“You don’t have to worry about Bex, though. I know she’s called the Bonfire of Wrath, but she’s the kindest, most caring, most dependable person I’ve ever met. I trust her with my life.”
Rachel Aaron brings the Tear Down Heaven series to its epic midway turning point in Hell to Pay, and the time of secrets and teasing is officially over. This third instalment is bigger, bolder and admittedly a bit bumpier than ever before, but at its heart it’s still just pleasantly good paranormal urban fantasy fun!
Much like at the start of Hell of a Witch, our favourite wayward witch and rebel crew of demons is having a suspiciously good time after dealing their latest big blow to Heaven. Bex continues her mission of freeing as many wrath demons as she can from Gilgamesh’s chains to aid in her rebellion, while Adrian gains help from a surprising new ally who helps him tap into unexplored dangerous powers that could change the tide for them all. But as tenuously peaceful as things might seem, the clock is still ticking, and the man who killed the gods will make sure that there will be hell to pay.
Now, I have always really appreciated and admired how Aaron has balanced the exhilarating action with the heartfelt, quieter character moments in this series, even if I have personally been more in it for the characters rather than the plot. However, Hell to Pay really had a lot of ground to cover as a pivotal middle book in the series, and I think all the ambitious set-up and shocking reveals came slightly at the detriment of the aspects I personally enjoy most about this story.
Don’t get me wrong, I will always love spending time with these (literal and figurative) chaos demons, but I can’t sit here and pretend that the first half of Hell to Pay didn’t have me a bit nervous and frustrated. See, even though Bex and Adrian are both very strong and compelling main characters on their own, it’s when they are together that the true magic happens for me. And especially after all the teasing of their romance that we got in Hell of a Witch, I was SO ready to see their uniquely powerful relationship fully come to fruition here… only for them to be separated for the entire book.
All that said, the second half of Hell to Pay more or less shed that dreaded ‘middle book syndrome’ vibe, and I honestly think it contained some of my favourite scenes in the entire series so far. Some of the side characters that got sidelined in the first half of the book really got their time to shine again (NEMINI! Look at her slay on this gorgeous cover!), and once I had accepted that Bex and Adrian weren’t going to get together here, I could enjoy their separate storylines for what they were.
Ultimately, I am still more invested in the individual character journeys and all the messy but heartfelt interpersonal relationships rather than the macro ‘war against heaven’ plot, but there is no denying that the nuanced commentary on war is very poignant and that the long-awaited (or surprisingly unexpected) reveals in Hell to Pay were extremely intriguing. Especially the fact that we finally come face to face with Gilgamesh after two books of him being a vague ‘background’ threat was very satisfying to me, as it really rekindled my investment and made the stakes feel so much more tangible and real.
Aaron’s vision for the Tear Down Heaven series is clearly above and beyond what I had initially given it credit for, and I have full faith that the last two books are going to live up to the potential that is promised in Hell to Pay. Bring on the chaos, emotional turmoil, meddling gods, wicked witchery, and diabolical demons, I am here for it!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Hell to Pay is scheduled for release on February 28, 2025.
