Hex Hall

by Rachel Hawkins

Paperback, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Simon & Schuster Children's (2010), Paperback, 336 pages

Description

When Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, she is exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

User reviews

LibraryThing member dk_phoenix

Three years ago, Sophie discovered she was a witch -- and when a prom night spell ends in disaster, her father decides it's time to send her to a school for the gifted, also known as 'Prodigium'.

School for magical types... hmm... sound familiar? We've seen this theme before, and it wouldn't be a

surprise if readers passed over this book based on the cover copy description. Unfortunately, they'll be missing a wonderful read if they do!

This is a strong debut to a series, with realistically developed characters and non-contrived subplots. Sophie, the main character, is likable, flawed, and logical: When she develops a small crush on a guy at school, she doesn't fall head over heels for him, but the feelings grow over time in a way that's so natural I found myself reminiscing about my own time as a 16-year-old. I don't know how Hawkins did it, but she captured the spirit of an intelligent, funny, and realistic 16-year-old inside this book. Hmm, maybe Hawkins went to Hex Hall herself...

I also found myself a little surprised at how mystery-oriented the book was, but this wasn't a bad thing. When students start being murdered, Sophie suspects there's a plot surfacing to kill off Prodigium, but when no one believes her (as you might expect), she decides to do something about it and solve the problem on her own. A significant portion of the book is given to this, and makes the story feel a bit more like a YA mystery than a YA paranormal at times, but as I said, this isn't a bad thing.

As for secondary characters? A vampire roommate who loves the color pink and who experiences severe discrimination is one of the strongest secondaries, and the primary "bad guy" (another female student) is the kind who you feel sorry for at times, because she's not your typical evil character -- she's just another teen trying to get by at school, doing what she thinks she needs to do to survive.

Of course, the big issues aren't resolved in this book, and there's a huge reveal at the end of the book that I didn't see coming. The second book in the series releases this February, and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

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24 more

LibraryThing member NeysaK

I was totally pessimistic about this book the first time I was its cover. The first thing that came to my mind was that this book would be another cheesy schoolgirl lovelife. Obviously I had been wrong.

Hex Hall told us about seventeen-year-old Sophie Mercer, who was born as a witch, and struggling

to settled with her life.
Protecting her image as a normal human, she and her human mother had moved out every times Sophie blew up her cover. And that happened a lot. When her father told her to attended Hex Hall- a school specially build for a Prodigium or paranormal kids-Sophie could finally opened up as a witch and enjoyed a normal school life. But that was until an attempted murder began at her school. And that Sophie’s roomies and her only best friend, Jenna, was accused because she was a vampire.

Throughout the book, Sophie’s characteristic and personality totally made me laugh. She was funny, witty, and downward sarcastic. I love how she would comment some things silently and said something totally different.
And I also like it how Rachel Hawkins could make the usual cliche-you know, hot guy ditch te hot girl and go for the ordinary thing and all that-fun and not really all that cheesy.
Archer Cross, Sophie’s love interest and our main hero, was a bit bland for me and not too undeveloped. Like he was there solely to complement Sophie.

Another character I really love was Elodie, Sophie’s rival on love, and you know who, the hot girl. I really love her snotty and bratty attitude, being the drama queen and acting all high and mighty. Some people would hate it, but I love it when the character was distinguishable from the others, even when it was because her negative attitudes. That means-for me personally-that she had a strong traits.

The story plot wasn’t too great, and not really epic unique. It had been done before, and the storyline was predictable. But Rachel Hawkins great characters totally add up the fun and made up to that.

Overall, I think this book has the best character I’ve ever read-which is Sophie-but not that epic storyline. For you who love fantasy and would love some light reading, I totally recommend this book.

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LibraryThing member London_StJ

Hex Hall is the story that every young teenage girl scrawls in her history notebook to escape reality. Rachel Hawkins' novel adds nothing to the genre that hasn't been developed a hundred times before. The characters are underdeveloped and inconsistent, and, while the conclusion presents an

interesting twist, the pacing is so terrible that all entertainment is lost in the rush to the end of the chapter. Not recommended.

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LibraryThing member FallingForBooks

First Line: Felicia Miller was crying in the bathroom. Again.

Favorite Quote: "It's a whole other problem to be an outcast in a group of outcasts."

