Image Map

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Hex Hall trilogy, by Rachel Hawkins

- Hex Hall (Released in 2010)
- Demonglass (Released in 2011)
- Spell Bound (Released in 2012)

Published by: Hyperion Book CH
Genre: Young Adult
Find it on: Goodreads


I actually didn't know how to write a review on this series. I thought about writing one review for each book, but then... I don't know. Since I read the entire trilogy as one, in just a couple of days, and with no pause, I thought about doing the review the same way - just one big review talking about the three books in general. Hopefully that'll work out!

Hex Hall had the kind of premise that makes me excited and hesitant at the same time, simply because it can either succeed wonderfully, or fail horribly. Thankfully it was the former. I imediately felt a bond with Sophie - and with Rachel Hawkins' writing style. It had it all - the sarcasm, the vulnerability of going to a place that you don't know, the fear of what's going to happen... it all clicked when I started to read Hex Hall. And that experience lasted till the ending of Spell Bound.

The plot of these books can be a little crazy, and often too quick for you to fully comprehend what's happening, but for me, that's what made it all perfect. It fit Sophie. You see, she's young, volatile, sarcastic, and just speaks her mind, so how can you expect the plot to be slow, and the romance that eventually develops to be something you can understand completely? The answer is: You can't expect that! Even when the story slowed down a bit, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I was unable to put this book down.

The other reason Hex Hall is so freaking impossible to put down is because of the secondary characters. Granted, you have some annoying characters (like Elody, for example), but before I realized it, she had grown on me. Jenna, Sophie's best friend, and Archer Cross, the love interest (although I like to think he's much more than that!) are perfect examples of why the author should always, always develop not only the main character, but the secondary ones, as well. These two were realistic, funny, and made the story a lot more interesting (especially Archer, hehe).

Now that I've spoken of the first book a little bit, I'd like to talk about Demonglass, and Spell Bound. Demonglass was the perfect sequel to Hex Hall. It had everything I wanted, and even a bit more. Sophie was a lot more mature - but she kept her sarcasm as sharp as a knife, of course - and the story went to a direction I wasn't expecting, which is definitely good. However, Spell Bound wasn't quite as good as its predecessors.

Don't get me wrong - it was pretty good - but some things failed to impress me. For example, Sophie's sense of humor. You're probably thinking "I can't believe you're going to talk about the girl's sense of humor", but it's true, and if you've read Hex Hall, you know that. Sophie's sarcasm was extraordinary in Hex Hall and Demonglass, something that always made you laugh at the most awkward moments. I just loved that about her. In Spell Bound - and I'm sad to say this - that sense of humor seemed forced the entire time. Maybe it was because of how tense things were, but without the humor, the book dragged a bit more than necessary.

The ending was extraordinary, though, and I'd be an idiot to give Spell Bound less than 4.5 stars. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty close. The Hex Hall trilogy, in general, is a fantastic trilogy if you like paranormal creatures and a fun main character (and a swoon-worthy love interest, if I may add). If you're thinking that this series sounds slow and cliché, let me tell you something: It isn't ;) I thought the same thing, and I read this trilogy in 3 days. It was just that amazing!

4 comments:

  1. You read the whole trilogy in 3 days?! Wow! Impressive. :)

    I'm really glad you enjoyed these books though. I gave them all pretty high ratings too, and agree about Archer. He is one of my favourite characters. ;) Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hah, thanks!
      Yep, Archer is awesome, isn't he? *-*

      Delete
  2. I loved these! I read all of them in 2 days :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! All of them in 2 days? You're a reading machine! ^.^

      Delete