Book Talk: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Disney*Hyperion
Date: March 1, 2010
Series or Standalone: Second in trilogy
ISBN: 978-1423121312
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Source: ARC
Description: 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?

First line: At a normal high school, having class outside on a gorgeous May day is usually pretty awesome.

I’m a huge fan of Hex Hall. It’s the perfect book—hilarious, great characters, a twisty plot, sarcasm, magic, sexah boys. What else do you need? A sequel!


Demonglass picks up shortly after Hex Hall’s stunner of an ending. Some time has passed for Sophie but she’s still adamant that she’s going through the Removal. First, of course, she has to make it out of class alive. No problem. And then survive being around her father and some news that he delivers. After a fight with some soil (you'll get it later-hilarious!), Sophie, Jenna and Cal travel to England with Mr. Mercer. When Sophie gets there, things aren’t what she expected. She learns that that the leaders of the Prodiguim have decreased in number and that some of the other guests are demons. Demons that shouldn’t exist. The fact that they do is bad for everyone; Sophie’s determined to figure out who’s responsible for the making new demons.

It’s rare for the sequel in a series to stand strong. Nine times out of ten it can’t compare to the first one. I think Demonglass is almost better than Hex! It was that good. This is an incredible sequel. I loved, loved, loved it! (Although, I had always planned to love it.) England provides a great backdrop for the story and creates all kinds of problems and greatness on it’s own. It’s rich in culture and Prodiguim history, which you can tell shapes some of the story. The new characters—Nick and Daisy—add a great balance to the trio from Hecate.

Sophie is still her snarky, sarcastic at inappropriate times self. The journey she goes though in this book—from seeing herself as an evil monster to seeing herself as something more—is weaved into  the rest of the drama, but really finds a way to stand out.


What kind of review would this be if I didn’t mention the best part of the story?!? Cal—I mean. Archer….Wait…Archer—No, Cal! Archer. Cal. Archer. Cal.

Get the picture?

On one hand, there’s Archer. I love Archer. I loved him in the last book when he fled the scene in such a devastatingly heartbreaking way. And, as it says in the description, Archer is indeed around in this book. He’s bad, working for the Eye, and his one task is to get Sophie. But, come on. It’s Archer. Even if he’s evil--is he evil?--you have to love him. You want them to be happy, to make it and to end up together.

At least, maybe.

Because on the other hand, there’s Cal.

And boy, oh boy, I love me some Cal. I liked him in the brief moments we got to enjoy him in Hex Hall, but he’s more prominent in Demonglass. The more we meet of him, the deeper I fall. He really, genuinely cares for—dare I say loves?—Sophie. He brings out the best in her, supports her, encourages her and worries about her. It’s so cute the way they interact--with their sarcastic arguments and uncertainties. He accepts her for what she is, and that is why I love him.

As you can see, there are some decisions that Sophie has to make. Unfortunately for her, the twists and turns and problems that she encounters through the rest of the book make this decision seem minuscule. (For her, not for us!) After the ending of Demonglass, #3 is definitely going to be something amazing. (13 months to wait!)

The wait may kill me. At the very least, the indecision of Cal—Archer will.