My thoughts: I loved this book! I thought it was a great read. So, if you haven’t read this yet, I’ll tell you a little about it. The main character

of the book is Sophie. She is sent away to a special reform school for people like her called Hecate Hall but, everyone calls it Hex Hall. She is sent away because of a love spell that went very wrong. She goes to Hex Hall and finds that there are a lot of other people like her. She meets witches, fairies, shape-shifters, vampires, and more. Sophie soon learns of strange things that have happened surrounding Hex Hall. Sophie feels it’s up to her to uncover the secrets and unravel the mystery.

I don’t know why but I really like boarding school type books. I love Rachel Hawkins’ writing. It contained bits of humor, fantasy, romance, and humor! I thought all of the characters were likeable! The book also contained great twists! After reading this you’ll want to hop right into Demonglass!

Overall: Fun read with a dash of mystery!

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LibraryThing member lifeafterjane

"Being a witch had definitely not been as awesome as I'd hoped it would be. For one thing, I didn't get to fly around on a broomstick. (I asked my mom about that when I first came into my powers, and she said no, I had to keep riding the bus like everyone else.) I don't have spell books or a

talking cat (I'm allergic, and I wouldn't even know where to get a hold of something like eye of newt."

Witches are extremely powerful beings. They possess extraordinary abilities that allow them to control the cosmos, alter reality, re-order time and conjure up the unspeakable. No wait. Scratch that.

Sophie is a witch, and well, she can't do any of that. The only thing she's managed to do in the past four years since she's come into her powers, is get hastily shuffled out of one school and town to the next whenever her odd behavior made the locals contemplate running for their pitchforks. Now her awesome- no, awful powers have snagged her a one way ticket to Hecate Hall, an alternative type boarding school for troublesome Prodigium (paranormals). Having been a reject in the human world her whole life, it's totally unfair that she be tossed into a school full of paranormals who all know more about witchcraft than she does. Not only does everyone, including the maintenance help know more about magic than Sophie, but they also know more about Sophie than she knows herself. Raised by a human mother and a mysterious warlock father who she's never met, it isn't just her lack of magic that has Hex Hall buzzing with Sophie's arrival- it's her family's infamous past. Now, not only does she have to endure the rigors of high school, and the frustration of being a less than average witch but almost everyone is against her because of who she is- and they may not all be alive.

This book had everything you would expect from a teenage boarding school story:

1. Failure to be accepted? Check.
2. Befriended by the school's only outcast? Check.
3. Fall for the REALLY HOT GUY? Check.
4. Hated by the "in" crowd? Check.
5. An elite paranormal extermination society out to kill you and being stalked by a ghost? Well...THAT'S not standard, but Check.

Another tidbit that isn't standard issue, is the suspense that comes with being able to trust everyone and no one at any given time in the story. It was a pin-the-tale-on-the-bad-guy free for all and the author changed who you could and couldn't trust at every turn. It left my head spinning, in a good way.

Sophie is an adorable character. She is cute and clueless, all the while possessing a sharp edge that makes her unafraid to tell those who deserve it where to stick it. When the school's elite trio, Elodie, Anna and Chaston, in true The Craft form (had The Craft been cool) pressure her to join their coven of dark witches, she has sense enough to see that everything is not quite right with their offer. But even our sharp little Sophie can't resist temptation when it comes in the form of a mysterious green clad ghost that wants to help her develop her powers.

This was a delightful little read that kept me guessing, frantically turning pages and laughing out loud. Fast paced and hysterical, it was impossible for me not to adore the little witch. Write more Miz Hawkins. And write faster.

"She's wearing a scrunchie," I said. I had rocked some scrunchies in my day, but that had been when I was, like, seven. The thought of wearing one as a grown woman was just tragic.
"I know." Jenna shook her head. "We have this theory that it's her Portable Portal to Hell. You know, she just stretches it out and steps through whenever she needs to recharge her evilness."

The sequel Demonglass, is scheduled for release in March of 2011.

