While

I am not a fan of British royalty, I am a fan of Rachel Hawkins and so I read Royals, which I did love.   I was glad to see it is a series.  Her series have been such fun.  And this one promises to be fun as well! 

Author I Very Much Enjoy!

Rachel Hawkins is an author I have really, really enjoyed.  I loved Hex Hall so much and was disappointed when there weren't more, but then came Rebel Belle and I didn't love, love, love it like Hex Hall.  And now I feel like I need to go back and try again with it!
Journey's End is a middle grade, tween deal whereas the others were YA.  I really liked this a lot, even though it was set far away, in Scotland.  I do think that this might be a series!  There is a lot of magic in here, but also a lot of realism, so it's that Magical Realism thing!  Friendship and loss of friends and fitting in and all of that.  But a lot of magic, too.

What Happened?

I knew that Hex Hall was over, but then when School Spirits came out, I thought we were in for another series!  And we are in for another series from the awesome Rachel Hawkins, but the series is completely new and it is called Rebel Belle and this is the first one.
I did like Rebel Belle, but I think I had a bad attitude about it because I was hoping for School Spirits #2, which I guess isn't coming.  The other thing that didn't blow me away about this book is the mythology part.  Now that said, I know that mythology part is just the very thing that will make this popular with girls who liked the Percy Jackson series, and there are a ton of girls who did! It just wasn't my thing.   I love the set-in-south deal of this book and it comes across as very authentic.  I liked the main character too, she is a driven, I-have-to-do-everything-perfectly kind of girl who realizes that life is far from perfect.  I gave this one 3 of 5 stars, but just because of my personal disinterest in mythology, not because it isn't a good book.  I will probably read the second one.  I will be able to recommend this to a lot of people.

Dark and Grim Tales...

These little stories don't have anything to do with the A Tale Dark and Grimm series.  The Key and The Brothers Piggett are two stories from a collection that came out recently called Grim.  I am reading so many different books right now, but as soon as I am done with Rebel Belle, I am going to read this one.  I really, really liked The Key and wish it would have been longer.  I loved everything I've ever read by Rachel Hawkins and this short story was no exception.  I did like the one by Kagawa, too!  In fact, I loved that as well, even though some folks disagree on that one.  I thought it was super creepy and told really well.  What are these stories?  Well, you can probably figure it out!  Creepy fairy tales, of course! 

A New Series from Rachel Hawkins!!!

I was so thrilled to see School Spirits on netgalley.com.  Hex Hall was one of my most favorite series.  I read every book in one sitting and laughed and loved all three.  It was so sad to see the series end with just three books, but maybe it's brevity kept the whole thing fresh.  School Spirits is a spin-off series, if you will, taking characters we met briefly in the HH series and giving them their own life.  The Brannicks, especially teen monster-hunter Izzy is the focus of this first book.  She and her mom are that last of a powerful family of folks who keep wayward monsters inline.  While Izzy's life is anything but typical, having to banish vampires, werewolves and other creepers, she has to go to high school now, to track down an evil ghost of a former student.  Izzy is a great main character, easy to love.  So are all of her companions.  I can't wait to recommend this book!  It will so easy to do!!!  I can't wait for the next one!

Great Ending to the Trilogy

The wait for this book was so long! Spell Bound is the third and, sadly, final book in the Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins. It picks up right where Demonglass left off and does a nice job recapping the events of Demonglass without overdoing it. Still, you definitely want to read these books in order. Sophie Mercer is the coolest demon ever. There are many things to like about her, from her strength to her sense of humor. I also like that she really isn't into looks, is clumsy and says the wrong thing sometimes. She's, you know, normal! I mean not that it isn't normal to care about looks...I just mean that she isn't totally obsessed and she doesn't mind getting a little dirty when she is fighting werewovles, other demons or evil witches. Especially evil witches who want to take over the world. The ending is very satisfying and it was even more satisfying to read on Rachel Hawkins' FB page that she has a new series coming out that, while it won't be Sophie's story, it will take place within the Hex Hall world, which I have come to love. Hooray for this series!