Reviews with content warning for Grief - Hell Bent

*Extremely long sigh* I made a mistake because I thought this was the final book, not the second in a trilogy. I read it thinking it was going to wrap everything up and ended up pretty disappointed. I was wrong!! That being said, I don't think Hell Bent hit it out of the park like I thought it would. There was so much action and (dare I say) extraneous plot devices that I got whiplash. This isn't the first time I felt that way with Bardugo's writing. I think it worked in Six of Crows, but not as much here. The darkness requires some sitting, some stewing. I think Bardugo needs to fully commit to the audience - is this adult? Mature YA? There's sexual violence, but no sexual autonomy or processing. There's physical and emotional violence, but it doesn't settle. There's urgency, but less understanding. Things aren't reckoned with. College kids don't always act like college kids, cops don't act like cops, people are just kind of...off? I wanted to sit more in the big moments and implications, but found myself getting rushed along despite the first ~300 pages dragging.

I'm giving this a 4 because I love the premise of the series, and I hope that Bardugo can pull it off with the final novel. There are SO many interesting things going on, and I think she can recapture the balance of the first book, answer the big questions, and actually explore power, class, racism, sexism, colonialism, and violence in academia.

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brianneh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

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selkiesrcool's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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dragonlilly's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This sequel was just as good, and maybe even better in certain areas than the first, and the first book was great! I absolutely have to commend Leigh Bardugo for all the research she did for these books, and it seems the research had increased even more for this one. Although, Turner's line about Judges being boring is so wrong, and Judges has to objectively be one of the more exciting books of the Old Testament in the Bible for sure. The book is interesting with cool bits of mystery, while also being a bit thoughtful, and lots of fun and bouts of sadness. I am a big fan of Bardugo's writing, in that every line feels quite purposeful. Later phrases or sentences hark back to previous ones, and previous words hint at the future in a satisfying way.

I feel more attached to the characters in this book than in the previous one, and I love the feel-good camaraderie. I love the discoveries, and the scene in which the main group are forcefully made to see each others' past was super cool and well done. And I will also say that I enjoyed the ending of this book a lot more too. The necessary questions that needed answering in this book were answered and yet still left us wondering for more but not in a disappointing way, but an exciting way. The ending made me worried, then joyful and smiling, and then thrilled at a fun action scene that gets us ready for the next book. Very good sequel overall and am excited for when the next book comes out.

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