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LibraryThing member missyreadsreviews

Hex Hall begins with a prologue that has a fun story about why the main character, Sophie Mercer, was actually sent to Hecate Hall in the first place. Hecate Hall is a reform institution to help shape-shifters, witches, and fae control their abilities and teach them how to blend into the human

world better. Once there, she meets her roommate - a vampire, the only vampire student at the school. She also has a run-in with the three dark witches at the school, who don't take rejection from Sophie very lightly. The day-to-day dribble is interrupted by a few incidents (read: intended murders) that coincides with a death from the previous year -- a death that looks suspiciously like a vampire attack, and the students are too eager to blame it on Sophie's roommate. While trying to prove her friends innocence, Sophie tries to blend in as a normal student. However, with her dad being the head of the Council and the person who sent all of the students to the institution, Sophie finds out that being friends with the number-one murder suspect is the least of her problems. The worst of her problems? Sophie has no idea who she really is.
I know I'm behind on reviews, but I do not regret taking a break from said research to read this book. It was a pretty easy read (this is coming from someone who's read entirely too many books and reads too fast for her own good sometimes), and had a very light-hearted feel to it. I did feel a sense of recognition from this book, as far as some of the story reminding me of other stories I've read recently - but it definitely shouldn't be judged by that. The writing was first-person point-of-view, which helped understand Sophie's feelings as she found herself, and discovering how others truly were as well. It seems like all of the characters, minor or major, had a lot of depth to them. The main characters definitely stayed true and never strayed from themselves, or did anything completely unpredictable. As a matter of fact, some of the actions of the characters made some things a little too predictable, so when something happened, it didn't surprise you as much as it maybe should have. The storyline was wonderful. As a book that is part of a series, I think the writer perfected the ending. It left you with some questions about the future of the characters, but didn't end abruptly - it ended with enough loose strands tied up to make it a stand alone in itself. Perfect.

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LibraryThing member OodsAteMyDingo

Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins, you had me at prologue. I just loved how this book started out, a love potion gone wrong, and boy did it go wrong.

Hex Hall is about a teenager named Sophie, who finds herself sentenced to a boarding school for other kids like her, those that have risked outing their

abilities. Sophie first day is like anyone’s typical first day at a new school. She ticked off a werewolf, got a roommate who is a vampire, got a crush on the bad boy, and turned down a chance to join the coven of some dark witches. Typical first day…almost, and that’s just the first day.

I found, Hex Hall, both humorous and fast paced, Sophie herself was refreshing, and although the boarding school thing has been waaay overdone lately, the characters in the story itself make it a great read. It ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. I can’t wait to read the next installment.

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LibraryThing member vampiregirl76

This was a book that I was highly anticipating even before I knew what it was about. I loved the title and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I finally got my copy. I devoured it in about a day, and absolutely loved it.

Hex Hall was an exciting read with a mystery involved. It also has a wonderful

"vampire, witches and werewolves oh my" factor, faeries too. Ms. Hawkins has created a fun, and vibrant world. The twists and turns of the story will keep your turning the page. There was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the book, so I'm really looking forward to see what is going to happen with Sophie.

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LibraryThing member lynseynewton

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins has already been released in the U.S. but has yet to be released in the UK. I have no idea why the release dates aren't the same but I can tell you that the cover art is different. I have to say that I prefer the U.S. cover art and it’s a hardback (I know, I know). The

good thing about purchasing that particular copy though, besides that it is a hardback, is that it meant I could read it now as opposed to waiting for the UK release date. I started reading this last night and managed to finish it within 4 hours. It was definitely a fun read and I just love Rachel’s sense of humour.

The main protagonist is Sophia (Sophie) Mercer and she is a young witch. After a love spell goes horribly wrong, she is sent to Hecate Hall, or Hex Hall as it is affectionately known amongst the students, which is a reformatory school for the Prodigium. The Prodigium are made up of magical beings such as witches, warlocks, werewolves, shape shifters, fairies and vampires. Students are sent to Hex Hall when they need to be taught how to use magic more responsibly and this is why Sophie is there. Before long, strange goings on at Hex Hall put all the students in danger but will they figure out what’s going on before another student is murdered?

For some reason, I kept thinking of “The Worst Witch” (I loved that film when I was younger) when I first started reading but I can see why I would make that comparison. Sophie’s spells always seem to go wrong, that is if she can make them work at all! Sophie was a great character and a loyal friend to her roommate Jenna, the only vampire student at Hex hall. I loved Sophie's sense of humour and humanity.

There were some other great characters in Hex Hall to include both teachers and students. The headmistress Mrs. Casnoff reminded me of a motherly version of Dumbledore from Harry Potter. Archer Cross is the love interest and boy is he hot! Even though he might come across as a tad arrogant at first, you can see why Sophie cannot help herself falling for him. I could imagine doing the exact same thing in her position. I loved the fact that their relationship was not straightforward though and full of complications such as Archer’s girlfriend for example. At first, this made me feel a bit uncomfortable but it could just as easily happen in real life and did Archer really like Elodie anyway? I’m not sure, I have a feeling he had an ulterior motive.

