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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An excellent second installment that sets up for a third. Alex Stern works for a magical secret society called Lethe at Yale whose job is to keep the other magical secret societies in line. It's now been a year since her mentor Darlington disappeared, swallowed by a Hell Beast. She is beginning to feel confident taking on his role of Virgil, as opposed to Dante, the one in training. But then her past comes back to haunt her when a big deal drug dealer whose brother she had murdered back home blackmails her into doing some jobs for him on the east coast.
Meanwhile, Alex is determined to rescue Darlington from Hell, even if it means going there herself and dragging him out. But the only person in Lethe willing to help her is Dawes, a grad student who fills the role of Occulus, as the researcher and healer of the group.
To top things off, there are a series of murders of faculty on campus that seem to have a supernatural element, that Alex is tasked with helping to solve.
Oh, and turns out vampires are real, too.
Alex and her companions will each have to face their demons quite literally as they attempt a descent into Hell and clean up the chaos unleashed by messing with doors between the realms.
Meanwhile, Alex is determined to rescue Darlington from Hell, even if it means going there herself and dragging him out. But the only person in Lethe willing to help her is Dawes, a grad student who fills the role of Occulus, as the researcher and healer of the group.
To top things off, there are a series of murders of faculty on campus that seem to have a supernatural element, that Alex is tasked with helping to solve.
Oh, and turns out vampires are real, too.
Alex and her companions will each have to face their demons quite literally as they attempt a descent into Hell and clean up the chaos unleashed by messing with doors between the realms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Police brutality
Heads up arachnophobes, here's a pretty intense spider scene but it is over quickly.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The summer has past since Ninth House left off and Alex and Dawes are still looking for a way to get Darlington out of Hell. With the same mix of present and flashback chapters, this time told in primarily Alex’s POV, Hell Bent does a good job of revealing more of the past story and weaving in reoccurring characters. Another murder mystery subplot is intriguing but not as spectacularly satisfyingly revealed as in book 1; which pretty much sums up the whole novel. Enjoyable, mysterious and a bit repetitive but not quite as enjoyable or mysterious as the first go around. Definitely worth a read though.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i am so in love with galaxy stern i don’t actually know how to properly express it. i am obsessed with every character i love them so much and just want to protect this little found family with my life. i cannot believe this isn’t going to be a longer series now and only a trilogy :( i need a million more books with these people and in this world it’s not funny. leigh i need you to reconsider immediately
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is book 2 in a series. It's a well told story about someone who can see ghosts, secret societies, demons, Hell, and, scariest of all, Yale University. It's an interesting take on how the rich and powerful got that way and stay that way.
The characters are very well written, multi dimensional, believable. The book is long, but doesn't feel unnecessarily so. It's well paced. You can feel the heat of Hell coming off the pages and smell the sulfur. You really feel like a part of the action.
I am eagerly awaiting book 3.
The characters are very well written, multi dimensional, believable. The book is long, but doesn't feel unnecessarily so. It's well paced. You can feel the heat of Hell coming off the pages and smell the sulfur. You really feel like a part of the action.
I am eagerly awaiting book 3.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.4/5
What a ride!- I enjoyed it quite a lot. Alex Stern and Darlington literally own my ass lol. Hell Bent not only holds up the first one in this series, but smartly builds upon its exposition-heavy predecessor in a satisfying way that strengthens the characters, and fleshes them out. Bardugo impresses in the way that she is able to propel the character-driven narrative forward while maintaining a careful balance: engaging in fantasy world-building while simultaneously reigning in the story- never allowing it to become trite or to lose a sense of direction.
Biggest obvious complaint: still no s3x scene (wuhwah)…. to the point in which it is actually glaringly strange that that none of these college kids are getting it on?!?!
What a ride!- I enjoyed it quite a lot. Alex Stern and Darlington literally own my ass lol. Hell Bent not only holds up the first one in this series, but smartly builds upon its exposition-heavy predecessor in a satisfying way that strengthens the characters, and fleshes them out. Bardugo impresses in the way that she is able to propel the character-driven narrative forward while maintaining a careful balance: engaging in fantasy world-building while simultaneously reigning in the story- never allowing it to become trite or to lose a sense of direction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Violence, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hell Bent was a rollercoaster ride, and that ending has me wanting more!
Similar to Ninth House, the first half of Hell Bent started slow, whilst the second half was fast. At times it was frustrating how slow the start was and the many failed attempts to retrieve our "gentleman demon", Darlington, from hell , but that frustration was worth it in the end!
Alex and Dawes teaming up with Turner and Tripp was something special; these two new additions to the Darlington rescue mission were perfect. After Ninth House, I didn't think much of Tripp; however, Hell Bent added depth to his character and his development was good to see. Also, Hell Bent saw much character development for Turner, Alex and Dawes.
