Guest Blogger for Hex Hall

Any giveaway I do, I ask the winner if they would be interested in doing a guest blog about the book they won because I want to know what that person thought about it. My first ever guest blogger is Ashley who was the winner of a signed copy of Hex Hall and here's what she had to say:

I will admit that I didn’t have a great deal of interest in Hex Hall when I first heard about it and didn’t give it much thought.  But then the girls in my online book club started raving about how great it was and how we all just had to read it, so I finally added it to my TBR list. I was then lucky enough to win the signed copy Crystal was giving away and I’m so glad I did. 


What a fun read!  You know those books that just seem to grab you and take you right along on the adventure with the characters?  Like… Harry Potter or even Hunger Games?  Hex Hall is right up there with them, yet lighter and infused with a little more humor which makes it really enjoyable. 


Every character felt real to me.  Beyond the magical powers part, I could see each of them, from Sophie, to Jenna, to Elodie, being students in my high school.  I admire an author that can do that because likable and/or real characters are hard to write; especially an entire novel worth of them.   Archer was the perfect mystery, I loved to hate Elodie, Jenna was a fantastic best friend (which is saying a lot because I normally hate the best friend) and Sophie… well she just seemed so normal.  I really liked her and could easily identify with her. 


The setting and writing were perfect on their own as well.  I’d love to meet Rachel Hawkins in person because I’m sure she’s absolutely hilarious.  The book is full of witty dialogue that had me hooked. Here’s one of my favorite examples (that doesn’t give anything away): 

"Good luck explaining to God that you used to spank one of his heavenly beings."   Mom gave a startled laugh. "Sophie!" "What? You did. I hope you like hot weather, Mom, that's all I'm saying." 

I think the best elements to this story were the major twists the plot took.  So many recent books are so predictable that by half way through you’ve pretty much figured out what’s going to happen.  This story had a conclusion that I never imagined and the unexpected twists and turns were great. It was a fresh story that in no way felt like the same old thing. 


Here are my only two complaints:
-it was over far too soon
-I have to wait much too long for the sequel. 


I’m very much looking forward to the next installment and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun adventure read.  A great debut for Hawkins! 


Thanks again Crystal!

Thanks Ashley! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and reading this just made me want to re-read Hex Hall already!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

The time has finally come for my opinion of Hex Hall and I honestly cannot say enough great things about it. It's only officially been out since Tuesday but if you haven't already acquired a copy, do so now. Seriously, what are you waiting for?! GO!

Sixteen year old Sophie Mercer is a witch and after a love spell gone wrong, she lands herself in Hecate Hall for two years, a reform school in Georgia for prodigium that have put humans at risk.

Things don't go too well for Sophie at Hecate, not only is her roommate and new best friend, Jenna, the sole vampire student and pariah, but she manages to piss off the three resident dark witches. What makes life even more complicated is that Sophie falls for Archer, boyfriend to head mean girl, Elodie.

Before long, things start happening at Hecate and Jenna is the one accused of everything. In order to help clear her friend's name, Sophie begins digging for information and ends up getting answers to her own personal questions like: Why has she never met her father? Why is she an outcast among outcasts? Why do people want her dead?

I think part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was that it wasn't difficult to emerge myself in Sophie's world. Partly because this book was so well written but also because I share some of the same background as Sophie.

I was always the new girl in school and I totally identified with the part where she says that people aren't really mean to her, they just ignore her. That sums up what high school was for me. Also, Sophie moved around a lot and I literally chuckled out loud when the two states that were mentioned in the same breath were Arizona and Texas, because you guessed it, I lived in both places. By the time I was fourteen I had moved fifteen times so I really knew what she felt like, especially the part about living somewhere for four years being the longest she had lived anywhere. Again, that was me. I lived in a small Arizona town for four years starting when I was nine and it was a shock to me going to the same school for more than a year. When I moved to Alabama from Arizona I felt exactly like she did when she said the heat is different and the humidity is so bad it feels like mildew is growing on your skin.

Enough of my history, back to the book. One of my favorite things about Hex Hall was the humor and wit. Anyone who can reference pop culture this way gets a mega gold star in my book. I thought I saw where the story was going to go and I was right on one account but was shocked by the curve ball Rachel threw in there and I had to put my book down for a few seconds to process. I love when that happens.

I loved this book and am whoring it out to everyone who will listen because it's just plain awesome as is the author (my mom even bought a copy today) and I hated when I got to the last page because I want to know now what's going to happen next. I can't wait until book 2 comes out!

I may even go buy another copy sometime so I can have a giveaway :-)

Teaser Tuesday - Hex Hall

Thanks to MizB at Should Be Reading for hosting Teaser Tuesday's. If you'd like to participate all you have to do is grab the book you're reading, open to a random page, share 2 teaser sentences (non-spoilers please!), and list the name of the book, page number, and author.

" I threw a roll at her, but before she could retaliate, Mrs. Casnoff rose from her seat. She raised her hands over her head and the room fell quiet so quickly, you would have thought she'd just cast a silencing spell."

Page 69 of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

This is also very appropriate to have this as today's Teaser Tuesday book because today is the official release date. Happy Hexy Birthday Rachel!

Waiting on Wednesday - Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick for this week's Waiting on Wednesday is Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. Not only does she seem like a great person who I would like to support, but the book itself seems like something I would really enjoy. I absolutely LOVE the cover of Hex Hall. I knew what the cover looked like, but a few days ago I was reading Rachel's blog and she posted a picture of Hex Hall on her bookshelf at home and I thought to myself, "that looks like a short book." That's when I realized that she did not have a mirror underneath her book (and yes, I'm aware that the reflection on the book is a different look for the girl). Afterwards, I felt slightly stupid but since I usually own my stupidness, there it is for everyone.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins releases on March 2, 2010

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.