This review was first posted on http://www.rubysreads.com. 
 I have a confession to make. It's been a long time since I read Hex Hall. So, when I cracked open the first page of this book, I spent a few pages reorienting myself with the characters, the story and the setting. It turns out I needn't have spent any energy on the latter: most of this book takes place in the English countryside. Fictional characters are so lucky. I want to spend my summer in a centuries old manor house/abbey. Of course, I could also do with Sophie's magical ability to alter her clothes with magic. Score! 
 Aside from making me insanely jealous re: the location, Demonglass (and Rachel Hawkins) quickly reminded me of what I enjoyed about the first Hex Hall book. Sophie is our first-person narrator and she's sufficiently smart, snarky and complex enough to snag anyone's interest. I don't think I made it past the first page without chuckling, so you'll be glad to know that the delightful humor from the first book is still there. There are also lots of familiar faces: Sophie's vampire roommate, Jenna, Cal, the healing/groundskeeper strong-but-quiet warlock and Elodie, the mean-girl. Yes, I said "Elodie". 
 Hex Hall left off with Sophie determined to go through the removal--a painful, possibly fatal process that would eliminate her magical ability. We pick up about six months later. Since having made such a monumental decision, Sophie has been forced to remain at Hecate Hall until her request receives approval. Instead, her father shows up to take Sophie with him to England for the summer, in order to have an opportunity to change her mind. Sophie's absentee father is eager to please, so he agrees to bring Jenna along and throws in the nineteen-year-old healing/groundskeeping warlock. And, oh yeah, did he forget to mention that Cal's her fiance? His bad. 
 The shift from Hex Hall to pastoral England brings a whole new set of characters into the story. I regretted this, partly because the private school setting was what I liked so much about the first book. We learn a lot more about the magical world--Sophie and Co. hook up with the magical council of which her father is the head--but Hex Hall is firmly left behind. I wouldn't normally complain about an English setting, but there you are. I missed the school and the hints that Sophie wouldn't ever be going back there. 
 Starting over with a whole new set of characters means that we don't really have the chance to get to know them very well. That's okay in part because we get to know Cal a whole heck of a lot better. I'm firmly TeamCal, and I'm excited that there's a love triangle in the offing, though I don't think his odds are good. I don't think it's too spoilery to tell you that we see Archer again (if it is, sorry!). Sophie wavers between being realistic about the facts (Archer was in a relationship with a girl in order to get information, he's an Eye, and therefore a mortal enemy) and being caught up in the feelings she felt developed for him. I think, personally, that it's a bit of a stretch to call what's between them love, but what do I know? I have to say that, while the chemistry between them is believable, the star-crossed lovers part of their relationship didn't do much for me. It hits points that irritate: Sophie keeps important secrets from her father and deceives her friends. I'll just say that, if I were Jenna, I'd be pissed that my best-friend was consorting with an Eye. 
 The end of the book was a total game changer. It also signals the beginning of what will, undoubtedly be a very long wait until we get to the next book. It also made me wonder: does anyone know how long the Hex Hall series is meant to be? I do like it when the author has a well-mapped storyline planned out, instead of being open-ended. Still, Hex Hall #3 just got added to my to-read list.