Demonglass

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkin (NY: Hyperion, 2011).

This fabulous sequel to Hex Hall has the indomitable Sophie Mercer, who has recently discovered she's a demon, traveling to London for the summer to live with her father, also a demon. Sophie is sort of sad to leave Hex Hall, the juvie for Prodigium (literally monsters, but encompassing magical creatures of all sorts--shapeshifters, fairies, witches, warlocks, etc.) she got sent to for some over-the-top magic. There she meets--and crushes on--Archer Cross. Their first kiss would have been great if Sophie hadn't actually seen that Archer bore the mark of the secret society sworn to kill all Prodigium! After other events involving her demon great-grandmother, Sophie believes that she should go through the Removal--a grueling, life-threatening process that would strip away her powers--so that she won't kill anyone since that's what demons are made to do. Her father does not want her to go through this procedure because he needs Sophie with her powers intact to help him battle unknown enemies who appear to be summoning demons and attempting to undermine the Council for Prodigium, of which he's head. Even as she's coming to terms with all of this, Archer shows up. What should Sophie do? Well, we don't find out everything in this novel because of the cliffhanger ending! Yikes!

I liked Hex Hall a lot, so I couldn't wait to read Demonglass, which turned out to be even better than its predecessor. I loved the way Hawkins developed Sophie's relationship with her father, and the English setting (the country estate and London) is spectacular. There's not so much romance in this novel as in the first, largely because Archer isn't around as much until the very end. But what this story lacks in romance, it makes up for in exciting plot movement as Sophie explores her magical powers and her feelings about them. There's also a mystery to solve and more magical journeys. This novel has by far the best cliffhanger I've encountered in a long time! If you like your paranormal romances punched up a notch with spine-tingling action, this is a good read for you. Recommended for teens, 13 & up. Mild sexual situations, alcohol.