Rachel Hawkin’s Hex Hall stars Sophie Mercer, a girl who finds herself coming into the powers of her half-witch heritage and getting into enough trouble with a love-potion-gone-wrong that she is sent to the magical equivalent of reform school. Hecate Hall (or, as it is not so fondly known to its students, Hex Hall) is a place where it is safe for Sophie to be a witch, but where her abilities to practice the magic that is her heritage are severely curtailed. And, what is a guaranteed way to encourage teenagers to do something? Why, forbid it, of course. And Hex Hall’s emphasis on the terrors that face any witch, fairy, wizard, or other discovered by the “normals” doesn’t dissuade a bit of magical investigation on the part of its student body.

The strongest element of Hex Hall is the characters. Sophie Mercer is, above all, a teenager. Her non-Gifted mother has done her best to raise her, but Sophie’s one rebellion too many (the love potion was only the last in a long line of unfortunate attempts at magic) has landed her at Hex Hall with the rest of the “freaks”–but these freaks, while they may be witches, warlocks, or fairies, are still recognizable for what they are at the core–teenagers at a boarding school far from home. Although some of the students are only sketched in broad strokes, Sophie’s voice comes through loud, clear, and often hilarious:

Now, Sophia, would you care to tell me why you’re here by the pond instead of reporting for your next class?”
“I’m experiencing some teenage angst, Mrs. Casnoff,” I answered. “I need to, like, write in my journal or something”

Sophie’s reactions to life keep that quick and teenage voice shining through, whether she is furious at her mother for hiding things from her or pining after the cutest boy in school, Archer Cross. She’s neither a perfect student (see: her attitude) nor some sort of caricature of what a teenager might be like (see: crush on cute boy) and so her adventures feel believable because her reactions are natural and unforced.

Sophie’s main source of angst is the coven of teenage girls who treat her ignorance of the witch half of her family and her refusal to treat others at the school badly as some sort of personal offense. It quickly becomes clear that the dangers of Hex Hall are not limited to social despair as girls start dying one by one, pale and drained of blood and power. All of this is going on as Sophie is struggling to learn the truth of her heritage and the control of her powers that she so desperately needs.

The back-story and characters in Hex Hall are a pleasure to follow. Sophie’s voice, in particular, is both caustic and touching and really serves the book well. The book is a quick and fun read, and the series it introduces promises to be well worth following.

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