Review: Hexbound

HEXBOUND (Dark Elite #2)
Chloe Neill
Paranormal Young Adult
246 pages
Penguin
Available Now

THE STORY
Lily Parker hasn't been a student at St. Sophia's School for Girls in Chicago for very long, but in that time she's met a best friend, discovered a latent magical ability, developed a crush on a werewolf, and learned her parents have been hiding things from her – things possibly related to her new status as a girl with paranormal abilities. That's a lot of change in a short period of time.

She's adjusting though, learning about being an Adept, someone who releases their magic back into the universe around age twenty-five; and being a Reaper, someone who seeks to hang on to their magic but must harm others in order to maintain it. And because there is never a dull moment in Lily Parker's life, strange new creatures make their presence known, attacking her and fellow Adepts Scout, Jason, and Michael in the tunnels under St. Sophia's.

Lily has had hardly any time to attempt to focus and harness her power over Firespell, and the one person who can teach her how to use it just happens to be a Reaper. While tracking down these new fiends and dodging Reapers, she's also trying to find time to nurse a budding relationship with Jason and attempting to uncover more information on her parents and the real subject of their research overseas. A girl's work is just never done.

MY THOUGHTS
In typical Chloe Neill style, Hexbound gives us a story infused with wit and humor and positively brimming with paranormal action. The words we're attempting to read have a tendency to blur periodically as the pages shake in time to our laughter-induced convulsions resulting from an abundance of snarky retorts, and we instantly feel at home with characters who are accessible, enjoyable and comfortingly familiar. Ms. Neill has a way of writing that seems so beautifully casual, as though we are surrounded by old friends in a warm, cheerful environment despite events often taking place in dark, dank tunnels with characters to whom we've really only recently been introduced. Lily and Scout's penchant for sarcasm immediately draws us in, welcoming us into the fold of Enclave Three and serving to temper the gravity and seriousness of their mission with a sass and flippancy that keeps us continually snorting in amusement.

Both young ladies are endlessly entertaining, the strength of their friendship growing with every snarky quip, and theirs is a healthy relationship we both appreciate and relate to. So often in young adult literature the friendship between two female characters is strained, the connection often fading as jealousy and pettiness infect all aspects of the relationship and leave either one or both wallowing in self-pity or guilt over the words and actions ultimately leading them toward the dissolution of the friendship. With Lily and Scout we see two young women who are thriving, their joys and pains supported by, and shared with, the other as they're able to communicate effortlessly over matters of great or little importance.

The story itself moves quickly, and while we may not walk away from this tale having learned anything profound or been pushed to the very edge of our emotional limits, we are nonetheless entertained by the bits of mystery and romance spread throughout, and find ourselves smiling upon concluding this installment for no other reason than we had a good time reading it. Though there are several different plot threads co-existing in this story, Ms. Neill handles them deftly, addressing each one in turn so we are never left completely in the dark or idly wondering, but are given just enough information to keep our interest piqued as we eagerly await additional details. Lily's life continues to increase in complexity, the family drama put on the back burner a bit in this book but certainly not forgotten, and her romantic and magical entanglements gain in prominence. Werewolf Jason and Reaper Sebastian are both significantly more than they appear to be, and both have fascinating interactions with Lily that give us pause as we ponder what will come of all the things that go unsaid while simultaneously sorting through all the ramifications of the revelations spoken aloud.

Ms. Neill's stories are always a welcome escape, a quick jaunt into a world that makes us laugh and keeps us guessing, and while we don't necessarily emerge from it fundamentally altered by the experience, we do close the back cover feeling pleasantly fulfilled, as though we were just handed a bag of our favorite candy and told we could indulge in as many as we'd like.

Rating: 4/5