Review: Demonglass

Demonglass

By Rachel Hawkins

Publication date: March 1, 2011

My review:

In this sequel to Hex Hall, Sophie heads to London to spend time with her dad at Thorne Abbey, his home and Council headquarters. Although her best friend Jenna and sort-of friend Cal go along, it isn't a vacation. Sophie wants to go through The Removal, a very risky procedure to remove her powers. Her dad understandably doesn't want her to go through with it but instead he wants to teach her to control her powers and come to terms with the shocking news she learned about her heritage. Then there is the Council, which has its own plans for Sophie. When Sophie arrives in London, she is surprised at the two teenage houseguests already at Thorne Abbey. What is the Council up to and who is creating demons? With the threat of The Eye looming and rumors that Archer Cross was last seen in London, Sophie may have more than she can handle.

Demonglass is a fast paced and entertaining sequel. Though the action mostly takes place away from Hecate Hall,the book still has the same fun combination of humor, romance, magic, and suspense. This time around, the story seemed a little tighter without so many new characters/species being introduced. The focus is on Sophie's family backstory, her powers, and the threat of The Eye. A love triangle begins to develop between Sophie, Archer, and Cal but it seems fairly obvious which character Sophie is meant to be with. 

I did not care for the love triangle aspect and I thought that the new characters did not stand out very much but hopefully we will learn more about them in the third book. I particularly liked the relationship between Sophie and her father. The first book gave the impression that he was distant and uncaring but that is not the case. I also liked the developments between Sophie and Archer. I was reminded of the relationship between Cammie Morgan and Zach Goode in the Gallagher Girls books by Ally Carter. In a way Demonglass is like a paranormal version of Only The Good Spy Young.

Overall, I enjoyed Demonglass more than Hex Hall. While there are plenty of humorous moments in the book, the suspense kept building as the story went along and the cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager to find out what happens next.

Readalikes: Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle, Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Note: I read and reviewed an ARC of Demonglass as part of an ARC tour, courtesy of Around the World ARC Tours.