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jacksons_books_and_music's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
I was told Hell Bent had better representation than Ninth House, but I’m not sure that’s true. Like in Ninth House, there were clear attempts to call out racism. In the acknowledgements is even a book recommendation on Yale’s racist history. But unfortunately, there were also moments in Hell Bent that were offensive, regardless of intent. Info about a particularly offensive moment is at the end of the review, under “Slight spoiler.”
At first, I thought I liked the story of Ninth House better than Hell Bent. But after thinking about it, I’m not sure that’s the case. It’s still a very well-written book.
I felt certain reveals weren’t set up as well as the reveals in Ninth House, even though they were set up well overall. I enjoyed the villains in Ninth House more, even though these ones were still engaging.
I love a lot of the characters and enjoyed getting to see more of their backstories and growth. That’s where the book really shone for me. There were many exciting, engaging, and emotional scenes. There was a moment when characters are trying to cover up something they did that had me laughing out loud. The friendships and teamwork were beautiful!
I don’t want to spoil these moments by listing them. But I definitely look forward to the next book in the series!
Slight spoiler:
This was not a big part of the plot, hence why I still gave this book a high rating, but it’s still a big problem.
I thought the protector symbol for Turner, the only major character who is Black, should have been different. I understand the author might not have wanted to compare the only Black character to an animal, but all the other characters had animal protectors. So, it was weird when Turner was the only one who didn’t.
I thought it was disrespectful to use an oak as his symbol, given the violence that involves trees that has historically been committed against Black people in the U.S. I get Bardugo wanted to use something strong and dependable, like a “mighty oak.” But it just doesn’t work and is actually really offensive. I wish she had realized this or someone had pointed this out to her prior to publication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
laurenzokro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
3.0
Conflicted on what to rate this one, but overall I can say I enjoyed it. It definitely was an easier read than the first book given that the world building was out of the way - which made for a more gratifying reading experience. That being said, there was a lot that still confounded me - making for a pretty bumpy first 3/4 of the book, and a pretty solid last 1/4 of the book.
I think this book’s primary strength is in its ability to capture intense emotion and explore deep rooted histories/traumas, both of which helped to construct a very visceral reading experience. However, there were too many instances where the tone of a given scene would do a complete 180 - oftentimes throwing your focus off entirely, Additionally, while there were lots of intense and interesting moments, it felt as though there were too many ideas being crammed into the one book -from the reintroduction of Darlington’s parents to their deaths pretty quickly after their introduction, to Michelle being a double agent, to Mercy for some reason now being part of the squad? It just felt like so much of it, frankly, didn’t make sense. Especially the ending - why have them go through all of that, closing off the passage between world only for it to suddenly still be open anyways? All in all, good story and great investigation of the core casts’ character arcs, but definitely tried to take on a bit too much.
I think this book’s primary strength is in its ability to capture intense emotion and explore deep rooted histories/traumas, both of which helped to construct a very visceral reading experience. However, there were too many instances where the tone of a given scene would do a complete 180 - oftentimes throwing your focus off entirely, Additionally, while there were lots of intense and interesting moments, it felt as though there were too many ideas being crammed into the one book -
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Vomit, and Police brutality
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
stephliljazz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
As second book in the Ninth Gate series I am just hooked to this story. I cannot wait for book three I hope it comes out sooner than later! I don't know how to describe the book without spoilers so I'll just leave it with a couple quotes.
"People shouldn't have to march through the world fighting all the time."
"I will serve you till the end of days."
"People shouldn't have to march through the world fighting all the time."
"I will serve you till the end of days."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Classism
morguemoth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, and Colonisation
Minor: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
alexijai98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Forced institutionalization
green_amaryllis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed the second installment of the Alex Stern series. It was once again packed with pulse pounding run ins with dark magic, complex relationships, and a plot to keep you on the edge of your seat, but was more sophisticated and succinct than its predecessor. The gift of not needing to do all the world building set up from the first book means that Alex and her cohort of darkly funny, talented co-conspirators could hit the ground running in a desperate attempt to bring golden boy of Lethe, Darlington, back from the underworld. The action in this one was unmatched and I thoroughly enjoyed getting a fuller picture of Dante, Oculus, and Centurion as they came up against their toughest battle yet.
Hell Bent, like “Ninth House” once again warns us of the dangers of too much power concentrated in too few hands, but this time, it may be her protagonists who need the reminding.
Gripping and fun, this one gets my first 5 star review of the year!
Hell Bent, like “Ninth House” once again warns us of the dangers of too much power concentrated in too few hands, but this time, it may be her protagonists who need the reminding.
