Review: Demonglass

Book: Demonglass
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Cooks CH
Pages: 359
Source: KPL
Stars: 5/5

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?

(summary taken from Goodreads) 

MY THOUGHTS:

I can't even express how much I adore this book! Demonglass somehow manages to have the same wit and humor as the first novel (read my review of Hex Hall here), while adding more complexity and intensity in the form of doubt in a demon's mind. It's one of those rare sequels that lives up to — and excels — its predecessor.

After completely adoring our heroine Sophie in the Hex Hall, I'm thrilled with the amount of character growth in Demonglass. She's still the same Sophie I know and love: smart, intuitive, brave, and considered the Queen of Sarcasm. Her snarkiness and ability to make light of almost any situation create just the right amount of comic relief.

All of the other characters are extremely fun to read about too. From Sophie's pink-loving vampire best friend Jenna to her supposedly evil but extremely hot crush Archer to Cal, the boy she's shocked to be informed that's she betrothed to — I love them all! Seeing Sophie finally get to know her demon dad is nifty as well.

I'm actually turning into an impossibly larger Archer fan than I am! I didn't expect to see much of him in this novel since we figured out at the end of book one that he isn't who he said he was, but boy, was I mistaken! Thankfully, there are plenty of refreshing moments that remind us how awesome these two snarky and humorous characters fit perfectly together.

Don't get me wrong, though: I love Cal. Cal is, as Sophie put it, the strong and silent type, but you can totally tell that he's sweet and understands Sophie's crazy humor under all of that somewhat stoic facade. In Demonglass, I find myself becoming more and more infatuated with Alexander Callahan.

But I like that there's so much more to Sophie than these two great guys. Sure, it's a love triangle but Rachel Hawkins writes it extremely well. Sophie has bigger problems to face — which I don't want to spoil, but trust me when I say they're intense!

I've been reading and watching tons of cliffhangers lately (because I guess that leaving viewers wanting to pull their hair out seems to be the new thing), but this one literally makes me want to cry.

Both thought and laugh provoking, and filled with so many twists and turns that it could've made my neck snap, Demonglass is the perfect second installment to a series that is quickly becoming one of my favourites!

BUY or BORROW?: Are you kidding? I could read this book ten million times and still always laugh at every sarcastic comment printed on the pages. Buy it, for sure!

-Mimi