Spell Bound
Rachel Hawkins
ISBN: 978-1423121329
Hyperion 2012
A solid conclusion to an overall quite decent YA girl-power thriller-urban fantasy trilogy.
Sophie Mercer first thought she was a witch, then she found out she was a demon, then she got wrapped up in an ancient blood-feud turned politial coup which left her friends possibly dead, and her father forcibly bereft of his own awesome powers. Now she's on the run, alone, and powerless.
Yay fun!
Rachel Hawkins has a style very similar to that of the Gallagher Girls books, and Sophie herself has that almost Clueless meets Buffy style of breezily taking in horrible news and immediately using sarcasm or wisecracks to take the edge off. I like it.
This final installment brings the trilogy nicely around full-circle, although I do wish that the last third of the book had been about two or maybe three times as long. I really felt that some of the desired impact and emotional intensity were lost through compression. Not to say that it was badly done, just that I felt that there was a lot more potential to be drawn out of that final stretch, and it is a shame to have let it go to waste.
However, a good series all the way through is hard to find, and this one was very enjoyable!
Showing posts with label Hex Hall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hex Hall. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Demonglass, Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall, Book 2)
This is the second of the projected Hex Hall Trilogy, preceded by Hex Hall.
Last time around, Sophie learned she was a witch, and got dumped into reform school. By the end of term, she learned she was actually a demon, so was her dad, and that her powers were orders of magnitude higher (and darker) than she was prepared to deal with. Once her headmaster told her about the Removal, which will either remove her powers, or simply kill her, she was on the first flight to England to sign up.
Nothing goes smoothly in the life of a YA heroine in an urban fantasy book rife with demons, fae, and dangerous monster-hunters, so of course, her plan goes awry from the start.
With Jenna (the pinkest vampire who ever lived) by her side, Sophie marches straight into plot twists, betrayals, and love-triangles galore. I wasn't even overly put off by the love triangle, which should say a lot for how well this was constructed.
Mystical devices and haunting pasts play a large part in this installment, and Sophie ends up, literally on her own, facing the final book of the trilogy with a huge amount of the plot still unresolved, and a surprising amount left mysteriously un-dealt-with. Not sure if this bodes well or poorly for the last book, or if this signals a bloat into a quartet, but I have to say that I am interested.
Last time around, Sophie learned she was a witch, and got dumped into reform school. By the end of term, she learned she was actually a demon, so was her dad, and that her powers were orders of magnitude higher (and darker) than she was prepared to deal with. Once her headmaster told her about the Removal, which will either remove her powers, or simply kill her, she was on the first flight to England to sign up.
Nothing goes smoothly in the life of a YA heroine in an urban fantasy book rife with demons, fae, and dangerous monster-hunters, so of course, her plan goes awry from the start.
With Jenna (the pinkest vampire who ever lived) by her side, Sophie marches straight into plot twists, betrayals, and love-triangles galore. I wasn't even overly put off by the love triangle, which should say a lot for how well this was constructed.
Mystical devices and haunting pasts play a large part in this installment, and Sophie ends up, literally on her own, facing the final book of the trilogy with a huge amount of the plot still unresolved, and a surprising amount left mysteriously un-dealt-with. Not sure if this bodes well or poorly for the last book, or if this signals a bloat into a quartet, but I have to say that I am interested.
Hex Hall, Rachel Hawkins
Hex Hall is the first in a projected trilogy.
Sophie Mercer thought she was a normal girl, living a mostly normal life. In fact, the only strangeness was the moving. Her mother kept them constantly on the run, and Sophie always assumed that her estranged father was to blame. It turns out that was only partially true.
Sophie isn't really human. When her powers erupt, she's nabbed by the magical powers that be, informed of her transgressions, and dumped into a reform school for uncontrollable magical youngsters - werewolves, witches (white and dark) vampires, and fae (who really do have wings). As the semester proceeds, Sophie makes friends with a kawaii bubblegum princess vampire, avoids the roving gangs of werewolves, and falls in love with foreign transfer student Archer.
Sadly, Archer is intended for someone else (arranged marriages are all the rage for magical families) and even more sadly, terrible things begin to happen at school. Throughout, Sophie's powers range from nonexistent to totally uncontrollable and riotous, forcing her to use her wits and her friends to solve her difficulties.
By the end, Sophie will know a lot more about herself, but the learning may cost her a lot of herself.
This reminded me strongly of the Gallagher Girls series - lighthearted and fun, and then a strong dash of cold serious plot to the face. An interesting way to write, and certainly engaging. I also liked Sophie's development and that her "issues" all had very real basis in how her life had gone thus far.
Sophie Mercer thought she was a normal girl, living a mostly normal life. In fact, the only strangeness was the moving. Her mother kept them constantly on the run, and Sophie always assumed that her estranged father was to blame. It turns out that was only partially true.
Sophie isn't really human. When her powers erupt, she's nabbed by the magical powers that be, informed of her transgressions, and dumped into a reform school for uncontrollable magical youngsters - werewolves, witches (white and dark) vampires, and fae (who really do have wings). As the semester proceeds, Sophie makes friends with a kawaii bubblegum princess vampire, avoids the roving gangs of werewolves, and falls in love with foreign transfer student Archer.
Sadly, Archer is intended for someone else (arranged marriages are all the rage for magical families) and even more sadly, terrible things begin to happen at school. Throughout, Sophie's powers range from nonexistent to totally uncontrollable and riotous, forcing her to use her wits and her friends to solve her difficulties.
By the end, Sophie will know a lot more about herself, but the learning may cost her a lot of herself.
This reminded me strongly of the Gallagher Girls series - lighthearted and fun, and then a strong dash of cold serious plot to the face. An interesting way to write, and certainly engaging. I also liked Sophie's development and that her "issues" all had very real basis in how her life had gone thus far.
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