Hex Hall #3: Spell Bound Review

Title: Hex Hall #3: Spell Bound

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Date of Publication: March 13, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: Now that her powers have been stripped away Sophie finds herself at the home of one of the major enemies to the Prodigium, the Brannicks. However the Brannicks believe that Sophie is the only one who can stop the upcoming war and as Sophie makes surprising discoveries she finds that there is more than just her power that is keeping them from killing her. To unlock her powers Sophie must find a way to touch a powerful spell, located at none other than Hex Hall, which has become the center of operations for the Casnoffs. Along with Jenna, Archer, Cal, and Elodie Sophie must find a way to stop the Casnoffs before everyone at the school is transformed into an army of demons and before the Casnoffs find a way to control Sophie's powers, making her a valuable weapon to both the Brannicks and the Casnoffs.

My Review:

An amazing and bittersweet ending to the Hex Hall series, Spell Bound was full of unexpected twists and turns and events I never saw coming. Between Sophie's witty and sarcastic comments and the page turning excitement this novel undoubtedly lived up to the rest of the novels in the series and tied the whole trilogy together nicely.

I absolutely loved Elodie in this novel. As she continues to haunt, and even possess, Sophie they begin to form an uneasy friendship full of snarky comments and funny dialogue. This novel finally gave Elodie the chance to come to terms with her past and begin to find peace, even if it took a lot of yelling at people through Sophie's body and interfering with all of Sophie's relationships.

As Sophie begins to come to terms with her demon heritage she really begins to utilize her magical powers. At some moments it felt a little too fast, especially considering Sophie's lack of magical skill in the previous novel, but it was necessary for the plot and wasn't entirely unbelievable. Paired with a few pointless events and a few unanswered questions Spell Bound was the weakest novel in the Hex Hall series, but still turned out to be a fantastic conclusion.

The ending of the novel left me sad, happy, satisfied, and everything else in between. As the love triangle between Sophie, Cal, and Archer came to a close with a completely expected and unexpected turn out, the ending was sad but perfect for the novel. With the way things ended I would definitely love a spin-off series on Elodie!

The Hex Hall series is a fantastic series full of action, wit, and romance. I enjoyed this series immensely and would highly recommend it to fans of the YA genre as well as late middle school and early high schoolers looking for a great paranormal series.

4/5