Book Reviews: Hex Hall & Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

I finished the first book in less than eight hours. Thats not really a good or bad thing but it does say that it was easy to read. Which might be caused by some of the meaner things I will say.

The first book is stupid predictable. It hurst how much of a cliche some of it is. New girl in a high school for special kids. Gets roomed with an outcast and chooses to be her friend rather than make friends with the bitchy girls who threaten her rather than woo her into their group. (Side note, I was in a Sorority. You don't threaten them. You play nice and ask them about themselves. Then you ply them with booze and take them out to a play ground. Not in that order or back to back but yeah.)

Of course there is the one super hot guy that all the girls get their panties in a twist over. (Boyfriend: Did she ruin that chair thinking about him? Me: Yes all the little high school girls did ruin chairs when he came in the room.) He is of course dating the queen bitch. He and the main girl get assigned detention together on the first day.

Girl has been lied to about origins and parents and finds this all out while at school. Well some of it is delayed until book two but yeah. Parents are evil. Blah Blah Blah.

I wanted to like these books. I did. Lead girl has the decency to be a smart ass and constantly snarky. Best friend is a vampire that loves pink. It has a base there that could be something not boring. But it is boring. So boring. This might be because the book is almost completely a copy paste of "Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy." But then again that is probably a copy paste of something else.

I don't get this whole really hot guy thing. I mean I get that some guys are hot. I am aware of that, don't question my appreciation of the male form. What I don't get is this idea that one guy or maybe one group of guys are the end all be all of hot in high school. I spent most of high school laughing terribly at those kinds of guys. I never met a single one of them that could have had a decent conversation with me. Also it might have just been my school but really none of them were that good looking. I am not a snob with it comes to looks but seriously where do they grow these boys because they certainly aren't in Indiana.

I just don't get it. I went to the high school that John Hughes made so famous. Its a real place and its in the Midwest. But I just never seemed to notice these things actually happening. I think they did, just not to me or anyone I knew. Why? Because I had traveled the world and read good books by the time hormones kicked in and was not a slave to the little monsters.

I like the guy in the second book so much better. He is sweet and has that whole stoic and silent think going for him. Yes he might not be dangerous and mysterious but I don't trust anybody I can't read like a book. No really, if they are mysterious there is a good chance they are just bi-polar. And I already have one of those hanging around I don't need to date one.

On top of that what is it with parents either lying or not trusting your parents? I mean how many parents really lie about important stuff about who they are and what they do as their job. Granted my parents did once lie to me in a major way but at the time they didn't want me to be freaking out. Yes I haven't completely forgiven my mother for not letting me know that my dad was stage four earlier but I get why they did it.

But in these books its like the parents are retarded. They have no idea how to talk to their children and the kids don't trust them to begin with. And then the bad guys in the second book apparently are doing this for their own good but she wouldn't understand because she is just a kid.

True I find teenagers to be vile creatures, and I say that fully acknowledging the face that I was one not too long ago. But why are the parents and adults so tight lipped?

Another thing why do long periods of time get brushed over in these books so quickly? Harry Potter was good because there was stuff going on all the time, even when they had homework and class. Perhaps if some of these books added a bit more rather than saying "the next several weeks of detention were nice while we laughed together, blah blah blah"? Do something with that time. Make the male lead more than just a cardboard box held up by good looks and raging hormones.

The one thing missing from these books was the main character liking a classic novel that most teens recognize but have never read. I hate that. Have you read Jane Austin? I have. Its really cumbersome. You have to be dedicated. And yes I do know just about every Shakespeare play and character. I am a dying breed of people that love to read, but yeah I get why that is normally included. Still it always feels forced because you know the girls don't act like book worms.

I was bored basically. I have complaints but they are mostly with the genre rather than the book itself. It was fine but it was predictable and boring. The second book was ever so slightly less so but had the bad habit of bringing in the new love interest just so he can be crushed. Oh yeah and mommy was lying as well as daddy. So yay!

I need to not read young adult. *Looks at books from the library* Crap.....