If Ninth House left us wanting for more, a bit confused and a lot more curious about Darlington's future, this sequel has answered our long-awaited prayers. The characters are carefully contoured in front of the hazy landscape of murderous Yale. We are witnesses to their evolution, observing the grey nuances they develop and the choices they make. The plot is far better structured than in the first part, actions have a linear timeline and a flow that enables the reader to be completely enraptured in the story. It might not be the perfect bildungsroman, but it definitely has the ability to display some important aspects that arise from growing up and facing the world. Be it fantastical or not.

Welcome back to Lethe and the cannonball that is Galaxy Stern as she and a few new and familiar faces plan a haphazard trip to hell to save the golden boy of Lethe. But magic is never what it seems and always has a price, and Alex' metaphorical demons are not all they have to worry about. Similar to Ninth House in the way that the story stumbles at the start before it picks up speed and sucks you in.

This was a ride... it's been a year since I dipped into the Ninth House world and coming back to this second instalment, you are thrown right back in at the deep end (you can't even see the bottom), but I loved it. There was a LOT going on (some things we won't talk about, glowing lighthouse ridiculousness

After just finishing Ninth House when I was sent a proof of this one, it was only natural that I move straight into this one. So, of course, the first thing to do would be to thank Hachette for a copy! As the prologue is a part of the middle of the book, I was a little bit confused to start with- in both Ninth House and Hell Bent, Leigh has a habit of telling you pieces of half information with the idea that it'll intrigue the reader into continuing to read... but honestly, it just makes me feel so impatient! Just give me a chronological story! Just explain some things! The actual plot of the novel is solid- I enjoy the urban fantasy side of things; it just makes the magical aspects more believable. And in terms of the magic: there was a lot more information about the rituals in this book, which I found fascinating- it was more as though it was a proper dark academia this time! In terms of characters, I preferred this book to Ninth House- without spoilers, all I can say is that it deepened my love for Tripp and Turner; and indeed several of the characters had more of an arc than was explored in Ninth House. This book really explored the limits of what makes someone good or bad, and just kind of emphasised how certain events can lead, realistically, to a snowball effect. Overall, I would definitely rate this book more highly than its predecessor- if you just thought the last one was 'good', I would urge you to continue with this one!