Sunday 1 July 2012

Raising Demons (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Raising Demons (Hex Hall, #2)
Paperback, UK, 359 pages
Published March 1st 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's
ISBN
1847387233 (ISBN13: 9781847387233)
edition language
English
original title
Demonglass
series
setting
England (United Kingdom)

literary awards
 
Sophie Mercer's first term at Hex Hall turned out to be quite eventful. First the ghost of her evil grandmother haunted her every move, then her best friend was accused of murder and of course there was the discovery that Archer Cross, aka the boy of her dreams, was actually an undercover demon hunter - which would probably be something she could have worked on, if she hadn't also discovered that she was actually the demon Archer was hunting…
So, despite their issues, Sophie is actually relieved to be spending the summer in London with her father. But when your father is Head of The Council of Prodigium and your summer is being spent at the headquarters of everything magical, then a quiet holiday isn't really that likely. And, as Sophie struggles to come to terms with her new found demon powers, she finds herself thrust once again into a world of dark magic and conspiracies. The only thing that could possibly make things more complicated would be for Archer Cross to show up again, which of course he wouldn't, would he?
 
 
   My Review
In the first novel of the series, we were led to believe that sophie was a witch, that she had been sent to hex hall to prevent her from doing spells that would harm others. At the beginning, the school seems like a lame sort of juvenile prison, but as you read it, you cant help but think that its a sorta cooler version of hogwarts, where its not just witches and wizards, but wolves and vampires, ghosts and all sorts. It became the sort of school that I wish I could go to. Hogwarts was no longer cool because it was limited to one species, but in Hex hall... I could be whatever I wanted to be. We learn that like all schools its not as easy going as you think, that there is an evil teacher wherever you attend, and that there is always some hot guy in the book that is just way out of your league. However, the first book was a little dull to the point where you wondered where all the drama was, why was everyone so fascinated by a book, when the story line was plain, dull, boring? Well, that was soon sorted closer to the end, when we discover that Sophie is a demon, and Archer, the hot out of my league guy, is a demon hunter for all intense and purposes. This of course meant the book sparked up and with the way it ended, you were left with the expression of a moneky being slapped by a wet tuna fish, needing to know what was going to occur next.

I was a little dissappointed therefore, when I discovered my library did not have the second book in the series, but this was soon rectified, and I was soon the first one to get my hands on the copy of it, and have finally had the chance to sit and read it. This time, the book was a little more upbeat, we meet her father, and we meet other new characters. But at the same time, I couldnt help but feel that it was still a little basic, missing that little something extra to it. It was almost, well, casual and too laid back. We start to learn a little more about what it is to be a demon and we see the complicated relationship between sophie and her father, but for me the emotions were just not real. I know that had I not seen my father for years on end, who then sends me to a school, and then demands I stay with him during the holidays, I would be fuming with him. I wouldnt want to know him. Yet Sophie seems to settle in with her father very quickly.

The book though, I grant it, does have its elements of surprise and its elements of suspense. Like in the first book your left with this assumption that Archer is a user, a player, and is evil and out to get Sophie, yet in the second book, hes saving her and helping her. All the characters just seem to have a new mask on them and for me it just didnt flow as smoothly as it could have done from the first book. Suddenly there is a relationship between sophie and cal, an arranged marriage that we never knew of before. Jenna has a girlfriend who magically turns up in the second book. And so much more. For me, it just was a little overdone, like the author was trying to hard to make it the next best thing to harry potter. it rambled and ranted and just didnt seem to get to the point, and when it did it rushed it.

Of course, I therefore found myself skipping through the pages, not really caring about what I was missing, if I was missing anything at all. I got annoyed with many factors of the book, like for one minute archer is dying due to an attack and is then perfectly fine, even though he was a second away from death, because Cal healed him. It just makes the book very unrealistic. I know its meant to be a fantasy book, but still.... somethings are just better left as they were in the first place. the ending just felt all wrong, and I wasnt really sure what to make of it to be honest. A part of me wants to enjoy it, and a part of me wants to throw a three year old tantrum about it. I think this is probably why I am going to give the book a three star rating. It was neither terribly bad, or amazingly good. it was neutral to say the very least. there were a lot of bits that could be changed, and some bits that just didnt need to exist at all. Im hoping the next book is therefore better, otherwise I will feel I wasted time on a series that wasnt worth the hassle.

didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing

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