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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This ended up being much more demon politics than I was expecting. I liked Adrian's magic and I loved Bex's crew, but when it came down to how his plot and theirs intertwined, I honestly lost interest. Debating on continuing the series because they're on Kobo Plus and I did enjoy the characters a lot, but I don't know if I want more of the Demon Queen versus Heaven plot...
3 death waters stars
Adrian is the only male Blackwood witch. He doesn't want to submit to the local warlock and flees his coven to the west coast. There, he hires a group of demon mercenaries to protect him while he establishes his forest.
I liked the lore, rooted in Mesopotamian mythology, which is quite unusual. But a part of the book made me very uncomfortable. I may have misunderstood the intention of the author but I won't keep reading this series.
Adrian is the only male Blackwood witch. He doesn't want to submit to the local warlock and flees his coven to the west coast. There, he hires a group of demon mercenaries to protect him while he establishes his forest.
I liked the lore, rooted in Mesopotamian mythology, which is quite unusual. But a part of the book made me very uncomfortable. I may have misunderstood the intention of the author but I won't keep reading this series.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-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
In a world where the freaking King Gilgamesh (hate that guy) decided that dying wasn’t as fun as killing the gods and colonizing the afterlife, the witch Adrian Blackwood has a problem. He went against the requirements of Gilgamesh as a child, which forced the Blackwood coven to shield him from Heaven’s ire.
Now he’s an adult, and he’s ready to take responsibility.
Naturally, this means transporting his broom and his familiar (a talking cat named Boston) to Seattle to build up his own protective forest and deal with the consequences of his actions without putting his coven at risk. Of course, no heart-tree forest is built in a day, so Adrian hires a freelance demon crew for protection.
And that’s where the fun begins.
Flanked by the crew’s leader, a badass horned demon named Bex, a nonbinary, shapeshifting lust demon, a wrath demon (who loves cats and pasta,) a voice demon who can suck the fun out of everything, and, well, a self-driving RV, Adrian sets out on his task to grow and secure his forest before he’s swarmed by Gilgamesh’s warlocks.
But, the more attached he becomes to his demon crew, the harder it is to ignore the plight of all demons. With Heaven’s worst nightmare vying for a revolution, what’s a witch to do but jump into the fray?
I’ll be brief (jk there’s truly no chance): this book has my entire heart and soul.
This was my first Rachel Aaron read, and it has made me so excited to delve into the rest of her work. The characters are top notch, and we get to know each of them intimately in under 400 pages. Seattle is a fascinating backdrop for a magical Heaven/Hell underbelly. And THE MAGIC SYSTEM. It is one of the most fascinating systems I’ve come across as of late. Aaron has a brilliant way of making each of her scenes compelling and a bit mysterious, which had me tearing through this book and absolutely rabid for the sequel.
What surprised me the most about Hell for Hire was its layers. When I started it, I was fully in for a cozy ride. It has found family, it is written in a lighthearted and humorous tone, and it has a talking CAT ffs. These are a recipe for a nice night sipping on tea and reading about character shenanigans.
What took me by surprise was the way Aaron was able to maintain the voice of the story and the humor in each of her characters, while simultaneously getting DEEP into my emotions. This isn’t just a story about a witch trying to build a forest, it’s a story of colonization, of slavery, of continuous self-sacrifice, and the utter heartbreak of not having been able to free those who have been subjugated, despite giving away your life to the cause. It is a story of two beings who have the weight of the world on their shoulders finding themselves with the help of each other and their friends. It is the story of what choosing the ‘least bad’ option from a tyrant rather than making a stand can do. It is a story of intense hurt and loss, yes, but also of rebirth and hope. This book does a phenomenal job of naturally integrating the dark history of their world throughout the story, and, the more I learned, the more invested I became.
And our chaotic demon crew? They are absolutely perfect. I love Iggs with his hulking form and main desire being to pet cats. Lys appears to be simply a, well, lusty lust demon on the surface, but holds so much more under said surface. Nemini is an absolute buzzkill and I’m obsessed with her. And, of course, Bex is the badass demonic heroine of my dreams. Her character has a beautiful and relatable arc that left me wildly emotional and I truly can’t wait to see what she does next. Everyone has their own unique personality that grows throughout the book, and I found myself trying to slow down my reading so I didn’t have to let them go.
Additionally, Aaron sure knows how to build tension. Each scene in the book plants little seeds that build up to its epic finale. Every fight scene is visceral with description. I can clearly picture the beauty of Adrian’s heart-tree forest in my mind (yes, I would love a vacation there.) And the nods to different landmarks in Seattle were icing on the cake.
Hell for Hire started out as this random indie book I picked up because a friend told me to, and quickly became one of my top reads of the year. It made me feel all the emotions, the writing was impeccable, and the world itself is so fascinating and complex that I am rushing to pick up the next book in this Tear Down Heaven series to go further down this rabbit hole. Whether you’re into contemporary urban fantasy or not, this one is definitely worth the read.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hell for Hire has everything you want in an urban fantasy. A great cast of characters, a purpose for them to unite, a little bit of humor, and of course action. I was a little confused at certain points mostly when it came to Gilgamesh. I look forward to continuing the series and seeing what’s in store for Adrian, Bex, and her crew.
Stars: 3.5 stars rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll: 1 🙄
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: No
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Nicholas Cain
Narrator Rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No
Stars: 3.5 stars rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll: 1 🙄
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: No
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Nicholas Cain
Narrator Rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
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:
No