Book bucket list for children

Hex hall 2010

written by Rachel Hawkins

The trilogy follows the exploits of Sophie Mercer, a young witch, who is sent to Hecate Hall ("Hex Hall"), a boarding school for Prodigium juvenile delinquents. An awkward, sarcastic girl, she becomes best friends with her vampire roommate, Jenna Talbot, who is an outcast like her. Sophie also gets swept up in a love triangle involving Archer, the school's resident bad boy, and Cal, her betrothed. Through a series of events, Sophie gets caught up in the secret war going on between the Prodigium and a group of humans who believe the Prodigium should be destroyed. As the trilogy progresses, Sophie discovers more about herself, powers, and the mystery behind her family's origins,

1. Hex hall

T story introduces Sophie Mercer as a witch who is ordered to attend school at Hex Hall after a long series of unfortunate spells that threaten to reveal the Prodigium world to the general human population, the spell that sent her to Hex Hall was a love spell that worked way too well. Reluctant, stubborn, and sarcastic, Sophie finds herself at odds with many people at Hex Hall, including a coven of dark witches and popular warlock Archer Cross. She becomes good friends with her vampire roommate, Jenna Talbot, despite the fact that Jenna was suspected the year before of murdering a classmate.

As Sophie attempts to adapt to this new world and learning to control her powers, the school is thrown into chaos after two other students are found attacked, drained of nearly all their blood. Jenna is again suspected of the attacks and is sent away for interrogation, despite Sophie's attempts to clear her best friend's name. Meanwhile, Sophie's great-grandmother, Alice, appears and extends the offer to help Sophie with her magic. Grateful for the help, Sophie is shocked to discover that she is much more powerful than she initially believed.

After getting in trouble with a teacher, Sophie is forced to spend time with Archer; the two fall in love, but Sophie is dismayed upon learning Archer is a member of The Eye, an Italian-based organization seeking to exterminate the Prodigium population, as they believe they are evil demons. Her life is thrown into further turmoil upon the discovery that her great-grandmother, Alice, is actually a demon who is responsible for the deaths at Hex Hall who was raised by the dark coven to help Prodigium defeat The Eye. Sophie ends up killing Alice with a special sword made of demonglass (a rare substance only found in hell), and learns that since she has demon blood, she could revert to demon nature and kill someone she loves, as did her grandmother, killing her grandfather. Sophie decides to go to London, and go through the Removal, which will take away her demon side.

2. Demonglass

After learning that she is not a witch but in fact a demon, Sophie requests to go through a process known as The Removal. Her father who's actually the head of The Council, James Artherton, denies her request, persuading her to visit him in London at Thorne Abbey over the summer to learn to control her powers. She agrees to his proposal and travels to England with Jenna and Cal. Upon arriving, she meets the remaining members of The Council as well as two children, Nick and Daisy, who had been turned into demons.

Sophie and her father begin to work on mastering her powers, culminating in Sophie helping her father steal an ancient spell book they believe will help them turn Nick and Daisy human once again. However, they discover the relevant pages in the book have been removed. Feeling neglected by and resentful of Jenna, who is enamored with her new girlfriend and desires to move away and join a vampire coven, Sophie begins to bond with Cal and attempts to befriend Nick and Daisy.

While at a Prodigium night club, Sophie and the others narrowly escape an attack by The Eye, who are looking for Sophie. Among the members of the attack is Archer, who secretly gives Sophie a magical coin she can use to communicate with him. Sophie ignores Archer's repeated attempts to talk to her, though later gives in when Archer attends her birthday party in disguise. After Sophie is attacked at the party, she and Archer use a portal called an Itineris to travel to Hex Hall, where they are attacked by humans that were used to be turned in to demons also known as ghouls.

Upon returning to England, Sophie confesses everything to her father, including the fact that she suspects the Casnoffs (the headmistress of Hex Hall and part of the Council) to be behind Nick and Daisy's demon transformations. Elodie, who was previously murdered by Sophie's great-grandmother, appears as a ghost to warn Sophie of Archer being attacked by Nick. Sophie convinces Cal to heal Archer, who is immediately imprisoned by Sophie's father. The next day, Sophie is sentenced to go through the Removal, and her powers are rendered useless.

The Casnoffs' reveal they were indeed behind the demon raisings and subsequently force Sophie's father to go through the Removal as well. However, before Sophie is stripped completely of her powers, The Eye attacks Thorne Abbey, allowing Sophie to escape. Cal instructs Sophie to use the Itineris to go to her mother, who is currently staying with the Brannicks, one of the enemies of the Prodigium, and he kisses her. The novel ends as Sophie steps through the doorway.

3. spell bound

Sophie arrives at the homestead of the Brannicks, an ancient female clan that has been at war with the Prodigium, whose numbers are now dwindling. After being reunited, Sophie's mother explains that she was born into the Brannick's clan, but chose not to fight in the war against the Prodigium. At first wary of one another, Sophie and the Brannicks slowly begin to warm to each other. Meanwhile, Sophie reluctantly finds herself a companion in Elodie, and the two discover that Sophie is able to tap into her powers while Elodie is inhabiting her body.

After some time, Jenna and Archer manage to find Sophie, though almost immediately they are transported back to Hex Hall via a spell cast by the Casnoffs, who are using the school to imprison all of the recent Prodigium students. The Casnoffs plan on raising demons through the students, experimenting on which type of Prodigium will adapt best to the spell. While imprisoned at Hex Hall, the students—particularly Archer—undergo both physical and mental torture orchestrated by the Casnoffs. Meanwhile, Sophie finds herself conflicted between her love for both Cal and Archer, which is complicated by Elodie's intruding.

Sophie and the others learn of the Casnoffs ultimate plan, which is to raise an army of demons in a misguided attempt to protect the Prodigium from humans. Sophie and the others manage to escape Hex Hall through the Itineris after Sophie manages to regain her powers through sheer, desperate willpower. Sophie is reunited with her parents and the Brannicks, who explain they cannot defeat the demons that have been raised without the help of demonglass; Sophie, Jenna, Archer, and Cal journey to the  to retrieve it, where they are forced to witness memories related to their tragic pasts. Sophie vows to kill the Casnoffs and break the demon spells, returning the Prodigium to their true forms.

A battle breaks out between the Casnoffs and Sophie's group. At first outnumbered, Archer manages to persuade a sect of The Eye to join in on the battle, in an attempt to help defeat a common enemy. Sophie and the others manage to defeat the Casnoffs and break the spell, however, Cal dies after sacrificing himself to save Sophie.

In the subsequent aftermath of the battle, Sophie is called into a meeting with The Council, who offer her the position of Council Head, after witnessing her demonstrations of leadership and power in the fight against the Casnoffs. Sophie agrees to consider the offer, but explains that she would prefer to finish school first. In Cal's honor, Sophie requests that Hex Hall be re-opened, this time as a regular school for Prodigium students, and the Council acquiesces. Sophie releases her bond on Elodie, who is happily bound to Hex Hall. She joins a ghostly Cal for a walk on the grounds. Jenna and Archer return with Sophie to Hex Hall, explaining that they would prefer to stay with Sophie than to go off on their own, and Sophie realizes that she has finally found happiness.