Though the book is anchored in certain respects by Alex and Darlington, Bardugo still manages to flesh out her supporting cast of characters. Her romantic feelings for him, left unresolved in “Ninth House,” continue to simmer, giving her mission an added level of emotional stakes. Pressure from Lethe’s leadership leaves Alex uncertain about her ability to carry on his duties in his stead. New developments are introduced with little warning and character arcs are discarded or wrapped up without ceremony.ĭespite his absence, Darlington’s presence looms heavily over the novel, especially in relation to Alex. Gone are Bardugo’s witty, slightly apologetic criticism of the income disparity at Yale and her quiet mockery of the 1%, which were given so much attention in “Ninth House.” The ending itself feels as though it belongs in another book entirely, with the last chapters focused on establishing the status quo for the next installment in the series rather than furthering any of the established plot points or completing the narrative of the novel itself. While Bardugo gives enough space to Alex’s narrative, certain subplots feel as though they get shoved aside before they are granted enough time to fully mature. Unfortunately, “Hell Bent” is undercut at moments by its uneven pacing. It’s this open contention with her trauma that makes Alex a worthy protagonist, more so than her clever narration and headstrong, snappy personality. Even as the character clashes with demons and the spirits of the dead, Bardugo takes the time to zero in on her anger and guilt as a survivor of sexual abuse. Another returning thread is Alex’s trauma. There are complications, of course, and Bardugo layers on Israeli gangsters, vampiric drug dealers and yet another murder investigation. Joining her are the only members of Lethe that believe her, reclusive grad student Pamela Dawes, no-nonsense cop Detective Abel Turner and two relatively minor characters from the last book: Tripp Helmuth, a professional slacker who used to be a society member, and Mercy Zhao, Alex’s over-achieving roommate. She’ll have to do so without the backing of Lethe or any of the other societies, all of which firmly believe that Darlington died - or worse, was transformed into a demon.Īlex is forced to rely on the few allies she has to find the Gauntlet and rescue Darlington. Convinced that Darlington survived the demon attack, Alex hatches a plan to drag him back from the depths of hell by finding the Gauntlet, a portal to hell constructed by Yale students during the Great Depression. Bardugo was anything but kind to Alex in “Ninth House,” and “Hell Bent” is no different, finding Alex once again desperate and out of her depth. “Hell Bent,” the next book in the series, picks up three months after “Ninth House” concluded. Then, about halfway through her first year, Darlington gets dragged away to hell by a demon. In between observing rituals and struggling through midterm exams, Alex gets drawn into a murder investigation - one with eerie similarities to traumatic events in her past life in California - that unearths a conspiracy involving members of the societies and Lethe. Throughout the first book, Alex struggles to adjust to her freshman year at Yale while being shown the ropes at Lethe by her mentor: lonely rich boy Darlington.
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