Review: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Spell Bound (#3) 
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion Books, March 2012
 Number of Pages: Hardcover, 336 pages


Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Witches, Magic, Paranormal, Demons

Plot: (Goodreads.com) Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Personal Thoughts: Book three was an amazing addition to the series!! I can't say much without spoiling, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat and I found myself rooting for Sophie Mercer through out the whole thing!

SPOILER ALERT! 

Just as Sophie was getting used to and learning to control all of her demonic powers - the council bound them inside her person so that she couldn't use them, as punishment. She learns a lot more about her family in this book - about who her Mom really is and how she ties into the whole story.

Sophie is sent back to Hex Hall - powerless and defenseless against the people who are raising demons. A big war is brewing and Sophie is RIGHT in the MIDDLE! She has to find the key to getting her powers back in time to help the good side win!

I enjoyed this novel even though I had a little problem with the ending. I know it had to end and I understand we can't always have these picture perfect endings, but I feel like one character in general definitely got the short straw. I don't want to give anything away and so I won't say anything more than I wouldn't have chosen the book to end the way it did. Although, it was a satisfying ending to the trilogy.

Recommended Age Level: 12+
Rating: 4.5

Review: Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Demon Glass (Book #2) 
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion Books, March 2011
Number of Pages: Hardcover, 368 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy ,Witches, Magic, Paranormal, Demons

Plot: (Goodreads.com) Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact 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 either destroy her powers for good-or kill her. 

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They're demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons 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?

Personal Thoughts:  Book two definitely did not disappoint! The plot gets deeper and a lot more secrets are revealed. You also get a good look into the council and the Eye in this book! There are a lot of new characters mixed in with the old favorites from book one such as - Archer, Cal, and Jenna.

SPOILER ALERT! 

This book took Sophie's world far beyond that of just a high school girl. It follows her journey across the pond to England where her Father is head of the witches council. Sophie, and her Father, are demons. We find that out at the end of book one. Supposedly they are the only two that exist, but in this book we find out there is a lot more to that story! She has to fight for her life and for her powers in this book, as well as her feelings of love towards a boy who is her biggest enemy.

Much like book one, this was a great read, easy to follow and enough plot to keep me on the edge of my chair while wanting to finish the book quickly. The story moves quickly, but Hawkins knows how to keep her reader interested. The book does start off a little slow, but about halfway through, it picks up quickly and the excitement doesn't end until the last line of the book.  So much so that I immediately bought and downloaded book three the night I finished it! (:

Recommended Age Level: 12+

Rating: 4.5
Reviews/Awards:

Just when you think it might be impossible for a sequel to surpass the first book...poof, I give you Demonglass! Yes, to me Demonglass was even more spectacular than Hex Hall which is really saying something because Hex Hall was amazing! -Jessica, Confessions of a Bookaholic 

Things are not as Sophie thought they were, and she has to adjust her feelings and actions. All sorts of family history and secrets are revealed. Rachel Hawkins spins a complex plot with unexpected surprises. Demonglass is so much more than a typical paranormal story.
-Reading Vacation
  

Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall (Book #1 of 3) 
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion Books, March 2010
Number of Pages: Hardcover, 336 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Witches, Magic, Paranormal, Demons

Plot: (Goodreads.com) 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.

Personal Thoughts: I read this book based on a personal recommendation from someone that I trust a lot when it comes to YA fiction. I've always loved young adult books, and this one did not disappoint. Hawkins writes on a solid high school/college level and the book is easy to relate to. I was immediately on the main character, Sophie's side. I felt bad for her and what she was going through - not knowing her father and being a witch that was raised by a human. She gets into some trouble doing magic in the human world so the witch counsel sent her to a special school - one for witches, faeries, and shape shifters.

Sophie is very much the epitome of  a teenager - from bullies to crushes, this book took me back to high school in almost every sense. It has the added element of magic though, and then it becomes a book about solving mysterious deaths and attacks with in a school that's supposed to be protected and finding out that her Father is not even close to the man she thought she was. He's so much more. She also learns things about herself and her magic that only this school could help teach her. The end of the book left me wanting more, and I was glad to know that book two is already out!

I recommend this book to anyone over the age of twelve and those who are my age looking for an easy but intriguing read. This book kept me on the edge of my seat with things that were happening around every corner. Also it didn't hurt that it was cheap to get on my kindle. (:

Recommended Age Level: 12+
Rating: 4.5
Reviews/Awards:

Hawkins's proficient and entertaining debut is jam-packed with magical creatures and mystery. With no training on how to use the powers inherited from her absent warlock father, Sophie Mercer keeps making rookie mistakes that force her mother to move them around the country to avoid attention. But when, at age 16, Sophie makes a very public error with a love spell at the prom, she is sent to Hecate Hall, “the premier reformatory institution for Prodigium adolescents” (aka troubled shape-shifters, faeries, and witches like Sophie).... Sophie stumbles into answers more than searches them out, but the story is well paced and plotted with tween-friendly humor and well-developed characters, particularly awkward but compassionate Sophie. The ending satisfies while paving the way for future books.  - Publishers Weekly