Hell Bent
- Downloads：3734
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-01-10 04:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Leigh Bardugo
- ISBN：1473228026
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Alex Stern returns in another tale of murder and dark magic set among the Ivy League elite…
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of hell—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale。 But Alex is playing with forces far beyond her control， and when faculty members begin to die off， she knows these aren’t just accidents。 Something deadly is at work in New Haven， and if Alex 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。
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of hell—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale。 But Alex is playing with forces far beyond her control， and when faculty members begin to die off， she knows these aren’t just accidents。 Something deadly is at work in New Haven， and if Alex 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。
Reviews
Business Idlestuff
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One of my favorite books this year！
moon （darlinqstern）
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 i’m just gonna say it， this is leigh bardugo’s best series。 the characters are so complex and flawed but still so likable。 every single darlingstern scene was absolute perfection。 i already adored their relationship in ninth house but this book has cemented them as one of my favorite relationships of all time。 both are such interesting characters and fascinating mirrors to each other。 also they’re both so fucking horny for each other please let them fuck in the next book thank you <3hellie’s and i’m just gonna say it， this is leigh bardugo’s best series。 the characters are so complex and flawed but still so likable。 every single darlingstern scene was absolute perfection。 i already adored their relationship in ninth house but this book has cemented them as one of my favorite relationships of all time。 both are such interesting characters and fascinating mirrors to each other。 also they’re both so fucking horny for each other please let them fuck in the next book thank you <3hellie’s and alex relationships remains absolutely tragic and i loved that we got a glampse into hellie’s mind。also i never would have thought that i’d end up loving tripp as much as i do。 bringing him back was an amazing idea and i adore what he brings to the dynamic。just generally the group dynamic was just so fucking good。 the addition of mercy， tripp and turner as fixed parts of the group was absolutely genius。i laughed， i cried， i squealed and lost my shit。 this book has restored a love for reading that i didn’t know i lost。 there are honestly no words to describe everything i’ve felt reading hell bent。 i’m just begging leigh doesn’t take ages to release the next book <3 。。。more
Carly
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So good！ Dare I say even better than the first？
bookish。reader。elle
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This book was everything I was hoping it would be and then some。 I’m always hesitant with second books in highly anticipated trilogy’s and that dreaded 2nd book syndrome but this was honestly better than Ninth House。 Don’t get me wrong I love Ninth House but this was phenomenal。 There’s more murder， banter， demons， rituals and Alex kicking ass。 Leigh has that perfect balance of mystery， action and humorous moments that keep this from being all serious。 I really enjoyed how the mystery continued This book was everything I was hoping it would be and then some。 I’m always hesitant with second books in highly anticipated trilogy’s and that dreaded 2nd book syndrome but this was honestly better than Ninth House。 Don’t get me wrong I love Ninth House but this was phenomenal。 There’s more murder， banter， demons， rituals and Alex kicking ass。 Leigh has that perfect balance of mystery， action and humorous moments that keep this from being all serious。 I really enjoyed how the mystery continued and all of the new revelations that were introduced。 I loved the found family aspects and how we see Alex really coming into her own。 She is one of my favorite MC’s of all time。 I also really appreciate all of the research Leigh does for these book。 I love how complex and detailed she gets with the rituals， history and journal entries throughout the story。 No spoilers from me so I’m keeping this review short。 If you loved Ninth House then this is an absolute must read。 And if you haven’t read this series I highly recommend it。 Definitely check out the trigger warnings。 The only bad thing now is the dreaded wait for book #3 Thank you Flatiron Books for sending me an early finished copy。 。。。more
Eliz | multiversi。letterari
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alti e bassi， ma almeno da metà libro la storia si movimenta
Celia
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RTC
legendofthe3divas
，
The fact that I actually wrote a song called Hellbent and just now found out that this book is called Hell Bent 🙈
Charlotte Lewis
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When will this be released in the U。K。 because I find it -1 stars that I have had to wait as long as I have for the sequel to this series。 It is blasphemy。
D。J。
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Absolutely stunning。
Kristen O'Daly
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Great follow up to the Ninth House！
Alysa
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I've been putting off finishing any book because I want this to be my first *read of the year the way Ninth House was my first read of 2022 I've been putting off finishing any book because I want this to be my first *read of the year the way Ninth House was my first read of 2022 。。。more
