Book Review – Hell Bent

02 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I finished reading Hell Bent, the second book in the Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo, last year, as part of my read-through of all of the author’s current work (paid links). Like I did with most of her other books, I listened to this in audiobook format, narrated by Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell.

You can find my review of her other books here:

I listened to this as an audiobook.

Here is the blurb:

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.

Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she 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.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.

I jumped right into this book after finishing Ninth House, so the conclusion of that first volume was fresh in my mind. This sequel is structured differently since Darlington is still missing. The secondary characters play a bigger role as Alex tries to find her missing mentor. Dawes would rather continue her quiet research and work on her thesis, but her dedication to Lethe House makes it impossible for her to stay away. Detective Turner also cannot escape his role in helping Lethe House, and his past plays an important role in this book.

One part of the plot was somewhat repetitive, but it all kept me engaged and invested in the characters. Alex manages to ignore the rules of the societies as she tries to recover Darlington and investigate who is responsible. We continue to learn more of the truth of her past as well.

I loved how Alex has learned to trust her roommate and has gathered a larger circle of friend to help her in this second book.

I still don’t know how this series will end for all involved, but I’m excited for the third book. So far there is no title or release date for it.

Have you read Ninth House and Hell Bent? Where do you think the story is going? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Ninth House

24 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in a new series by the author of the Shadow and Bone series. Unlike those books, this one is set in our world, but with occult magic rather than grisha powers. This is book #1 (of a planned 3) in the Alex Stern series (paid links). I read this book last year in an audiobook format, narrated by Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell. Read on below to see what I thought.

I have read and written reviews of several the author’s other books which you can find here:

I listened to the audiobook edition of this book.

Here is the blurb:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

This book was billed as a more adult novel, compared to the author’s previous YA books, and it does feature more mature scenarios, violence, language, and drug use than her earlier novels. It is also told through two different points of view: one being the protagonist, Alex Stern, and the other is her mentor, Darlington, teaching her the ways of Lethe House. His part of the story is set earlier in the time frame of the novel because he has gone missing in Alex’s later viewpoint chapters. This creates an engaging mystery where the reader doesn’t know what happened to him, but Alex does, slowly revealing it as the story proceeds.

The way that the author weaves her sinister version of Yale’s secret societies into our world is seamless. It turns out that she went to Yale and was a member of one of these societies (they’re real, just not the magic). The character of Alex is an outsider to her newfound college life as well as the societies, and her toughness and real-world experience helps her to survive.

There is a hint of romance between Alex and Darlington, but since he has gone missing, any further development in that arena will have to wait. Like the author’s other novels, I expect this to be a very slow burn.

The audiobook edition was great as well. Lauren Fortgang has narrated the author’s other books, but gives an individual voice to Alex in this new series. Look for the review of book 2, Hell Bent, next week (paid link).

Have you read any of Leigh Bardugo’s books? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Rule of Wolves

19 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Rule of Wolves is the second book in the King of Scars duology by Leigh Bardugo, and is currently the last book in her Grishaverse series (paid links). While it leaves the potential for additional stories, it also wraps up all of the vital plot threads and character arcs. You can read my reviews of her other books in this world below:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

Here is the blurb:

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

That blurb is a great summary of the set up and stakes in this final book. While Nikolai and Zoya’s story has been woven together for most of this series, this book brings Nina’s story into focus with theirs as Fjerda lays siege to Ravka.

The short version of my review is that I loved this book and could not listen to it fast enough! My initial hesitation to embrace Zoya as a likeable character has been obliterated as she becomes the hero of Ravka. Her relationship with Nikolai keeps slowly burning along as they both try to deny it. And Nina, oh Nina! After all the heartache she has suffered, it was wonderfully hard to read her final chapters.

The narrator of the audiobook, Lauren Fortgang, does an amazing job and brings each character to life with her voice. For its full impact, this isn’t a book you can read without starting with the earlier ones in the series. I think that it could work as the final book in the Grishaverse, but Rule of Wolves does leave some political rivalries unresolved and places an antagonist in a magical limbo where he may still be able to influence future story lines. Overall, this was one of my favorite books that I read in 2023.

Have you read any of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Crooked Kingdom

27 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I had meant to continue my review of this series sooner, but I have been struggling with an injury to my hand. I had to limit the amount of typing I did, and so unfortunately my blog suffered from this. However, I did finish reading several more books and I might get 50 books read for 2023 (I’ll let you know next week)!

For my final book review of 2023, I need to talk about Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. This was probably my favorite book by the author (even including others I haven’t had a chance to review here yet). This is the concluding book in the Six of Crows duology (paid links).

I listened to the audiobook version of Crooked Kingdom, narrated by a cast of Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Roger Clark, Elizabeth Evans, and Tristan Morris.

You can find my reviews for other books by Leigh Bardugo here:

Paid links help to support this blog.

Here is the blurb:

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

So of course things didn’t go as planned at the end of book 1, Six of Crows… leaving us with this crazy caper as the Crows try to rescue Inej, prevent the spread of jurda parem, and destroy all of the enemies they have made.

While the plot felt less focused in this second book, compared to the first one with the specific goal of a heist, the twists kept coming. Even when I thought everything had been resolved, the author surprised me again. The characters continued to develop and their story arcs and banter were the best part of this series.

I don’t want to give any spoilers about the ending. All I can say is that it is both heartbreaking and satisfying, and I’m glad that some of these characters (Nina, especially) appear in the next series. However, I would LOVE to see the others again if the author decides to write more of their stories.

The audiobook production continues in the same format as Six of Crows, with each character’s chapter being voiced by a different actor. While I generally prefer only one or two narrators, by this point in the series, I’ve adjusted to it and liked this format.

Have you read any of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books? Which are your favorites? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Six of Crows

05 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I have been reading a lot over the past few weeks, but I wanted to step back to review some books that I read earlier in the year. I had really enjoyed the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo and have since finished a read-through of her other novels. Most of them are set in her Grishaverse world, so I’m going to start with those. Next up in the reading order after the Shadow and Bone trilogy are the Six of Crows Duology books: Six of Crows and then Crooked Kingdom (paid links). I listened to the audiobook version of Six of Crows, narrated by a cast of Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Roger Clark, Elizabeth Evans, and Tristan Morris.

You can find my reviews for other books by Leigh Bardugo here:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

Here is the blurb:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

It’s hard to even know where to begin with this book, but it was by far one of my favorite reads in the past few years. At it’s heart, it’s a heist story with the six characters in the blurb taking on a seemingly impossible task. Yet where this book shines is the characters. Each one has their own reasons for being there and secrets abound. While they are all criminals of some sort, it was easy to root for them and to understand the circumstances that brought them to this life.

While this book is set in the Grishaverse, it takes place in parts of the world that did not feature in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Grisha magic is also less of a factor here, although the group still has a renegade grisha. There is romance woven through the plot as well, and it is torturously good. Just don’t expect a payoff from any of the characters’ relationships in this first book.

I think that you could also read Six of Crows without having read the Shadow and Bone books. The events of the earlier trilogy are mentioned, but none of that is directly relevant to this story. The grisha powers might be a little confusing, but since those play a smaller role here, it shouldn’t limit the enjoyment of the book.

The audiobook used a different narrator for each character’s chapters. This worked well and I was able to adjust to the different voices easily. One difference in my reading when I listen to an audio performance of a book is that I don’t always have a good sense of how much of the book is left. However in this story, I realized that I had too many minutes of the book left when I thought it was almost done. While that isn’t specifically a spoiler, I knew that something more was going to happen, which I think actually added to the tension at the end, making it tragically perfect.

Find more of my reviews here.

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