Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Wer die Hölle kennt

Similar to Ninth House, the first half of Hell Bent started slow, whilst the second half was fast. At times it was frustrating how slow the start was

and the many failed attempts to retrieve our "gentleman demon", Darlington, from hell

, but that frustration was worth it in the end!

Alex and Dawes teaming up with Turner and Tripp was something special; these two new additions to the Darlington rescue mission were perfect. After Ninth House, I didn't think much of Tripp; however, Hell Bent added depth to his character and his development was good to see. Also, Hell Bent saw much character development for Turner, Alex and Dawes.

Although Hell Bent had some marvellous character development and storylines, some didn't hit the right spot. Michelle's storyline seemed a tad too random; it needed more explanation. Plus, I am having some trust issues with Mercy; at first, I was glad she became in the loop, but I don't know why something just isn't sitting right with her character. Finally, the bad guy in this story was too predictable.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten some of the events that had happened in Ninth House by the time I read Hell Bent, but thankfully, Leigh Bardugo put some reminders throughout the story; I had forgotten about some of the Blake, Dean. Sandow and Belbalm storylines. I hope we see the third instalment of the Alex Stern series sooner rather than later because that ending has me needing more!

The ending of Hell Bent was perfect, especially the final chapter. I didn't see that Tripp twist coming, but I am happy it came because it was better than the alternative. Also, it was sweet to see them salt guardians protecting the Rebel Lethe Gang (not sure what to call them). I am excited about the next book, and I hope we see Alex and Darlington finally getting together because the tension between them is too much!

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sauvageloup's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

while slow to get started, hugely enjoyed this, especially after half way

pros:
- the ingenuity and originality of the magical system is fab, I love the dark rituals and magic that the societies come up with.
- the plot is intricate and intriguing, with plot twists, but theres always hints that the reader can spot afterwards

like with Michelle wearing turtlenecks to show shes in league with the vampire, and Anselm suddenly changing personality because hes possessed. they were both clear but subtle and I didnt see it till after the reveal

- I do really like the characters, they're all so different and their own people, Alex, Darlington, Turner, Dawes and Mercy, but also all the side characters have their own motivations
- the writing is very good, with some rly vivid imagery and turns of phrase that I wish I'd marked
- I love the extremely grey morality in how we have a lot of compassion for Alex, but she is a dark soldier of a character and so is Darlington. that's never minimalised and actually takes front stage in the book.
- the setting is basically a character itself and while I didnt really fall in love with it, I still appreciated the research and beauty of it all
- I also liked how it didnt shy away from linking magical exploitation to real life, like with the runaway slaves map, and how it was never brushed aside. it showed the dark side of the magical and wealthy.

cons:
- it's a dense book, with a lot of time switches near the start, which threw me. keeping track of characters can be tricky and I definitely needed the summary of the 1st bk to remember a lot of things. the complexity if the book all comes together near the end but it takes some getting your head round and was partly why it took me a longer time to read.
- I do kind of wish the series had started at a different point. leigh mentioned it might have been a much longer series and I kind of wish we'd seen the events with hellie and Alex's introduction to lethe by Darlington first hand, rather than in erratic flashbacks. it was hard to feel very invested in Darlington's return for a lot of it because we dont get to view himself ourselves, only through glimpses through Alex.
- sometimes things happened in the plot that felt a bit random, too much out of nowhere.

like when they got the tattoos of the salt animals that would repeatedly save their lives, it was just snuck in there as a little ritual they did like on a whim. why didnt they do some more protection earlier on? while some plot points came together nicely, sometimes it did feel kind of episodic and thrown from one plot point to the next, rather than a tightly woven web. but that also sort of fits the chaos of Alex's character so idk

but overall I did really like it, especially the badass last scene and I very much want to read the next one. (it was also amazing to meet and see leigh talk, would do that again also)

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christina95's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

I enjoyed this book soooo much more than the first! There was less ‘shock horror’ moments that didn’t add to the story thankfully and it made reading it more enjoyable. I loved the whole hell heist story line and thought it was really well laid out, but the side plot of the murders was underwhelming and felt unfinished but maybe it will get tied up in the next book and leave it in a better position. I also enjoyed the Tripp storyline and I have such a soft spot for him - he’s like a doopy golden retriever and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next there. What I also need to see is Alex and Darlington finally addressing their love for each other!!! There was so many points in this books that it could have happened so it better in the next! Overall a very enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to seeing where they go next!

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ashleymartin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

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meliemelo's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It's hard to follow up a masterpiece such as Ninth House, and I get the feeling that Hell Bent might have been difficult to read. I found the pace a bit lacking at the start, but it does catch up towards the end of the book, and I preferred the second half overall.

Even though it didn't quite captivate me in the same way Ninth House had (and I had just reread it), I did thoroughly enjoy Hell Bent, and was delighted to get all the characters back. There are some great ideas in there, and I like the way the universe gets expanded, although I felt this same expansion could have been explored a bit more. As I already mentioned, I especially enjoyed the last part, and am looking forward to seeing where it'll go from there.

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b_lownds127's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A solid sequel, which did not disappoint. Something was lost in not having as many Darlington POV chapters however, and the pacing for the first half could have been improved.

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midnightrose_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.0

Hell Bent is the second book in the Alex Stern series. Alex and Dawes are attempting to rescue Darlington from Hell. There are also a few other sub-plots such as Alex helping Turner (who is a detective you meet in the first book) look into the death of two Yale professors, Eitan a man from Alex’s past who wants her to use her supernatural abilities for his financial gain, and Michael Anslem who is a member of Lethe and someone who Alex wants to obtain money from so she can relocate her mother from L.A. so she can be protected from Eitan.

There is some more world-building aspects as you come to find out while reading that add to the lore of the first book. You also get to know more about the side characters as well as Alex.

This book wasn’t quite the five star read the first one was for me. It wasn’t as tightly edited as I felt Ninth House was, and went on a little too long than it should have. Some things were a little repetitive. Nevertheless, I would still recommend this contemporary dark fantasy series and look forward to the next installment.

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jessiereads98's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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