Is
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“Death isn’t just a place you visit。” We’re going straight to hell， and we’re saving Darlington if it’s the last thing we do。 Every time Leigh Bardugo announced a project that wasn’t the Ninth House sequel Darlington went deeper into hell and his demon-human self。 If I wanted something from Ninth House’s eulogy on Yale’s architecture and the societies， it was for Alex and Dawes to bring Darlington back from hell。 Whatever the cost may be。Because there will be a cost， but Lethe House and the worl “Death isn’t just a place you visit。” We’re going straight to hell， and we’re saving Darlington if it’s the last thing we do。 Every time Leigh Bardugo announced a project that wasn’t the Ninth House sequel Darlington went deeper into hell and his demon-human self。 If I wanted something from Ninth House’s eulogy on Yale’s architecture and the societies， it was for Alex and Dawes to bring Darlington back from hell。 Whatever the cost may be。Because there will be a cost， but Lethe House and the world could burn for Darlington’s sake。 For a character who had considerably less page time than some of the other characters， Darlington is a character that holds a presence to him far after you finish reading Ninth House。 Though there are 546 mentions of him in Hell Bent， he’s still a character that warrants intrigue and magnetism。“She knew her connection to the dead had been deepened by what she’d had to do in her fight with Belbalm。 She’d called them to her and offered them her name。 They’d answered。 They’d saved her。 And of course， the rescue had come at a price。 All her life， she’d been able to see Grays; now she could hear them too。 They were that much closer， that much harder to ignore。 But maybe she hadn’t really understood what salvation would cost her at all。 Something very bad had happened in Oddman’s house， something she couldn’t explain。 She was meant to control the dead， to use them。 Not the other way around。” The aftermath of Ninth House has Alex and Dawes in different directions but closer than ever。 Alex has settled into her role of Dante somewhat， starting a new semester but having been pulled back into her past during the summer， and trying to find a gateway to hell。 Likewise， Dawes is researching for any rituals that could open the portal。 As they’re attempting to break in and rescue a human maybe turned Demon Darlington， new bodies are dropping from Yale。 Turner turns to Alex for help with the bizarre deaths， and in turn， Alex will ask for one hell of an ask。 Ninth House and Alex didn’t deeply resonate with me。 The drawn-out and over-explained Yale and the societies; the feeling that Bardugo was more enamored with the architecture and somewhat history hindered the flow of the story and it turned slowed it down to moments of action， left me somewhat apprehensive for this sequel。 Yet I went into this installment just for more glimpses of Darlington and hoping it was building into a narrative closer to an exploration of privilege and power in the Ivy Leagues and what it would mean for the mystical to be mixed in that。 How the elite and the powerful would further abuse the knowledge and the power， and perhaps how this group would dismantle or at least challenge that。 “This is what your magic is for， isn’t it？ This is what it does。 Props up the people in power， let’s the people with everything take a little more？” So going into Hell Bent I was expecting the same descriptive writing that seemed more focused on the location， and creating an ambiance of academia rather than magic and a driving force of action for a heist made in hell。 Or rather a hell heist。 The setup is simple。 A heist to break out someone from hell。 They have magic after all。 Hell， Alex can see， talk and use the dead。 They have lethe’s resources and the beginnings of a plan。 Except for no plan ever goes accordingly。 I’ll say that Hell Bent moved a bit faster narrative-wise， and did was it was supposed to do。 It showed us the aftermath of all that transpired in Ninth House， how the deaths and the murderer affected their standing in Lethe and Yale; what it meant that Alex could use and be used by the dead; how the past would come back to haunt Alex in more ways that one and just exactly who would come back。 More history， more magic， more chaos， more things going awry when it comes to Alex， and more deaths （when it comes to Alex）。 As for Darlington， well—let’s give them hell， Darlington…“Darlington was。 He’d go to hell for me， for you， for anyone who needed saving。”“Alex，” Michelle said， dusting off her skirt， “he’d go to hell just to take notes on the climate。” As a continuation， Darlington keeps on giving an endless source of intrigue。 As this is a series set up for 5 installments， I would really love for Bardugo to explore and challenge a character like Darlington fully。 Darlington， who in his loneliness， chose to believe in magic and the occult and threw himself into it without regard for his life。 It then ends up being the thing that crushes and swallows him， consumes him， and doesn’t want to let him go。 Darlington once felt this envy for Alex’s gift， since she got to be a part of the magic， to be magic， in a way。In Hell Bent， there’s that balance of history， occult & magic， of more， deaths and who is murdering and why， and it all ties to history， and creating a team out of those who have murdered and those that can tie them back to the living。 By the end of this book， they’ll all be irrevocably tied and bonded by having seen each other at their worst and their weakest。 At knowing each other in a way they would have never allowed themselves seen unless they had to journey to hell。 Hell Bent has those elements we’ve experienced in Bardugo’s earlier and younger writing。 