Hell Bent

"It was better than the first one for sure. I think since everything had all been established, it meant you could get right into the plot. "

"Leigh Bardugo is such a master - this is excellent on every level. The world building is rich and unique. The plot is hugely complex, but all the pieces come together in the end. The characters are wonderful, nuanced and deeply flawed and yet you can’t help root for them. I love this series and I’m not even mad that this ended with another cliffhanger. Excellent audio, too, if that’s your thing. "

"This book was as good as 9th House. I consider this series and Six of Crows to be peak Bardugo."

"Alex and Dawes need to save Darlington. After a ritual goes wrong, they form a posse and go to Hell to rescue his soul. But one trip to Hell isn't enough...."

"It’s difficult when the things you loved about a first book in a series are not present in the books that follow, but does that make them “bad”? I think that’s the main debate in when it comes to Hell Bent. The peak behind the curtain into the secret societies of Yale were entirely gone as this story was focused most on the recovery of Darlington and the happenings of Lethe. The time jumps of Ninth House were replaced by a more linear style approach in Hell Bent. The will they, won’t they plot between Darlington and Stern was a heavy burn in this novel which is also very different from book 1. There is less world building in this novel as it is the second so I felt like the story line starts off right from page 1. The differences amongst these novels isn’t what I hoped when I jumped into book 2. There was much less mystery and much more fantasy, but I still enjoyed the story just in a different way and I think it was mostly due to the fact that I was already invested in the characters."

"It was a decent sequel, but everything took too long, it was discouraging. Satisfied with some of the closure but was just okay. May or may not read the third if it does get written. "

"The stakes were written perfectly. They felt just as high as they did in Ninth House and I was on the edge of my seat! I liked getting to know characters like Dawes and Trip and Turner better. With all the planning for the descent into hell I felt I understood them each more than I did in the first book. I was learning new things about magic right along with Alex and it made me feel more involved with the story. The only complaint I have is I think imagery and description were lacking when the scenes in hell took place. That was the perfect opportunity to expand and go in depth."

"I was super excited to jump back into this series after the last book ending. Loved to see a lot of the side characters back with more development. Alex (Galaxy) returns with more power. She and her gang go on a quest to retrieve Darlington from Hell. Great Reveal on Alex's character; we start to discover and understand who she is and the power she holds. things start to piece together from the first book as well. Starts off a bit slow, and then once it takes off the plot, is constant action packed to the end. Demons, vampires, grays, rituals, spells... so much happening! I found this book was more fantasy based then dark academia. I really wish there was more emotional connection found between Alex and Darlington. Feels like the plot thus far has been building up to something more with these two characters but just fizzles. (yes, the gleaming gold dick!) Why? the plot is definitely rushed, not much down time for these characters. Overall, it was very entertaining! Way too long; it could have been at least 100 pages shorter. I can see this being adapted to the screen/film. The writing is fantastic as usual with so much vivid imagery. Sometimes, too much detail, but it really takes you as a reader on a journey. I highly recommend reading the first book before picking up this second book. The plot and characters don't really give you much summary as you start, so things can get a bit confusing. some bits all over the place with the conflicts and plot. I actually struggled a bit myself to stay focused. Once I picked it up again and pushed on (about 60% through), i was hooked again. I will definitely read the next book!"

"At least as good as Ninth House. I also liked that with character backstories already established it jumps into action more quickly."

"An equally twisty sequel to Ninth House. While cleaning up some of her predecessors’ messes, Alex creates one of her own."