Gripping and fun, this one gets my first 5 star review of the year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Vomit
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Hell Bent was an amazing follow-up to Ninth House, continuing with the rich lore, three-dimensional characters with flaws, and a boat-load of mystery and death.
A gripe I had with the first book was the constant flicking between timelines to add mystery and intrigue from the start. Although there was some mild timeline hopping here, it felt much more natural whilst achieving the same effect.
I was truly invested in the characters, and I could feel the strain on Alex and Dawes as they were constantly pushed to the limit. The setting of Yale, with the constant references to certain architectural features of the buildings, was woven in to deepen mysteries without boring. The research done for this, as well as the lore, must have been extensive and Leigh Bardugo has done an unbelievable job of weaving it all into the story without info-dumping.
I enjoyed that there was no cliff-hanger ending, just unresolved threads of plot. Although the pacing is slow to start and ridiculously fast to end (so much was packed into the last quarter), I didn't find myself bored or racing through any of it. I enjoyed that there were still small conversations of friendship woven into all of the drama, and that Alex was constantly appreciating the normality of her non-magical life.
My only real complaint was that some of the journeys felt a little bait-and-switch in their conclusion.
A gripe I had with the first book was the constant flicking between timelines to add mystery and intrigue from the start. Although there was some mild timeline hopping here, it felt much more natural whilst achieving the same effect.
I was truly invested in the characters, and I could feel the strain on Alex and Dawes as they were constantly pushed to the limit. The setting of Yale, with the constant references to certain architectural features of the buildings, was woven in to deepen mysteries without boring. The research done for this, as well as the lore, must have been extensive and Leigh Bardugo has done an unbelievable job of weaving it all into the story without info-dumping.
I enjoyed that there was no cliff-hanger ending, just unresolved threads of plot. Although the pacing is slow to start and ridiculously fast to end (so much was packed into the last quarter), I didn't find myself bored or racing through any of it. I enjoyed that there were still small conversations of friendship woven into all of the drama, and that Alex was constantly appreciating the normality of her non-magical life.
My only real complaint was that some of the journeys felt a little bait-and-switch in their conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Vomit
girlwithoutearing's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hell Bent is a good sequel to Ninth House. It picks up the fast pace and high stakes.
My only complaint is that Alex seems to control some of the other characters a little to well at the end of the story, making some vilians arrive at the right place at the right time a little too effortlessly. It would have made for a good climax if there had been more complications for the main cast of characters at some points. It is explained afterwards that more steps had been taken for that to happen "off screne", but it all went down a little too smoothly imo.
I did really like the characters and their relationships, though. Their friendships or lack thereof felt realistic and I enjoyed reading about them.
My only complaint is that Alex seems to control some of the other characters a little to well at the end of the story, making some vilians arrive at the right place at the right time a little too effortlessly. It would have made for a good climax if there had been more complications for the main cast of characters at some points. It is explained afterwards that more steps had been taken for that to happen "off screne", but it all went down a little too smoothly imo.
I did really like the characters and their relationships, though. Their friendships or lack thereof felt realistic and I enjoyed reading about them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, and Vomit
Minor: Suicide attempt
jg34's review
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
It took awhile to get there but wow did I love the last 20ish% of this! It was interesting enough but felt really slow to me for most of the book even though looking back a lot did happen. Loved seeing Tripp more in this book and getting to know his character, Mercy too. I could have done without all the Eitan stuff but it ended up being important in the end. Now onto spoilers!!
ok demon Darlington? Hot. Then Alex saves him and he now has to serve her? HOTTER.
Tripp as a himbo vampire!!?!? I will read a book just about that please.
Am a bit nervous about all that will go down in the next book with the gate to hell open and one vampire to save and one vampire to kill (is this now Supernatural?? I love it).
These books are so nerve wracking!!!! But obviously I will continue despite not being a thriller or mystery girlie. I’d say this one was better than ninth house, maybe because being the second book it obviously didn’t need all the build up and explanations they were just able to jump right into action. And boy did they jump
Tripp as a himbo vampire!!?!? I will read a book just about that please.
Am a bit nervous about all that will go down in the next book with the gate to hell open and one vampire to save and one vampire to kill (is this now Supernatural?? I love it).
These books are so nerve wracking!!!! But obviously I will continue despite not being a thriller or mystery girlie. I’d say this one was better than ninth house, maybe because being the second book it obviously didn’t need all the build up and explanations they were just able to jump right into action. And boy did they jump
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Torture