Found family based on trauma and tragedy， the family you find that will go to hell and back for you when they offer you the security you’ve never encountered before。 Even from those characters that do it rather begrudgingly， but that morally could never let you go to hell alone。 Slowly， we see changes in positions， alliances， bonds， and connections。 Where once Alex was the newcomer， there are people who only know her as Virgil， not Darlington’s Dante。 She’s finding her footing at Yale and Lethe and has found a home in Black Elm and Cosmo。 Those around her coming to her for help。 But she’d wanted to believe that Darlington would be okay， that whatever he’d endured in hell wouldn’t leave a mark， that she could be forgiven and order restored。 He would be made whole and she alongside him。One of my favorite narratives to explore （ because I love and hate it equally） is when a character either goes away （willingly or unwillingly） and the others stay behind and when they come back everything has changed。 It’s heartbreaking for everyone involved， especially in this case。 To have been taken unwittingly to a place that tortured you mentally and physically， and to then come back not yourself。 Changed。 And then to a world that accommodated itself around your absence。 The places you occupied before having been filled， your space in the world having been filled。 “Whatever survived in hell wouldn’t be the Darlington you know。” Alex is a character that might take a while for readers to warm up and like—and she knows this。 She’s someone who throws herself into danger， not fearing for her life。 She’s a survivor and she’ll keep trying and fighting， but now she has someone she’s fighting for… “Alex was the real thing。 She’d taken a bat to Len， to Ariel， to all the rest， and she’d never lost a minute of sleep over the things she’d done。” By the end of Hell Bent， I was pulled into the mystery and Alex Stern’s draw a bit more。 One thing I wish Bardugo would steer away from and would instead show us is why Stern is so valuable。 Why her？ Narratives always go the same way， and I wish it isn’t the case with Alex。 I would rather have Darlington be the one because at least he’d do something。 He would explore it to its infinite， and really challenge its meaning。 “They would have gone on without me。 They would have grown stronger。 Sitting there， watching them hatch their plans with Turner and Mercy， he’d felt like a stranger in a place he’d once known he belonged。” I’m honestly tired and I think we should have grown past characters who are special， but they always whine and drag their feet at having been given this special “gift。” I’m really trying to be vague here and not spoil anything。 I’ll be tuned in and sat for the next installment…。。Also， as for Darlingstern…。things might have gotten complicated。 Also， a certain someone had horns and a glowing……at one point and I just know the things that will be said…“Hell’s price must be paid。” 。。。more
madeleine
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im literally vibrating im so excited to read this。 january 10th could not come sooner
nick
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500 awesome
Gabriela Pop
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that was one hell of a ride
Vaikhari
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I read Ninth House in 2019。 In 2019！ It was one of my favorites and I have been waiting for the sequel ever since。 So if this book doesn't turn out be a goddamn tour de force， I would legit have a mental breakdown。 I read Ninth House in 2019。 In 2019！ It was one of my favorites and I have been waiting for the sequel ever since。 So if this book doesn't turn out be a goddamn tour de force， I would legit have a mental breakdown。 。。。more
muskaan （darius acrux's）
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sobbing wailing on my knees for this book gimme this its been ages i need darlington
Hannah Simpson
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I mean， this series is just hit after hit。 It feels less like Bardugo is building the world and rather is peeling back the layers on a world that already exists。 While I could read a book that is literally just Alex and Darlington， the crew that Alex builds for her "Hell Heist" delighted me。 Pammie （She'll always be Pammie to me no matter is she's Dawes to most） really owns the power that's always been in within her。 She shows that you can be a caring， scholarly， introvert， and that can be power I mean， this series is just hit after hit。 It feels less like Bardugo is building the world and rather is peeling back the layers on a world that already exists。 While I could read a book that is literally just Alex and Darlington， the crew that Alex builds for her "Hell Heist" delighted me。 Pammie （She'll always be Pammie to me no matter is she's Dawes to most） really owns the power that's always been in within her。 She shows that you can be a caring， scholarly， introvert， and that can be powerful。 Turner develops depth and forces Alex to take a beat to consider other belief/motivation systems outside of the dark/gritty one。 He and Pammie opens her worldview from the pure survival mode she's been operating on。 And that makes Alex all the stronger。 Bringing Mercy into the fold was a surprise to me but I was delighted。 I think having a 'normal' friend is a refreshing element to the group， although who knows how long she can be considered normal now she's been a part of this heist。 I also really liked that we got to see how she's dealing with healing from her assault without delving into trauma porn。And then there's Tripp。 I mean。。。 OUT OF LEFT FIELD。 I did not expect to develop soft affection for that dope。 But man。。。 his back story。。。 why he's part of the murderers crew。。。 