Review: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass (Book 2, Hex Hall Series)
by Rachel Hawkins
Release Date: March 1st, 2011
2011 Hyperion
Hardcover Edition; 359 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-423-12131-2
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Local Library

4.5 / 5 Stars

Summary
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 Acher to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

My Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed Demonglass, the second novel in the Hex Hall series.  It had everything I could pretty much ask for in such a novel: there was a nice romantic triangle where I can't decide which boy I like better for our heroine, suspense, plenty of action, and enough magic to satisfy even me.  With a few surprising twists and turns, and an ending that was satisfying, but at the same time frustrating, Ms. Hawkin's second novel was full of interesting and intriguing characters, a lot of mystery, and I found myself engrossed from beginning to end.

First of all, I really enjoy Sophie as a heroine and find her sarcastic wit and biting humour to be hilarious.  She is strong and funny, yet vulnerable at the same time, needing her friend Jenna, another favourite character of time, to boost up her self-esteem on a number of occasions.  It is this combination of toughness and gentleness that I find endearing in Sophie as she grapples with newfound mysteries surrounding her in England where she is spending the summer with her dad at Council Headquarters.  Trust is a difficult thing to come by and as she learns to trust those around her, she soon learns that not everyone in the Council may be trustworthy. The only thing I couldn't really understand is why she wanted to go through the Removal process so badly, as pretty much everyone at Hex Hall has the power to kill and to go 'beserk'.  It just seemed like a strange thing to want to go through.

Dad was the biggest surprise in this novel.  I was prepared to dislike him after reading the first novel, but I really enjoyed his personality and his characters.  He tried really hard to get to know Sophie and understand her and her friends, and the pressures of running the Council were really getting to him.  I really enjoyed the banter and bickering that went on between the two of them and can't wait until Sophie's mother re-enters the drama - the possibilities are endless. 

I really liked learning more about the Prodigium and some of the history of how things happened to Sophie and her family; it was fascinating and made some events in the first novel make more sense.  I found the interplay between Sophie and Cal and Sophie and Archer to be intriguing and I am really on the fence as to whom I want her to choose as I like both of them for different reasons.  I really like Cal and don't want to see anything happen to him as that would be devastating.  As always, I enjoyed Ms. Hawkin's writing style as I found it to be smooth and easy to read.  I enjoy the fact that all of the characters are flawed, with many shades of gray in both the plot and in them, so you are not really sure who is villain and who is hero, all of the time.  It makes it really easy to connect with everyone, and not just the heroes. 

Verdict
Demonglass was a fantastic sequel to Hex Hall and I enjoyed it tremendously.  The cliffhanger ending was frustrating, but after dealing with the Karen Marie Moning endings these past few years, I've started to adapt and get used to them.  Sophie is an endearing character and I am looking forward to her continuing adventures when the next book is released in 2012.