There were quite a few revelations towards the end of the book that I didn’t see coming and I loved the feeling of being surprised. It did however leave a lot of things left wide open and I assume these will be addressed in the sequel. “God I hope so!” is the most appropriate response I could muster at the moment. I love the fact that Rachel added some “Britishness” into the book too and you’ll see what I mean when you read it. I don’t want to give away too much of the story but I’m really looking forward to the sequel and will be pestering Rachel to find out when exactly that will be! The UK release date for Hex Hall is 1st April, 2010 so not long to wait now!

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LibraryThing member fayeflame

Hex Hall is captivating and spellbinding page turner, it will have readers hooked on Sophie’s journey from the first page…

I have been stalking this book ever since I heard about it.Throughout the book I felt like the female version of Alex Cross trying to solve the mystery of the attacks at Hex

Hall.the story was that addicting.

Sophie is one of those characters who are just funny and just down to earth even though she a witch. Obvious not a good one(at first!)How can you blame her she has no training on how to use the powers inherited father, Sophie keeps drawing attention to herself leading to moving around the country to avoid attention. Then Prom night...happens she makes a very public mistake involving a love spell. Finally sending her to Hecate Hall aka Hex Hall for troubled shape-shifters, faeries, and witches like Sophie. Get's vampire named Jenna as a roommate(soon to be BFF)who is suspected of the mysterious attacks.Friemenies of three beautiful and powerful witches. Crushes on the School's HOT unavailable bad boy.And to top all off she has a teacher holding a grudge against her.

The romance in this book seems almost familiar. But i enjoyed it all the same. definitely no complaints.

Rachel Hawkins is an author to look out for! She creates this world of magical creatures and mystery beautifully. I really did enjoy her style, I'm being tortured waiting on her next book LoL :D

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LibraryThing member ylin.0621

When Sophie’s love spell gets out of hand, that’s the third strike and she’s forced to attend Hecate—a reform school for witches/warlocks, faes, shapeshifters/werewolves, and just recently a vampire. The professors at Hecate aka Hex Hall work for The Council (the name is self-explanatory)

that just happens to be run by Sophie’s father—a father that she’s never met because her mother, a human, didn’t know that he was warlock when they first met and left when she did. Now Sophie’s trapped in Hex Hall until she’s eighteen, but she might not leave that long. (Mwhahaha.)

So what can you say about a book that you found pleasant, but nothing extraordinary? Nothing. Except for the most cliché statements of all times: It’s not you, it’s me.

Hex Hall was simple, sweet and predictable. The protagonist is the new witch in town, but she’s the most powerful witch in the longest time. She gets roomed with Jenna, the deemed freak because she’s a vampire. She gets corned by a group of meanies who are gorgeous and freaking powerful and wants Sophie to join their coven. Then she gets teamed up with Archer in “PE” who just happens to be tall, dark, and handsome. Oh and Archer is dating the Queen Bee, Elodie, who is the head of the group of meanies. And it’s high school all over again :D

There’s a lot of classification going on and droning from me, but I think it be the result of my lack of excitement for this book. There are witches in every chapter and yet I’m hardly getting a spark from this book. There are instances of hot pink glitter, but nothing where I’m jumping from joy (or any other emotions really). So you can’t expect me to rave (in a good or bad way) about a book if I didn’t feel much about. If you’re looking for something easy and fun to read then try Hex Hall; it isn’t bad despite my page long blah.

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LibraryThing member Jac8604

While the plot is a tad bit predictable and somewhat reminiscent of other YA paranormal novels, the humor is standout. I laughed out loud several times and, if the follow-up is a funny, I'll gladly follow this series. Plus, Sophie's an awesome heroine.

LibraryThing member kapar

It was a cute idea. However, the story was thoroughly predictable, thus making it bland.

I would read it for the premise, but don't expect any revelations worth much notice.

