Journey to hell and back - Hell Bent: Book Review #4
“Forgive yourself for assuming the world isn’t full of beasts at the door.”
-Leigh Bargudo, Hell Bent
Hell Bent is the second book in Ninth House series by Leigh Bardugo, continuing from where Ninth House left off. Against the backdrop of a slew of murders around Yale University that threaten Alex’s gradual settling-in, she attempts to bring back Darlington from hell - the golden boy of Lethe and Alex’s mentor who has mysteriously disappeared.
“How easily he speaks of magic, as if it is not forbidden, as if it does not always ask a terrible price.”
All kinds of dark creatures lurk behind the veil, waiting for an opportunity to break the barriers between the world’s dimensions. Leigh Bardugo's storytelling craft makes the reading experience very immersive as usual.
“Just as we may be nourished by meat or fowl, or survive upon a diet of simple roots and berries, so demons are nourished by our base emotions. Some feed on fear or greed or lust or rage, and yes, some hunger after joy.”
The cast of characters is given more room to grow as we learn about their past, regrets, and fears. We see Alex’s friendships mature, especially with Pamela Dawes, Lethe’s research fellow. A kinship develops among the characters including Turner, the lead detective, Alex’s roommate Mercy, and Tripp, a member of a secret society.
“That was the problem with love. It was hard to unlearn, no matter how harsh the lesson.”
The characters struggle with their thirst for knowledge, greed for power, or want of comfort. In their journey to hell and back, they struggle with their inner demons, more frightening than the hell-beasts they encounter. However, Alex, more powerful than ever, is ready to face those who threaten her found family, even as malicious faces from her past reappear.
“Comfort was the drug she hadn’t understood until it was too late and she was hooked on cups of tea and book-lined shelves.”
I had a lot of fun reading this newly released sequel immediately after I finished Ninth House. If you’re looking to dip your toes in worlds beyond ours with characters on a quest for knowledge, a tinge of magic, and strange creatures lurking nearby, Hell Bent might be worth a read.
“The two of you really need to think about how you want to spend your afterlife. I recommend therapy.”
Year of publication- 2023
Year of reading- 2023
Genre- Fantasy, dark academia
Recommended song- I did something bad by Taylor Swift