Flip the script on Harry Potter and it could read very much like Demonglass.
Genre: Y/A, Paranormal, Comedy, Romance
No. of pages: 359
From Goodreads:
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact 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 either destroy her powers for good-or kill her.
But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They’re demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons 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?
After a surprisingly enjoyable debut with ‘Hex Hall’ we get another well-paced, unexpected adventure with ‘Demonglass.’
Our protagonist Sophie felt a stronger character for me compared to her depiction in ‘Hex Hall.’ Growth in trusting herself and her instincts, in her growing relationship with her estranged Father, I was really invested in her story. And the sarcasm was a delight. I LOL’ed many times. ‘Demonglass’ was a joy to read.
The murky feelings that I had for love interest Archer faded and were transferred to the other challenger for Sophie’s affections, Cal – although I liked the fact that they respected her enough not to impose their feelings on her, there was still a bit of passive aggressive behaviour that annoyed me. Plus a love triangle trope… I was hoping it would get a little bit more interesting and original.
Cal started to turn into the brooding love interest trope, but I liked how he managed to brush his bruised ego aside when it counted.
Archer was dreamy. I was always invested in his story, and his pairing with Sophie…. keen to see where this goes, he’s starting to prove his true intentions.
I was never bored, and compelled to continue reading. The pacing is great. Hawkins writing style felt a little more on trend, there was plenty of snarky banter and teen slang that added that something extra to the narrative.
The plot twist was masterful. I had no idea what was coming and was totally engrossed. Though it does end on a cliff hanger, and many plot points aren’t resolved – you kind of need to jump right into the third instalment ‘Spell Bound.’ I’m really excited to see what comes next. Especially given Hawkins talent for plot twists that show up out of the blue.
Definitely recommend this one!
Overall feeling: Sassy, snarky and so entertaining
© Casey Carlisle 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Genre: Y/A, Paranormal, Comedy, Romance
‘Hex Hall’ has a Harry Potteresque feel. A prodigy magic user/outsider protagonist with a mystery to solve about their past. A magical boarding school with spells and student hijinks. A bully, some beasties and ghosts, wacky teachers and classes, and of course a library. But Sophie stands on her own – there is no Scooby Gang with a like-minded Hermione or Ronald, she does her own research, practices and develops skills and uncovers answers solo. I felt there could have been a bit more establishment of her character for me to connect with her quicker, and there are many tropes that gave this a I’ve-read-this-before vibe. But still, I was entertained and armoured by Sophie and her stumbling existence at Hecate Hall.
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Detective
The film was very entertaining in its own right. It remained true to the southern charm and language of the book. That elegant gentlemanly style Ethan Wate exuded is cast perfectly with Alden Ehrenriech. In the film, Alden played Ethan as a little clumsy and awkward which in my opinion made him more realistic and adorable. Lena Duchannes (played by Alice Enflert) was a little less developed, but nonetheless I was able to connect with her character’s dilemma and appreciated that she wasn’t as dramatic as her written counterpart. It feels slightly off kilter to like the Film version of Ethan and the written representation of Lena – the reasons being the Ethan in the novel felt a little too good to be true, he always appeared to be so sure of his convictions and was the rock to Lena’s storm (sometimes literally) of emotions. The smiling and, at times uncoordinated, actions of Alden, along with an infectious chuckle lent a vulnerability and insecurity to Ethan which immediately had me wanting to give him a big hug. Lena in the book was everything you want from an outsider: reserved and secretive, difficult to get to know, brooding and emotional. It added to the stakes and drama showing the angst in her actions and inner thoughts. Comparatively Alice’s interpretation on the big screen felt a little stiff and non-expressive, it left me feeling like they had cast someone too old for the role rather than a character that was an extreme introvert.
The storyline for the film remained true to the novel (apart from the ending) and I appreciated how screenwriters weaved elements from the book, so that you got to see all its best elements on screen. Granted the stories weren’t identical but I felt an excellent job was done for the medium. If you included all the elements from the novel in the film adaptation it would be left busy and overdone, eclipsing the soul of the story: Ethan and Lena’s romance. The novel had a quickened pace and flourishing language where I was gripped from page to page. The fight scenes were more intricate and involved a larger cast – I would have liked to have seen the same grandiose climax on screen, but appreciate how it would not have worked with the adapted storyline.
Yes, the movie was somewhat predictable, and many of the reveals in the plot shown too early (in my opinion), where the suspense was timed to perfection in the written version. As I mentioned the endings are different, but I don’t think the movie did any disservice to the book, or the series. It’s sad the movie under performed and no sequels are slated for production, I would have at the front of the cue to reserve tickets.
Casey Carlisle 