Book Review: Hell Bent

Fantasy novel by Leigh Bardugo, published 2023

481 pages

A Gritty Follow Up that Puts Its Claws in You & Doesn't Let Go

As much as I love books, I have purchased a book on release day exactly twice - once several years ago, and once last month for this gem. I even reread the first book of the series (see my review of Ninth House here) the week before, so the tale of Alex Stern was fresh in my mind. And even with such high expectations, Hell Bent in no way disappointed. Bardugo hits the ground running, immediately putting her hooks in you, and keeping them there until the very last page.

Picking up just a few months after Ninth House, we meet an Alex who is still healing both physically and mentally, and is riddled with guilt about what happened to Darlington. Named Virgil while Darlington is away "in Spain," Alex struggles to balance her courses, maintain her Lethe requirements, and oh yea...hatch a dangerous plan to break into the Underworld and free Darlington. It also doesn't help matters that Eitan, the Cali drug-lord who abused Hellie, has caught wind of her supernatural strength and crosses the country to blackmail her. Throw in a fun vampire twist, and that's a whole additional story arc in itself!

Knowing that she must free Darlington at nearly any cost (since he's now part-demon), Alex ignores Lethe's administration and gathers an unlikely group together to aid her in this perilous journey - Oculus ie Dawes, her roommate Mercy, Bonesman Tripp Helmouth, and Detective Turner. In order for them to reach the Underworld, they must follow what's called the Gauntlet. As one can imagine, this is no easy pathway and much mayhem and destruction follows in their wake.

“Welcome home. Welcome back. We missed you. I missed you more than I should have, more than I wanted to. I went to hell for you. I’d do it again.”

As much as Alex remains the story's heroine, each character in her group becomes a huge part of the plotline. Bardugo brilliantly showcases the strengths and weaknesses of everyone, pushing them to their limits and completely shattering their humanity, only to wrench it back together again. She really delves into the gritty side of life and thus, creates characters that are real and emotional - that you can relate to and root for and scream at and fall in love with, all at once. This character development creates a wonderfully woven interpersonal dynamic throughout the entire book.

The story's climax is a completely insane ride (no spoilers!) and just like Ninth House, leaves you on a total cliffhanger. So once again, I am anxiously awaiting the release of volume 3 in the saga.

5 out of 5 Stars

I nearly always enjoy a solid dark fantasy, but as expected, Hell Bent has become one of my favorites in the genre. Deeper questions such as “Why raise children on the promise of magic? Why create a want in them that can never be satisfied—for revelation, for transformation—and then set them adrift in a bleak, pragmatic world?”, as well as generally beautifully structured sentences pulled me in and stopped me from being able to put the book down.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who has a sense of the fantastic and the macabre.