Book Review: Raising Demons by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Raising Demons

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall, #2
Pages: 359
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Date of Publication: 1st March 2011
Source: Bought
Synopsis from Goodreads: Sophie Mercer's first term at Hex Hall turned out to be quite eventful. First the ghost of her evil grandmother haunted her every move, then her best friend was accused of murder and of course there was the discovery that Archer Cross, aka the boy of her dreams, was actually an undercover demon hunter - which would probably be something she could have worked on, if she hadn't also discovered that she was actually the demon Archer was hunting…
So, despite their issues, Sophie is actually relieved to be spending the summer in London with her father. But when your father is Head of The Council of Prodigium and your summer is being spent at the headquarters of everything magical, then a quiet holiday isn't really that likely. And, as Sophie struggles to come to terms with her new found demon powers, she finds herself thrust once again into a world of dark magic and conspiracies. The only thing that could possibly make things more complicated would be for Archer Cross to show up again, which of course he wouldn't, would he?

My Thoughts:
When I got the third book in this series, Spell Bound, I decided it was finally time to get around to reading Raising Demons. Having read and loved the first book, Hex Hall back in November of 2010, I knew it was about time I got around to reading the second book in the series, especially as I loved the first one so much. So I reread Hex Hall and dove straight into this one, and it was awesome.

Sophie has just found out that she is a fourth generation demon, with super-powerful magical powers, and that at any moment she could 'demon out' and kill someone she loved, so she decides to head to London to go through the Removal to remove her powers from her, thus saving everyone she loves, even though the procedure might kill her. However, her dad won't let her got through with the Removal, and offers her a compromise. She flies to London, where the Council are, and she spends summer with them, making a decision as to whether she wants to go through with it. And not long after she lands, the drama starts.

Just as snarky and sarcastic as she was in the first book, Sophie was awesome. It's so fun to read about everything through her eyes - she has a witty remark or comeback for everything, and it never fails to make me giggle. I thought she dealt with everything that was thrown her way (and it was A LOT) awesomely and she wasn't moany all the time about how crap her life was. She stood up to it and carried on, and she looked out for her friends and family while she was doing it.

I really liked the direction the plot took in this book. I loved how there was more focus on Sophie being a demon, and we got a lot more info on the way the Prodigium world works (or is meant to work). I liked getting to know her dad, and seeing some of the characters true colours was certainly very interesting. I have to say, I wouldn't have expected some of the characters to turn out the way they did...

Overall, I think I liked Raising Demons even more than I liked Hex Hall. It's full of snark, attitude, action, and of course, some awesome romance ;P I would definitely recommend this to all paranormal YA fans, or if you're looking for something that will take your mind off the real world and suck you into the story. I can't wait for the next book - I'm sure the finale to the series will be EPIC.