21 Day Blogoversary & Birthday Bash: Day 3 Review and Giveaway of Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Welcome to Day 3 of my 21 Day Blogoversary & Birthday Bash

Today, I have a review of Demonglass; Rachel Hawkins' second book in her Hex Hall series. The release date for this book is Feb. 15, 2011, but I have an ARC copy to giveaway, and trust me if you liked Hex Hall you will love Demonglass.

 

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  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 Acher to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she? (Publisher's summary from Powell's Books)

So, I have to say this up front, that while I really thoroughly enjoyed Hex Hall, I absolutely, unequivocally loved Demonglass.

In my review of Hex Hall last March, I predicted that in book two we would learn more about Sophie’s dad and my prediction was correct. Demonglass moves the action of the story across the ocean to a mansion in England, where Sophie, and her vampire friend, Jenna, and Cal, the hot caretaker of Hex Hall are spending the summer with Sophie’s dad. Once there she gets to know here father and finds out that one: she is betrothed to Cal, two: that there are two more demons teens, whose existence is a major problem for the Prodigium and three: that The Eye is still very much a threat to Prodigium and Sophie. The story is chuck full of new conflicts and Sophie is smack dab in the middle of it all.

Once again Sophie’s is a major reason why I love this series. Quick-witted as ever Sophie has a better understanding about herself than she did in Hex Hall. I was glad to see that her experiences over the course of a year at school helped her glean a better understanding of her magical capabilities. I was also happy to have Jenna, her vampire roommate, and best bud back. I will admit I was surprised to find that Cal, who was primarily in the background in Hex Hall, elevated to play a much larger role, and while Sophie’ heart still yearns for Archer, Cal makes for a great love triangle.

I was also glad that Hawkins brought back Archer. Because in Hex Hall Archer left us all wondering whether he was a good guy or a bad guy.  Archer’s role in Demonglass adds much to the action and suspense, and it will be interesting to see how things will play out between Sophie and him in book three.

While many questions that were left unanswered at the end of Hex Hall are brought to light, Demonglass opens up a mansion load more, which means that book three will be anxiously anticipated. Demonglass is a very fast read and quite satisfying. Between the new conflicts facing Sophie, the love triangle, and the surprising ending, I can honestly say that Demonglass is a fantastic addition to the series. 

An now here's your chance to win an ARC copy of Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins. Just fill out this form and leave a comment. Tell me what you liked about Hex Hall.

You can also enter the other day's giveaway posts here.