Review: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on April 18, 2012 | 3 Comments


Review: Demonglass by Rachel HawkinsDemonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall #2
Published by Disney Hyperion (3.22.2011)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback, 359 pages
Source: I own it
Buy on Amazon


4.5 Stars

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?

My thoughts

**CAUTION: Possible spoilers for Hex Hall if you have not read it!!**

Holy hell weasel, this book was just as good (if not better) than Hex Hall!! Hawkins really brings it in the second installment with even more twists, danger, and betrayal. There were so many things I never saw coming! Demonglass was riveting, particularly in the last quarter – and okay, I admit it, I got a little misty in certain parts. But it also made me giggle a lot, since Sophie’s wit is back in full force.

The romance, again, takes a backseat. But what little that existed was ohh so sweet! At the very start, you get a little piece of news that immediately made me think, Oh, Lord, there’s going to be a love triangle. (And boy, do I hate love triangles.) And it was, in a way, true. There are a few moments where Sophie did look at Cal as potentially more than a friend. But those moments were fleeting. She stayed true to her heart, which belonged to Archer. Ohh, Archer. ♥
This quote is a spoiler, highlight to read:

“This thing with us is the only real thing I’ve had in a long time. You’re the only real thing.” He raised our hands and kissed my knuckles. “And I’m done pretending I don’t want you.”I had read a lot about swooning in the romance novels Mom had tried to hide from me, but I’d never felt in danger of doing it until now. Which was why a snarky comment was definitely called for.“Wow, Cross. I think you missed your calling. Screw demon hunting: you should clearly be writing Hallmark cards.”

I think I fell in love with Rachel Hawkins right there (and Archer – even I was in danger of swooning). Say something totally cheesy, then have the lead ruin it with a sarcastic remark? That’s my kind of book right there!
(I hate spoilers, but this was my favorite part of the whole book so I had to share :p)

It was interesting to see Sophie learn control of her demon powers. In addition to seeing more of the characters that I loved in Hex Hall, there were also some new ones. Daisy, Nick, and Sophie’s dad were the biggest ones. I was quite surprised by how much I liked her dad – you get to see where she gets her snark from, and maybe that’s why I liked him so much. :D

I blew out a breath. “Dad, this is a total cluster…um, a mess.”He flashed me a wry smile. “I think the word you were about to use is probably the best summation of the current situation.”

Awesomesauce, dude!

Daisy and Nick creeped me out. Needless to say, I didn’t care for them very much. (except for the part where Nick and Sophie get into a bit of a magic war – Nick in a purple prom dress, lawl!)
Something else I wanted to mention was how much respect I gained for Cal. In the first book and through most of the second, he was just kind of there for me. Not that he isn’t sweet, it’s just that I’m team Archer all the way. But, towards the end he does something really amazing that made me want to give him a big ole’ kiss on the mouth (okay, maybe just a hug would suffice). I can’t imagine how much strength and courage (and self-sacrifice) it took to do that!

That ending – argh!! Thank goodness I managed to snag Spell Bound from the library, because I’d be very unhappy if I had to wait more than a few hours to start the next book. My advice? Don’t start Demonglass until you have Spell Bound, because the cliffhanger is KILLER.
 
Favorite character: Gonna have to go with Archer on this one. I still love Jenna though!
 
quotes
Yeah, except for that whole sleeping with the enemy part, I thought. Wait, not that I would actually be sleeping with…I mean, it’s a metaphor. There would only be metaphorical sleeping.

“It was my assignment.”
“From the Eye?”
“No, from the Boy Scouts. That Witch Dating badge just kept eluding me.”
“Well, you must have at least three Total Douchebag badges by now, so that has to count for something.”

 
assessment
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing style: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World-building: 4.5/5
Pace: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
 
Overall rating: 4.5/5 starfish
 
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Click cover for my review

Jessi (Geo)

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3 responses to “Review: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

  1. Ok I didn’t read the whole review because said possible spoiler but needed to know how many stars you gave it! Super cool because this is on my reading list next thank you!
    Krista

  2. Understandable! It’s safe after you read Hex Hall, I promise :)
    The major point in this review was don’t read Demonglass until you get Spell Bound. Major cliffhanger!

  3. Aww, this reminded me of how much I love the Hex Hall series! It’s just so cute and funny and a great story. Your analysis of Cal in particular is spot on.

    I can’t wait to see your review of Spell Bound!

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