Sophia Mercer was just a normal girl. Okay, maybe not so much. She grew up thinking she was a witch, a Prodigium (a witch, warlock, faerie, werewolf, vampire, etc.).  When a spell meant to help someone goes drastically wrong, Sophie is sent to Hecate Hall, lovingly referred to by the students as ‘Hex Hall’, a school for Prodigium.

Sophie is a wonderful character who is fluent in sarcasm. She’s relatable and a little clumsy with her magic. She has to work to understand it, nothing just happens for her. I loved that, because it made her seem more real as she was shooting ghouls off a cliff with her forbidden love, Archer Cross.   

Her friends are wonderful, and one of my favorite quotes from the book came from her friend and roommate Jenna (who’s a vampire) when they were talking about Sophie’s crush on a certain warlock. She says “Puppies are cute. Babies are cute. I’m cute. Archer Cross is smokin’ hot. And I’m not even into guys.”  Best. Quote. Ever.  And I’m in journalism, so I get a lot of quotes that are giggle worthy.

The writing is good, the voice of the main character is easy to understand. You feel bad that her dad’s not in her life and that she’s shuffled from place to place as she fights to control her powers. When she finally gets to Hex Hall, she makes friends and enemies.

I loved this book, and the sequel “Demonglass.” If you’re looking for a book that’s full of adventure, plot twists, good characters and just enough romance to keep it interesting, but not mushy, this series is the one for you. Both books are available in the school library.