#Tripp Helmuth

[remusfinglupin]

Sometimes family is a gentleman demon, a galaxy who can see ghosts, an anxious research assistant, a well-dressed detective, and the human embodiment of a golden retriever

[slightlysadfilter]

There is something so comforting about Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, despite the abundance of trauma, gore and eerie stuff.

Take Il Bastone; the existence itself of a sentient house that worries about you, in a world where magic is grotesque and raw.

Dawes's warming meals.

The architecture! The beauty of New Haven, the art.

For how fucked it is, you never see Alex complaining because she has met worse. Because even among demons, and bloody rituals, and uptight professors, she's at least surrounded by beauty and comfort. That same feeling passes unto the readers, it truly is magical to read Ninth House.

[bookloverturnedfangirl]

Leigh Bardugo really went it’s not enough that they’re Dante and Virgil, they’re Orpheus and Eurydice as well?!??

[msbrightsides]

So we all agree that Alex’s mom definitely knows shit she’s not supposed to right? Mira said “there is a reason I named you Galaxy” As Alex has consistent imagery of herself covered in stars in dreams and in hell. So did she dream about Alex with midnight eyes and stars on her skin when she was pregnant, naive to the premonition? Or did she know what Alex’s father was, whom I’m personally suspecting was a demon, and named her that in his honor? Leigh Bardugo hasn’t told us how Wheelwalkers have come to be and there’s no way it’s an accident. It would explain why her dad hightailed it out of Estrea’s sight: she always knew the truth and she could see through the bullshit.

[academtits]

I love how Alex could have literally crossed the circle and yanked Darlington out of hell no problem, but instead the gang takes the long way, twice, as some demented team-building, trauma-bonding exercise.

[empttygxld]

Of course he’d survive on a technicality, thank you Leigh I was way too attached

[whatbusiness]

tripp in hell bent

[i-can-stab-you-in-the-eye]

H E L L B E N T

by Leigh Bardugo

People shouldn’t have to march through the world fighting all the time.

[vavuska]

[lesbianamalvada]

I'm sorry girlies but I just DO NOT get Darlington's appeal. He's a fine character, maybe it's just the lesbian in me, but him and Alex seem SO FORCED. Plus it's a "slow burn" but we know what the fuck you're gonna do Bardugo!! Idk it's just so forced, ntm they've barely spent anytime together because Dumbass Darlington walked into monster month (and his last thoughts were blaming Alex for it, lmfaoo). And the interaction they do have together is dull, sorry! Alex is such a cool character and she has more chemistry with literally EVERYONE ELSE in the cast.

I mean just look at the descent in Hell Bent where we get a backstory of all the characters. Pamela Dawes isn't loud and out-of-this-world like most Bardugo characters. She feels so realistic, but is still so interesting. We see how she has crippling anxiety from developing too fast, how she hides behind her academia, how she's torn up about killing Blake. She's so understated but so real and relatable for it.

We see how Turner struggles with being a cop and trying to be a bastard, how he literally killed his mentee for what he believes in, how he tries to be a fighter for good and his people in a world that rewards him for doing the opposite. Even his spirituality is handled respectfully and he's just a really well done character.

Then we have Tripp, we've all met a Tripp, all the privilege in the world but you can't even hate him for it cause he's been too sheltered to ever develop a mean bone in his body. Except we see how he dealt with abuse from his cousin all his life. We see how Spenser just gets away with it, and I empathized with Tripp when he let Spenser die. (Which btw he's not technically a murderer for that but WHATEVER LEIGH) After the descent I did a full 180 on his character!

And Mercy is so fun. She's not familiar with the world of magic and looks at it with hopeful-Harry-Potter-fan eyes, she's like a conduit for the reader in a way the jaded Alex can't be. But also if you think about her backstory is VERY dark. She was violated in the most horrible way by this magic before she even knew it existed. And now she wants to harness that same magic so she's never put in that position again. She kills a man because Alex tells her to, because she thinks this is some sort of Hogwarts adventure. And then at the end of the book you see grasp what Lethe is, and her tension with Alex is *chef's kiss* so good!

