This book is not your average Leigh Bardugo read... there are a slew of trigger worthy moments/topics. This is for ADULT READERS... you've been warned!

This is a follow-up book to Leigh Bardugo's dark occult hit, Ninth House, and it is a solid addition to the series. Hell Bent had a lot more suspense... maybe because it didn't revolve around a quatrenary character's murder.... true, Ninth House didn't completely revolve around the murder but it was a significant portion of the plot.

This read returns us to the mystical/magical/oft times gruesome world of the Elite secret societies and the actual Magic they immersed themselves in. Thankfully, it explains how the magic came to be and even who was supposed to pay the debt for the pleasures the societies have enjoyed while dabbling. Those were burning questions I had while reading book #1. This book's title didn't mislead. It had a LOT more Hell and new arcane "beings" (which you might find to be a bit much, BUT personally... I liked them). These new creatures created a tense sense of urgency... urgency to get them before they got you. This added (palpable) terror was missing in the first book. Then there was (of course) Alex, who served up some serious Girl Power in yo FACE!! She was such a blatantly/humanly flawed/morally grey character that I couldn't help but root for her. She was a viper... a Fool Around and Find Out kind of FMC, and I, for one, think there should be many many more such female characters in modern literature! There was an impressive amount of character growth and I, for one, am a sucker for a great character driven tale. If you're more action based, then fear not because this story is RIFE with the action/drama/creepy Voodoo rituals.

Anywho, there were also other great characters.... characters like Demon Darlington... who was yummy as just plain old Darlington, but now??!?... Now he is sinfully delicious! I never thought I'd be into demons with glowing horns BUT hey... here we are...

Alex actually manages to surround herself with a handful of great characters, characters that have truly become one magical/dysfunctional Found Family... one of my favorite tropes.

I really loved how close the characters got... all of them... they each brought such a necessary brittle/brutal/unwavering element to the story, and I believe that the story NEEDS their dynamic contributions.

Overall:
Hell Bent was another foray into the dark, gritty, magical, demonic, entitled world of the secret societies that dabble in the occult and the young(ish) adults that are sucked into this crazy world... then intense mayhem ensues. This second book strays a bit from the Academic and focuses more on Magic, the demonic rituals, and even explains where the Magic comes from and the cost of doing said magic WHICH in my opinion, was much more interesting than the previous book! This read is FULL of action... there's so much action that the pacing seems rushed in places. Our characters run from one metaphorical fire to the next, trying to snuff each out but just as one appears to be handled (even just for the moment)... another one blazes across town/state/realm. Although the pacing was brisk, it wasn't enough to lose the reader or cause rereading of chapters to figure out what's what.

My final 2 cents: this sequel was most certainly better than the 1st book, Ninth House! It should definitely be on your radar/TBR especially if you enjoyed Ninth House. If you have been on the fence about jumping into this series, I 100% suggest you head on over to book #1 because if you start here, you'll most likely be lost in the proverbial sauce.

~ Enjoy ( )

This took a minute for me to get back into - but only because it had been two years since I had read the first book and there were a lot of moving parts I had to remember. Once I got all that sorted, I was IN. I love this series - I can't wait for the next one. It's an urban fantasy set on Yale's campus and all the characters are antiheroes that you secretly love even though they are chockfull of issues. In Hell Bent - Alex and Dawes are looking for a portal to hell so they can rescue Darlington who was taken by a demon in the last book. Each attempt into hell is riddled with complications and new horrors - Is saving Darlington worth it? Witty banter, amazing characters, and a fast paced storyline. I need the next book now! ( )

Alex Stern is ready to go to hell and back for Darlington, her missing friend and mentor -- but it's not an easy trip. Not only could it cost her her position at Lethe (and therefore Yale), but she can't do it alone. Is she willing to involve her friends in the effort, when there's no assurance that any of them will make it out alive? Also, there are some murders to solve.

I thought this was a strong second entry in the series -- it avoided that middle-book lag by having a high-stakes quest that is undertaken in the book, rather than saved for the sequel. There's definitely setup for another book, and I look forward to seeing where it goes, but readers can be reassured to know that this one is not a cliffhanger. I thought the writing was strong, and enjoyed getting to know more about Dawes, Turner, and Mercy. I still don't know what all the rabbit symbolism and stuff was about, but all in all, I enjoyed this very much, and would recommend the series to readers who enjoy dark magic with manageable amounts of gore. ( )

“All the worlds are open to us. If we are brave enough to enter.” ( )

Well, first off, I thought this was the second in a DUOLOGY, not a TRILOGY. So anyone of the same assumption, know this going into it. The last quarter of the book, I was like HOW IS IT GOING TO WRAP UP EFFECTIVELY?! Otherwise, as expected, it was absolutely amazing and I highly recommend. I also recommend, for those of you who read Ninth House ages ago, re-read or read an in depth summary before doing this one because there was a lot that I had forgotten and had to refresh myself on. Bardugo has once again delivered a powerhouse that has me desperate for more. ( )