Reviews - Hell Bent | The StoryGraph

19.2k reviews for:

Hell Bent

Leigh Bardugo

4.14 AVERAGE

serennognos's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

leakelaurel's review against another edition

2.0

The most disappointing sequel. I wanted so badly for this to be interesting, but I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

clsl's review against another edition

2.5

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Tried to read the ebook and couldn't get started despite really enjoying The Ninth House. Fired up from the library quite a long while later as an audiobook and made it through that way but more out of curiosity than actual interest by the end. Just one dark slog and lots of repeated concepts from people he keep telling you how hard to love/like they are. That said will I listen to the third book whenever it comes out? Probably.

fluteenchantressreads's review against another edition

1.5

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Alex and Dawes are determined to get into hell to save their Virgil Darlington from his fate.

Honestly, I wanted to love this book. I really enjoyed Ninth House, but this one was a slog to finish.

While all of the story elements tied up ultimately, it felt like too many ideas. The murder mystery felt forced in, Turner and Tripp felt half formed, and vampires?! That's about when I wanted to quit. While yes, we're dealing with magic and demons, those still felt somewhat realistic to the world at large. But a vampire? It felt like it doesn't fit into the magic and lore of secret societies at Yale.

And that was what I missed in this story. We don't get anything about the other secret societies that Lethe is supposed to be in charge of. Surface level allusions to art and poetry - that someone not in Lethe (Mercy) is constantly solving - who reacted to the reveal of magic, demons, and apparently vampires like this was totally normal and logically explains all of Alex's weird behavior the previous year. We lost the dark academia of Ninth House for a random paranormal fantasy that kind of wants to be a romance story without actually building character relationships.

Just casually strolling into Hell 3 times in one story? Felt tired and not special. Where do we go from here? More trips into Hell? Because we have to go back in book 3 to actually close the gate. And don't get me started on 400 pages of failed ritual after failed ritual only for super special Alex being able to walk into Hell through this portal with NO ISSUE WHATSOEVER, that literally took 2 seconds.

Oh, and needing 4 murderers to open the portal? And no one really asks questions? Mercy just casually okay with Alex confessing she's a serial killer. No one seems to care why Tripp is a killer either.

And the two random chapters from Darlington's perspective at the end felt so out of place. And something felt off - and not because he spent the last year in Hell. It felt like Bardugo wanted to tease that this was a romance with the fact that Darlington spent the first half of the book sitting naked with his member out on full display, but ultimately it felt unnecessary - just so Bardugo can say he was horny after spending a year in Hell? What purpose does it serve? I appreciate the fact that Dawes and Alex wanted to save Darlington because of a platonic love for him - there was no need for the detailed description of his nudeness if this wasn't a romance (and I say that as someone who loves reading romances). “[Darlington] had been tempted to bury his face in his soup bowl and lap it like a greedy animal. He wanted to place himself between Alex’s legs and do the same to her.” WHY??? Where does this come from? Why is this sentence even here? I feel like I was supposed to care what happens to these characters, but everyone felt so one dimensional with no character growth.

Alex started the book and ended the book the same person - but with a cool new power. And what is with even more graphic details on her tragic backstory? It was unnecessary, we already knew Alex had a hard life. We don't need even more gruesome details about it. It felt like shock for the sake of shock instead of a discussion of theme.

It shouldn't take until 65% into the book for things to really get going and have some actual stakes. The pacing was so off because it felt like the first half of the book was an unnecessary prologue so that the action Bardugo wanted to write at the end would make sense. And the central climax was done by the 80% mark, and then it was exposition, exposition, exposition to wrap up story lines which was so disappointing.

I know there are more books planned in this series, but this should have either been edited down, or split into two books. The internal monologue of Alex rambled unnecessarily. I didn't need so much random description of Hellie. We barely got to know her in book 1, and she felt so forced into this story.

Overall, a big disappointment and really accentuated the flaws of Bardugo's writing and world view.

I'm unsure if I will actually read the next book or if I'll find a summary.

Content Warnings

p_knych's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark 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

mchayes101's review against another edition

2.0

No idea what direction this series has or what this giant book was supposed to set up, but thank goodness I got a mile long description of Hellie's physical appearance every other paragraph.

wynnter's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

I enjoyed this book so much I was listening to the audiobook in the shower! Did not want to put it down. And that right there generally makes something 5 stars for me. But the end just felt a bit cheesy. I’ve read many a book by Leigh Bardugo and I enjoy her writing style, her rag tag bunch of misfit characters that she makes you fall in love with. I guess I just wasn’t sold by the one bit at the end without giving a spoiler. Just didn’t feel the most convincing. I’m glad for it but also it just feels like wooooweeee the plot armor goes crazy.

I did enjoy seeing friendships strengthen and trust being given. You don’t really realize how much growth our main duo-trio-quatro-it goes on- has grown until it’s reflected on in the text and it’s so refreshing to realize how much they have overcome. I’m looking forward to the next installment. Keep being rule breakers and protect your friends!

I really enjoyed seeing Alex’s story start to come together and explaining who she is and watching her love and trust those around her and be cared for. We stan Mercy, I suspected she was going to play a big role early on and I’m so glad I’m right. Dawes is the best. Turner is so refreshing to the group dynamics. And Darlington oh Darlington, how we all love thee, I mean how can you not? One of the lines in this book that made me lol was related to him.

I definitely recommend this series for others to read & am looking forward to the next journey!

Content Warnings