LibraryThing member ericajsc

I generally don’t get excited about upcoming releases dealing with faeries, witches, vampires, etc., but from the moment I first read a synopsis of this book last year, I knew I had to read it. That’s a lot for a book to live up to, and Rachel Hawkins surpassed my expectations with this book.
It

would be easy to dismiss this as a female Harry Potter, but it’s really not other than in the most basic of similarities (witchcraft, boarding school). Although Sophie knows that she’s a witch, there’s not a lot more that she understands about who she is. Her dad is a mystery to her, she isn’t particularly skilled with magic (hence her forced enrollment at Hex Hall), and she doesn’t understand how dangerous it is to be Prodigium among humans. Because of this, she doesn’t have any preconceived notions of how she should act or who she should befriend. She’s just Sophie: funny, smart, and plucky. But even though she’s smart, she still lets her emotions cloud her judgment when it comes to believing what she’s told, and that leads to trouble.
And then, of course, there’s Archer. I think everybody has an Archer. He’s that boy that you know you shouldn’t like, but he’s devastatingly cute and charming in a way that makes it impossible not to care about him. It might sound cliché, but I promise you that it’s written in a way that is anything but.
Throughout all her trials with friends and her “stupendously futile crush”, there is the bigger issue of a possible threat to all the Prodigium at Hex Hall to deal with. Hawkins writes this mystery so well that I didn’t totally see where it was going to go. There were enough red herrings that I was looking in so many directions that I, thankfully, didn’t automatically guess with 99% certainty what was going to happen. That always gets high marks in my book.

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LibraryThing member readinggeek451

Sophie is sentenced to a boarding school for magic users--witches, shapeshifters, fae, and the occasional vampire--when she uses her powers in public one too many times. There she makes friends and enemies and learns a little more about her family and the dark side of her powers.

LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce

This is a fun little book. Even though it's written about a 15 year old, it's at about a 12 year old reading level. Sophie Mercer, half witch - half human feels like an outcast in all the 19 places she and her mom have lived because she lets her powers get away from her. Finally when a love spell

she casts for a school mate goes pretty far wrong she's sent to a kind of reform school for witches, fairies and shapeshifters who are having the same sort of problems with their powers. Friendships and enemies are made, magic is learned, revelations about her family history come from several sources, and there are some interesting twists all in preparation for the next novel in the series.

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LibraryThing member PattyLouise

Hex Hall was a truly delightful book. Magic mixed with mayhem. Mystery mixed with demons and vamps and witches and fairies. All of these wonderful characters thrown into one school...Hecate Hall. Sophia...star and main character...has no clue as to how to use her witchy powers. She has no idea what

her powers are. She is surprised by them and by her classmates on a daily basis. The opening part of Hex Hall was the funniest opening I have read in a long long time. Her love spell and the havoc it caused...OMG...I was actually laughing out loud and rereading it to my husband. And...who does not love a book loaded with mean girls? And mean girls who are trying to form a coven...are the best mean girls around. Oh...and I cannot forget Sophie's reaction when she finds out her roommate is a vampire...priceless.

This was just a fun great spunky little novel...I know this is the first in a series...so Hex Hall Book 2 should be great fun.

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LibraryThing member lost.in.stories

Hex Hall hooked me in from the start, I could not stop laughing at the end of the prologue what with lines like “I don’t need eyes to see you! I see you with the eyes of my heart”. Don’t ask me why I find that so funny but I was literally laughing at that line the next day, hand on I’m

giggling about it now as I write this review.

The book begins with a love spell gone wrong performed by our protagonist Sophie Mercer who is swiftly sent to Hectate Hall or as the students call it Hex Hall. We soon lean that Hex Hall is a boarding school for prodigium (witches, warlocks, faeries and shapeshifters) who have performed magic that they shouldn’t have as it could have exposed what they are to humans. So all of the students have been shipped off to Hex Hall, kind of like a reform school I guess you could say. From the first day Sophie already has met a cute boy she finds infuriating, Archer Cross, manages to really annoy three beautiful witches and get a roommate that is the only vampire student on campus that everyone either hates or is suspicious of. What a day! We soon find out that not everything is what it seems at Hex Hall and a student was found dead in the girls bathroom drained of all her blood and Sophie’s only friend, Jenna her vampire roommate, the number one suspect. Sophie also soon has to deal with three powerful witches wanting her to join their covern and the fallout when she says no, her growing crush on Archer Cross, a ghost that keeps on following her, students being attacked and the revelation of what her absent father does and is.

