Review: Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 2 of 5 genies
Published: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Pages: 368
Source: Library Loan
Format: Hardcover
Purchase At: The BookDepository.com or Amazon.com

Goodreads Summary

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. Meanineone 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?

My Thoughts

Right, so this one wasn't a favorite. I read it because I liked Hex Hall, the characters of Sophie as well as Cal and thought to give Demonglass a try, but this second installment certainly did not meet my expectations. I don't understand what some of my friends on here mean when they say it was awesome/better than Hex Hall because it lacked a lot of things in my opinion.

Rating: 2 genies

Setting: Hawkins did not take advantage of her setting at all, in my opinion, and made little of it accessible to the reader; talking about things that didn't seem to matter and adamantly so strung up on the gilt that I thought I would not make it through the read if I heard about one more naked cupid. There were flipping golden naked cherubs and golden geese that I did not care about, everywhere. How unfortunate.

I wanted to see what Sophie did in London, and personally not a fan of Archer, did not appreciate in the slightest how he dominated most of this book. There was little talk of actual scenery because Sophie hardly traversed passed her doorpost, moping about Mr. Cross or doing something else pointless, and needless to say, there really was no point in dragging gorgeous Cal along at all. Because the only thing that really mattered were those infernal fountains, gilt decorations and greenery. Like really, if I wanted parks and annoying birds? I would visit the park next door.

It may come across as strange, but I read escape literature to escape, oh-and I hate the park. Just saying.

With that out of the way, I can only say that the setting was very uninspiring, and half the time I was reading back to make sure I got things right; it was that hard to understand. The descriptions were very elementary and the prose so angsty I did not trust that the person I was reading about could be the same Sophie who captured my interest a book ago, she was replaced by an immature girl who did not seem to grasp more than, (and let alone), what was right before her.

Characters: Cal was amazing, I really like him and for the 30 total pages or less that the author allowed me to read of him, I was hooked. However, it seemed strange and utterly ludicrous that one would fly a hot babe/warlock out of the country - and to blooming England - just to stick him in a Greenhouse. A true travesty.

I would have known what to do with Cal, and if I found myself so inclined to think of Archer, I would have done so when not with Cal. Being the resident hottie, he was never really there except to be used/abused by Sophie and heal liver-worm infested plants. Boy should have stayed at Hex Hall.

Archer, as always, evoked luke-warm feelings from me. I liked him once, before he was an Eye that is, and I get that I'm supposed to care that he risked what was it again? something for Sophie, but he's shifty and too country-club-esque of a guy for me to devote more than an eyelash worth of attention his way.

Sophie and I disagree on that matter, because all she ever does is Archer-mull and it got tired very fast. Plus she is constantly pointing out how sarcastic she is, which completely defeats the purpose.

----
Sophie, into the book: Oh my gosh, I am so fantastically sarcastic, I wonder if they got that I was sarcastic?

Sophie mid-way through: I think they did, ooh let me say something else equally "witty", I got them that time! That comment was so deadpan, I outdo myself sometimes, I am so awesome.

*moment of reflection*: Oh Archer, come back to me...I'm sarcastic. Want me, baby. I'll blow you away with my fauxe nonchalance.
----

That was what being inside her head felt like and I wanted out 96%, while the other 4% I was consequently asleep. It really bombs that this entire work is first person. Shoot.

The other characters, such as her father, the Casnoff's and the wannabe Council could have not existed. Her Dad was okay but largely underdeveloped, the same goes for Nick and Daisy. There could have been something more to them, but Hawkins invested too great of time elsewhere to be concerned at all with the other characters in possession of actual potential.

Also, what was the point in bringing "Vix" to the Council headquarters? The diversion she was designed to create never worked for me because Sophie did not spend much time with her dad other than that breaking and entering incident, and the property vandalism, both of which he carefully planned beforehand. Way to go Daddy!

Plot: Was so crazily predictable that halfway through I knew who the villains were, and just pointing out, hated that Hawkins sacrificed every bit of prior characterization to make a couple twist happen. Why do that at all, I wonder? It was very unreliable on her part because the personality and expectations carved for certain characters came to a complete waste, forgone all for the sake of an ineffective attempt at thrill.

P.A.: Problem areas include poor characterization, blatant inconsistencies, magnanimous repetitiveness and of course, sad predictability; all of which I can believe may be fixed in the following novel. Hopefully.

Oh, but I forgot the cheesiness of the H.S.M. 3-like dialogue. Ohh the horror! I gagged at the "Mercer", "Cross", bits of exchange! W.T.F.?? What was that? Really, what was that?! I watched High School Musical 3 because I love to punish myself, the second one was bearable and I thought (stupidly), that seeing the last one through can't hurt! But, oh it did. Vanessa freaking Hudgens would not end with the "Wildcat" references to Troy, substituting the name of the team he wanted to leave behind for his given birth.




I cringed, I cried, I begged. They didn't let me out of the theatre until the very end and by then the damage was done. I had spasms all through the parts of their "pet-names" during my trek through Demonglass and my eyes now twitch at mere mention of "Mercer." I should see a doctor; I'll book my appointment and while I'm at it, see if possibly there is a disease such as having a forbearance to cheesiness. If so, I have contracted it.

H.M.: Honorable mention goes to no one. I loved Cal and still do, but there was no one truly deserving of the title :*( . It appears it truly takes more than a hunk with soothing powers (literally) to fix a book. Who knew?

So I give this one a 2 and not a three if some of you thought so, I can't do that, not when this book suffers from the curse of the 2nd book. But I will read the third because I want to see this through, and like with H.S.M. 1-3, I am a glutton for punishment.