Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo starting February 5, 2023.

Excited to start this!

Thank you, Yanique!

3 chapters in, no idea what's going on (view spoiler)[ why Alex is breaking into some dudes house, who the dude is, what's the connection to the ghost etc. I'm just confused. (hide spoiler)]

Oh my gosh I was so confused too! lol

I watched a booktuber to give myself a recap for the series, but man. I really don't like reading and waiting for new books to come out XD

For some reason this one isn't drawing me as much as the first. I'll have to get back with my thoughts later~

I'm so behind reading this! I was so confused too, and I've only managed to read about 4 chapters 🙈

I think I'm about 8 chapters in and no idea what's happening.

@Katie I think the wait was just too long with this one, it was several years ago and I've really lost track. It isn't drawing me in either unfortunately.

Charlie wrote: "I think I'm about 8 chapters in and no idea what's happening.

@Katie I think the wait was just too long with this one, it was several years ago and I've really lost track. It isn't drawing me in ..."

That's exactly how I feel Charlie >_< The wait was too long and I'm just not invested in the story right now. And I go to around chapter 11 before I had to return things to the library (I'm gonna get the book again soon).

Thoughts up to Chapter 11ish
(view spoiler)[I wonder if the story isn't grabbing me because of Darlington being missing? But I think its more than that. I like how we learned about Alex in the first book. And her experience with the Greys.

Right now Alex seems to be doing a little bit of everything. She's all over the place in trying to make sure Lethe house doesn't shut down. And she's one of the only people who is trying to save Darlington too! I just think there's too many ideas all over the place right now for me to be drawn back into the story. And the flashbacks don't mean much to me because its been a while since book 1.

The summoning and participating in being a "Virigl" at the college is always interesting. That's the stuff I eat up. Very curious about how the magic system works. And that last ritual was super sketchy with the group knowing the guy would die and not doing anything so they would get answers. Not to mention the dead kept talking and they just stopped listening. And mention of Galaxy? Alex's name? intrigue.

Finding Darlington back at Lethe house was a surprise! I didn't think that ritual would work! I really wonder how changed he is and if he can even come back!

What happened to the bad guy? Was he sent to hell too? If so that's concerning...

So yeah, there's some interesting things going on here. But we're not being introduced to the world like we were in book one. And the characters just aren't keeping me invested like they once did >_<; (hide spoiler)]

I think I'll try to reread Ninth House before this one based on y'alls comments.. I've still got like a 20 week wait from the library though lol

Tonari no Emily wrote: "I think I'll try to reread Ninth House before this one based on y'alls comments.. I've still got like a 20 week wait from the library though lol"

Good idea Tonari :D Maybe you can clue us into some things we forgot about ^^;

I found a decent summary for Ninth House so felt a bit more clued up, but the wait has taken some of my passion for the story I think. I will give it more of a chance, just got really busy this month unfortunately :(

I'm gonna do what I should have done a few weeks ago, pause this and reread book 1 first. I feel like it's the only way I'll enjoy it because right now I just have no care at all for what is going on.

I wanted to do the same before reading book 2... maybe I can find time to do so, since you guys are running so late?...

I've still got a crazy amount of BRs going on, but I just finished February, where I added 10 Penric novellas to the pile and managed it, so why not?...

As usual Iain, you're a machine!

Honestly, my overbooked schedule this year is reminiscent of year 1 competition, when I had a BR basically every day... back when we had BRs scheduled every day, instead of in weekly clumps, and mostly the first 3 weeks of the month (and that's only a recent resurgence)

I just scheduled alot of BRs for the Vagabond and Mystery Book Club threads, then signed up for way too many extras... it's about 50/50 re-reads and new reads, my current habit...

thats actually a pretty good balance, i always wind up doing way too many rereads each year.

I do re-reads at all times now, it seems... there's usually something I want to re-read, and/or some BRs I want to participate in that are re-reads... if I start slumping, the re-reads skyrocket...

For now, it's actually 60/40 leaning towards new reads... but it's also a matter of doing shorter books... I've read like 80 books so far this year... 50ish books and 25 short stories and novellas... and I have plans to read alot of October Daye short stories I've missed... so my usual stats will be a bit skewed, I think...