I loved the character of Sophie she was strong, smart, funny and sarcastic! I love sarcasm, maybe because I can be really sarcastic, but some of the lines that Sophie came out with were so funny. I mean who says “bad dog!” to a warewolf that is running towards you, if you want to find out what I’m talking about you’ll just have to read the book. Archer was another interesting character, throughout the book there was something not quite right about him but I had no idea what and I still don’t really understand what happened there but this will definitely be explored in more depth in the next book, well I hope so anyway. We do find out why the student was found dead and others attacked so there are some parts of the book that are wrapped up. Let me tell you I had no clue who was attacking the students so it was a bit of surprise when the bomb was dropped which I am glad to say I was pleasantly surprised who or what did it. Whilst some parts of the book were resolved many parts were left unresolved especially surrounding Sophie, her lineage and her father. So bring on the next book I can’t wait to find out what happens next particularly so because of how the book ended. My mouth was open in shock, with me saying she can’t do that, what the?!?!

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LibraryThing member bookwormygirl

This book was so much better than I thought. For some reason I thought this was going to be a little cheesy, foppish tale about a young witch, I think my worries had to do with the cover - since I find it rather childish, but I was so mistaken. It was oh-so-good!

Sophie is a great heroine. I loved

her attitude - she was snarky, funny, sarcastic, but caring, thoughtful and a great friend. I have a thing for witches and this one did not disappoint. There were the mean witches, the good witches, warlocks, and then all other sorts of paranormal creatures roaming the halls of Hex Hall. I also really liked her camaraderie with Jenna - her roommate and sole vampire in the school. Archer - teen heartthrob and warlock to pine for was also a great character. He had so many layers and I really liked how Sophie took her time in finding out he truly was.

Although I thought this would be a light, fun read (and yes, it was), it was also dark and edgy. There was a great mystery to be solved and every time I thought I had it figured out, Ms. Hawkins would throw me in for another loop. I just have two slight complaints... and they are small since this is a 5-star read. 1- There were so many type-o's in this book. I have a pet peeve with type-o's and, they are expected in ARC's, but this is my hardcover book that I paid $16.99 for. I find that unacceptable. When I'm reading a book I get totally engrossed by it and a type-o just jars me back to reality - it stands out and just plain annoys me. 2- The ending. Although yes, it was good because I did not see it coming, it also just ended... rather abruptly. It almost felt like a chapter or a few pages were missing. Then again it left me that much more anticipating the next in the series.

All in all, I must admit that I loved this book. I highly recommend to fans of paranormal and YA genres.

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LibraryThing member Cajunbooklady

I enjoyed this one! It wasn't at all what I expected which made me like it even more. I liked the main character and the fact that she was tough and sensitive at the same time. The storyline was great...misfit supernaturals all trying to make it at the same supernatural school. It was also a story

of good against evil and I'll say it also hit on overcoming your "personal demons." Overall, I thought it was an entertaining read.

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LibraryThing member ssalach21

I've been waiting to read Hex Hall for a very long time. Ever since I read the summary months ago actually. Well, let me tell you, it was worth the wait. I'm glad it was as good as I thought it would be, better even. The lead character, Sophie, is probably one of my favorite female characters.

She's just fun to read about and her personality really shows through Hawkins writing. Sometimes characters are very 2-d and I can't really imagine them as well as I would like to, but I had no problem with Sophie. I really enjoyed all of the secondary characters as well, even the mean girls. They weren't overly bitchy like some authors try to make the mean girls, they were just the right amount of mean. Then there's Archer, the popular hottie that all the girls crush on. He's very crushworthy too, but you'll have to read it to find out more! There are a lot of stories out there based in boarding schools and reform schools but this was such a twist on all of the ones I read. Reform school for witches, faeries and shapeshifters. I mean, come on, it doens't get much cooler than that. I wasn't expecting some of what came about near the end and I can gladly say Rachel Hawkins has officially hooked me. I can't wait to get my hands on Hex Hall 2: Mad Hex.

There's some kissing scenes but thats as bad as it gets so I recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA.

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LibraryThing member klolovebooks

i have being trying to type something but nothing comes out BORING?no .THE GREATEST BOOK EVER?NO OKAY BOOK WANNA BE HARRY POTTER TOTALLY

LibraryThing member TheLibraryhag

Ever since Sophie turned 12 and came into her powers, all her magic seems to go wrong. It is becoming more than her mortal mother can handle. So her father, whom she has never met, steps in and gets her sent to Hecate Hall, sort of a reform school for all the young witches, shifters, weres and

fairies (Prodigium) who need a bit of regulation over their powers. So Sophie is dropped into a world where everyone is otherworldly. She is even rooming with the only vampire on campus. And although "Hex Hall" as the students call it, is supposed to be a safe haven, one student has died and others are being attacked. Can Sophie learn to control her powers and use them to stop whatever is attacking them?

