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artemis_growl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.75
MOOODS:
- Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
- Thriller/Mystery
- Dark Academia
- Magic
- -Contemporary
Trigger Warnings:
Death/violence, glowing c*cks/nudity, drugs, police brutality
Overall spoiler free impression/review:
Alex has found herself in a second book and lost her way and Hell has found it's way in. Is Alex a pretty solider of good or skinny gangly ex-drug user who sees dead people and just trying to survive? I don't know and I don't think anyone does anymore. Her past catches up to her but not really sure it flows. She's a certified ghost seer and demon hunter now but also has a side debt collector hustle. She has good friends ....better than she probably deserves... rounding up ...3/5 stars. Probably closer to 2.75 but I did like the premise of the book still and the idea of Yale, the societies, and the magic...and I did enjoy seeing more of Mercy, Dawes, and Turner...I even liked Tripp, they're what brings the book up to a 3. That being said.... this book felt all over the place and confusing. I switched from audiobook to ebook half way because I was getting confused and I can pay better attention to detail when I'm reading...and it helped.... a very little. The perspective changes sometimes didn't flow well, the pacing was off and very slow, Darlington is only interesting when he is lost and has a weird glowstick, and at the end the book felt a bit anti-climatic,
Setting:
Yale, second year for Alex, and who knows for Darlington since he's been lost in one of the circles of Hell. Yale socialites suck, they're power hungry capitalists, and Alex/Galaxy has discovered she's a Wheelwalker...wahtever that is. She is now playing soldier for good (Sorta) and Knight in Shining armor who is trying to rescue Prince GlowC*ckDarlington.
****PAST THIS POINT SPOILERS***
<<Spoiler riddled review>>
What I did like:
Hear me out....regardless of everything that comes in the...what I didn't like section below...I still rounded up to 3 stars because I really liked Dawes, Mercy, Turner, and Tripps character development. I also just really like the premise of the societies and magic as well as how Alex and Darlington have been impacted by the capitalistic power hungry societies of Yale. I did like how Mercy was brought in, how the excitement of magic and the world brought her in, she's a good friend, but also how she struggled with it at the end. I loved Turner's story, one of the more interesting characters to me and I just like homey Dawes.
What I didn't like:
General WTF Vibes throughout:
This book left me with one thought at the end "WTF." Not the good WTF ...the WTF did I just read. WTF is Alex's character development wanting to be? WTF does this book want to be? Supernatural? Charmed? True Crime? True Blood? Ghost Busters? Or maybe Narcos?
Alex Character Development:
Alex's character development was all over the place. Leigh spends so much time in Ninth House convincing us that Alex doesn't care, is a skinny emaciated ex-addict, morally gray IDGAF about anyone but my own survival throughout all of Ninth House and most of Hells Bent and fails. This results in me not really believing that Alex suddenly will be an agent for good, demon slayer, vampire hunter, protagonist she is implied she will be at the end of the book but also not the guiltless killer she's supposed to be. Alex spends half of her time suddenly not being cleaver enough or strong enough to get rid of her ex-narco LA king pin but can inhale powers from the dead and alive, escape a vampire, defeat demons, get into hell, and rescue Prince GlowC*ckDarlington. We're supposed to think she's a killer but technically...really when we saw the murder scene in LA it was through Hellie's POV. Alex didn't know why she could see dead people or that she could use them to become an avenger... so technically...who has she really killed of her own volition? Belbalm who was trying to suck her dry/kill her? Then she has all these friends she is constantly looking after and caring for? I just don't know what Leigh wants us to think of Alex.
Plot/Magic World:
The different story lines. The time jump didn't make sense in this book. The plot which was save the world from demons and rescue Prince GlowC*ckDarlington was lost at times to the the true crime, vampire hunting, demon slaying, narcos telenoval side plots. Sure, did they all sorta tie together at the end...yeah? Was it too much and felt forced together at the end...also yeah. The random different perspectives didn't flow. The Narcos part felt like it didn't really fit. The magic/world doesn't totally make sense and why don't I really understand what a Wheelwaker is at this point? She can go to hell....she can see ghosts...she can take their powers/energies....and....????
Darlington:
WTF? I'll just leave it at....if we're gonna focus on his very erect glow stick so much...why not just at least give him and Alex a moment. GEEEEEZ.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, Death, and Violence
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: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Animal death, Drug use, Murder, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, and Classism
Minor: Vomit
sjbshannon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, and Animal death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Trafficking
jillyjills's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
2.0
Very different than the first book. The pace was all over the place. Very slow in the beginning and rushed in the end. Would have been much better if there was less quantity, more quality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Animal death, Addiction, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Violence, and Torture
circe813's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality, Cursing, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, and Gun violence
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: Misogyny, Blood, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Police brutality, Racism, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Vomit
clareehebert's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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: Death, Animal death, Violence, Grief, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, and Drug abuse
enyltiak's review against another edition
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? Yes
5.0
As with the Grishaverse, I find myself so comfortably tucked into Alex's world—of Yale, of Lethe, and of magic. I'm brokenhearted to have to leave it. These books are a new favorite, a perfect read for anyone who enjoys magic, mystery, and darkness. This book had me gasping aloud, crying, slamming it shut in anxiety, and jumping up and down at clever steps and reveals. A masterpiece of modern fantasy and a must-read for any "dark academia" lovers. <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Gore, Gun violence, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Violence, Self harm, Animal death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, and Racism
gphemsley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Animal death, Gore, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Vomit
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
romiress's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
I liked this more then the last one, and for me there was less dissonance over it being a weird RPF variant. The pacing was good, the characters were solid, and it pulled no punches.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, and Adult/minor relationship