Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Hell Bent

I guess the simplest thing to say is: I really enjoyed it!
I was so excited to be brought back into the spooky world Ninth House let me explore and I wanted to explore it more. I almost wish there was a book written by Darlington or something to talk to me about the secret societies of Yale to give me extra context, lol.
Alex and Dawes are determined to get Darlington back from hell, and despite their setbacks are more determined than ever. Its easy to get caught up in Bardugo's writing, she writes in a way that incites staying up till 2AM trying to read just one more chapter.
There are certain plot points surrounding Eitan that I didn't really feel like were necessary for most of the book till the end, where things came full circle. There were also some gruesome moments my Lagomorph loving self didn't enjoy but!! I think the found-family and the character growth you could see in not just Alex, but in Dawes and many others as well made the book for me.

(Darlington fans be warned though,

you're probably gonna have to wait for something substantial in book 3 lol)

Content Warnings

dmatson21's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I enjoyed reading this book, but I always felt like I was missing something and that everything was going around in circles. I enjoyed getting more of the other characters and see more magic, but some parts felt lacking and left unexplained. It was still a fun read and successfully filled the dark academia read.

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aprilbethp's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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kimtazo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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em_aune's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

4.5

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wordinessa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

I enjoyed this read so much. In Hell Bent we return to Bardugo's mysterious side of Yale, picking up nearly exactly where we left off, and embarking on a mission to get Darlington back from Hell. There are some welcome returning faces - I was particularly pleased to see Mercy get a bigger role in this follow-up.

I have to amend some things I've said in the past about Ninth House - because for me now, the best thing about Ninth House is that it was just good enough to make me pick up Hell Bent. If you were middling on Ninth House, it's worth giving this sequel a shot. The pacing is better, the plot moves a lot more quickly now that we've established the rules and the world, Alex's powers are more impressive, and I wasn't as frustrated at how Bardugo treats her characters (I had some real problems with how easily sexual assault was used as a plot point in Ninth House. Fortunately, that is not the case here).

My biggest gripe is that I had no idea this would be (at least) a trilogy, and we were left on another cliffhanger. But the journey is worth it, and I can't wait to see these characters again in a couple of years when the next installment releases.

Content Warnings

amberacademia's review against another edition

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dark fast-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

2.5

2.5/5

As one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 I’m not going to lie I was a little let down.

The pacing was definitely consistent but was going at a million miles per hour constantly. There was so much going on and it would have been nice to be able to sit through some steady character development.

The secret societies didn’t really play any major part in this plot line, which was a little surprising, with Ninth House/ Lethe supposed to be the overseers of the secret societies. The book didn’t have the same dark academia vibe I got from Ninth House and felt much more like a heist book.

I wouldn’t say the book wasn’t enjoyable but it felt so far from origins of Ninth House.

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nicksalex's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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