I really enjoyed this book. It has a deflinite teen feel, snark and all. Sophie is a likeable character and I found myself really drawn to her. She is snarky, but in a funny way. The other students were fun too. The mean girls were REALLY mean. It was fun to see the interaction among the different types of Prodigium. The mystery here is pretty good too. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

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LibraryThing member Frazzletastic

Whatever expectations I had about Hex Hall... well, they were wrong. Just wrong. For one, despite the title, they do not learn magic. Not in school, at least. Two, the book didn’t run like a school at all. Not really. It was mostly centered on Sophie and her teenage angst and hormones. Three, it

wasn’t as action-packed or as scary as I would have expected, even with mysterious incidents popping up all over the place.

Normally, I get creeped out by any paranormal genre that has an edge of mystery and suspense to it. Take Vampire Academy – mysterious things happened in much the same way as Hex Hall, but it was a lot scarier. Heck, even Twilight scared me sometimes (yes, admitting that is painful). Hex Hall was not scary at all, even if there were several central groups out to get Sophie and a continuous string of murders/almost-murders that seemed to target her coven. The danger just didn’t seem that... real. There was no suspense. Even with the two plot twists at the end, I still wasn’t scared. That bothered me.

Speaking of the plot twists, I didn’t really see them coming! Well, okay, I saw 1 out of 3. I obviously knew Hawkins was throwing us a red herring, trying to line up events with Jenna to make it seem like she was guilty. I found out one of the bad guys once they had appeared. The second, involving The Eye (which is a group of hunters determined to kill any Prodigium)? Noot so much. Did not see that at all.

The characters were alright. Sophie was sarcastic most of the time and had no control over her temper whatsoever. Traditional teenage angst and hormones. Same ole, same ole. She wasn’t very smart, really. She kept getting caught up in the Trinity’s pranks, earning her cellar duty for a semester, and was basically mingling with the enemy. Both enemies. Jenna was such an awesome character, clad with faults and insecurities. She’s strong and brave for putting up with the rumors and murmurings that occurred behind her back. I felt so sympathetic for her when her story was revealed.

Archer was the stereotypical hunk that all the girls wanted to be with. I started out not liking him too much (I wanted Sophie to be with the groundskeeper, Cal), but after a while, he charmed me. Speaking of Cal, I loved him! I have no idea why, since he was in like... what, three scenes? I can’t shake this feeling that he will play a part in future novels. I felt like Hawkins was setting him up as an important character, possibly a love interest for Sophie or Sophie’s true betrothed.

My main gripe about this book was that some of the story was incongruent. One moment they’d be at a pond, the next Mrs. Casnoff was looking off past the lake. Nowhere in the book does it mention there’s a lake on the island. Another incident was when Sophie had the afternoon off, then Taylor had opened a door during Sophie’s phone call. Weren’t the students supposed to be in class? There were just a lot of things that didn’t add up.

I hated the cliffhanger!! =( Not hate in the bad way; hate in the I WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT NAO RACHEL! kind of way. I’m definitely picking up Demonglass as soon as it publishes. I need to find out what happens!

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LibraryThing member shellierb69

This is a book you want to pick up if your in a good mood and want a book to match your mood. It is a quick read but one that is enjoyable and you will find yourself giggling. It is about a girl who knows she is a witch from her father's side but she has never met him. She does a few silly spells

which lands her in a place school for all paranormal creatures. She falls for the cutest boy on campus who is dating the most gorgeous but mean girl who is also a witch. She has a hard time fitting in and staying out of trouble. She finds out just exactly who her father is and a whole lot more powerful and influential then she ever imagined. This is a cute read with mystery and intrigue with some twist and turns you might not expect. I believe I had a smile on my face the whole time I read this book. It is just a good read that anyone will enjoy. I am looking forward to book two to see how the story plays and and what direction the author will take it.

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Fewer

Awards

Arkansas Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2013)

Language

English

Original publication date

2010-03-02

Physical description

336 p.; 7.72 inches

ISBN

1847387225 / 9781847387226

Local notes

Sophie Mercer is exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward 'Prodigium' (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 a vampire.

Typical angsty paranormal boarding school shenanigans.