Thank you to Tales and Teacups & B.E. Francis for sending me an ARC of Hell-Bound. I have voluntarily written this honest review.
*Image Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis
After returning from war, Renata wakes up without her memories. She has an inkling of her past, but everything is a blur for her. The only thing she truly remembers is her love of music and her skills as a lock-picker. To hopefully get her memories back, she travels to another town and seeks out help from a faction called the Gilded Triangle. They tell her she has a contract with a High Devil named Azur. She makes a deal with the society and they send her to the Hells to retrieve a very important relic of the god Nainaur. Turns out, there’s more to the story and Ren finds herself grappling with her past and present.
Content Warnings
Minor Alcohol Use
Reference to SA (no descriptions)
Reference to Violence to Children (no explicit descriptions)
Descriptions of Torture
Grief and Trauma
Panic Attacks
PTSD
Religious Trauma
Spice Level
3 chili peppers
Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Slow Burn
Forgotten Past
Shadow Daddy
Touch Her and Die
Review
I can honestly say, I’ve never read a fantasy/romantasy with a devil as a MMC. Azur reminded me of Lucifer from my favorite all-time show Lucifer. He was just as clever, witty, and devilishly (pun intended) handsome as Tom Ellis’s Lucifer. Renata/Ren was the perfect compliment to Azur. She could really dish it out when Azur got on her nerves. But you could also just tell she relished in his shenanigans. She couldn’t help but be enamored by him. A true enemies-to-lovers dynamic. I will admit, when I started reading I wasn’t entirely into this story. It was a bit slow for me. But as the plot continued, I could feel myself not wanting to put it down. The world was captivating and the cast of characters really grew on me.
Oh, and the ending?! That twist! I need more. I immediately need the second book. B.E. Francis, you are a genius! Reading Hell-Bound was truly a journey and I enjoyed every minute of it, despite it being slow for me in the beginning.
Check out my other reviews here.
Leave a Reply