Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Summary from goodreads:

"When Sophie Mercer turned thirteen, she 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 Hecate Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward prodigium, a.k.a. witches, fae, 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, tag-along ghost; and a new roommate, who happens to be the most-hated person and only vampire on campus. Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her friend Jenna is the number one suspect. Meanwhile, Sophie has a more personal shock to grapple with. Not only is her father the head of the prodigium council, he's the most powerful warlock in the world, and Sophie is his heir. 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."

(ARC through BookItForward ARC Tours)

My Review: ***** = 5 Stars

I've been waiting to read Hex Hall for a very long time. Ever since I read the summary months ago actually. Well, let me tell you, it was worth the wait. I'm glad it was as good as I thought it would be, better even. The lead character, Sophie, is probably one of my favorite female characters. She's just fun to read about and her personality really shows through Hawkins writing. Sometimes characters are very 2-d and I can't really imagine them as well as I would like to, but I had no problem with Sophie. I really enjoyed all of the secondary characters as well, even the mean girls. They weren't overly bitchy like some authors try to make the mean girls, they were just the right amount of mean. Then there's Archer, the popular hottie that all the girls crush on. He's very crushworthy too, but you'll have to read it to find out more! There are a lot of stories out there based in boarding schools and reform schools but this was such a twist on all of the ones I read. Reform school for witches, faeries and shapeshifters. I mean, come on, it doens't get much cooler than that. I wasn't expecting some of what came about near the end and I can gladly say Rachel Hawkins has officially hooked me. I can't wait to get my hands on Hex Hall 2: Mad Hex.

There's some kissing scenes but thats as bad as it gets so I recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA.

Sherry <3