Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins (REVIEW)

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?

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MY THOUGHTS:

Earlier today, I had an internal rant in my mind about how nothing is EVER completely satisfactory. At least, for me. I always seem to find something wrong with everything. My cell phone, for instance, downloads text messages too slow. My refrigerator freezes my milk. My microwave--

Okay, the issues with my technology and kitchen devices are not the point here. My point is that I was never fully satisfied with anything. That is, however, until I read DEMONGLASS.

Honestly, I finished HEX HALL, the first book in the series, last week and while I thought it was all right, I wasn't blown away by it. Though, I was excited for the sequel. When I picked up DEMONGLASS I got the sense that I needed to read it immediately. I was already in the midst of reading three books, and I knew I shouldn't start another one--Especially with Wolfsbane being released tomorrow--but I just HAD to. Like the book held this strange compulsion begging me to open it, to read it.

And really, who can resist such literary temptation?

I was sucked in from the very first page. A lot of times, I discovered, the opening of sequels are not nearly as intriguing as the first book because there's a lot of recapping and "here's what happened in the three weeks after the last book ended" sort of thing. While that was included in DEMONGLASS, Hawkins didn't hesitate to move the plotline along.

I devoured this book, every single word. Honestly, I felt like if I didn't read the ending by the time I went to bed...the world would explode or something equally horrible. The only time I really stopped reading was to watch an episode of "The Glee Project" online. But really, I can't think of any book I've ever read that would have stopped me from doing that.

Things I liked:

• The Cover. Honestly, just look at it. I couldn't help but just examine it for, like, five minutes. Really, it's awesome.
• The protagonist. I've read A LOT of YA books in my short lifetime, and I can honestly say there are very few female protagonists that I truly like. Many of them annoy me with their whining or their failure to think logically or fight for what they want or--okay, I think you get the point. Sophie Mercer is not one of those annoying characters. It's true that I wasn't exactly in love with her after reading HEX HALL, though I certainly sympathized with her romantic issues (not going to go into detail because I don't want to give any spoilers). But after reading DEMONGLASS I feel much more connected to her. She's sarcastic and funny, and yes, smart. She thinks of possibilities and though there were a few parts when I wished more than anything that she would argue, I understood why she couldn't. She's vulnerable but not in a way that made me say "Oh shut up and move on" which I find myself doing often with books. She's also strong enough so that she doesn't burst into tears overtime something horrendous happens. And when the worst thing of all happens to her, she knows that in order to be any help she has to keep pushing.
• The secondary characters (and yes, the boys). There is Jenna, the lesbian vampire who loves the color pink and would do anything for her friends and those she cares about, even though she has been nothing but shunned since becoming a vampire. She's cute and fun and obviously essential to Sophie's well being. Then there is Archer and Cal and I can honestly not tell you which one of those I love more. Archer is sarcastic and...well I can't really go into detail on him without revealing spoilers. It's safe to say that he is H-O-T-T! And then there's Cal, manly and stoic with kickass healing abilities who can put legions of definition into one syllable. He is also very, incredibly smokin'!
• Descriptions. Hawkins has a lot of fictional places in the story: the school, the place that she stays in in London. She uses excellent description that really made me visualize quite vividly what every room looks like without going over the top.
• The history. It is not too complex. Which says a lot. I hate complex histories.
• The betrothal. I'm not going to elaborate. I'll just say that I like it. Because really, 'betrothal' is an awesome word.

My rating:

5 out of 5 stars. Extremely excellent, awesome, spectacular book that I would recommend. Because it is awesome. Seriously. Read it.