When I'm slumpy is when i re-read the most too, I started re-reading The Assassin's Blade again yesterday because nothing I'm reading right now is holding my attention.

Charlie wrote: "When I'm slumpy is when i re-read the most too, I started re-reading The Assassin's Blade again yesterday because nothing I'm reading right now is holding my attention."

I generally re-read a book or series by T.J. Klune to get out of a slump, completely understand the need for a book palette cleanse occasionally!

So I have been lurking here to see if this ends on a cliffhanger. I am fine with unresolved issues or items but an unnecessary cliffhanger annoys me to no end! So when someone does finish can you slap a spoiler tag up about this please? It took her like 4 years for book 2 and if there is a cliffhanger no way I will I want to read 1 & 2 with that long of a potential wait for the final resolution.

Ann-Marie wrote: "Charlie wrote: "When I'm slumpy is when i re-read the most too, I started re-reading The Assassin's Blade again yesterday because nothing I'm reading right now is holding my attention."

I generall..."

That's a very good point Ann-Marie!

I'm not actually sure, is this a duology or a trilogy? If the latter I really hope there's not 4 years until the next book.

I'm assuming it was delayed by the pandemic?... some authors didn't due well, writing during the pandemic... but I don't follow this author closel...

Or not... looks like she published 2 Grishaverse companion pieces (Book of Saints, book from inside Grishaverse, and Demon in the Woods, the prequel about the villain pre-trilogy)... and the 2nd King of Scars book...

I'm a bit behind for February, but not too bad considering the absolute madness I got myself in xD

I'll probably reread Ninth House when my hold for this one gets to 2-4 weeks

Re-reading during a slump is a great idea! I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing that before! :D

Maybe because I thought I always had to read something new. But sometimes you just wanna fall back into something you love ^^

Katie wrote: "Re-reading during a slump is a great idea! I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing that before! :D

Maybe because I thought I always had to read something new. But sometimes you just wanna fall ..."

Honestly I don't always record how many times I re-read a favorite, I think folks on GR would think I was crazy! Also I take my favorites on audio, set a 30 minute times and fall asleep to that each night. I am familiar enough with the books that I can pick right up the following night and if I know I missed a favorite part I can rewind a bit.

I've read some books at least 5 times... I don't tend to re-read more than once a year, and after awhile even that becomes too much...

Once a year is usually my limit for rereading something too but occasionally a book will slip in twice, HP for example is one of those, I just listen to the audio if I'm having a bad day and then I need to listen to the whole lot. I often reread my favourite urban fantasy reads once a year too because they're fun and I love them.

I have been keeping a book journal this year and one of the things I have been tracking is how many re-reads each month and I read 24 books in February and 12 were re-reads so that was awesome to realize. A bunch was a re-read before the newest in the series was released yesterday so that is not something that will normally happen but still, that was too much!

Falling asleep to a classic fav sounds amazing <3 I'll have to try that sometime! I used to do that with tv shows or movies all of the time. Something I know and love and just have it playing in the background while I multitask

What are all of your fav re-reads??

Also, just got Hell Bent back from the library so I'll prob get back to it this weekend!

Katie wrote: "Falling asleep to a classic fav sounds amazing <3 I'll have to try that sometime! I used to do that with tv shows or movies all of the time. Something I know and love and just have it playing in th..."

Anything by T.J. Klune but definitely The House in the Cerulean Sea or his Green Creek series starting with Wolfsong, K.D. Edwards Tarot Sequence series, Upside Down by N.R. Walker, Everyday History by Alice Archer and the All for the Game series (Foxhole Court books) by Nora Sakavic. I have recently listened to the Monk & Robot novellas by Becky Chambers and I absolutely loved them so I can see those going into the rotation and I am currently listening to Watership Down and again I can see this being revisited occasionally.

The HP books used to be in there but she is in my "author behaving badly" category and those are a nope for me right now. I already bought them so I will perhaps reconsider at some point but not yet lol

I usually reread HP, everything by Ilona Andrews, The Others by Anne Bishop, Psy/changeling by Nalini Singh, The Hollows by Kim Harrison, Mercyverse by Patricia Briggs and ACOTAR by Sarah J Maas. Those are my comfort reads.

Most re-read (you can turn on read count as a stat in bookshelves, if you accurately track that)...

