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iamajellydoughnut 's review for:
Hex Hall
by Rachel Hawkins
HEX HALL is your run-of-the-mill paranormal with a few neat twists tossed in for good measure. The result is a good book that is attention-getting (in a good way) and easy to read. The story flows along smoothly, occasionally punctuated by good humor or snarky comments or creepy scenes. I rated this 3 stars not because it's an average read; I enjoyed it a great deal- it just doesn't leave a lasting impression on me. I'll try to give this a worthy review but I'm usually at a loss when the novel isn't insanely good or insanely bad.
Nevertheless, Sophie, the main character, is a amiable character who, because the story is narrated in first person, is easy to understand. Her thoughts are standard-issue teenage girl thoughts. You know, the typical boy crushing, want of a good friend, degrading the "mean girls", and because it's of the paranormal genre, issues relating to magic and mysterious murderers. One thing I liked was that HEX HALL starts out right from the beginning with Sophie knowing that she is a witch. Therefore, there is no part in the story where she goes about "unaware" of her powers; so there's no subjecting the reader to a round of disbelief when she finds out that she's a witch. Instead, right from the get-go we know and Sophie knows that she's a witch so we immediately start out with some action, which then eases in the main story. Plus, Sophie is occasionally hilarious and had me laughing out loud at her thoughts and actions- part of what made the book worthwhile.
HEX HALL basically revolves around Sophie's everyday life at her new school for the Prodigium (shapeshifters, witches, faeries, etc). Think of it as high school for magical beings. I found the school giving off Harry Potter vibes in that the school reminded me of Hogwarts in that magic is accepted, the teachers are also magical beings, and there are classes like "Defense" of something or another. The story navigates Sophie's first few months at the school; there's a bit of a mystery going on as well- students are being attacked one by one, and the sole suspect is Sophie's only friend.
However, it's a mostly lighthearted read; there is nothing particularly dark or dire in the story. Perhaps that's what I found lacking; I usually enjoy books with greater complexity and more substance. I felt like Hawkins could have elaborated more on the characters in the story. The main characters are well fleshed out but there were some others that I found interesting, yet were never really explored. Hopefully in the next book it will be!
Another detracting factor was such that the majority of the novel is narrated in a light and slightly humorous tone, so in the end when the tone shifts to a somewhat darker level I found it hard to become engaged. When the reader spends a great deal of the book reading of Sophie's normal thoughts, of popular girls and hot guys and pretty clothes amidst the magic, it's hard to get into the mindset that there is something grim and somber going on in the end portion of the book; therefore I couldn't feel the sorrow/fear/suspense the novel called for in the end. Was that a spoiler? Not really. Just be warned this novel isn't all light fluff, though it will be hard for some to reconcile this fact with the events of the story when necessary.
The greatest thing about this book was the twists! Ooh, they were some pretty good twists. So the story goes along at a pace that is enough to keep my interest and keep me turning the pages at a good rate, then suddenly near the end there's a whole series of revelations and plot twists that had me racing to the finish. And these twist were what sold me to highly looking forward to book 2!
So overall I'd say HEX HALL is a great read for those paranormal lovers out there. Not one of the very very best but definitely nowhere near the bottom.
Nevertheless, Sophie, the main character, is a amiable character who, because the story is narrated in first person, is easy to understand. Her thoughts are standard-issue teenage girl thoughts. You know, the typical boy crushing, want of a good friend, degrading the "mean girls", and because it's of the paranormal genre, issues relating to magic and mysterious murderers. One thing I liked was that HEX HALL starts out right from the beginning with Sophie knowing that she is a witch. Therefore, there is no part in the story where she goes about "unaware" of her powers; so there's no subjecting the reader to a round of disbelief when she finds out that she's a witch. Instead, right from the get-go we know and Sophie knows that she's a witch so we immediately start out with some action, which then eases in the main story. Plus, Sophie is occasionally hilarious and had me laughing out loud at her thoughts and actions- part of what made the book worthwhile.
HEX HALL basically revolves around Sophie's everyday life at her new school for the Prodigium (shapeshifters, witches, faeries, etc). Think of it as high school for magical beings. I found the school giving off Harry Potter vibes in that the school reminded me of Hogwarts in that magic is accepted, the teachers are also magical beings, and there are classes like "Defense" of something or another. The story navigates Sophie's first few months at the school; there's a bit of a mystery going on as well- students are being attacked one by one, and the sole suspect is Sophie's only friend.
However, it's a mostly lighthearted read; there is nothing particularly dark or dire in the story. Perhaps that's what I found lacking; I usually enjoy books with greater complexity and more substance. I felt like Hawkins could have elaborated more on the characters in the story. The main characters are well fleshed out but there were some others that I found interesting, yet were never really explored. Hopefully in the next book it will be!
Another detracting factor was such that the majority of the novel is narrated in a light and slightly humorous tone, so in the end when the tone shifts to a somewhat darker level I found it hard to become engaged. When the reader spends a great deal of the book reading of Sophie's normal thoughts, of popular girls and hot guys and pretty clothes amidst the magic, it's hard to get into the mindset that there is something grim and somber going on in the end portion of the book; therefore I couldn't feel the sorrow/fear/suspense the novel called for in the end. Was that a spoiler? Not really. Just be warned this novel isn't all light fluff, though it will be hard for some to reconcile this fact with the events of the story when necessary.
The greatest thing about this book was the twists! Ooh, they were some pretty good twists. So the story goes along at a pace that is enough to keep my interest and keep me turning the pages at a good rate, then suddenly near the end there's a whole series of revelations and plot twists that had me racing to the finish. And these twist were what sold me to highly looking forward to book 2!
So overall I'd say HEX HALL is a great read for those paranormal lovers out there. Not one of the very very best but definitely nowhere near the bottom.