“Ishtar’s Bonfire of Wrath is going to burn everything Gilgamesh has built to the ground. This fire was just the start. There’s a lot more to come, so hold tight.”
Each instalment in the Tear Down Heaven series has steadily increased in stakes and scope, but Hell Hath No Fury really takes this story to a whole new level of EPIC. I mean, buckle up baby, we are going to Hell!
Now, Hell to Pay really felt like a midway turning point for the series that set up a lot of big things to come, and I am happy to say that Hell Hath No Fury more than delivered on the potential that was promised. As we’re now four books into this series, it is almost impossible to stay away from spoilers, but safe to say that it truly felt like coming home again when I reunited with my babes Bex, Adrian & the crew.
As I have said in my previous reviews, I fell in love with this series more because of the characters and their dynamics and personal emotional journeys rather than the big macro plot of the war against Heaven, and I think Hell Hath No Fury balances those two aspects the best out of all the instalments yet. We’ve got lots of epic magic, dangerous schemes, diabolical action, and wicked twists and turns, but here we get a very strong emotional core that kept me more grounded throughout the big, bombastic moments.
I mean, Bex and Adrian have really been going through it for a while now, and I think it’s just so refreshing to follow protagonists who don’t easily win every fight but choose to show up and keep fighting for themselves and their loved ones over and over again. Moreover, as much as I whined about them being separated for the entirety of Hell to Pay (and the first half of Hell Hath No Fury), I loved how their time apart only allowed them to hone their skills and grow as individuals, even if their growth happened through some unpleasant circumstances.
And when they, at LONG last, reunite? THE FEEELS!! Like, there is no shortage of conflicts in this series, but I love that there is never any friction between these two; I have said it before and I will say it again, they are a match made in Heaven. And hell, it’s not just the romantic feels that had my heart beating overtime for the entire second half of Hell Hath No Fury, but also just the strong bonds and unwavering platonic love between all of these slightly damaged but definitely not broken badasses.
See, while I felt like the side characters got a bit sidelined in the previous instalment, they are back and better than ever in Hell Hath No Fury. Lots of beloved (and not so beloved) familiar faces get a big role to play here, and I found the exploration of trust, loyalty, redemption, sacrifice, and love to be equally heartwarming and gutwrenching. And it’s not like I didn’t already know that Iggs, Lys, Nemini (!!!), and even Boston are true forces to be reckoned with in their own right, but they really surprised me in all the best ways in this instalment.
Now, as much as I enjoyed getting a ‘backstage’ look into Gilgamesh’s home (both up in Heaven and down in the Hells) and learning more about all the princes of Heaven as well as the notorious Queens of Ishtar, I do have to admit that I sometimes struggled to visualise it all and couldn’t always keep track of all the many moving pieces on the board. Also, this is just a very petty nitpick, but the 20-30 page long chapters in these books keep frustrating me as they somehow make pacing feel so much slower than it actually is, simply because the book doesn’t have that ‘just one more chapter’ vibe that I associate with urban fantasy.
But then again, the Tear Down Heaven series has long evolved from a fun urban fantasy romp into one of the most dramatic yet oh so heartfelt fantasy epics, and I can’t wait to see what Aaron has in store in the last instalment. Hell Hath No Fury is honestly a wild emotional rollercoaster full of incredible revelations, all gearing up for what can only become one hell of a grand finale.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Hell Hath No Fury is scheduled for release on 3 October, 2025.
