Raising Demons by Rachel Hawkins

March 2011, Simon Pulse

358 pages, Paperback

Review copy 

Young Adult, Paranormal

Themes: boarding school life, magic, consorting with the enemy, ghostly goings on, teen romance, family relationships, surprises, lots of super scary dangerous situations, taking risks, figuring out place in life, betrayal, life no longer black or white, some magical fighting, lots of humour. 

Summary from Simon and Schuster

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 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? 

Nayuleska's reasons for loving Sophie...she's got a hilarious voice that had me laughing away to myself. I didn't like her obsession with Archer but I did like how she's developing more magically in this book. 

Is there another character who deserves a special mention? Jenna, who is always there for Sophie...or she used to be. When things get scary Sophie is almost on  her own. 

How evil/nasty is the enemy? I can't say much without spoiling the plot. The book title says it all, plus there are the assassination attempts on Sophie. 

Are there plenty of plot twists and surprises? So many that I kept skipping breaths. The ending is incredible. I feel emotionally attached to Sophie and got butterflies at the end. 

One of my favourite parts was....when she and Jenna have a laugh together, as it's a prime example of how good friends can take each others minds off the not always pleasant life. 

This thrilling, tummy twisting read gets 10/10 from me. Roll on Book 3! 

Suggested read

Make sure you follow Sophie from the start of her adventures in Hex Hall