.
The love triangle in the Hex Hall series is unnecessary. There's only one person that Sophie is interested in, which means that she leads the other person on for a little while. The way the love triangle is handled, does not sit well with me. Firstly, Sophie kisses Cal, for reasons that I don't understand, then a few pages later, Archer is alive and back in the picture and Sophie forgets about Cal, because, hello Archer. Secondly, I get why Elodie initiated the kiss with Cal while possessing Sophie's body, but all that resulted in was a failure to recreate romantic tension when there was none to begin with. On a related note, Cal is done dirty throughout this series. His death is so unnecessary because it does not affect the plot or the characters.
The main issue is that there's different settings and aspects and lots of action crammed into a small book. It makes for a fast-paced read, but seems rushed because the characters have no time to breathe. Moments that are supposed to have gravitas, are just a small event in a series of other small events that lead to an emotionless ending. This also resulted in caricature villains who feel more like annoyances, instead of 'big bads'. Spellbound is plot-driven, and as a reader who prefers character-driven novels, it lacks emotional impact.
While, Spellbound is a little disappointing, I had a lot of fun rereading the Hex Hall series. It's a pick-me-up during stressful times.
"People are so rarely villians in their own minds."