Book 13. Hex Hall.

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Pages: 336
Date Started: Feb 8th, 2011
Date Finished: Feb 9th, 2011
Did you like it? "Oh my God. Regret cake? Whatever was about to happen must be truly evil." Not that the quote really tells you anything about the book, but it was very much fun to read. Sophie Mercer was a female character that I didn't question her motives through the book. She was a witch with all kinds of problems. . . or so she thought. Really her life was pretty awesome. Rachel Hawkins did an excellent job brining characters to life. The mean girls really were mean girls, I felt the pain of being an outcast through Sophie's relations with Jenna (the resident "killer" vampire). I would give this book a 5/6 for the character development, the plot and the overall enjoyability to read.

What's it about? 

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. 

The novel starts out with Sophie performing a simple love spell for a girl the school punching bag. Needless to say, it goes terribly wrong and Sophie gets sent to the equivalent of a witch/werewolf/fae boarding school. She starts her first day with almost being attacked by a werewolf and then being humiliated in front of everyone. She ends up being the roommate of the school outcast, which most of Jenna's outcast-ness is unfounded, other than the fact that she's the only vampire in the school, and also a lesbian (though her sexuality plays not at all into how people treat her). But Sophie manages pretty well in the beginning. The mean girls want her to be part of their coven, which Sophie refuses and they do turn to mean girls. And it just so happens that the head of the mean girls is dating the boy that Sophie (and every other girl in the school) has a crush on. Then the mean girls start their trickery and Sophie (dumbly) believes them and gets herself into all kinds of trouble. The crush, Archer, defends her and also gets in trouble. Then girls start to die and everyone points the finger at the vampire. Then Sophie learns her family history, something that has been hidden from her because she's never met her father (even though they talk on a regular basis, he lives in London while the novel is set in America). Then she meets the ghost of her great grandmother and begins learning magic from her. Then everything changes, truths are revealed, more girls are hurt, and Sophie's whole world is turned upside down. . .in preparation for the second book in the series, which yes I'm super excited to read when it come out.