Audiobook Review – Hex Hall (Hex Hall, Book 1) by Rachel Hawkins (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN:978-1423121398
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Hex Hall trilogy
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Hex Hall trilogy. It was a cute YA paranormal read. There isn’t a lot special here but the book was generally well written and well done. I especially enjoyed Sophie’s quirky sense of humor.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. Sophie sounds exactly like I would imagine her to. The narrator did an excellent job of distinguishing between character voices.

Sophie Mercer is a witch and when a love spell she does for a friend goes horribly wrong, her dad decides her punishment will be to transfer her to Hex Hall. Hex Hall is a school of magical deliquents, those students of non-human nature who just can’t seem to control their powers. While there Sophie gets involved in a mystery where other Dark Witches are being attacked. If Sophie can’t figure out what’s going on, and quickly, then she might be the next witch attacked.

This is a cute young adult read about a school full of witches, faeries, vampires and werewolves. It was a fun quick read and the characters were engaging. There was a good mystery to be solved, although it was pretty predictable.

Sophie kind of makes the story. She has an absolutely quirky and cutting sense of humor that gets her into trouble a lot. Her roommate, a vampire addicted to hot pink, adds even more fun to the mix.

This is a pretty typical YA paranormal read. Sophie has to deal with the “mean girl” group, the only twist being that these mean girls want her to join their coven. Sophie also ends up falling for the hottest guy in school, the totally untouchable Archer Cross. Sophie and Archer had pretty good chemistry together and it was cute to watch them get to know each other.

The vamps, weres, and witches are pretty typical…there’s nothing all that special about them in this world. The world-building in general isn’t all that great. This book is driven more by the mystery behind all of the witches being attacked. Much of the book is also dedicated to Sophie getting settled in her new school and learning more about being a witch.

Overall a fun and quick paranormal YA read. While there wasn’t a ton that was super creative here, it was still and cute and fun read. This is just a light book to read quickly. The characters are engaging and well done and there is a good mystery here to be solved. I will probably check out the second book in the series, mainly because Sophie is just so much fun and so quirky. Recommended to fans of YA paranormal books.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Audio Book Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Paranormal Reading Challenge
– TBR Pile Reading Challenge
– Young Adult Reading Challenge