Review – Hell Bent (Alex Stern, Book 2) by Leigh Bardugo (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Horror
Length: 484 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: January 10, 2023
ASIN: B09W14K6JB
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Alex Stern series
Source: Bought ebook for Kindle
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.
Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Alex Stern series. I bought a copy of this on ebook to read on my Kindle.
Thoughts: I really loved the first book in this series, so I actually went and bought the 2nd book on ebook. I usually wait to borrow books from the library but I was so excited to continue the series! I was not disappointed; this story was just as crazy and visceral as the first book was. I absolutely love the characters in here and am so attached to them.
This book starts shortly after the last one left off. Alex and Dawes are trying to figure out a way to get into Hell to steal back Darlington. Unfortunately, both Alex’s past and a series of murders on campus complicate things for them both.
I continue to love the odd magic and secret societies that are so prevalent throughout this series. However, I think was really draws me to this series are the characters. Alex, Dawes, and many of the side characters are so real and so fun to read about. All of these characters have issues, but I found myself rooting for them and absolutely heartbroken at some of the things they had to endure.
The story here is intriguing as well. There are more mysteries, secrets, and betrayals. I am super curious to see where the storyline ends up going since there are now demons wandering around campus.
The writing was excellent as well. This was incredibly engaging and I struggled to put the book down each night. Bardugo doesn’t hold back in her gory descriptions and visceral scenes: I might have flinched at a few of them but she certainly didn’t. Just a warning if you don’t like gross or gory description.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I loved this book just as much as the first one. I love this world and these characters and the dark seedy rituals of the secret societies of Yale. The characters really make the story here, although I did enjoy the twisty plot, dark magic, and mysteries as well. I can’t wait to see where the next book in the series takes us. This series is definitely a stand out for me, I am really enjoying it.
