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.
Hex Hall was one of those books that, for me, I loved the cover but was wary of the story. It sounded typical but with the elements of magic and creatures that I loved, but I was afraid of where the book my lead. But I am so so so glad I read it!
(Note: There is a bit of a rant in there, with potential minor spoilers from Hex Hall, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, so if you haven’t read these, be wary.)
First, I love Hawkins’ style of writing. Sophie’s story is from her own POV, and not at any point did I catch a whiff of Hawkins’ butting in to use Sophie as a mouth-piece to give the reader information, which I heartily appreciate. The writing was also clear and flowed well. I could see that had Hawkins’ been a lesser writer, the story could have come off completely juvenile. But the writing, while easy to read, was not over-simplified and fit Sophie‘s character as well as the overall tone of the story.
Second, from the first page, I knew exactly the kind of girl Sophie was. Her voice was so distinct and realistic and she completely drew me into the story. I loved Sophie as a character because she is good at heart but kind of a screw-up, she has parent issues, and she gets through it all with plenty of snark. My kind of girl, to put it more directly.
I really loved the progression Sophie makes throughout the novel and how every time she is tested, she comes through a little stronger on the other side. That being said, she still comes across as a very human girl, so she doesn’t always escape without a few injuries. It made the situations Sophie gets into and how she feels about them seem real, even among all the paranormal stuff going on.
Third, I really loved all the other characters. They were distinct without being too flat or stereotypical. Elodie and her groupies were a little over the top at times, but what are you supposed to expect from a group of delinquent witches? Archer was pretty swoon-worthy as well, though I wished Cal had come into the story more. I know he does in the next book, but Hawkins did a good job mentioning him in such a way as to let the reader know to keep an eye on him.
But my favorite side character was Jenna. She was a perfect fit for Sophie’s best friend and I love how she is not your stereotypical vampire. She was very much her own person yet showed the emotions you would expect of someone going through what she was going through.
And though this might get me a bit of hate mail, I liked how Jenna being a lesbian didn’t get the front-and-center attention like I have seen in most books featuring homosexual characters. What I mean is, often when I read books featuring a prominent gay character, the character’s homosexuality is what is most evident about them. For instance, when I think of certain characters from the House of Night series, I think of them as the gay characters. Same is true with characters from the Southern Vampire Mysteries, the Nightshade series, and The Mortal Instruments. While those characters may fit a role other than being the token gay character(s), that aspect of them is what is mentioned or focused on the most.
The problem with this is the same problem I see in the real world: focusing on one aspect of a person, putting a label on them, keeps you from seeing them as a complete, true, whole person. Sure, Alec in The Mortal Instruments does fight alongside Jace and Isabelle and help save the day, but his big interaction with the MC, Clary, is about being gay, so that is what I remember. A lot of the drama in the wolf packs in Nightshade stems from there being a homosexual couple in the packs and a gay Keeper, and that is what I remember because a giant spotlight is shown on that. Really, most characters, even well-written ones, have one “label” or another that makes people remember them in a certain way or light.
But Hawkins’ did not do this. It gets mentioned (more than once and in ways that didn't halt the story) that Jenna is a lesbian, but because Hawkins’ does not try to drill this into the reader’s brain or make an issue of it, what I remember of Jenna is how she is Sophie’s awesome best friend. And when it is brought up again, I am not surprised or annoyed because, again, Hawkins’ makes it flow naturally into the story. I don’t like to be force-fed a politically correct cast of characters because the author wants to make a point or push an agenda. Obviously gay people exist in the world, so it only makes sense that they would exist in literature. Same with minorities, the handicapped, the mentally ill, and any other kind of labeled person you can think of. But the way Hawkins’ makes Jenna a complete and genuine character who has flaws and hopes and a personality that doesn’t require you to label her (other than the vampire thing, because she is no longer technically human) makes me love Jenna for who she is completely and appreciate Hawkins’ as an author.
Hawkins’ even makes the “labels are evil” thing sort of a theme in the novel because Jenna gets a lot of flack for being a vampire. People suspect her and accuse her and expect only certain things of her because of it. But Jenna knows she is more than a label, and so does Sophie. It gives me a certain respect for Hawkins’ that she is able to push beyond this idea that diversity in literature is gained by making characters fit this label or that instead of just making characters who are just who they are. I don’t want to remember someone because of a label, I want to remember them because of the kind of person they are, the choices they make, how they treat others, and how they impact the world around them.
Okay, rant over. ^_^ Back to the story.
The part of Hex Hall that I was most worried about, the plot, was way better than I had anticipated! I loved that I thought I knew how everything was going to work and happen but I really had no idea. Things happened that I never saw coming and I was really glad it was that way because it gave extra depth to the otherwise fun novel.
Overall, I really liked Hex Hall. It had engaging characters, great writing, and a fun, fast, and unpredictable plot. The only thing I would say is that it wasn’t completely unputdownable. I would stop for a while and it was only when I returned to the book that I would remember how awesome it was, but while the book was closed, it didn’t particularly stick with me or have me rushing back to it. But I am so glad I read it and any fan of YA paranormal will likely enjoy it. I am already reading the sequel, Demonglass, and am glad to be back in Sophie’s world.