the very last chapter with his turn as vampire。。。 I will protect this Frat Boy Vamp with my life。 And we got my boy back。 We got Danny Boy。 Darlington。 The demon version of him trapped in the ballroom at Black Elm was hot， I'm not scared to admit it。 The riddles were some how perfectly demonic and yet still typical freaking Darlington。 I appreciated his Sisyphean Hell task of building a ruined Black Elm stone by stone。 It's brilliant and perfect for Darlington。 Once he's been retrieved from Hell， it's revealed that he's bound to Alex。 To serve her。。。 and OBVIOUSLY TO LOVE HER。 Ugh。 I loved it。 I am excited to see how he adjusts to being back in the world in book three and how his relationship with Alex develops。 She's prickly。。。 and he's distant but they don't seem to have a choice。 Ok， so now for some of the new things brought into this book。 Let's start with freaking VAMPIRES。 Holy moly。 I sat straight up in bed and started swearing when Reiter freaking bit into Alex。 I was unsure about the introduction of vampires into the Ninth House world， but the explanation of demonic possession and soul feeding satisfied me。 I was hella nervous that bite would turn Alex into a vampire and that might have lost me。 All in all， this felt like a more fun book than Ninth House。 There's definitely more humor as Alex became more comfortable dealing with the magic in the world around her。 In book three I can't see what insanity this crew gets into。 。。。more
Nymeria
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Review to come
Sonia Donelli
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«Darlington。。。 lo sai che sei nudo vero？» Come una statua perversa， le mani appoggiate sulle ginocchia， le corna che brillavano， il fa**o eretto e luminoso。 «Sono un demone， non un rimbambito， Stern。 Ma la mia dignità è da tempo ridotta a brandelli。 E neanche tu ti sei vestita per l’occasione。» Alex si strinse ancora di più il lenzuolo intorno al corpo。 «Che libri vuoi？» «Scegli tu。» «È per questo che mi hai trascinato quassù？» «Io non ti ho trascinato da nessuna parte。» «Non ho attraversato sca «Darlington。。。 lo sai che sei nudo vero？» Come una statua perversa， le mani appoggiate sulle ginocchia， le corna che brillavano， il fa**o eretto e luminoso。 «Sono un demone， non un rimbambito， Stern。 Ma la mia dignità è da tempo ridotta a brandelli。 E neanche tu ti sei vestita per l’occasione。» Alex si strinse ancora di più il lenzuolo intorno al corpo。 «Che libri vuoi？» «Scegli tu。» «È per questo che mi hai trascinato quassù？» «Io non ti ho trascinato da nessuna parte。» «Non ho attraversato scalza tutta New Haven nel cuore della notte per niente。 Sono stata costretta。»Quanto mi sono mancati 。。。more
Alexandra Karamanova
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As I finished the book and was ready to write my review I was a little surprised to find out it has not been officially published yet （but yet somehow was I was able to buy it at the local austin book store so if you can’t wait Kinokuniya books has got you 🤔😅） 4。5 out of 5。 Solid sequel with good character development for Dawes， and an interesting story line。 Like the first book， this was a quick and fun read and a solid mix of a thriller and fantasy。
Kaitlyn Frye
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I read the sneak peak and immediately preordered the kindle version because I know I will not have the patience to wait for my copy to come in through my library。 I am beyond ready for this and already love the first couple chapters。 （Plus gave me a nice refresher since it has been forever since I finished Ninth House）
Malli （Chapter Malliumpkin）
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➸ Ninth House ★★★Soon。。。Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi|Throne ➸ Ninth House ★★★Soon。。。Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi|Throne 。。。more
Jaclyn
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Despite my best efforts to ignore this book because the cover is HORRIFIC I’m going to read this because I read ninth house。
Sam
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T-MINUS LESS THAN ONE WEEK！！！！！！！
anaïs
，
when I get this book in my hands。。。 WHEN I GET THIS BOOK IN MY HANDSSSS the first 10 chapters have already rotted my brain
Milsi ✨ Mother of Cats & Books ✨
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I need this book like I need air to be honest
Amarilli 73
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Era come un coniglio， timido e indifeso， senza artigli né denti。 La sua unica possibilità era scappare。Il mio primo libro del 2023 è di sicuro uno dei più belli del 2023。Totalmente ossessionata e totalmente innamorata。 Ve ne parlo in occasione dell'uscita。Era questo che contava nel mondo。 Niente buoni e cattivi， solo le persone per cui avresti sfidato le onde， e quelle che avresti lasciato annegare。 Era come un coniglio， timido e indifeso， senza artigli né denti。 La sua unica possibilità era scappare。Il mio primo libro del 2023 è di sicuro uno dei più belli del 2023。Totalmente ossessionata e totalmente innamorata。 Ve ne parlo in occasione dell'uscita。Era questo che contava nel mondo。 Niente buoni e cattivi， solo le persone per cui avresti sfidato le onde， e quelle che avresti lasciato annegare。 。。。more
Ana （Semi-Hiatus）
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I'm a Darlington stan。 I'm so excited about this。 Around a week to go！ I'm a Darlington stan。 I'm so excited about this。 Around a week to go！ 。。。more
Kenzydiaa
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this will fix me i know it
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hell Bent
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hell Bent&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hell Bent&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0