Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer 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 Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, 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 tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

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.

Since I was a little girl, I've always been drawn to stories about witches. I was obsessed with The Craft movie when it came out when I was in junior high. There's something so fun and exciting about having the power to perform magic and make things happen. I also seem to like books/series that take place at a boarding school (ie. Harry Potter, Evernight) so this book seemed to follow the recipe of success for me.

This was another novel that I was highly anticipating before it was released. The title itself really caught my attention, as well as the fact that it had several of my favorite supernatural being present in one story. I was excited about the story when I sat down to read it, and i wasn't disappointed. The author captures your attention right away, bringing you right into the action. There isn't too much build up or back story to get through before things get going and you're in the middle of Sophie's adventure. I was very entertained by the opening sequence at the prom. It made me laugh out loud while building up my anticipation for what was going to happen next.

The atmosphere of Hex Hall was definitely a key element in what made this book so enjoyable for me. The author painted a great picture of what the hall looks and feels like. As when I was younger, I thought the way much of the magic worked was just so cool. I was reading about some of the spells and the methods used when giving a history lesson, and thinking how awesome it was. To put it simply, I had some good old fashioned fun reading this novel. Hawkins' writing style was simple and fast paced and I found myself addicted to the story and on the last page before I knew it. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the sequel, Demon Glass, in 2011. Definitely on the top of my must read list!