1) October Daye (so much foreshadowing and hidden clues to future books, right from the beginning)

2) Kate Daniels & Innkeeper Chronicles, more than other Ilona Andrews series

3) Mercy Thompson & Alpha/Omega

4) Dresden Files & Wayward Children (partially because of Buddy Reads)

5) Brandon Sanderson / Cosmere

6) The Shadow Queen duology late in the Black Jewels series, and the Others books by Anne Bishop...

7) Agatha Heterodyne / Girl Genius webcomic audiobooks by the Foglios

That's pretty much everything I've read more than twice...

I reread The Old Kingdom/Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix a lot :)

I'm about 30% through Ninth House and really enjoying it. Looking forward to getting back to this once I'm done.

Just finished Ninth House, gonna start back up with Hell Bent.

I still have plans to read both of these (re-read the first)... probably discuss them in here, even tho I'm well past the BR participation point dates... it's just a matter of finding time... I might have a day or 2 before the end of the month... if I don't just keep using my spare time for Mysteries...

Into chapter 12 (view spoiler)[ Darlington is a demon and he's here! (hide spoiler)]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I still have plans to read both of these (re-read the first)... probably discuss them in here, even tho I'm well past the BR participation point dates... it's just a matter of finding time... I mig..."

Yay, join us Iain, would love to hear your thoughts.

Charlie wrote: "Into chapter 12 [spoilers removed]"

Cool right?!

You're gonna totally overtake me now because I'm making such slow progress with my physical copy!!

I'm up to chapter 21:

(view spoiler)[ and there are effing vampires now!! That drug dealer dick head sent her there knowing fine well no-one else had survived, thank god that grey was there for Alex. I hope she gets Darlington's car back, Dawes is going to freak. (hide spoiler)]

@Siobhan I've got a few other audiobooks on the go so possibly not! we might end up keeping pace with each other with this one :D.

Started Ninth House… reminded why I liked it, pretty quick… there were a ton of secret society movies in the 90s/00s…

@Iain ooh I totally want to watch some, I love secret society stuff

chapter 18 (view spoiler)[ Alex absolutely terrified Darlington's dad, it was brilliant! (hide spoiler)]

Ninth House: I feel like I'm getting alot more out of the story, this time around... I don't remember what I was doing/playing/gaming, last time I read this, but I feel like it was something that took more of my attention...

Near 75-80% already...

It's kind of reminding me of Scholomance, in a weird way (which I loved)... and Magic for Liars (which I DNF'd)...

Awww I really liked Magic for Liars. Why did you DNF Iain?

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Awww I really liked Magic for Liars. Why did you DNF Iain?"

I can't remember too many specifics, other than being unhappy with what the story was, compared to what I thought it was going to be... left me frustrated/annoyed while listening, so I just gave up on it...

Opinion might change, if I read it with a different mindset going in...

Finished my Ninth House re-read... I'd probably rate it 5 stars on this readthrough... I missed so much, the first time around, that I think I remember being vaguely confused when I reached the climax... this time around I knew exactly what was going on (except when Blake showed up near the end, last night, but I just paused for the night and rewound 30 minutes when I got up today... I think it was the fact that I knew who he was that was confusing me, since it didn't make much sense for him to be there with magic)...

Anyway, I have some other books to read, then I'll loop back and read Hellbent...

Charlie wrote: "@Iain ooh I totally want to watch some, I love secret society stuff

chapter 18 [spoilers removed]"

I definitely remember the Skull & Bones movies... one had Pacey from Dawson's Creek & Fringe... there was also the Cruel Intentions series, which wasn't really about secret societies, but was definitely about the entitled rich getting away with murder and rape/assault...

One or both of the series also had the actor from Sanctuary... Robin Dunne...

EDIT: Yep, just confirmed that Robin Dunne was the replacement lead for Cruel Intentions 2 AND The Skulls 2...

So sorry my spoiler tag didn't work on my last comment 🙈 I spelled it wrong. Apologies.

@Iain I've seen Cruel Intentions but not Skull & Bones, will add to my list.

@Siobhan RE chapter 22 (view spoiler)[ freaking vampires!!! that's new lol. makes sense though, if ghosts and demons are real there could be other stuff. (hide spoiler)]