Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall
Rachel Hawkins
323 pages

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. 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 the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Sophie was a great character. I laughed quite a bit while reading this. I liked it a lot better than I thought I would and honestly had a hard time putting it down. This book was filled with a lot of humor, serious moments, twists, turns, and a lot of other great characters, like Jenna - Hex Hall's only vampire student. You had witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, and fae.

Sophie is sent to Hecate Hall after a love spell gone wrong. Hecate aka Hex Hall is pretty much a reformatory school for Prodigium (magical people). It doesn't take her long to have things go wrong for her - Elodie, Anna, and Chaston, three powerful dark witches now consider her enemy number one and make her a subject of ridicule. She becomes friends/roommates with the biggest outcast of the school, develops an enormous crush on the hottest boy in school, among other things. And to top it all off, there is the mystery in the school of who is attacking fellow students.

I was really impressed with this and look forward to reading the next in the series, Demonglass. I would most certainly recommend this to others and I think you will thoroughly enjoy this as well. At first it seems like it may be one of those silly school girl witch stories, but it really is so much better than that

The only complaint I have is the way it ended abruptly, so that being said...

What I give this book:

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future. (Goodreads)

I loved this book! Me, being hopelessly romantic, fell in love with it instantly.

First, I fell in love with the cover. It is simple, but to me, beautiful. I love the simplicity of it.

Grace is a seventeen year old who is pretty much independent. Her parents seem to be consistently and completely wrapped up in themselves and their own whims. When Grace was young, she was bitten by a wolf and then saved by one of them... Sam. Since then, she has been obsessed with the wolves, and more so, with one wold in particular with his yellow eyes. I really liked her character. She seemed to pretty much always have a good head on her shoulders and was loyal and determined to do whatever it took to help Sam.

Sam has been a wold for most of his life. Always human in the spring and summer and always a wolf during the cold months. He too has had an obsession with Grace since she was attacked. He is dark, smart, has unyielding love for Grace, a past, and wants nothing more than a future with Grace, free from his wolf-ness.

The book is told from both the perspective of Grace & Sam. It also tells you the temperature, which is great, the colder it is, the closer to wolf Sam becomes. No matter how cold it gets, he is always struggling to stay human for Grace, to be with her and near her. This is such a wonderful love story and I can't wait to read the next in the series. I also liked how you knew from the beginning what Sam was and that you didn't have to guess. It was different but nonetheless entertaining and gripping. I had trouble putting this one down, simply put.

I highly recommend this and suggest you buy a copy ASAP. I don't think you will be disappointed.

What I give this book: