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A review by miyaosamu
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
“All worlds are open to us. If we are bold enough to enter.”
my thoughts are an overwhelmed mess right now but can say this was brilliant and my reading experience with hell bent put me through much more of an emotional rollercoaster than ninth house. just getting to see further of this fascinating world of alex's at yale and lethe. along with expanding on the history of lethe, the lore, and endless amounts of knowledge of dark magic and rituals that exist in their world connecting them to the other side. i particularly loved the amount of character depth and backstories in this one and truly seeing how alex, darlington, dawes, turner, mercy, and tripp being such vastly different people but tied together in understanding each other's experiences and trauma. loved reading alex's journey continue and her development since the first book. despite her failures, she has such a relentless determination to keep going and figuring things out even with major costs. also how real the characters' grief and conflicting internal morals are portrayed all throughout this book as they make difficult decisions.
a coherent review coming later perhaps, but this was an excellent sequel in my opinion with very few flaws that can be overlooked when it comes to the story as a whole. the twists, the higher stakes bringing higher stress levels, more difficult situations alex is put through and despite the dangers it's balanced out with characters' chemistry. not just darlingstern, though they made me deranged at a lot of points, but the group dynamic too providing so many laugh out loud moments. i desperately need the third book in my hands and hope lb does not keep us waiting years again.
my thoughts are an overwhelmed mess right now but can say this was brilliant and my reading experience with hell bent put me through much more of an emotional rollercoaster than ninth house. just getting to see further of this fascinating world of alex's at yale and lethe. along with expanding on the history of lethe, the lore, and endless amounts of knowledge of dark magic and rituals that exist in their world connecting them to the other side. i particularly loved the amount of character depth and backstories in this one and truly seeing how alex, darlington, dawes, turner, mercy, and tripp being such vastly different people but tied together in understanding each other's experiences and trauma. loved reading alex's journey continue and her development since the first book. despite her failures, she has such a relentless determination to keep going and figuring things out even with major costs. also how real the characters' grief and conflicting internal morals are portrayed all throughout this book as they make difficult decisions.
a coherent review coming later perhaps, but this was an excellent sequel in my opinion with very few flaws that can be overlooked when it comes to the story as a whole. the twists, the higher stakes bringing higher stress levels, more difficult situations alex is put through and despite the dangers it's balanced out with characters' chemistry. not just darlingstern, though they made me deranged at a lot of points, but the group dynamic too providing so many laugh out loud moments. i desperately need the third book in my hands and hope lb does not keep us waiting years again.