I picked up a copy of Rachel Hawkins‘ Hex Hall somewhere along the way, probably Goodwill or a similar place. I was on a YA kick, at the time. But I’ve hence given that up. So, it and several like it, have just been taking up space on my book shelves.

Description from Goodreads:
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie’s estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it’s her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. 

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect. 

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Review:
This is pretty standard YA fare—young girl who thinks herself average or below turns out to actually be extraordinary. Meanwhile, she catches the eye of the school hoty and makes enemies of the school’s clique of queen bees. There were no surprises or depth here. The most tension-laden scenes revolved around the creation of a dress for the school ball, while the villain was discovered, found and confronted in less than two pages, defeated in less than a paragraph. There are also some things that really needed to be address further, in my opinion, that characters jut let slide. But it was well written and I found it pleasantly amusing.

I do have to ask about the cat on the cover though. No one in the book has one. In fact, the main character is allergic to them. So, why is the cat on not only this cover, but every one in the series? Just to symbolize witches? But these witches would have found that so cliché. Covers that don’t match the story annoy me.

What I’m drinking: What the English might call Builder’s tea. One inexpensive bag of black tea, quite strong and a dash of milk. This is one of my comfort drinks. These days, I’m often off dairy. So, I don’t drink it as often, but my British relatives are currently visiting. There is lots of tea and milk in this house right now.