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A review by mintymagenta
Hell For Hire by Rachel Aaron
3.5
Based on Mesopotamian mythology, Hell for Hire's worldbuilding was pleasantly surprising. The author clearly put significant thought into the world's history, the fantasy races and their cultures, and the witches' magic and their connection to their groves.
While this book focused primarily on beings associated with Mesopotamian mythology, instances of Greek mythology were peppered in, which felt confusing and inconsistent. There was also no explanation why Bex's crew are in the USA now.
Lastly, a core part of the demons' backstory is that they've been enslaved for 5,000 years. The slavery aspect feels shallow, like it only exists to give depth to a generally fun story. The characters feel rage and shame, but there's a lack of nuance in portraying the lasting pain felt through the generations of an enslaved race.
While this book focused primarily on beings associated with Mesopotamian mythology, instances of Greek mythology were peppered in, which felt confusing and inconsistent. There was also no explanation why Bex's crew are in the USA now.
Lastly, a core part of the demons' backstory is that they've been enslaved for 5,000 years. The slavery aspect feels shallow, like it only exists to give depth to a generally fun story. The characters feel rage and shame, but there's a lack of nuance in portraying the lasting pain felt through the generations of an enslaved race.