Demonglass: a book recommendation
5 out of 5 stars.
Wow. Just WOW. I finally picked up the sequel to Rachel Hawkins Hex Hall (which I adored), and I devoured it in a single sitting. If you liked the creepy-factor, spunky heroine, and super sexy Archer from the first book, then you will be blown away by book 2.
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.
That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.
Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.
But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?
Okay, so I’ve declared my never-ending love for Archer before, but…I’ll just throw it out there again: boy is a 10 on the Sooz Swooning Scale. Seriously, I didn’t know how Hawkins could possibly make the romance as tense or entertaining as she did in book 1, but whoa was I wrong. The romance in Demonglass will have you bouncing in your seat and grinning like an idiot (or at least I was).
And of course, the protagonist, Sophie, is just as wonderful and snarky as ever. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion, gasped in terrified horror, and rooted for her constantly.
Oh, and did I mention the mystery? I LOVE how Hawkins drops hints and then deftly ties it all together at the end. I WANT BOOK 3 NOW.
If you haven’t read Hex Hall, then run to the library right now. Check out Demonglass at the same time, and be prepared for an amazing and unique paranormal ride!
You tell me: Have you read Hex Hall or Demonglass? What did you think?
Adriana
May 29, 2011 @ 5:36 pm
I’ve read them both! (Thanks to you, by the way ;p) And they were SO GREAT.
I loved the character development in the second book and, omgsh, cliff hanger! Book 3 needs to come out, like, *now* lol
And Archer <3 Way awesome-er (not a word XD) in the second book, methinks. I love romantic tension 🙂
Susan
May 30, 2011 @ 8:56 am
Yes, I love the romantic tension too….and holy cliffhanger, Batman is right!!! I actually screamed in great anguish when I turned the page and the book was OVER. My husband was frightened.
Tim
May 29, 2011 @ 5:43 pm
I loved the first one. I’d say my favourite character was Sophies roomate. For the life of me I can’t remember why. Maybe because I ddin’t expect disney to have a lesbian character in one of their books. Or just the pure awesomeness of a vampire liking pink:P
Susan
May 30, 2011 @ 8:57 am
Jenna! She’s awesome, huh? I love their friendship–I feel like friendships are never done enough in paranormal YA (I am soooooo guilty of this too in SS&D!), but Hawkins does it splendidly.
Laura Hughes
May 30, 2011 @ 12:29 am
These still rank as a couple of my favourite books ever! I think I stayed up til 3am reading the night Demonglass came out. Sophie’s voice is just so great. I think it’s really hard to write sarcasm/funny without being annoying but I definitely rooted for Sophie the entire time. And, I’m a sucker for books set in Europe so I loved the whole English country manor setting. Can’t wait for book 3 and also Rachel’s new trilogy!!
Susan
May 30, 2011 @ 8:58 am
I was thinking about how AWESOME her new trilogy sounds too!! When I have to hand a list of potential blurbers over to my editor, I can assure you that Hawkins will be on there. I just LOVE her writing and storytelling. Like you said, the sarcasm is funny without being annoying, and you just HAVE to root for Sophie.
Oh me, where is book 3…. 😛
Heather Anastasiu
May 30, 2011 @ 5:08 am
Yay! I just picked up the first one in the series a couple weeks ago, I love it when the second in a series keeps pushing the awesome!
Megan Dolan
May 30, 2011 @ 5:25 am
Hi Susan,
I also loved both Hex Hall and Demonglass! This is the review I wrote of Demonglass on my blog where I do one sentence reviews of YA and MG fiction (as you can see I often get around the one sentence rule with serious run-ons):
“This sequel to Hex Hall is another smart, exciting trip into the secret world of Prodigium (witches, shapeshifters, and faeries) that exists alongside us, with the fantastic Sophie (whose voice remains as refreshing and real as any character on the market today) discovering more about herself, her father, and her powers while figuring out her forbidden relationship with Archer.”
Susan
May 30, 2011 @ 8:59 am
I’d say your long sentence sums the book up perfectly! ::sigh:: Forbidden relationship with Archer…::sigh::
😉
Meredith
May 30, 2011 @ 2:38 pm
I’ve read and really enjoyed Hex Hall, but I haven’t gotten to Demonglass yet. Glad to hear it’s just as good! I love books that can make me laugh. 😀