A review by faerietalebooks
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

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

4.0

 Though the pacing was slow and the novel contained a lot more world building than I had anticipated for a sequel, it was very enjoyable once things picked up. Alex's struggle with her personal morality is put to the test many times and she comes to terms with the fact that she is not a "do the right thing" heroine. I also really enjoyed that a lot of the side characters got to be fleshed out much more, like Darlington and Dawes, even Turner and Mercy had their time in the spotlight. I really enjoyed that Leigh delved further into the discussions of magic in this dark academia setting of a higher education institution that has accumulated magic throughout centuries. She critiques how the magic was accumulated and at what cost to whom and she questions the privileges of who has access to this power. I highly recommend this series for fans of dark academia. 
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