DEMONGLASS (HEX HALL BOOK #2) BY RACHEL HAWKINS: BOOK REVIEW

Rachel Hawkins
Demonglass
Hex Hall, Book #2

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Annabell Cadiz

Synopsis: Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Review: Demonglass takes off a few weeks after Hex Hall ends. I had fallen giddy in love with Sophie and her crazy world of witches, shapeshifers, and fairies. The next installment delivered even more in sarcasm, suspense, and shocking twists!

Sophie heads to London to spend time with her father and agrees under the condition that Jenna, her best friend who happens to be a vampire, gets to tag along with her. Sophie’s dad agrees and throws in a surprise, Cal will be tagging along as well. You find out the reason on page 18 and will fall out of your seat when you do with laughter and with as much shock as Sophie!

Cal plays a much bigger role in the second novel. More of his personality shines through and more about his past. Sophie grows closer to him. Cal is absolutely adorable and sweet. He has this quite sexy charm about him and really awesome powers as a healer.
Sophie is still as snaky, feisty, and willful as ever. She still speaks her mind (even though she gets herself in a lot of trouble for it!), is loyal to those she loves, and even when the odds are against her, Sophie still stands up and fights back. Jenna is still oozing with sarcasm and everything pink. But we get to see a more girly side to her. She is head over heels for another vampire and it was so cute. Sophie’s dad plays a much bigger role as well. He is wise, loving, and a very powerful demon. Archer does return and is still as infuriatingly sexy as when he was introduced in Hex Hall.

The choices Sophie and Archer make did frustrate and anger me. Sophie knew by going after Archer she was putting, not only her life on the line but her father’s and the remaining members of the Council. She lies and keeps secrets which end up costing her dearly.

Despite the predictability and cliché aspects within Demonglass (girl falls for bad boy, love triangle forming, teen angst), there were some really good twists. I found myself unwilling to put the novel down, needing to find out the family secrets Sophie seeks and to understand the truth about Daisy and Nick, the two other demons Sophie meets. I wanted to know who was the real threat to the Council and all of Prodigium: is it really Archer and The Eye? Or is the threat coming from within? The pacing was spot on with the plot of the book.

Demonglass is full of romance, betrayal, shock, and heartache. But don’t worry, all you action fanatics, there is plenty in this novel! The ending is left at a cliffhanger but I had already suspected that would happen since the first one had been as well. But what a wham bam ending! Sophie’s world completely falls apart and she has even more secrets to uncover. I am definitely looking forward to reading the third installment, Spell Bound which unfortunately, does not come out until 2012 *frown*. Hopefully, the wait is worth it!

To learn about the writer and her novels, check out her blog here.