Although Hell Bent had some marvellous character development and storylines, some didn't hit the right spot. Michelle's storyline seemed a tad too random; it needed more explanation. Plus, I am having some trust issues with Mercy; at first, I was glad she became in the loop, but I don't know why something just isn't sitting right with her character. Finally, the bad guy in this story was too predictable.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten some of the events that had happened in Ninth House by the time I read Hell Bent, but thankfully, Leigh Bardugo put some reminders throughout the story; I had forgotten about some of the Blake, Dean. Sandow and Belbalm storylines. I hope we see the third instalment of the Alex Stern series sooner rather than later because that ending has me needing more!
The ending of Hell Bent was perfect, especially the final chapter. I didn't see that Tripp twist coming, but I am happy it came because it was better than the alternative. Also, it was sweet to see them salt guardians protecting the Rebel Lethe Gang (not sure what to call them). I am excited about the next book, and I hope we see Alex and Darlington finally getting together because the tension between them is too much!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Gore, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
while slow to get started, hugely enjoyed this, especially after half way
pros:
- the ingenuity and originality of the magical system is fab, I love the dark rituals and magic that the societies come up with.
- the plot is intricate and intriguing, with plot twists, but theres always hints that the reader can spot afterwards like with Michelle wearing turtlenecks to show shes in league with the vampire, and Anselm suddenly changing personality because hes possessed. they were both clear but subtle and I didnt see it till after the reveal
- I do really like the characters, they're all so different and their own people, Alex, Darlington, Turner, Dawes and Mercy, but also all the side characters have their own motivations
- the writing is very good, with some rly vivid imagery and turns of phrase that I wish I'd marked
- I love the extremely grey morality in how we have a lot of compassion for Alex, but she is a dark soldier of a character and so is Darlington. that's never minimalised and actually takes front stage in the book.
- the setting is basically a character itself and while I didnt really fall in love with it, I still appreciated the research and beauty of it all
- I also liked how it didnt shy away from linking magical exploitation to real life, like with the runaway slaves map, and how it was never brushed aside. it showed the dark side of the magical and wealthy.
cons:
- it's a dense book, with a lot of time switches near the start, which threw me. keeping track of characters can be tricky and I definitely needed the summary of the 1st bk to remember a lot of things. the complexity if the book all comes together near the end but it takes some getting your head round and was partly why it took me a longer time to read.
- I do kind of wish the series had started at a different point. leigh mentioned it might have been a much longer series and I kind of wish we'd seen the events with hellie and Alex's introduction to lethe by Darlington first hand, rather than in erratic flashbacks. it was hard to feel very invested in Darlington's return for a lot of it because we dont get to view himself ourselves, only through glimpses through Alex.
- sometimes things happened in the plot that felt a bit random, too much out of nowhere. like when they got the tattoos of the salt animals that would repeatedly save their lives, it was just snuck in there as a little ritual they did like on a whim. why didnt they do some more protection earlier on? while some plot points came together nicely, sometimes it did feel kind of episodic and thrown from one plot point to the next, rather than a tightly woven web. but that also sort of fits the chaos of Alex's character so idk
but overall I did really like it, especially the badass last scene and I very much want to read the next one. (it was also amazing to meet and see leigh talk, would do that again also)
pros:
- the ingenuity and originality of the magical system is fab, I love the dark rituals and magic that the societies come up with.
- the plot is intricate and intriguing, with plot twists, but theres always hints that the reader can spot afterwards
- I do really like the characters, they're all so different and their own people, Alex, Darlington, Turner, Dawes and Mercy, but also all the side characters have their own motivations
- the writing is very good, with some rly vivid imagery and turns of phrase that I wish I'd marked
- I love the extremely grey morality in how we have a lot of compassion for Alex, but she is a dark soldier of a character and so is Darlington. that's never minimalised and actually takes front stage in the book.
- the setting is basically a character itself and while I didnt really fall in love with it, I still appreciated the research and beauty of it all
- I also liked how it didnt shy away from linking magical exploitation to real life, like with the runaway slaves map, and how it was never brushed aside. it showed the dark side of the magical and wealthy.
cons:
- it's a dense book, with a lot of time switches near the start, which threw me. keeping track of characters can be tricky and I definitely needed the summary of the 1st bk to remember a lot of things. the complexity if the book all comes together near the end but it takes some getting your head round and was partly why it took me a longer time to read.
- I do kind of wish the series had started at a different point. leigh mentioned it might have been a much longer series and I kind of wish we'd seen the events with hellie and Alex's introduction to lethe by Darlington first hand, rather than in erratic flashbacks. it was hard to feel very invested in Darlington's return for a lot of it because we dont get to view himself ourselves, only through glimpses through Alex.
- sometimes things happened in the plot that felt a bit random, too much out of nowhere.
but overall I did really like it, especially the badass last scene and I very much want to read the next one. (it was also amazing to meet and see leigh talk, would do that again also)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Alcohol
focus on animal death and violence in one graphic scene.
the self harm is to do with cutting an arm for a magical ritual
the suicide attempt/thoughts are a brief mention by a side character but do come up a couple times