‘Hell Bent’ is a book to experience and savour like a fine wine. As much as I wanted to rush through and devour it like the Darlington hungry gal that I am, by lingering over the pages and the beautiful prose, the mesmerising world building and the thrilling rollercoaster that is dark magic, I felt like I lived alongside the characters with every sentence. In the hope of remaining spoiler free, here are my thoughts in little bites. 1) You see more of Alex’s past, and boy does that girl need a break! 2) Dawes is a queen, and no one can tell me otherwise. If you are looking for more of our unlikely duo Dawes and Alex, Bardugo has got you covered. 3) We haven’t seen the last of our favourite detective, as much as he wishes you had. 4) Expect more characters that you may not have expected to see again. 5) This is sexy, like super sexy, but not in the obvious way. The turns of phrases between two of our characters were just perfection. 6) *cries in darlington* 5 stars (obviously), and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

I was lucky enough to be sent an advanced readers copy of Hell Bent and I have to say this book has got to be one of my favourite adult fantasy novels. I really thought I was racing through Ninth House when I read it earlier this month, but having just finished Hell Bent, I can say I DEVOURED that book like nothing despite doing my most amount of reading on the two days I was working. This book is one I can gladly say that the sequel held up to its expectations and went beyond them too and didn’t fall into the whole “sequel is worse than the first book” thing that can happen in a multiple-books series. The mystery aspect was just as fun to attempt to unravel, however it wasn’t as much of a focal point in this book as it was in Ninth House for two reasons. 1) Ninth House’s mystery helped to build the secret world the book was set in as well as giving us a backstory to many characters. 2) The main focus of this book was clearly about bringing back Darlington from hell so of course there was going to be more of a focus on that part of the book’s plot whilst still leaning into the whole murder mystery very well. I loved how much time we got to spend with the characters we got to know and love in ninth house and expanding on them as characters not just filler. Turner was such a fun guy in book one but after having read hell bent, I have to say I’m in love (Darlington is for Alex you know /jk). I was so happy to see the emotional and character growth we see Alex undergo which was something I was really excited to see after ninth house, we’re really getting more into her as a person as we go. I will say this book isn’t as a graphic as NH but it still did scared me at one point (in a good way). there were also so many great comedic scenes, I genuinely had to put the book down so I wouldn’t make a lot of noise when I tried to stop myself from laughing out loud. I adored the different dynamics between characters that we got to see more of. There’s so much more I want to say but can’t until the book’s out, but you should seriously preorder Hell Bent and pick up Ninth House if you haven’t yet.

This series is amazing and I love Alex so much!! If Darlington + Alex doesn’t happen in the next book I’ll freak!! This was amazing it is my favourite series of Bardugos books.

We are getting a deeper understanding of Leigh's world and more of it's rules and how to break them. Daring, brutal and amazing like always. Couldn't stop reading it and when it was done I just wanted more!

HELL BENT, by Leigh Bardugo is Book 2 in the Alex Stern trilogy. This (very highly anticipated sequel for me) begins months after the events in Book 1, NINTH HOUSE. Alex Stern, Pamela Dawes, and Detective Turner all return to the action, bringing along a few new "honorary members"...outside of Lethe's knowledge... on a mission to bring back their Golden Boy, Darlington. ". . . Lethe pretended they knew the score when they didn't even know the game . . ." While the first book set up the ground work in the first half, this second installment jumps right into the action. The character development throughout the novel is fantastic! I loved seeing Dawes gain a little confidence, and Alex accept aspects of herself that she would have previously hidden from, gaining a newfound purpose and friendships along the way. ". . . Life is cruel. Magic is real. And I'm not ready to die." After Darlington's ... disappearance ... the belief that they could get him home again was the driving force behind this novel. That being said, it opened so many more doors, beasts--both actual and in human form--heartache, love, pain, and throughout it all, a bond between them that strengthened incredibly. ". . . that was the problem with love. It was hard to unlearn, no matter how harsh the lesson." There was some comic relief in the form of former characters given more prominent roles, and of course the sarcastic banter and comments from Alex are always worth highlighting. "I really missed having no idea what you're talking about. . . " Overall, I felt this book was as perfect as you can get with a sequel. It didn't feel like the "filler" book in the center of a trilogy, but really gathered momentum from where book 1 left off, and just ran with it the entire way. There was a depth to each of the characters that I really appreciated, and made them each unforgettable in their own way. The action and situations completely consumed me, and I found myself re-reading several passages just to make sure I didn't miss a single thing--that was how GOOD this book was! While I hear this is a trilogy, and it certainly left off with much more to be done with the story--the ending felt very satisfying as it was. I am greatly looking forward to the next book, but in the meantime, feel that this one was very much worth the wait. "We do what we have to . . . That's the only job of a survivor." Highly Recommended, to be read after Book 1, NINTH HOUSE.