STORYLINE: Overwhelmed by the knowledge of the destruction that’s possible through her supernatural powers, Sophie Mercer decides she wants to be done with that part of her life. She leaves Hecate (Hex) Hall for London, but based on her absentee father’s request, Sophie decides to wait before making a decision. In England, she discovers that someone is in the business of spawning demons. Danger lurks around every corner: Sophie’s in danger from her own kind and her crush is on the side that’s determined to destroy her.
PLAYERS:
Sophie Mercer: A little older and a tad more mature, Sophie spews snappy lines from start to finish. She’s conflicted by her powers, her relationship with her dad, and the fiancé she didn’t know she had, not to mention the crush she thought she was over.
Archer Cross: The warlock Sophie still hasn’t got over. He’s working for the enemy, but that doesn’t stop Sophie from getting attached all over again.
Jennifer Talbot (Jenna): Vampire, and friend to Sophie, who knows her better than anyone else. They have their ups and downs, just like friends in the real world and are a constant in each others lives.
Cal: I wonder if it’s significant that I can’t remember anything of his name other than that his sir name is Callaghan. Anyway, he’s the groundskeeper-cum-healer at Hex Hall and the fiancé Sophie didn’t know she had until the start of this novel.
I LIKED: Sophie's voice, which is probably the most appealing thing (for me) about this book. She just keeps those one liners coming. (Really enjoyed the banter between herself and Archer in chapter 31, while they battled the ghouls.) I also appreciated the relationships the writer built for her. Jenna is right there with Sophie and the writer mentions/inserts characters from the first book, so it was easy to pick up where the last book left off.
Also liked how her relationship with Cal developed, but personally, there was a bit of a disappointment there for me. (Yeah, I’m in Cal’s camp.) The book was realistic in that Sophie was willing to grow into what she was supposed to become based on her lineage. The pace of the story was as good, if not better than Hex Hall.
I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT: the angst contained in the story, but what can I say? We’re reading about teens, so that is expected. I wasn’t as devastated by Sophie’s feelings of loss over Archer as I was during the times when she was at odds with her best friend. Strange, I know, but such was the relationship between the two girls. My reaction over the Sophie/Archer situation could also be because I was rooting for Cal.
OVERALL COMMENTS: Again, werewolves, witches and vampire aren’t my thing, but Ms. Hawkins spins a good tale. The plot was credible, based on the storyline coming from Hex Hall and the drama grew in relation to the disastrous events that swamped the characters by the end of the book.
I liked the developing relationship between Cal and Sophie. Some sparks were definitely there, but I was a tad disappointed with the way things have turned out between them. Couldn’t believe Sophie didn’t see/feel that she was also attracted to him. I felt like she was making excuses when she finally admitted how Cal felt about her. I was a bit let down that Sophie’s dad didn’t suspect or sense that his enemies were so close, him being a mega demon and all.
And on the business of cliff hangers? I loved the way the book ended – with an invitation to step right into the next leg of the story. If the third book was out there, I’d have picked it up right away. I knew it wasn’t, but still I checked, just in case. Silly me.
Started Demonglass on Monday evening. Read it on my way to and from work. Finished it this evening (Wednesday), but had it on my mind when I couldn’t read. Good story, great characters, interesting plot. The writer kept me invested from beginning to end and I definitely will read the next book.
Hurry up, Ms. Hawkins!
Demonglass was a mind-blowingly awesome read!
