Book Blog- HEX HALL by Rachel Hawkins

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 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.

In case you haven't noticed, I've been catching up on some 2010 debuts this week.  The best part is, as with THE BODY FINDER, the sequel to HEX HALL, DEMONGLASS is already out (and loaded on my Kindle).

In HEX HALL, Sophie, a witch whose spells go terribly wrong, finds herself at a boarding school for paranormals who need self discipline and control.  Once there, she has to survive a werewolf attack, deal with a group of dark witches who take mean girls to a new level, room with a vampire who  may or may not be a killer, and survive a crush on a hot warlock who already has a girlfriend.  And that's just the first few chapters.

Rachel Hawkins infuses this book with humor, wit and snappy dialogue.  It's a quick read, with twists and turns along the way.  The story feels complete, but there are plenty of questions left open that will make you want to rush out to buy the sequel and keep reading.  My favorite scene was a kick-ass kissing scene that also involves a major plot twist.  Can you say swoon?  This book is a fun read and I highly recommend it.