An absolutely standout sequel to Ninth House that is going to haunt my every waking moment from now on. It’s very hard to say anything about this book without spoilers, but it completely hooked me from page one and I fell immediately back into the dark, magical underbelly of Yale, and Alex’s life. I already knew this before reading Hell Bent, but the fact that she is one of my favourite protagonists of all time has been fully reinforced, and her and Darlington’s will they/won’t they will in fact be the death of me. I especially loved the moments of attention we got for Dawes and Turner that furthered their depth as supporting characters. Overall, this book is dark, chaotic, and twisty. I’m going to start my own ritual to summon the final book ASAP.

Galaxy Stern is BACK, and this time, she's hell-bound. What a sparkling sequel to Ninth House; an addictive read, filled with Alex's sharp tongue and more demons than you can shake a stick at. I raced through the pages, desperate to know how things worked out for Dawes, Darlington & co and - no spoilers here - it's a hell of a journey. If you loved the dark academia & bitter characters unravelling Yale as you know it in Ninth House, you will adore every page of Hell Bent. Now I just need to barter my soul in return for another instalment. Pretty please?!?

Honestly every book by Bardugo is a winner for me. I need the third book in this series now. I can’t stop thinking about how it ended.

I love the mystery, the puzzles and, of course, the complex characters. I always recommend the ninth house series.

If Ninth House left us wanting for more, a bit confused and a lot more curious about Darlington's future, this sequel has answered our long-awaited prayers. The characters are carefully contoured in front of the hazy landscape of murderous Yale. We are witnesses to their evolution, observing the grey nuances they develop and the choices they make. The plot is far better structured than in the first part, actions have a linear timeline and a flow that enables the reader to be completely enraptured in the story. It might not be the perfect bildungsroman, but it definitely has the ability to display some important aspects that arise from growing up and facing the world. Be it fantastical or not.