A review by emmaisnotavampire
Hell Bent. Portale per l'inferno by Leigh Bardugo

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Darlington was my favourite character in Ninth House, so of course I was super excited to read this book. Well, I must say, I was not disappointed! I was not expecting - stupidly though, because it is kind of literally in the name - such a big focus on Hell itself and on the rituals needed to enter it; however, I'm kind of a slut for anything even remotely demonic so I was absolutely delighted to find out. I feel like the characters were a really strong feature here compared to the previous book, the relationships between them have undoubtedly evolved and deepened after the events of the saga, and their personalities themselves acquired added depth also thanks to the inevitable vulnerability involved in the ritual - and especially thanks to the prerequisite of having committed murder, which usually tends to add a layer of moral complexity to a character - which showed a new side to the reader. Even Alex began to get less insufferable!
What's more, call me a demon too, but I adored that the ritual felt like a quest, a game, a puzzle... dark academia satanic dungeons and dragons? Yes please! Add a touch of vampirism and a sexy Lethe gentleman (yes I love Daniel Arlington in case it wasn't clear) and you've created the most perfect mix. I am only giving this book four stars because, style-wise, it is nothing more special than a slightly darker young adult, nothing so original that it deserves to near top marks, but I really really enjoyed it nonetheless! I guess what I'm saying is I only give five stars to pretentious books... my bad, I know.
Lastly, I'll finish this off by saying that I need a sequel, because the hell was that finale? Give me more!