Hex Hall

Hex Hall

Rachel Hawkins

It was that my worst fear seemed to be coming true.  It's one things to be different around people who you're really, well, different from.  It's a whole other problem to be an outcast in a group of outcasts.

~ Sophie

Earlier this month, I won a contest that C.J. Redwine had on her blog, The Last Word. (on my day o' winning as it's come to be known) C.J. is really funny and her husband's cupcakes are brillant.  Plus, she has awesome interviews.  I won a book from an interview with her agent Holly Root.  Holly emailed me a huge list of books and said I could choose 2!! So generous!  HEX HALL and RISE OF RENEGADE X arrived in no time.  Woowhoo!

I was so excited to get HEX HALL.  It was released on March 3rd but before that Twitter was, well, all a twitter with it's awesomeness. 

Sophia, a witch, (or Soh-fee-yuh as pronounced by headmistress Mrs. Casnoff ) is sent/sentenced to Hecate Hall after a prom night incident which is as funny as it is tragic.  Hecate Hall is a reform school of sorts on an island off the coast of Georgia for wayward magical teenagers - witches, faeries, shapeshifters, etc. Sophie tries to settle into life at Hex Hall but there's always something.  Seriously...vampire roommate; finding out she's a 'dark witch'; 3 beautiful witches alternately trying to befriend and make her miserable (the ultimate 'frienemies'); cute boy; info about her MIA dad.

And, of course, there's the mystery.  I'm not going to tell you about the mystery.  You'll have to read it to find out. I don't want to give away too much of the book but I will tell you that after chapter 28, my heart was broken.  Then the last sentence of the whole book - was. not. expecting. that.  {I actually said "no way" out loud while getting my pedicure.  The pedicure lady looked at me like I was nuts.  I might be.}

HEX HALL is - well, I can't find the right words to describe it - I keep coming back to awesome but that doesn't seem to be enough.  Double awesome with a side order of diet coke?  Triple awesome with spinach pizza and diet coke? That gets close.  Let's go with that.  HEX HALL is triple awesome with spinach pizza and diet coke. 

I really connected with Sophie.  I felt her discomfort leaving her mother, her struggle to make friends.  I admire her loyality.  And what girl hasn't tried to talk herself out of a crush?  Plus, she's wicked funny.  What else can you call someone who refers to her gym clothes as 'fugly'?

HEX HALL is excellent.  I highly recommend it.  I also highly recommend following Rachel Hawkins on Twitter.  I've been following her about a week.  She's also wicked funny.  I was very excited to learn that there will be a HEX HALL 2. You can read more about Rachel on her blog, Reading Writing Rachel

Recommendation: girls in 8th grade and up

Length: 323 pages

Rating: All Time! I am reading a lot of good books lately so I've had a lot of well deserved All Times