Scan barcode
A review by billie_yankie
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
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? It's complicated
4.75
Dark academia meets heist books.
I was certain those two things don't mesh well until now - if the first book was all about the academia, the secrets and lies that Yale hides behind the walls of the houses, this is about hubris and saying fuck you for leaving one of your own behind. We got the DA vibe with Alex's struggle to fill in the position Darlington vacated and the Lethe rituals. But we also get the best bits of a heist book with all the plotting and sneaking around trying to get to Hell.
I absolutely adore Alex's character. She's not so much the reluctant hero as the person who wants to be the hero but realises she doesn't possess the nature of one. She knows she can be the hero if the choice is between her life and that of others, but she will not choose between the anonymous masses and her friends.
Dawes really blossomed in this one, too. What I loved most about her was that she didn't magically become a copy of Alex - brash, foulmouthed, and always ready to throw hands - but she did come into her own confidence.
And, of course, Darlington. That one chapter from his pov lives in my head rent free. I hate that his character development happens largely off page and between the books but damn, seeing him struggle to come to terms with it was so bittersweet. And that boi is a SIMP. No doubt about that.
P.S.: Telling everyone that Darlington's in Spain when he's in Hell over the summer is absolutely valid, I suppose they're pretty interchangeable temperature-wise. If only it would have happened over Christmas and they could say he's gone down under in Australia...
I was certain those two things don't mesh well until now - if the first book was all about the academia, the secrets and lies that Yale hides behind the walls of the houses, this is about hubris and saying fuck you for leaving one of your own behind. We got the DA vibe with Alex's struggle to fill in the position Darlington vacated and the Lethe rituals. But we also get the best bits of a heist book with all the plotting and sneaking around trying to get to Hell.
I absolutely adore Alex's character. She's not so much the reluctant hero as the person who wants to be the hero but realises she doesn't possess the nature of one. She knows she can be the hero if the choice is between her life and that of others, but she will not choose between the anonymous masses and her friends.
Dawes really blossomed in this one, too. What I loved most about her was that she didn't magically become a copy of Alex - brash, foulmouthed, and always ready to throw hands - but she did come into her own confidence.
And, of course, Darlington. That one chapter from his pov lives in my head rent free. I hate that his character development happens largely off page and between the books but damn, seeing him struggle to come to terms with it was so bittersweet. And that boi is a SIMP. No doubt about that.
P.S.: Telling everyone that Darlington's in Spain when he's in Hell over the summer is absolutely valid, I suppose they're pretty interchangeable temperature-wise. If only it would have happened over Christmas and they could say he's gone down under in Australia...