Ughh and thenn we have Darlington...what's Darlington's big murderer moment? The thing that made him eligible for a scholarship at Demon University? He *checks notes* pulled the life support on his dying geriatric grandpa at the man's own request....okayy. Surely there's something else? Well you see Darlington's always wanted to believe in magic! Just like all of us! It's like he's trying to hard to represent us fantasy readers, but by the second book Mercy already accomplishes this and does it better. And I guess you can say he had neglectful parents but it's just handled so unrealistically I couldn't believe it. 1. Once the grandpa was dead and Darlington was a minor his parents could have easily torn down that shitty house. 2. Darlington would legally belong to them, they wouldn't have to turn off the electricity to freeze him out of the house, they could call CPS who would bust down the doors and give him to his parents. 3. His whole backstory relies on a crusty house?? Really?? 4. I'm tired of the poor little rich boy trope. I'd rather have characters like Tripp, yes they've had their own struggles but wealth has shielded them, instead of unrealistic characters like Darlington. It's even worse because Leigh tries to frame Alex's and Darlington's childhood as "two sides of the same coin' when it's not that at all!

And you'd think Demon Danny would have a little spice but, no? I guess he enjoyed punishing people and making them suffer (told, not show) and he has urges to do it again? But more importantly we need to know that he REALLY REALLY wants to fuck Alex. Also he will serve Alex TiL tHe EnD oF dAyS! He's also her personal slave now and she can make him do whatever. Demon Danny is starting to feel like a fetish, okay? IT'S. SO. FORCED. They barely had any chemistry before the dumbass walked straight into Hell, but I see why Alex's destructive nature would put her on a suicide mission for his rescue. But now he's dreaming about her in his perfect future? They're cosmically connected to each other? It's so funny because they are both way closer to Pamela Dawes but just fuck her I guess.

Anyway I think Darlington lacks substance and he's not good enough for Alex BUT i'm hoping I'll like him more in book 3. Can any Darlington fans give me your interpretation of the character and why you like him? I really don't like feeling this way since he's such a big part of the story and sometimes a different analysis is all you need. As of right now he's the embodiment "Go girl! Give us nothing!" for me.

[remusfinglupin]

Alex: We all have our demons.

Alex, grabbing Darlington: This one’s mine.

[slightlysadfilter]

The fact that there are people out there who don't like Ninth House is so baffling to me because I'm such a picky reader, and yet this book wrecked my life, I'm telling you

One of the best prose I've ever encountered, and yes, the story was messy at first but not so messier than many other fantasy books I read. I found it more engaging than a detailed, list-like wordlbuilding explanation that seems to be more common. Or even when they try to scatter it, it still comes off as "let's get the worldbuilding done with" and that's not something I found here, and I thought it clever and enthralling. I actually enjoyed deciphering the many quotes, mentions and foreshadowing. That's why I read it twice.

I was also surprised to find many people don't like Alex as a character. That's genuinely the most surprising one to me. She's such a complex, strong and intelligent woman! And she's an antihero, which I always enjoy.

Lastly, many people complained about the slow burn being too slow. This one annoys me a little. If you want your characters to get together within 300 pages, that's not a slow burn. If you don't want the tiny details, the tension, the "almosts", it's not a slow burn.

[bookloverturnedfangirl]

Hell Bent Spoilers!!

Absolutely fucking sobbing because Cosmo is Darlington’s guardian

[msbrightsides]

Hell Bent spoilers:

Does anyone else think about that scene where Alex pretends Darlington just got back from Spain in front of the new Praetor? How she cried and flew into his arms and he was almost too surprised to hug her back? How that was the only time they’ve ever hugged? How Alex felt how warm his hand was on the small of her back? Bc as much as the other scenes are great, that’s the one I keep coming back to

[theskytraveler]

Tripp Helmuth

Human ❌

Demon/Vampire ❌

A secret third thing ✔️

[pammydawes]

A real conversation taking place between Tripp and Alex while darlington and Turner physically restrain themselves from interjecting and dawes pretends she isn’t snickering